Leopard 03 - Burning Wild

was close now. Her leopard. Her other half. “He wants to take our children,” she whispered softly, no longer afraid.
    Her feet were already bare as she padded across Jake’s floor, taking comfort in the scent of him surrounding her. She knew exactly where the other male was, in his leopard form, creeping toward the stairs, thinking himself unknown to her and able to do as he wished. He was strong, as all the males of her species would be, but she was a mother defending her young. She slipped each button from its hole and let her blouse slide from her shoulders to the floor, unhooked her bra and tossed it toward Jake’s bed, all the while walking toward the open door.
    In the hall she shed her skirt and panties, feeling the cool air with relief on her sensitive skin. She stretched again, resolve filling her. He might kill her, but she would take him with her. He would not get to her children. She padded down the hall on bare feet, silent, her vision superb, her muscles loose and accommodating. She caught the railing with one hand and leapt over it, touching down lightly in a crouch on the first landing above the flight of stairs.
    The leopard had one huge paw on the stair, his eyes gleaming in the dark at her. He pulled back, startled as she went to all fours. She flung her head back, her long hair falling around her like a cloak.
    The man’s face contorted, his chest and hands shifted, so that he was standing on cat legs, facing her, half man, half leopard. Rory, the man who had been paid to impregnate her, to rape and use her against her will, stared at her with vicious, calculating eyes. “You belong to me. You were promised to me.”
    The heat was nearly unbearable, her body temperature soaring. She should have been embarrassed to be naked in front of him, but the cat in her had already merged so deeply she didn’t care. “Get out of my house.”
    Lightning flashed across the sky, lighting up the landing where she crouched. Tiny beads of sweat clung to her flushed skin. She knew her sex was swollen and moist, her scent calling to him. Her breasts ached, her nipples hard, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
    “Look at you. You’re in heat. You need me.” There was satisfaction in his voice. “Soon your cat will take over and you’ll crouch in front of me and I’ll have you, both the leopard and the woman. You’ll be mine and none of them will be able to do a damn thing about it.” His voice was hoarse with sexual tension.
    “I won’t accept you.”
    He smirked at her. “You don’t have a choice. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m quite a bit larger than you.”
    “Drake will come.”
    “Drake can’t even shift,” Rory sneered. “He’s useless to you.”
    “He’ll come and he’ll bring the other men with him.”
    “The men are down at the stables where a wild leopard has wreaked havoc with the horses. They’ll be a while trying to save Bannaconni’s precious horses.”
    “Your partner.”
    “That’s right. And he can’t get in here. You locked the place down, only I was already inside. Your precious Drake didn’t scent me.”
    “You cover yourself with other scents.”
    “Like skunk.” He sounded pleased with himself for outsmarting the other leopards.
    “Jake will hunt you down and kill you.”
    “He’ll never find us. I’m from the forest, and once we’re back there, he’ll be on my turf.”
    Emma’s hands curved, knotted, her muscles extending. She reached for her leopard, called it to her, unafraid. Accepting. They were intelligent together. They were strong. She had need of her other half.
    The Han Vol Don was upon her and she embraced it rather than fought it. It didn’t matter that her skull felt too big for her head and pain pounded through her temples. She reached for the change—wanted it.
    Another flash of lightning illuminated the room and he saw her muscles contort. As soon as he saw her body shifting, he took his other form, prepared to fight for her, fully prepared to make his claim on the female leopard. He was fascinated by her aquamarine eyes and held her stare, refusing to look away, showing her he was the male who would conquer her.
    Emma ran her tongue over sharpening teeth, all the while holding the male’s gaze. She knew she was alluring to him and she used her sensual state to mesmerize him, as the rippling under her skin ran from her belly to her arms. Adrenaline flooded her body, and with it strength—the strength she would need to