Leopard 05 - Savage Nature

of her full bottom lip. Her eyes went dark, desire flaring for a moment, just enough to satisfy him.
    Pauline cleared her throat, reminding him he wasn’t alone with Saria. The innkeeper managed not to smirk at him. Drake cut her off neatly before she could switch subjects. “I was just telling Pauline about the horrible noises I heard last night. Something large was fighting or killing something else. It sounded like large cats to me.”
    Saria didn’t look up, fussing with her napkin. “That would be strange, Drake. We don’ have large cats in the swamp anymore. The last one was shot in sixty-six, wasn’t it, Miss Pauline? I remember mon pere tellin’ us how sad it was.”
    “There are legends,” Pauline pointed out. “My sister’s husband and his father were out fishin’ when he was young and they claim they saw a panther, but if they did, it was a ghost, cuz there were no tracks left behind.”
    “You have to get used to the sounds in the swamp,” Saria added. “I’m often in the swamp at night workin’ and it can be a little scary.”
    His head went up. “What the hell are you doing in the swamp at night?” He looked to Pauline for confirmation. “She shouldn’t do that, should she?”
    “No, she shouldn’t,” Pauline ou ternly. “What time did you come in last night? I didn’t hear anything.”
    “Probably your sleeping aid,” Drake pointed out helpfully. He helped himself to more trout and eggs. The woman was lying her ass off, but he appreciated how smoothly she did it and there was no sense in passing up a great meal.
    Saria leaned toward Drake with a laugh. “It wasn’ her sleepin’ aid, my man. I’m a ninja. No one ever hears me unless I wan’ them to. I watched a lot of martial art movies, so if anythin’ goes wrong, just get behind me and you’ll be safe in that scary swamp.”
    “I’ll be sure and do that,” he agreed. “Can you catch bullets with your teeth?” He liked her calling him “my man” rather than “my friend.” It was probably just her way of speaking, but he’d take whatever he could get. It was rather pathetic to be looking for the smallest of signs that she was just as mesmerized by him as he was with her, but apparently he’d fallen much harder than he expected.
    “I haven’t actually gotten that technique down yet,” Saria admitted, laughing. She turned to Pauline. “I was in the swamp last night, tryin’ to get pictures again. I’ve got a buyer interested in winter wildlife shots. The mood of the swamp is so different at night. I sat up in a blind for hours and got cold, but wasn’t happy with most of the shots.”
    “You were in the swamp last night?” Drake demanded. “Alone?”
    Saria shrugged. “I often go into the swamp alone at night.”
    “Where are your brothers?” Pauline asked. “I bet they weren’t home.”
    Saria laughed. “It wouldn’t have mattered if they had been. I do what I want. Remy has some big case he’s workin’ on. I think Mahieu is smitten with your niece, Charisse—he’s been courtin’ her recently—and the rest left to go give a hand on the river.”
    Pauline looked pleased. “I would like that match, although Charisse seems a little frivolous for a man like Mahieu. I love her and she’s very intelligent, but she’s a little . . .” She trailed off and then laughed. “Kooky.”
    “Bossy,” Saria said at the same time. She laughed too. “Don’ worry, Miss Pauline, Mahieu is bossy too. They might make a terrific match. Besides, she’s a genius, isn’t she? No one makes perfume, the exact right blend, like she does.”
    Pauline beamed at her. “She does have a gift, doesn’t she?”
    Exact blends of perfumes didn’t interest Drake at all, but Saria’s penchant for traipsing around in the swamp alone was of paramount interest. “So your brothers just left you alone?” Drake couldn’t get over the fact that she had five brothers and none of them were looking out for her. “And you went out into the swamp to take pictures.”
    “Well, Lojos might have been around, but I didn’t see him,” Saria said, obviously unconcerned. “And they aren’t just any pictures.”
    Drake had the urge to reach across the table and shake Saria. She didn’t understand how much danger she was in with a leopard killing people. The killer was most likely watching her every movement. “You put yourself at risk for pictures ?”
    The marks on her back meant a male leopard was already staking a