Psy & Changelings 06 - Branded by Fire

hurt.
    He’s got a heart as big as Texas—he’ll die for you without blinking. But he doesn’t expect anyone to do the same for him.
    Maybe, she thought, her own heart expanding past all fear, all worry, it was time Riley learned what it was to be mated to a leopard. That leopard was finally ready to take a leap in the dark, trusting he’d catch her on the other side. And for her, it was very much a conscious decision—she was too strong, too independent, to fall into this by chance.
    She slid her hand into his, twining their fingers together. Leopard and woman were both in agreement—this man, this wolf, he was strong, he was smart, and he was willing to fight for his mate, no matter the cost to himself. The leopard could do no less.
    Riley shot her a smile that was the merest curve of his lips. “There goes my macho image.” But his hand tightened around hers. Masculine heat, callused palm, the touch of a man who’d never let go.
    Her soul grew painful with need, with an emotion unlike anything she’d ever before felt. “I have something for you.”
    He tugged her over the perimeter line—given the size of the explosives mentioned in the e-fax, as well as those found in Nikita’s building, the blast wouldn’t make it even halfway to this distance. But no use in being stupid—they intended to wait behind a deflective wall set up by the bomb squad. And Riley didn’t stop until they were on the other side of that wall. “Yeah? What? Is it shiny?”
    Her cat wanted to tease him back, but someone interrupted before she could say anything. It was Indigo. “I’ve got everyone else moving,” the lieutenant told them. “You two going to stay here?”
    At their nods, she continued. “Fire crews are waiting one street over like we agreed. Soon as anything goes, they’ll haul ass.”
    “Good.” Mercy glanced at her watch, holding on to her impatience with her teeth. “The tip said it was set to blow in about ten minutes.”
    They both waited until Indigo had jogged away before resuming their conversation. “So,” Riley asked, “what have you got for me?”
    Taking his hand, she placed it palm-down over her heart. It would hurt like a bitch, she thought, but he was hers to protect as much as she was his. “Me.” And she opened up her soul, laid herself bare.
    The mating bond shoved through her body like white lightning, hot and wild and right. Incredibly, wonderfully right. His energy was different from hers—wolf, not leopard—but it laced itself with her own until their combined strength was far greater than either would’ve ever been alone. “Wow.”
    He blinked, swaying on his feet. “Damn.”
    She gripped his chest to keep him upright, a difficult feat since she was feeling intoxicated herself. They both almost fell over, laughed, and then they were kissing. The physical connection between them had never been in any doubt, but the mating bond added a new resonance to it, until she could feel his touch in every cell of her body. “Mmm, I like.”
    Riley heard Mercy’s words but couldn’t respond, his wolf still stunned from the impact of a bond he’d always known about, but never truly understood. This wasn’t anything like he’d imagined—it was more, it was better, it was . . . damn fucking amazing. Sweeping his tongue into Mercy’s mouth, he groaned.
    Some time later, he raised his head. “That building’s supposed to explode soon.”
    “Hmm.” Dreamy eyes looking into his. “Who cares.”
    Riley felt like agreeing. “We’re drunk.” He didn’t dare approach the subject of her sentinel bond. He could feel his own blood bond to Hawke strong and sure, which meant his precious Mercy had lost a chunk of her heart. He’d make it up to her, he vowed, love her so deep and true that it would bury the pain of that devastating loss.
    However, right then, she looked so content, he didn’t want to break the moment, didn’t want to destroy their mingled joy. His mate, his mate had given herself to him. It was more than he’d ever expected from this wild, independent leopard he adored. Stroking a hand over her hair, he held the beauty of the moment tight to his heart, a secret treasure no one could ever take from him. Mercy’s gift. “I think,” he said through the thickness of emotion, “this is better than being drunk.”
    “Yep.” She dropped her head to his chest and rubbed her face against him. He knew what she was doing—rolling in his scent. He wanted to do the