Leopard 04 - Wild Fire

right with it. I’ll stay very close to Elijah, unless you’ve scared him into thinking you’re going to kill him if he looks at me wrong.”
    She sounded so exasperated, Conner found some of the tension easing from his body. He sank his fingers into her silky hair. “I’m sorry, beloved, I want you safe. I can’t think about much else right now.
    Letting you go in there is unbelievably difficult.”
    She framed his face with her hands. “Letting you go in there is worse for me. I’m not afraid of Imelda Cortez.”
    “You should be.”
    She gave him a slight smile. “I should have said my cat isn’t afraid. She’s so close, Conner, and I want her. I want to be able to use her strength to help you.”
    “Just stay clear of the rogues. They won’t be able to resist trying to get you alone. Stay with . . .”
    “Elijah. Yeah. I think we started this conversation here. Go inside. I’m going to be fine.” She leaned into him, kissing him, grateful for the tinted windows.
    “Damn it, Isabeau,” Elijah snapped. “When you get out, all of us will have to hug you, rub our scent over you, otherwise the rogues will be able to pick up Conner’s scent exclusively.”
    Rio glared at Conner. “That’s a rookie mistake.”
    “Great,” she muttered rebelliously, “they’re going to think I’m the loose, easy chick.”
    “I’m beginning to think Conner’s right and you should stay in the car,” Rio said.
    Isabeau rolled her eyes and reached across Conner to shove open the door. She wasn’t staying in the car.
    Conner simply shrugged before flashing his teeth at Isabeau in a conspiratorial smirk. He exited the SUV
    and took his first good look at the estate where Philip Sobre, the chief of tourism resided. The man had done well for himself. The six-story sprawling mansion was on a slope overlooking the forest. The panoramic views swept around the verandah and from every deck and window in the large house. Trees, centuries old, rose up in grandeur, to surround the house and lead the way to the small lake shimmering just a distance away.

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    The temperature had begun to fall and Conner could hear the familiar sounds of the rain forest as evening settled in. The frog chorus had already begun in the many small ponds and puddles of water as the amphibians defended their territories and did their melodious best to attract mates. Higher up, hidden on the massive trunks and branches, the tree frogs chimed in with their strange knocking sound, a song that was more obnoxious, but strangely comforting.
    He stepped out of the way and allowed Elijah to help Isabeau from the vehicle. All the while he kept his gaze moving around them, surveying the estate, he was acutely aware of her. The way she moved. The sound of her voice. The way the shadows caressed her face lovingly.
    A myriad of insects had joined the frogs, with the cicadas taking a prominent roll in the chorus. Farther out, in the inky darkness, his cat could sense and identify other smaller rodents foraging on the forest floor. He had the sudden urge to throw Isabeau over his shoulder and disappear into that darkness where no one could ever find them. He turned his head to look at her, in spite of his commands to her that they should appear indifferent. He couldn’t help it.
    And that, he supposed, was the main problem he had with Isabeau. From the beginning, he lacked control and discipline when he was around her. He’d taught her to please him. He was the dominant in the relationship, yet she held him in the palm of her hand. She was wrapped so tightly around his heart there was no escape. There was no way to blame it on his cat—or hers—this was all about the woman, the whole of her.
    Their eyes met. God, she was beautiful, a bright spirit, shining from the inside out. He was going into a party filled with corrupt individuals who wanted every last dollar they could rob from the poorer people around them. She went into a rain forest and studied how plants could be used to heal people. The woman he was going to seduce was the worst of all, with no regard for human life. His woman was willing for her man to do whatever it took in order to save children not her own.
    “I love you,” he said. Stark. Raw. In front of them all.
    She flashed a small smile and there was pride in her eyes. “I love you too.”
    He turned and fell into step with Marcos Santos, Felipe and