Leopard 05 - Savage Nature

wandering over her face. He kissed her eyes, her nose, the corners of her mouth and that sweet, stubborn chin.
    “I’m just me, Drake,” she sounded bemused.
    He smiled down at her. “And that, honey, is the miracle.” He trailed kisses down her throat, his teeth nibbling along her neck, down to her breasts as he bunched her shirt in one fist. His mouth closed over one breast, suckling strong right through the thin lace of her bra. She cried out and arched against him, pressing more deeply into him. His hand came up to roughly massage the soft mound.
    A bird called loudly, answered by another one. Drake’s leopard leapt and was answered by Saria’s female. Drake actually felt the rush of fur sliding under her skin, the scorching heat, and he inhaled the wild, exotic scent. His tongue lapped gently at her nipple once more before reluctantly lifting his head.
    “Damn it, honey. We’re out of time.”
    She let out a little gasp of shock, as if she was coming back from a great distance. He dragged down her shirt, and steadied her, as he lifted his head, scenting the air. “They’re coming at us as men, rather than leopards. That’s not good, Saria. Get back to the boat.”
    She looked around her for the rifle. She’d set it against the trunk of a tree without realizing it. She shook her head. “Seriously, Drake, I don’ know what I’m doin’ when you’re kissin’ me.”
    Drake put his arm around her and drew her beneath his shoulder, holding her close for a moment. “I should have known they’d come after us as fast as they could. They don’t want the other members of their lair to know what they’re up to. Will Charisse tell on her brother?”
    “You saw her. No way. He covers for her all the time.”
    He nodded. “I’m armed, honey. I’ll stay here. You take the boat and head . . .”
    She shook her head. “It’s not goin’ to happen, so stop right there. We’re not splittin’ up, although I appreciate the gesture. No sense in arguin’ with me, Drake. I won’t change my mind.”
    He took her at her word. “They’re going to use bullets. We need a place to defend. I’m not willing to risk the open water with me in the boat with you.”
    “Neither am I.” She sent him a rueful smile as she immediately signaled him to follow her. She moved with confidence through the tangled vegetation. “I’m guessin’ they’re goin’ to shoot you on sight and hope I’m not in the way, unless they don’ want a witness.”
    He’d thought of that. He also was a little worried about what three leopard-driven, lust-filled, out-of-control men would do to Saria if they caught her alone. He was certain Armande had attacked her once. Where the hell was the leadership?
    “I might have to kill them.” He said it straight, with no apologies. “They’re hunting us and I can’t take any chances with your life.”
    “I’m well aware of the position they’re puttin’ us in.” She shot him an emotion-laden look over her shoulder. She kept moving, winding her way through the heavier reeds and tangles of brush. “Don’ step there, not even on the edge. The crust is thin here and you’ll fall through.”
    He didn’t bother attempting to hide their tracks. These men had grown up in the swamp and were hunters. They were also leopards with all the instincts and advantages of their cats. He stepped exactly in Saria’s footsteps as she made her way through a narrow strip of land that was barely thick enough to support them. The reeds began to thin and brush took its place. Rather than cypress trees with the knobby-kneed root systems, evergreen and pine appeared, the grove growing thicker as they went deeper into it.
    “You’ve been here—a lot. I thought no one came here.”
    She sent him a small grin, not breaking stride. “It was the one place no one thought to look for me. I’ve been comin’ here since I was a child. It’s my private refuge. No one else comes here, so I found a place around the other side to pull my boat onto shore and hide it.”
    “You’re taking us through every pitfall you know of, aren’t you?” The terrain had gone wet and soft again. He skirted around the areas she did. His leopard shifted inside him, stepping far from the spots that looked as if they might be quicksand. The Spanish-moss-covered cypress trees were back, growing in the thin soil. Around them palmettos, irises and marsh grass vied for space with tangled vines.
    Turtles rested on logs and one sat on