Leopard 04 - Wild Fire

“Adan would have heard you coming a mile out.”
    Even in the darkness, the kid’s flush was apparent. He made an effort to walk quietly. “You could teach me.”
    “Do I look like someone who wants to teach some damned cub wet behind the ears? You sank your claws into my mate, you ass.” His cat rode him hard all over again, furious that he didn’t attack the kid right then. His breath came out in a long hiss and his muscles contorted.
    Isabeau stumbled, whether deliberate or not, he didn’t know, but his arm slid around her waist and he simply lifted her, cradling her in his arms. She stiffened, opened her mouth to protest. Her gaze met his and she stayed silent.

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    He needed to hold her. Her weight was nothing to him, but the feel of her in his arms was everything. He nuzzled the top of her head and glared at the youngster. The kid didn’t have any idea yet how difficult it was to find a mate. He had no idea about life or danger. The idea of living on the edge was a terrifying lure to the young. He knew because he’d been the same way. He’d been young and cocky and full of his own strength without a clue of what mattered or would ever matter.
    Conner closed his eyes briefly and wondered why the universe was slamming him so damned hard. He couldn’t just turn the kid loose to get killed—and Suma would kill him. Jeremiah Wheating wouldn’t stand by and watch children be killed. The moment Suma took him to Imelda Cortez and the kid realized what was really going on, he’d see himself as the hero and get himself killed. Conner had no choice but to look after the little punk.
    He sighed and looked down into Isabeau’s upturned face. She smiled at him.
    “What?” He asked it almost belligerently. She had too much knowledge in her eyes.
    “You know what. I don’t think you’re as much of a bastard as you want everyone to think you are. Not by a long shot.”
    “I came close to killing him. And he damn well deserved it.”
    “But you didn’t.”
    “The night isn’t over yet.”
    She just smiled and his belly tightened. He didn’t want her getting the wrong idea about him. The kid was going to learn a lesson tonight. Isabeau would think he was a brute, and the kid would sulk for a while, but his cat would be happy again and maybe give him a little respite from the clawing need and the sharp, angry reprimand.
    The cabin was just ahead, built high in the trees, hidden by the heavy vines and broad leaves surrounding it. He had mapped it out for the others just in case they were separated. He had lived there for several years with his mother, separated from others while she mourned the loss of her husband. His father had never been her true mate, but she had loved him.
    The cabin didn’t hold happy memories for him, but the moment he’d stepped foot in the rain forest it was the first place he’d gone. He’d spent two days making repairs and stocking it so they’d have a base camp if needed. It wasn’t for sentimental reasons. He wasn’t a sentimental man. He should have checked in immediately with Rio, but he needed the time to readjust. And he’d gone looking for his mother. Now he knew why she hadn’t been there.
    Strangely, the cabin looked as though it had been occupied recently, lulling him into a false sense of security. He’d even found a couple of his old toys, a truck and an airplane carved from wood out on the table. He’d imagined his mother looking at them and remembering their times together in the cabin. Now he didn’t know what to think.
    He set Isabeau on her feet and leapt up to catch a vine. Pulling himself, hand over hand, he gained the small porch and dropped the ladder made of tight vines down to the others. He shoved bundles down to them, knowing the men would need the clothes after they shifted, and then he dropped back to the ground.
    “I’m not certain I can climb,” Isabeau admitted. “My arm has really stiffened up.” Even as she voiced her doubt, she reached up to grasp the ladder.
    “I can take you up,” Conner said, “but you’ll have to go over my shoulder.”
    She gave an experimental pull, winced and let out her breath. “It’s a long way up. I think I’m going to forgo my pride and just let you take me up.” She stepped back from the ladder.
    Conner signaled Adan to go up and pointed to Jeremiah. “You can wait down here for me. We’re going to have a little