Leopard 05 - Savage Nature

go behind their backs, Saria. I need to talk to them about us.”
    “I’m a grown woman. It’s not their business what I do.” She stuck her chin out.
    Drake leaned toward her, brushing her chin with a light kiss. “They’re going to think differently. I would never respect a man who would try to steal my sister rather than court her properly with the knowledge of her family.” He pulled her closer, beneath the protection of his shoulder. “What are you afraid of, Saria? If they object, will you back out?”
    “No. No, of course not. Why would you think that? I just don’ think it’s a great idea talkin’ to my brothers. They’ve been actin’ weird lately. Really weird.”
    Which was another reason she worried the killer might be one of her brothers. Drake knew she wouldn’t voice it aloud again, but she was definitely worried.
    “Weird how?”
    “They never paid any attention to me at all while I was growin’ up. Well, Remy sometimes tried to tell me what to do, but he was always in a hurry and he’d leave after he’d give me some stupid order. They’ve lived their own lives and suddenly they’re all back and I can feel them watchin’ me. They want me in the house at night. Remy said not to go out into the swamp at night and more than once ’s checked up on me.”
    He had to hide his smile at the disgust in her voice. “Imagine. Your big brother checking up on you,” he murmured.
    She glared at him for a moment and then began to laugh. “I suppose that does sound silly. I don’ think any of them realized I grew up, and suddenly they’ve noticed and they want to put me back in my toddler suit. I’m so not appreciatin’ their attention.” She took a bite of her sandwich and chewed, thinking it over. “It’s strange when you think about it. I spent a good portion of my early years tryin’ to get their attention and now that I have it, I definitely resent it.”
    He rubbed his shoulder against hers, a small feline gesture of affection. “I don’t think you were ever into authority figures, Saria. You just wanted to be part of them.”
    She rubbed her chin on her knee. “I was happy when you told me about my leopard because all these years I’ve felt as if I didn’ belong with my brothers. It scares me, but at least I really have a family.”
    He stroked a caress down her silky hair, his fingers lingering on the nape of her neck. “Of course you’re part of them, whether or not you have a leopard. You would still have all the instincts. I was injured some time back and couldn’t shift. I’ve been shifting since I was a boy. For the first time I experienced what it would be like for someone of our blood to have all the drives of a leopard without being able to unleash it.”
    She took a sip of her water. Fascinated, he watched her throat work. The sun bathed her soft skin in a golden glow. He was fast becoming addicted to the sweep of her long lashes and her expressive face. He knew he was intrigued with her, drawn to her by more than the chemistry of their leopards. Her lack of guile appealed to him. The fact that he could occasionally catch glimpses of that sultry, sexy woman hidden beneath her innocent face only added to the appeal.
    “What do you mean by that?” She rubbed her mouth with the back of her hand and turned her head to look directly at him.
    His heart lurched. Those enormous dark eyes seemed a deep well he was in danger of falling into. Drake would have laughed if someone had told him just a few days earlier how fast and hard he would fall for a woman, but now . . . He was so far under her spell he knew there was no way out. He wanted to be lost in her forever.
    “Leopards are moody, cruel, cunning, and passionate. Trap all those intense emotions into a body without an outlet, and you could have a very disturbed individual.” His fingers settled on the nape of her neck a little possessively.
    She didn’t move away from him, rather snuggled closer to him, her thigh sliding against his as she reached for Pauline’s famous sweet dough lemon pie. The container was chilled to keep the pie as cold as possible.
    “I feel moody sometimes,” Saria admitted as she carefully extracted the pie from the container. “Especially when someone tries to tell me what to do.”
    He laughed. He’d never seen anyone enjoy food the way she seemed to—she seemed to enjoy life more than anyone he’d been around. She just lived each moment, in the moment.
    “It’s true,”