Leopard 04 - Wild Fire

woman.” She began to weep a little wildly. “He was so cruel, Conner.
    And all the while, he acted like I deserved it, like I had betrayed him.”
    He tightened his arms carefully around her, trying not to choke on the other man’s smell. His leopard was insane, pushing close to the surface, raging at his enemy, trying to rip through flesh to get to the hideous, offensive smell.
    “We’re going to get you in the bathtub where I can inspect the damage. You’ll need painkillers, Isabeau, and antibiotics . . .”
    She lifted her face to look at him for the first time and there was a hint of pride in her gaze. “He said you’d be too upset to remember the antibiotics, but you didn’t forget. ”
    “Of course I didn’t,” he brushed a kiss along her forehead. “You’re my first priority, always, Isabeau.”
    “He thought I’d be upset that you went to help Jeremiah,” she said. “But I’m glad you did.” She couldn’t keep the edge of hysteria from her voice. “He did everything he could to drive a wedge between us.”
    Conner’s stomach knotted. He heard the uncertainty in her voice. She wasn’t aware of it, but Ottila had done damage to Isabeau by shaking her confidence, not only in him—that he could accept another man’s mark on her—but in herself. He lifted her, taking her on through to the bathroom. Rio had thoughtfully lit candles to keep the light muted and soft.
    “Should I get the doc?” he asked.
    “She’s already on antibiotics. Give me some time to assess the damage,” Conner said. “He planned this Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    out very well. He let me catch a whiff of him, laid a trail straight to Jeremiah, hurt him enough that we’d stay there and help, left us another trail into the forest leading away from the valley and from here, and all the while we were chasing him he was terrorizing Isabeau.”
    “Is it possible he’s doing Cortez’s bidding?” Rio ventured. “We have to at least take a look at the possibility that she knows about us.”
    “No.” Isabeau raised her head, her gaze meeting Rio’s steadily. “He deserted Imelda and is coming after Conner. He’s got a twisted sense of right and wrong. It was okay to beat me, but not okay to rape me. I should accept him and we can live happily ever after, although he might have to kill Conner’s and my child. I think he has enough money to be satisfied and he’s already moved on to his next agenda. I made the mistake of marking him.” Her voice wobbled but she kept her gaze steady. “This isn’t about Imelda.
    We’re still clear to go.”
    “You’re betting our lives on that,” Rio said. “A good way to kill Conner is to lure him into Imelda’s compound.”
    “He wouldn’t do that,” Isabeau denied.
    “Why?” Rio asked.
    “He has a sense of honor,” she replied.
    The knots in Conner’s belly tightened even more. He didn’t want Ottila Zorba anywhere near Isabeau.
    “Listen, baby,” he crooned softly. “This isn’t your fault. None of this is your fault.”
    “I did something to him.” There was a frown in her voice, but she wouldn’t look at him. “He said my cat would accept him. And she didn’t come out to help me. She didn’t protest what he was doing.”
    “We have venom in our claws.” He brushed kisses over her temples. “Zorba is trying to confuse you, to make you think that what you did entitles him to you, but he saw you and in his twisted mind, like any other common stalker, he thinks you have a relationship with him. He knows you’re my mate. He knows you’re married to me, but it doesn’t matter to him. Mates are sacred. No one touches another’s mate.”
    He took her through to the bathroom and allowed her legs to drop to the floor, one arm holding her steady.
    “I don’t understand, Conner. You said he has the right to challenge you.”
    “You chose, but yes, an unmated female certainly has the right to choose her mate. She isn’t restricted to one single male until that choice is made. Ordinarily, mates look for one another, life cycle after cycle, but they don’t always. Your cat indicated she found his cat attractive, that’s all. But you are mated, and he has no rights at all to you. He knows that.”
    “Then what does the venom do?”
    He was afraid she’d ask. He busied himself tugging at her shirt, which she didn’t want to give up. She kept pulling the hem back down. Finally she covered her