Dark Possession

MaryAnn felt Manolito's restraining fingers circling her wrist, hut when she looked down at his hand, it was gray. She blinked. All around her, the rain forest was vivid and bright, the colors so brilliant they nearly hurt her eyes. The sound hit her then, the continual drone of insects, the rustle in the leaves and the shifting of animals moving through the underbrush as well as the canopy overhead. She swallowed hard and looked around her. The water was pure and clean and rushing with enough force to sound like thunder.

She reached for Manolito, clutched him to her, afraid she would lose him. His form seemed solid enough, but there was something not right about his response, as if part of him was otherwise occupied. «I think I just did something.»

«You are fully back where you belong,» Manolito said, relief in his voice. «We need to get you to safety before the sun comes up. You may not be Carpathian, MaryAnn, but with at least two blood exchanges, you will suffer the effects of the sun.»

«Tell me what's happening.» She hadn't liked that other world, but being alone in this one was terrifying. «I don't want to be separated from you.»

The anxiety in her voice turned his heart over. «I would never leave you, especially not when danger surrounds us. I can fully protect you even with my spirit locked in this world.»

«What if I can't protect you?» she asked, her dark eyes filled with trepidation.

Manolito pulled her close to him to try to comfort her. Even as he did, the ground beneath him heaved and a huge plant burst through the soil close to his feet. Tentacles slithered across the ground, searching even as the middle of the bulb opened and a yawning mouth gaped wide, revealing thick tubes topped with poisonous stigma, sticky knobs waving toward him, trying to touch his skin.

«Watch the ground, MaryAnn,» he warned, whipping his arms around her and leaping back. He landed ten feet from the seeking plant, scanning quickly to pickup signs of an enemy. His senses didn't work as well in the shadow world, but he feared whatever happened to him here could very well mirror what happened in the other world.

«What is it?» She raked the ground with sharp eyes, her vision clearing entirely so that she almost felt as if she was seeing in an entirely different way. She could see Manolito, but whatever attacked him in that world she couldn't focus on. She saw it as blurring shadows, something nightmares were made of, insubstantial and eerie. His arms were fading, as if he was being pulled more and more into the other world.

«Don't let go of me!» She tried to grab his shirt, but she felt him letting go of her mind. She hadn't even known he'd been in it, but once he was no longer there, his form became nearly transparent.

«I cannot allow you in danger here. We do not know what can happen in this realm. You are safer where you are while I deal with this.»

«What is 'this'?» She yelled it, called him, implored him, but he was gone, other than that wavering shadow flicking in and out among the shrubbery, until even that was gone and she was alone.

Fearful, mouth dry, heart pounding, MaryAnn looked around her. No matter how hard she wished it away, the rain forest surrounded her. She swallowed hard and backed up a few more steps, her heels sinking into muddy water. Leaves and aquatic vegetation hid the shallow channel she'd accidentally stepped into. Water and mud were everywhere.

The rain poured down, making its way through the canopy to pepper the forest floor. Leaves rustled and

something moved in the water. She wrapped her fingers tightly around the canister of pepper spray and tugged it from her belt loop.

«Great time to disappear,» she whispered aloud, spinning in a circle, trying to see around her.

The branch overhead shook, and she tilted her head to look upward. She could see a snake looking down at her through the leaves. She swore her blood froze in her veins. For a moment she couldn't move, staring up at the thing, mesmerized. A hard tug at her ankle yanked her back to reality. Teeth bit through her boot and into her skin. She gasped, instinctively trying to pull her foot out of the water, but a snake with a very broad head held her while its long, thick body coiled around her legs, preventing movement.

She screamed. It was pure terror, a reflexive action she couldn't have stopped if she'd wanted to. In her wildest imagination, she had never been attacked by a hundred-pound anaconda. She tried frantically to get to the head, hoping if she sprayed the pepper spray she'd have a chance, but the body seemed endless, without a head or tail.

Already she could feel it crushing her bones. Panic wasn't far away, and deep inside, the wildness that she kept locked up so tight began once again to unfurl.

«Hold still! Don't fight.» The command was sharp, the voice unfamiliar.

MaryAnn clutched the pepper spray and forced her body to quit lighting. A hand with a wicked-looking knife came into view. Pain speared through her, as teeth sawed for a better purchase on her ankle. Anacondas didn't chew, but they held their prey while their muscular bodies crushed, and this one wasn't giving up so easily.

She saw the hand slash in and out of sight. The snake slumped to the ground and MaryAnn scrambled out of the water, knocking her heel sideways so that it wobbled under her as she ran away from the snake. She caught a tree trunk, hugging hard, breathing deep to try to calm the panic.

«What are you doing here? Are you lost?»

She turned around to find a man calmly pulling a pair of jeans from a small pack around his neck. He was totally naked. His body was strong, muscular, with scars here and there. She bit down hard on her lip, the urge to either laugh or cry very strong.

«You could say that.» As men went, he was built. He had a strong face, and even though he'd tugged up his jeans, she could see he was well endowed. «Do you just walk around the rain forest naked?»

«Sometimes,» he admitted, his serious eyes studying her and the can of pepper spray she had in her fist. «I suggest you stay out of the rivers and channels. Anacondas and jaguars and other predators patrol through here.»

«Thanks for the tip. I hadn't noticed or anything. Those snakes aren't poisonous, are they? Because it bit me.»

«No, the danger is infection. Let me take a look.»

MaryAnn inhaled sharply, everything in her rebelling at the idea of the man touching her. Shaking her head, she stepped back. «Thanks, but no. I've got some antibiotic cream I can use.»

He studied her face for a long time, as wary as she was. «This island is private property. Who brought you here?»

«I'm staying with the De La Cruz family. Manolito is around somewhere.» She didn't want him to think she was alone.

His eyebrow shot up. «It doesn't make sense that he left you, even for a minute.»

The worry in his voice gave her a small sense of assurance. «Do you know Manolito?»

«I met him earlier this evening. Dawn is approaching, and many animals hunt along the riverways at dawn. Let me take you back to the house, and Manolito will follow when he is able.»

MaryAnn searched the shadows for Manolito. She couldn't touch his mind or feel him at all, let alone see him. Where are you? I don't want to leave you. She reached out but found only a black void.

If her rescuer ran around naked in the rain forest and he'd met Manolito earlier, there was a good chance he was a jaguar-man. Juliette's younger sister had been captured and brutally attacked by the men of the jaguar species. MaryAnn took a firmer grip on the canister of pepper spray. She'd never find her way out of the rain forest, and she was terrified of being left alone, but she couldn't leave Manolito, especially since she knew something was happening to him, and she was afraid to trust this man.

«I'm Luiz,» he said simply, obviously reading her unease. «Manolito did me a great service today. I simply return the favor.»

«I don't want him to come back and find me gone. He'd worry.» She didn't want the only person there– human or not-to leave her alone. She couldn't look at the body of the snake. She hadn't wished it harm, but she didn't want to die here either. Getting consumed by an anaconda was on her list of least favorite ways to go.

«Carpathian males worry about very little,» Luiz said. «Come with me. You cannot stay alone. If you wish, you can carry the knife.»

MaryAnn sighed. Carrying the knife meant getting close enough for him to hand it to her. It also meant that she might really stab him with it if he made a wrong move, and she was definitely opposed to that idea. «You keep it.» She had the pepper spray and that she wasn't afraid to use.

He smiled at her. «You are a very brave woman.»

She managed a short laugh. «I'm shaking in my very favorite pair of boots. I don't think brave is the word I'd use. Stupid. I'd be safe at home in Seattle if I just hadn't been the save-the-world kind of idiot I tend to be.»

He started down an almost nonexistent path. She could see it had been used by an animal. Taking a deep breath, she followed, sending up a silent prayer that Manolito would find her soon. Maybe if she got to Riordan and Juliette, they would be able to find Manolito again and help him.

Luiz glanced back at her. «Can you walk with the heel of your shoe broken? I can cut them off for you.»

That was sacrilege. He'd saved her from the snake, but he deserved pepper spray for even contemplating cutting the heels off her favorite pair of boots. It wasn't too late to salvage them. «No, thank you.» She stayed polite, because he had to be a little crazy to think of such a dark deed.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, MaryAnn trying to keep her mind from straying to Manolito. It was difficult. Part of her wanted to rush back to where she had left him and wait until he returned. Part of her was angry with him for deserting her, and another part-the biggest-was terrified for him.

«Why are the tree frogs following us?» Luiz asked.

«Tree frogs?» MaryAnn bit her lip and glanced around, peeking through her eyelashes, hoping the jaguar-man was wrong. «I have no idea.» She took a quick look at the trees. Sure enough, frogs leapt from roots to branches, from trunk to trunk.

«They seem to be following you.»

«Do they?» She tried to sound innocent even as she hissed at the frogs, gesturing with her arms to go back. «You must be mistaken. More likely they're migrating in the same direction we're going.» Did frogs migrate? Maybe that was geese. Rain forest creatures were complicated. She glared at the brightly colored amphibians. They continual to hop happily alongside of her.

«You're gathering quite a crowd.» He sounded amused as he politely held the shrubbery back so she could walk freely along the path. He continually raised his face to sniff the air in every direction.

«Maybe they're attracted to my perfume.» What part of «go away» don't you understand? You're making me look bad. She tried a mind-to-mind telepathy, hoping some of Juliette's and Riordan's psychic abilities really had rubbed off on her, but the frogs ignored her complaint.

«Can you walk faster?» Luiz asked.

He didn't look nervous. In fact he appeared quite steady, but she had the feeling he was looking for trouble, scanning the canopy overhead and watching their back trail. The monkeys began to scream and throw leaves and twigs. Luiz held up his hand and signaled for her to remain quiet.

Mosquitoes buzzed by her face, and she calmly pulled out the bug spray and liberally doused the air around her.

Luiz whirled around, his nose twitching. «Don't do that.»

«The mosquitoes are biting me everywhere.»

«That foul stench hinders my ability to catch scents. I need to know what we're likely to be facing.»

Okay. That sounded ominous, and quite frankly, she was tired of being scared. There was only so much scared you could do without a friend to egg you on. She sighed and put the bug spray back, resorting to slapping at the insects with one hand and retaining possession of the pepper spray with the other.

She was so out of here the moment she could get to a phone. Well, after she made certain Manolito was all right. She was beginning to feel sick with worry, and that just made her madder at him. The mark at the curve of her breast throbbed and burned and ached for him. Tears blurred her vision, and she stumbled on a twisting, snakelike root, nearly falling, throwing out both arms to catch herself before she face-planted in the muck-and it saved her life.

The large jaguar missed and hit the ground just inches from her head. Snarling, it whipped around, raking at her face with claws, but Luiz was there first, already half changing, his face broadening, muzzle lengthening to accommodate teeth. The two cats crashed together, raking and clawing. The rain forest erupted into a frenzy of noise.

Pushed beyond all endurance, MaryAnn jumped up, took two long strides to the marauding cat and let loose with a stream of pepper spray directly into the fully formed jaguar's eyes and nostrils. She gave it several

short bursts, fury shaking her hand, but her aim was perfect.

«Enough already. I've had it-absolutely had it with this jungle crap. I may be an urban woman, damn it, but I can deal with anything this horrible place throws at me. Get out of here now!» she yelled at the top of her lungs, sending another stream right at the jaguar's face for good measure. The command blasted through her brain and out into the air even as she shot several short streams.

The jaguar raced away as if she'd bitten it. Luiz fell onto his butt, jeans half-shredded. «What the hell was that?»

«Pepper spray,» she said and sat down beside him, bursting into tears.

Chapter Seven

^

3?J ^

Manolito avoided the seeking tentacles as he studied the fibrous bulb. His body was in the rain forest with MaryAnn. He was intelligent; he could reason it out. If he was trapped in the spirit world, as he was certain now he was, then only a spirit could reside in this place. He had no body here, so the attack was merely a distraction. It must have to do with MaryAnn. Not only had her spirit entered, but her warmth and vitality with her. The vampires had sensed hot blood and the light in her soul. He had to lead the attack away from her, just in case she inadvertently stepped back into the shadow world where he was trapped.

He moved slowly away from her. The shadowy figures who called to him to join them, who threw accusations at him and wanted to sit in judgment of him, didn't seem to be able to look past the veil into the world of the living. Perhaps if he could get far enough away that they couldn't sense her, she might be safe. He could lay a false trail and get back to her and escort her to safety before dawn. He shouldn't have been able to feel sensation, but the farther from MaryAnn he traveled, the more he felt cold.

«Join us. Share her. She has already condemned you to a half life.»

The voice shimmered in the air, soft and persuasive, becoming louder as he moved farther away from MaryAnn. «You have always belonged with us, not with sheep, following the speaker of lies.»

Maxim Malinov, dead from the battle in the Carpathian Mountains, slain by the prince himself, stepped out of the shadows and approached Manolito. «Why would you give your life for the prince when he cares nothing for you or yours? He knows you are in the meadow or» mists, yet is he watching after your lifemate? Is he protecting your body while you wander in this world? He is selfish and thinks only or» himself, not of his people.»

Manolito drew in his breath. It had been long since he'd seen his boyhood friend. He looked young and strong, handsome as always, with intelligence shining in his eyes. As young men growing up, they had enjoyed debates and discussions throughout the nights, talking about the issues they felt best for their people. Following Mikhail, the current reigning prince, hadn't been anyone's idea of what was best.

«We were wrong, Maxim. Mikhail has led our people from the brink of extinction. The Carpathians are beginning to grow powerful again, but more importantly, we have become a society filled with hope instead

of despair.»

Another plant erupted from beneath the surface, the long vino reaching like arms toward him. He leapt into the nearest tree, more out of reflex than need. He might feel the piercing cold as ice shards began to rain down, but the stinging wounds as the icicles stabbed through him were no more real than the plant. He gave himself a moment to force his mind to accept it was all illusion. The plant slid back beneath the soil, but the stabbing ice continued to fall.

When he leapt back down, Maxim shook his head. «In the old days you would not have settled for looking at so small a piece of the real picture. We hide from the people who should serve us. We hide in fear, when it is they who should tremble before us.»

«And why should they tremble, Maxim?»

«They are nothing but cattle.»

«That is why you do not lead and I would not follow if you did. They are people with hopes and dreams. Good, hardworking people who fight every day to do the best they can for their families. They are no different than we are.»

Maxim gave a snort of derision. «You have become brainwashed. You have taken a human for a lifemate and she has already corrupted your ability to see sense. We are noble, the better race, the one deserving of this earth. We could rule, Manolito. Our plan is in place. Eventually we will take over and humans will bow before us.» His smile was wholly evil, the red flames in his eyes leaping with maniacal fervor.

Manolito shook his head. «I do not want them bowing before us. Like all species, many of them have mixed from ancient ancestors. Most likely, Carpathians, mages, jaguar-men and even the werewolf have integrated into the human society.»

The red flames leapt and the vampire hissed out his disbelief. «The jaguar-men have tainted their bloodline, it is true. They threw away their heritage and their greatness because they refused to take care of their women and children. They deserve to be wiped from the earth. You were the one who said it. You and Zacarias.»

Manolito held himself still as another large piece of ice stabbed through his shoulder. The sensation was fiery, sickening, but it disappeared when he refused to give it credence. «I was young and stupid, Maxim. And I was wrong. We all were.»

«No, we were right.»

«The jaguar-men made mistakes, and those mistakes cost them, but they are not Carpathian and their needs were different from ours. You chose not to wait for your lifemate, Maxim. In doing so, you have given up every chance of having a wife and children and helping to create a lasting society. You saw the power of the prince's bloodline. He is the vessel for all of our people.»

«His power is false, a sham. Look at the scar on your throat, Manolito. How many times are you willing to die for him? You have taken the knife twice for him and once for his brother's lifemate. You are here, in this world of shadows, to be judged for your 'dark' deeds. What dark deeds? You lived with honor and you served your people, yet you are here.» The voice became hauntingly beautiful, filled with truth and mesmerizing zeal. «All the ancient races are myths now, forgotten by the world. The jaguar race, once powerful, is found only in books. They clothe themselves with shame. They brutalize their women. Would you have that happen to our species?»

«If you really believe what you're saying, Maxim, then you would have chosen another path. Why turn vampire? Why make kills for power? Why not gather your army and march against Mikhail right out in the open?»

«That was not the plan.»

«Becoming the undead was never part of the plan either. Our families lived with honor, Maxim. We hunted the vampire, not embraced him.»

Maxim ignored him. «My brothers and I studied how to take over. If we approach the prince directly, we would be defeated. You know the majority of Carpathians believe in the old ways. They are cattle.'»

Manolito curled his lip. «Humans and jaguar are cattle to you. Now Carpathians. You certainly have risen high in your own opinion, Maxim. You have contradicted yourself repeatedly.»

Maxim folded his arms. «You seek to anger me, Manolito, but you cannot. You were once a great Carpathian, from a powerful family, but you have given your loyalty to the wrong person. You should have joined us. You still can join us. You are already lost to the next world.»

For the first time Manolito's pulse jumped in response to the vampire's twisted logic. Vampires were deceivers, but they often wove truth in. What had he done to his lifemate? Why couldn't he remember his crime? MaryAnn didn't seem to be angry with him. In fact she had protected him, or at least tried to.

The thought of his lifemate warmed him, driving out the ice shards that had pierced his body and frozen his blood. He blinked and looked down at his hands. They had been almost transparent, but now were gathering a deeper shade as if his body was regaining substance and form.

«I see there is danger here after all,» he said. «Maxim, you were always clever, but you have never believed in lifemates or the concept of them. You were wrong then, and more so now. I am not lost as long as I have my lifemate.»

«And what do you think your lifemate is doing now, while you dwell in the shadow world? Do you think she lives without a man's touch? She craves the jaguar-man and she will lie with him.»

Manolito felt the knots twist in his belly. He hadn't known jealousy was such a dark and ugly thing until he had found his lifemate. «She will not betray me. She holds the other half of my soul. You cannot pull me wholly into this world, because she will always anchor me in the other one.»

This time Maxim did snarl, his eyes glowing fiercely, his teeth sharp spikes as he hissed his annoyance. «She does indeed hold the other half of your soul. We have only to acquire it and you belong to us. You are a traitor, Manolito, to our family, to our cause. The plan was your idea, yours and Zacarias's, but at the first test you failed us.»

«We all agreed it was silly, boyish talk, taking over and ruling the world. Your brothers, my brothers, we said many foolish things that have taken shape and grown into a path of destruction for too many species. There are lifemates waiting for us among the humans, Maxim. Think beyond your hatred and know that humans are the salvation of our people.»

«Mixed blood,» Maxim sneered. «That's your salvation?»

Manolito sighed his regret. He remembered Maxim as a friend-more than a friend-a beloved brother, and now lost beyond saving. «I have my emotions, Maxim, honor and a future. You have death and disgrace and

nothing to sustain you in the afterlife. Any mistakes I have made I will answer for willingly, but I will not help you bring down our prince. Aside from my own honor, I would never dishonor my lifemate by making us traitors to our people.»

«We will kill her. Your precious lifemate. Not only will we see her dead, but it will be brutal. She'll suffer a long time before we give her death. That is the wrong you have done your lifemate. You have already betrayed her by trading her life for that of your prince.»

Fear nearly blindsided him. Terror of what a monster could do to MaryAnn. She was light and compassion, and she would never understand what something as evil and hideous as Maxim could do to her. His breath left his lungs in a long rush of apprehension, of panic. He had never known panic before, but it nearly consumed him with the thought of MaryAnn in the hands of his enemies.

Had he fallen into a trap after all? Had Maxim led him away from MaryAnn so one of his brothers could kill her? She was alone in the rain forest. How much time had passed? Was time the same in the realm of shadows? Was it possible for someone to pierce the veil and help plot murder, or was Maxim deliberately goading him into fear? Fear led to mistakes. And mistakes led to death. He simply would not accept the death of his lifemate.

Manolito kept his features expressionless, his gaze filled with contempt. «You do your worst, Maxim, but you will not prevail. Evil will not drive good from this earth, not while one hunter still lives.» He dissolved into mist and streamed through the tortured, twisted trees.

Once out of Maxim's sight, he blasted through the air, racing back to the place where he'd left MaryAnn. He could feel blood pounding in his temples and thundering in his ears as he shifted shape almost before he hit the ground. She was gone. Time stopped. His heart stuttered. The beast within roared and clawed for release. Teeth lengthened and sharpened in his mouth and razor-sharp talons tipped his nails.

She betrays you with the cat-man. Voices filled his head. Anger and jealousy pushed aside reason.

Manolito lifted his head and scented the air. His woman had been there and she hadn't been alone. He knew that scent. He had taken the jaguar's blood.

She lies beneath him, moaning and writhing and calling his name. His name. Not yours. He has stolen her from you and she thinks only of his touch.

A snarl shaped his mouth in cruel lines and his eyes glittered with menace. He studied the tracks, saw the dead snake and the pattern of footprints. Luiz had approached her in jaguar form, but had shifted to his human form. That meant he had stood without clothes in front of MaryAnn. Fury nearly blinded him. He should have killed the treacherous devil while he had the chance. Jaguar-men were notorious for their escapades with women.

Luiz had crooked his little finger and she had followed, like a mesmerized puppet. Both male and female jaguars were very sexual beings. MaryAnn claimed she wasn't jaguar, but if even a small amount of their blood ran in her veins, would Luiz's presence set her off? She might go into her cycle, and then she would need a man to attend her.

She has gone off with him, needing him to give her a child. He will spill his seed in her. Fill her. Take her over and over until he is certain she is with child.

He let loose a roar of anger at the thought. The idea of another man touching her soft skin set the beast raging. No one touched his woman and lived. No one lured her away from him. Luiz was either after

MaryAnn for personal reasons, or he had been sent by the vampire to kill her. Either way, the jaguar-man was dead.

Kill him. Kill her.

Manolito shook his head. Even if MaryAnn had betrayed him with another, he could never harm her.

He moved fast, rushing through the rain forest, avoiding hitting the trees by scant inches. If Luiz dared to lay a hand on her, harm one hair on her head, he would tear the man limb from limb. He spotted them, MaryAnn on the ground, tears running down her face, Luiz standing over her. She looked disheveled and angry and afraid, so much so that he ached inside, his heart contracting when he saw her distress. He put on a rush of speed, his body a blur, bursting out of the shrubbery just as Luiz turned.

Manolito hit the jaguar-man hard, driving him backward, then picked him up, slamming him so hard to the ground it drove an indentation in the soft soil. Somewhere in the distance, he heard MaryAnn scream. He pounded Luiz's face, giving him no time to shift into the form of a cat. His arm reared back, and he drove his fist toward the chest wall to penetrate and rip out the black heart of a monster.

«Stop.» MaryAnn screamed the command. Then again, with a silent shocking fury that sent Manolito flying backward through the air. I said stop!

He found himself sprawled on the ground, ears ringing, from the force of the psychic command. She'd thrown him back, away from the jaguar-man, who lay motionless in the muck. The telepathic punch was harder than any physical one he'd ever received. He blinked up at her, anger at her mixing with awe.

«Are you crazy?» MaryAnn demanded, standing over him, hands on her hips, face furious, eyes glittering dangerously at him.

He wanted her. That was all he could think in that split second. He wanted all that passion and fury under him, fighting him, submitting to him. She was amazing, with her lush curves and incredible face. She usually looked so calm on the outside, presented such an elegant picture, but underneath she was all fury and claws, as wild as their surroundings.

He got up slowly, his eyes steady on her, unblinking and focused. Saying nothing, he stalked toward her across the uneven ground. She had the good sense to back up a couple of steps, wariness and defiance mixing with the fury. He walked right up to her, forcing her to look up at him through her long lashes. One hand fisted in the thick mane of hair, tilting her head further, while the other caught her around the hips and drove her forward into him, crushing her breasts against his broad chest.

She opened her mouth to protest and he took possession. The kiss was rough, the edge of his fear and anger still riding him hard. His tongue drove deep, sliding into her mouth and taking her over, using her own passionate nature against her. She had done what no man had ever done, knocked him on his butt with a thought. A thought.

Need burned deep and hot in him. Lust rose sharp, consuming him with the desire to dominate her, to bring her so much pleasure she would never think to leave him, never think to deny him anything. He bit gently at her lower lip, caught it between his teeth and tugged, licked at her pulse and kissed his way down her neck and over to her throat. She breathed in, a harsh sound of need that sent his body into a hard, knotted ache. The rush of hot blood filled him, and he closed his eyes to better absorb the feel and texture of her. Soft and pliable, moving against him like so much silk. Filling every empty place in his heart and soul. He kissed her again, the miracle called woman.

Heat and his scent surrounded her. His erection pressed hot and thick against her stomach. His lips were firm and warm, his kiss rough and arousing. She'd always pictured sex with the man of her dreams as being gentle and slow, but heated passion flared hot and bright inside of her, arousal building into something frightening. Her heart hammered loud and hard, storming against his chest. Her muscles contracted and clenched. Her body turned to liquid, fiery heat.

She ached for him. The need so strong she slid her hand under his shirt to touch his bare skin, to feel his heart beat. Her heart picked up the rhythm of his. Blood pounded and tiny flames licked over her skin.

He pulled away, black eyes glittering down at her. «Do not interfere again.»

She blinked up at him, shocked at how easily he controlled her. «Damn you for that.» She wiped at her mouth, trying to remove the desperate aching need, the brand he'd put on her, but the taste and feel of him remained. She stepped back, slapped at his hand when she stumbled and he steadied her. «You owe that man an apology. A huge apology. He saved my life twice and sure doesn't deserve to get beat to a bloody pulp because he was escorting me back to the house.»

It amazed her that she could talk. Her body burned from the inside out. She stole a look at him. His eyes were heavy-lidded, dark with hunger and arousal. He looked every inch the predator. Dangerous and hungry– starved for the taste and feel of her.

«Do I?» His gaze flicked to where Luiz was beginning to sit up. «He knew you belonged to me.»

«I don't belong to anyone but me. And he saved my life. You weren't here to play hero.» She was appalled at the accusation in her voice.

His gaze softened. «You were afraid without me.»

She was afraid for him, and that made it worse. She swallowed hard and spread her hands out. «Look. I'm used to a semblance of control in my life. I don't know what I'm doing here. I don't know what's happening. I'm feeling things I've never felt before.»

She was dependent when she'd never been. She needed time to think, to just be quiet, yet she couldn't bear the idea of being away from him. And that was more frightening than anything else, because she wasn't a woman to give up her independence.

Manolito stopped the words burning to be said. She did belong to him-as he belonged to her. But the confusion and weariness on her face turned his heart to mush. She stood there, looking soft and kissable and thinking she was tough, and all he wanted to do was hold anil comfort her.

Instead, he stalked across the ground and reached down to yank Luiz to his feet. The man swayed unsteadily and managed a half grin.

«You pack a punch.»

«You are lucky I did not kill you.»

Luiz nodded. «Yeah, I got that.» He looked past Manolito to MaryAnn. «Are you all right?»

A soft warning rumbled in Manolito's throat. «It is not necessary for you to inquire after her state of being when I am here.»

«I think it is,» Luiz said.

«That's because he has manners,» MaryAnn snapped. «Thank you so much for your help, Luiz. Especially for saving my life.» She turned and walked away. The cave man could keep up or not, but she was close enough to the house that she recognized the Jeep trail. She could just follow that.

Manolito shrugged when Luiz's eyebrow shot up. «She's very good at reprimanding me.» For a moment, amusement flickered in his eyes.

«I have a feeling she'll need to be,» Luiz said, rubbing his jaw. «She's amazing.»

Manolito's face darkened, the brief flash of humor fading away. «You do not need to find her amazing. And keep your clothes on, jaguar.»

Luiz's grin widened. «Women can't help but be impressed.»

«I doubt it feels good to have one's heart ripped out of one's chest, but if you like I can arrange for you to find out.»

Luiz laughed at him. «She may just rip your heart out, Carpathian. Take care.»

Manolito looked down at the blurred shadow of his hand. He was still in both worlds, but he was seeing much more clearly and his form was more substantial than it had ever been. Luiz hadn't noticed, and jaguar people were not only observant, but they could read things in the forest few others could. And they'd spot another of their kind instantly…

He caught up with MaryAnn. «He did not call you jaguar and if you had even a small trace of blood, he would know.»

Her dark eyes went stormy. So she still hadn't forgiven him. Deep inside, lust uncurled claws and raked him sharply.

«I'm not jaguar. I told you that.»

He dropped behind her to take a good look at her bottom encased so snugly in denim. His heart nearly stopped. The woman was built like a woman should be, all curves and temptation.

«Stop it,» she hissed and sent him another smoldering look over her shoulder. «I'm so mad at you right now, nothing you do is charming.» Because she knew it wasn't about his lack of manners or his arrogant, ridiculous behavior, it was about her behavior. Whether she liked it or not, she was different inside. Whether she liked it or not-whether she even admitted it or not-she was burning and aching for this man, only this man, to touch her, to be inside of her. His obnoxious dominating ways should have repelled her, but instead she found him fascinating, mesmerizing even. And that shouldn't have been acceptable.

«I cannot help it if I find you attractive,» Manolito protested. «Looking at you puts ideas in my head. I am more than happy to share them with you.»

«Well don't. Sex isn't the same thing as love, Manolito, and couples, husband and wife and lifemates, are supposed to be in love. That's how it works.»

«You will learn to love me,» he said, confidence stamped on his too-handsome face. «It will come with time.»

«Don't count on it,» she muttered, stomping up the walkway on her wobbly heel. Yeah. Because it was all about him. She was supposed to learn to love him. That's how things worked in his world, but not so much in hers. When she had raw, passionate sex with this man, she wanted him to love her.

She was halfway to the door when she really looked at the towering palace he and his brothers called a vacation home. A retreat. Yeah. Who retreated to a place the size of an apartment building? She stopped abruptly at the door. It was a freaking palace. She sighed and rubbed her temples. Man, she needed to be home, back in the real world.

Manolito reached past her to open the solid double doors and gesture for her to go in. «Please enter my home.»

MaryAnn drew a deep breath and took a step back, shaking her head. Nobody, but nobody, lived this way. She stood in the middle of the huge double doorway, staring at the gleaming marble entryway. She had forgotten what the house was like, or maybe she hadn't noticed when she'd first arrived because she'd been too grief stricken. Set in the middle of nowhere, it was like a palace of days gone by.

«I'm so not setting a foot on that floor,» she said, backing away from the door. And she had great shoes, too, shoes meant for walking on a floor like that. Great shoes-well, she used to. Her beautiful boots were ruined and muddy, the left heel loose and wobbly. She wasn't going to take a chance on scratching the gleaming marble floor that stretched for miles. Her entire house in Seattle could fit into the entryway.

Behind her, Manolito pressed a hand into the small of her back and gave her a little push forward. «Get inside.»

Okay, the shoving thing was not working for her any more than his penchant for issuing orders. Besides underscoring the fact that he was the biggest jerk on the planet, every time his fingers brushed her body, every nerve in her system simply went haywire. Her body refused to listen to her brain screeching macho jerk alert.

Even though she couldn't stop the shiver of excitement and the slow burn that spread through her veins like a drug each time he touched her, he wasn't getting away with ordering her around the way he obviously thought he could.

«I know you didn't just shove me,» she snapped, tossing her long, thick braid as she glared at him over her shoulder.

It was a mistake to look at him. His gaze burned over her-into her. No one had eyes like that or such a sinfully sensual mouth-or a house like this. She wasn't into opulence and decadence. She wasn't impressed by it or comfortable with it. And she certainly wasn't into hot, arrogant men who gave orders as naturally as other people breathed.

«It was a gentle aid to assist you into my home, as you seemed to be having trouble entering.»

His voice slid under her skin and filled up every empty place inside of her. The deep-timbered rasp was wrapped in velvet and seemed to stroke over her skin. She set her teeth against the dark lure of pure sex.

«I'm not going in there. You must have another house. A little one. Anything else.» Because he was planning on leaving her-again. He got her all hot and bothered, ordered her around, acted like a jerk, brought her to this-this-palace-and he was going to dump her. She could read it on his face. So screw him. She wasn't going in. Being alone in the middle of the rain forest on an island, palace or no palace, was not happening again.

She pushed back against Manolito's hand. Maybe if she found Luiz again, he could help her find the airstrip and she could sweet-talk the pilot into flying her back to civilization. Provided there was a pilot. And a plane. She didn't even know that, but Luiz might.

A flicker of fury bloomed in Manolito's black eyes, and he caught her up and tossed her over his shoulder, striding into the cool of the house, right past the entryway and double sweeping staircases and into an enormous room of marble and glass.

Shock stunned her into silence, and then pure anger blasted through her veins. MaryAnn, who never resorted to violence, who didn't believe in violence, who actually counseled against violence, wanted to beat the man into a bloody spot on the floor.

It was utterly humiliating to be carried over his shoulder, her arms and legs dangling like spaghetti. She pounded on his broad back only to be further infuriated when he didn't even flinch. «Put me down, right now,» she hissed, clutching the back of his shirt. «I mean it, Manolito. If someone saw me like this, I'd be so upset.» The thought was completely mortifying.

«No one is in the house,» he assured her, not liking the distress in her voice. Anger was one thing, but not distress. «Riordan and Juliette must be with her sister and cousin in the rain forest. And since you asked so politely.» Manolito set her on her feet and stepped back, a smooth, fluid glide, just in case she took a swipe at him.

MaryAnn straightened her jacket and blouse with great dignity. «Was that display of machismo really necessary?» Sarcasm dripped. If she couldn't smack him like he deserved, she could take him down with words. She was very good at crossing verbal swords.

Manolito stared down at her furious face. She was so achingly beautiful with her perfect coffee-and-cream skin, so soft he found himself brushing his fingers over her whenever he could get the chance. His. He tasted the word. Let it sink into his mind. She belonged to him. Had been made for him. She was his alone, and he would have her for all time.

She'd given him back colors and emotions after hundreds of years without. And she had no clue what she was to him. She stood there in front of him, a small spitfire of a woman with her shiny midnight black curls and chocolate doe eyes, innocent and vulnerable. Need crawled through his body with savage, raking claws, merciless and dangerous, but something else was creeping into his heart. Something soft and gentle when he had long forgotten tender things.

«It seemed an expedient way to get out of the early morning sun.»

«Your mama sure didn't teach you a thing about manners, did she?» She tried to maintain her anger, but it was nearly impossible when he was looking at her in that strange way-as if she was-everything. And fear was beginning to swamp her, the need to cry, because she could feel the resolution in his mind to leave, to go to ground. She couldn't go with him, and that meant she'd be left alone.

He took a step toward her, obviously reading her dismay.

MaryAnn held up a hand to stop him, because if he touched her, she didn't know how she'd react. She'd never, never even contemplated turning her body over to a man and allowing him to do anything he wanted, but Manolito could so easily make her want to do just that. He could make her want things she'd never dreamt of, and that scared her almost as much as the idea of being left there alone. ''

«Look at my boots,» she said, to keep from crying, and sank down onto the chair to pull them off. «I loved

these boots. They've always been my favorite.»

He knelt down in front of her, gently pushing her hands away to remove the boots himself. She looked down at the top of his head, his hair silky midnight black and falling in disarray around his face and shoulders. She couldn't stop herself from touching it as his fingers slid down her calf and sent shivers of awareness up her leg.

He was only helping her remove her boots, yet somehow that small gesture seemed sexual. She tried to pull her foot away, but he circled her ankle with strong fingers and held her still. «Don't, MaryAnn. I have no choice but to go to ground. I do not want to leave you alone. It is the last thing that I want. If you continue to be so upset, you will leave me no other option than to convert you now and take you with me.»

He raised his head, his dark gaze meeting hers. Her heart jumped as his tongue touched his lips and his gaze dropped to her mouth.

«Don't even think about it.» Because she was thinking about it, and that just plain scared her to death.

«Go take a shower. I will look after these boots for you,» he instructed. «The hot water will relax you and help you to sleep.»

MaryAnn swallowed a protest and left him kneeling there on the floor, her boots in his hand. She didn't look back, wouldn't allow herself to look back, even though she was certain he would be gone when she came out.

She turned the water on as hot as she could stand it, letting it pour over her sore, tired muscles while she cried. It was silly, really, but she couldn't help herself after everything that had happened. A relief valve, but still her heart felt heavy. The shampoo took the poof out of her hair, and the conditioner smoothed it once again. She emerged feeling-tired and lost and wanting Manolito more than she ever had, but she was determined not to cry anymore.

She wrapped a towel around her and went into the bedroom to find something to sleep in. Manolito sat in the chair by the window holding up her boots. They were clean and shiny and looked new. For a moment, she could only stare in shock, clutching the towel to her as joy burst through her. Fresh tears burned, happy tears this time, but she swallowed them and managed to nod casually toward the boots.

«You fixed them.»

«Of course. You love them.» He set the boots down and held up a pair of high-heel sparkling red shoes that went with a little slip of a dress that clung like a second skin to her every curve. «I love these.»

«You have good taste.»

«Put them on for me.»

Her eyebrow shot up. «Now? I'm in a towel and my hair is soaking wet.» She had the mass of curls wrapped up turban-style, and she was suddenly self-conscious. «They look great with a dress I have, but I'm not so certain what effect they'll have in a towel.»

«Right now.» His voice was low, compelling, that hypnotic, sexy rasp that tightened her nipples and made her ache with need.

She put her hand on his shoulder and slipped one heel on her foot, all the while watching his face. He looked mesmerized. Hungry. She slid the other red heel onto her foot and stepped away from him with confidence.

The heels made her legs look great. How could they not? Towel or not, she had a good figure, and he was definitely appreciating it. He made her feel like the sexiest woman alive.

He stood up, an easy casual ripple of muscles, his walk catlike as he advanced on her, nearly stopping her heart. His hand cupped her face, thumb sliding over her cheekbone. «You are so beautiful. I have no idea what I did to deserve you, but you take my breath away.»

He bent his head and kissed her. It was a gentle, lingering kiss, his breath warm and his mouth coaxing. He trailed kisses down the side of her face to her neck, nuzzling her, nipping with his teeth and teasing with his tongue. Her blood thundered in her ears as his hot, seductive mouth roamed down her throat to the curve of her breast. Liquid heat pulsed between her thighs.

Manolito tugged on the towel, and it dropped away from her body, leaving every inch of her bare to his hungry gaze. He stepped back to take in the sight of her, the expanse of satin skin and full, lush curves, achingly soft and inviting. His thumb brushed her sensitive nipple and she gasped in response. He drew a line from her chin to her navel. «I swear, MaryAnn, I have never seen a sight more beautiful in all my centuries of living.» Lust roughened his voice, but honesty turned it to velvet. He stepped back, his hand sliding down her arm until his fingers tangled with hers. He tugged so that she would take a step toward him.

Chapter Eight

a w ^

Manolito slid his hand over the curve of her hip, the pads of his fingers lingering lightly on her skin. MaryAnn's stomach muscles tightened. Small flames of arousal flickered over her thighs, spread up to her belly and teased her breasts. His eyes had grown hot and possessive, his mouth sensual, the edge of hunger sharper. She could barely catch her breath, her body craving his. Everywhere his gaze touched her, she felt it like a brand.

Was she seducing him? Or was he seducing her? She couldn't tell and didn't care. All that mattered was that he couldn't take his eyes from her. His body was hard and tight, the bulge in the front of his jeans impressive. Heat rolled off him in waves. And his touch was sheer magic, the pads of his fingers teasing at some wild creature inside of her, one that demanded to be free-one that physically responded to everything about him.

«I waited several lifetimes for you,» he confided, his gaze hot as he bent his head to her neck. His tongue teased her earlobe, swirled over her pulse. «I thought of you. What I would do with you. How many ways I would give you pleasure.»

Manolito inhaled the ripe scent of her. All woman. His woman.

He ached for her, his erection so hard, so thick, he knew he would never find peace until he buried himself deep inside of her. It mattered little to him that dawn was approaching and he had been unable for some time to even tolerate the early morning sunlight. He would risk everything to stay with her, to be inside of her, to claim her for his own. Her breath quickened, drawing attention to the rise and fall of her full, firm breasts. His. He was going to take every second he had with her and live it to the fullest.

He forced himself to let his hand slide from her arm. Walking to the bed beside the fireplace he dropped onto

the thick mattress. «I want to look at you.»

She stood for a moment, her hand on her hip, her hair streaming down her back, her beauty robbing him of breath. She took a single step in the sexy red heels, and desire hit him with a brutal blow, a fist of need that might have driven him to his knees had he been standing. He drew in his breath and let the intensity of lust take him. His body felt hot, too tight, bursting with the need to drive into her. Images ran through his head of her spread out before him like a feast.

With each step she took, the hunger increased, until his blood pounded in his body and every cell raged for her. The sheer pleasure of wanting her shook him to the very foundations of his existence. He had never wanted anything the way he wanted her. He had never needed anything, but suddenly her body was everything. The shape and texture. Her skin, gleaming with invitation. Every soft inch of it waiting to be explored, to be touched. Every secret hollow and shadow. His. All for him. When nothing in his long centuries of existence had ever been for him, the sight of her was almost too much to be believed. Looking wasn't good enough. He would have to touch her-possess her-or none of this would be real.

For the first time in her life, MaryAnn felt absolutely, totally sensual, without inhibition, moving around the room in her high heels, knowing every step she took brought Manolito De La Cruz closer to the edge of his control. It was exhilarating to see him draw in a harsh breath, to see his eyes go smoky and dark, to see the dark need in him etched deep into his face. He was so handsome she couldn't breathe for looking at him. And he wanted her. Oh, yeah, he wanted her. Lust was carved deep. Hunger lit his dark eyes, the intensity feeding her own needs.

Her body was alive with sensation, her breath coming in gasps. She was aware of the aching tingle in her breasts, the way her nipples were tight and hard. The damp heat gathering at the junction between her legs. All because he looked at her with that fierce possessive need. She wanted to rub her body along his, stroke him, please him, do whatever it took to satisfy those leaping flames of hunger in the depths of his eyes.

He crooked his finger at her. «Come here.» He patted the bed beside him.

She licked her lips. If he touched her, when she wanted him this much, what would happen? She threw back her mane of rich, dark hair and sauntered over, watching with satisfaction the way heat flared in his eyes as his gaze drifted over her body.

«You really are beautiful, MaryAnn.»

His voice was that blend of rasping velvet, but this time, a small rumbling growl was added. The note seemed to play over her skin, stroking like fingers. Her womb clenched, triggering tiny like quakes. His foot hooked the inside of her leg, ran up and down her calf and then tugged gently until she stood with her legs spread for him.

He shifted, leaning forward to circle her bare ankle with his fingers. Very slowly he ran his palm up her leg. When she would have moved, his grip tightened in warning. «Don't.»

She tried to stay very still, but his touch sent electric currents slicing through her bloodstream and she couldn't stop shaking. His palm traced the shape of her leg, moved up to her knee, caressing, stroking, sending tiny flames licking along her calf and up her thigh as he moved higher, his fingers pressing into her body, imprinting the shape and texture of her into his mind.

«I'm not certain I can stand for much longer.» Was that her voice, a thick sensuality coating every note? Why was this so sexy, to stand completely naked while he was fully dressed? To have every inch of her explored by his wandering hands while she stood still. «I'm not a toy, Manolito.» But it felt like it. His toy. His woman. His body to touch and tease and worship with his large, warm hands. And why did that turn her on? Why did

she like being on display for him, seeing his body's reaction to her and feeling more empowered with every passing moment?

«Of course you are. Your body is a beautiful playground and I want to know every inch of it. I want to know exactly what makes you respond and what gives you the most pleasure.» He rubbed his thumb over her slick, wet entrance and watched her eyes glaze over. «I want to know what makes you scream, what makes you beg.» His hands made circles along her inner thighs, moved up and over the flare of her hips and then down to caress her buttocks. «I want to eat you alive, listen to you moan and whimper for more. And that's exactly what I intend to do, MaryAnn, feast on the taste of you.»

He bent forward, and his tongue swiped a long, slow tease along her cleft, wrenching a whimper from her.

«Much, much more.»

«More? Surely there isn't more?» She was certain she couldn't stand wanting him any more than she already did.

His hands shaped her bottom, fingers sliding skillfully down the center, feather-light, caressing, stroking small streaks of fire through her body.

«There is always more, MaryAnn, and all of it will bring you more pleasure than you ever imagined.»

Right at that moment she could imagine a lot. She drew in her breath, shocked at the things she wanted from him, shocked that all that mattered to her was that he touch and taste her. The wildness in her was growing, and all her normal inhibitions seemed to be disappearing rapidly.

Manolito had to resist throwing her to the ground and taking her the way his body demanded, hard and fast, pounding into her over and over until he felt sated. His cock throbbed and burned, stretched beyond limits, but he was not rushing this. She was so beautiful, with her lush body and her soft doe eyes glittering with a mixture of fear and excitement. She was a woman who liked at least the illusion of control. He wanted to drive her past her comfort zone and take her to a place of pure sensation.

He drew her down, into his arms, onto his lap, so that her body fit tight against his. The soft linen of his trousers rubbed against her skin as he locked her to him, tilting her chin up so her eyes met his. He inhaled her, drawing her feminine scent deep into his lungs, heard her heart thundering in his ears, felt the soft skin, the lush silken texture of it, and had to resist the urge to thrust her beneath him. The need to blanket her, dominate, sink his teeth into her was growing stronger with each passing moment.

She relaxed into him, her body trusting him. She felt small and soft, little shivers running up and down, so that she burrowed closer to him. Her eyes looked dark and filled with the mystery of woman.

He took her mouth, gentle at first, savoring the spicy tang of her as his tongue tangled with hers. She sighed, her body going pliant, moving against his in invitation.

«Such a temptation,» he whispered as he shifted her in his arms, laying her across his lap, her body stretched out, breasts thrust upward, thighs open and moisture glistening along her cleft. «You're so wet for me, sivamet, so ready.»

His teeth tugged at her lower lip, teased and nipped, loving the curve of it, memorizing the shape. «I love your mouth.» He loved everything about her. And that was the problem. The more he tried to find a way to hold her to him, to make certain she would never want to leave him, the more he wanted her. He would never get enough of her body. And her body would never be enough for him. He wanted her eyes to shine with

more than lust and need.

Manolito kissed her again, a slow taking of her senses, wanting her heart and soul, knowing he could only have a small part of her. It made him more determined than ever to bind her to him sexually. She was unaware of her allure, of the fact that she was as sexy as hell; she thought it was all him. His kisses were long and drugging, shaking her deliberately, not giving her a chance to think, only to feel. Her moans were soft, and he swallowed each one, taking them into his body to hold forever.

He loved watching her arousal heighten, knowing it was for him. Knowing that he had put that dazed look of utter need in her eyes. She turned her face to his, nuzzling under his chin, her tongue sliding in a heated rasp over his skin before she whispered his name.

«Manolito.»

The soft breathless entreaty hardened his body even more. He nibbled his way down her chin to her throat. Her skin was warm honey. He couldn't resist a small bite, teeth scraping gently over her pulse, his tongue soothing the small sting with a gentle swirl. She reacted with another breathy moan, tilting her head to give him better access to her throat. Her hair fell like a waterfall around him, and he wanted the feel of it against his skin. Her breasts rose and fell as I inbreathing grew ragged.

«You like that, don't you,» he whispered, his teeth nipping her skin again, his voice mesmerizing. He noted the elevated pulse, the seem of her calling to him, ripe and ready. Heat emanated from her. «Oh, yeah, baby, you definitely like that.»

His brow furrowed in concentration and his clothes dissolved in swirls of mist, leaving his body naked, so that he held her skin-to-skin. The cascade of her hair fell over him in a sensual slide, so that his erection, so thick and hard and aching was pressed tight against her soft body. MaryAnn stood between him and the monster he could become-the undead. She alone had the power to save him, and the miracle was, she was offering up her body to him. There was nothing more powerful or more erotic.

His mouth moved over her hungrily, her coffee-cream skin like hot silk. He could hear and feel her blood calling to him, surging in her veins with the ebb and flow of life. Her heart followed the rhythm of his, beat for beat, beneath the full mounds of her breasts. His lips traced a path along the rising swell and down into the valley, his tongue flicking over her pulse points, his teeth teasing as he moved his attention to the tight peaks of her nipples.

Her body arched as he blew warm air over the tightening buds. She tried to move, to bring up her arms, but he stopped, lifting his head, watching the arousal burning in her eyes. «Stay still, sivamet. Very still. I want you to feel every stroke of my tongue, every touch of my fingers.»

«I can't,» she gasped. Her body was too edgy, too restless, the need growing fast and ferocious. She wasn't certain she could take any more. She had never been like this, in a fever of need, craving his touch, his mouth, the small nips that seemed to tug at her womb so the fire inside built higher and higher. So high she felt on the edge of desperation, when she wasn't a desperate woman. She needed him inside her more than she needed to breathe, but instead of giving her more, he kept up his slow, sensual assault until she thought she might die with need.

«Yes, you can. You will. Whatever I give you, you'll take and more,» he said. «Let me make you scream, MaryAnn. Let me make you so mindless with pleasure you do not know any other name but mine.» He allowed his voice to be a seduction, caressing her skin the way his fingers did. He bent his head to her breast, his lips brushing her nipple as he spoke. «Give yourself to me completely.»

His hand cupped the firm ripeness of her breast and took the tip into the hot cavern of his mouth. His teeth

tugged; he suckled, licked, nipped, assaulting her senses, back and forth between tiny bites of sensual pain and exquisite ecstasy. Need was on him, shaking his control as she writhed against his groin. He flattened his tongue to flick her nipple as his hand slid down to the gathering heat at the junction of her legs.

She cried out, a soft little tormented plea, twisting in his arms even as she tried to obey his command to stay still. Nerves in her thighs jumped and she opened her legs further, squirming against the thick erection. Fire raced through his body and his cock jerked. Another growl escaped his throat as his fingers glided to the vee of dark curls just above her moist cleft. He sent another heated, feather-light breath across her darkening nipple so that she arched into him again, thrusting toward his mouth in an agony of need.

Manolito gave her several slow, lingering licks, flicking his tongue, suddenly tugging gently with his teeth, deliberately sending flickering flames dancing through her body. He alternated between hard and gentle, slow and fast, a bite of sensual pain and a torturous swirl of his soothing tongue. All the while, his fingers teased just above that glistening cauldron of heat. Muscles rippled in her stomach, and her hips arched in desperation, striving for release he wouldn't give her.

Her breath came in a little sob. «You have to do something.»

Satisfaction lit his dark eyes with tiny amber pinpoints of light. He lifted his head to look down at her, his gaze hot and possessive as it drifted over what was his. Deliberately he shifted her again, laying her on the bed, his tongue and teeth gliding over her body, tasting sex, tasting lust, tasting fulfillment of his every fantasy. It was the display of a dominant male, one that slightly shocked him, but he needed to imprint his scent on her, needed her-and everyone else-to know whom she belonged to.

She trembled, her breasts heaving, her legs splayed wide as he traveled down her body, claiming every inch as his own. Her head tossed back and forth as he teased the ultrasensitive flesh of her breasts, traced each rib, moved over her quivering tummy, stopping to tease her intriguing belly button.

She murmured something hot and erotic, and his body jerked in answer. He was completely focused on her now, absorbing the feel of her, the sheer beauty of her, the silky glide over her skin. The scent of his mate enfolded him, called him and commanded, and his body throbbed and ached with the need to answer. Lust and love rose up together, one not separated from the other, this woman, this female, courageous enough to follow him into the land of mists and shadows.

brave enough to walk into a rain forest when everything in her told her to run. His.

His rich hair slid over her flat belly and curved hips as he dipped lower still. He was at the very center of her heat, and she lay beneath him, fingernails raking the sheet, her body arched, her throat exposed as she flung her head back and lifted her hips. Her gaze met his, aroused, desperate. His smile was pure sin as he caught her thighs and spread her wider for him. His gaze grew hotter, much wickeder and all too sensual. He bent his head and drank.

The moment his tongue speared deep, she screamed and dug her nails into the mattress, trying to hold on as the world around her exploded. Her body seemed to fragment. The edges of her vision blurred as fire raced down her spine and the muscles in her tight channel pulsed. Her throat shut down so it seemed impossible to catch her breath as waves of pleasure rocked her.

He lapped at her, speared her, and scraped with his teeth, feasting like a man possessed. His hands held her down with a strength she hadn't imagined he possessed, holding her helpless and open to his erotic assault. He licked and sucked, his tongue stabbing deep, drawing the hot cream from her center while she tossed and whimpered beneath him.

«I can't stand it,» she gasped, digging her fingers into the mattress, trying desperately to find something to

hold on to. «You have to stop.» Because there was no control left to her.

His tongue was pressing against her clit, and her body was in meltdown. Pleasure burst through her with the force of an exploding volcano, spreading like white-hot lava, until her muscles clamped down viciously and her stomach tightened and spears of fire raced up her spine and around to her breasts. She bucked hard against his mouth, unable to stop herself when the mind-numbing pleasure had her spiraling completely out of control.

Before she could catch her breath, he was flipping her over, dragging her to her knees when her body shook with wave after wave of pleasure.

He rose over the top of her, catching her hips and pulling her bottom back toward him, one hand pressing on her back to hold her in place. He pushed the broad head of his erection against her tight entrance.

«Is this what you need, sivamet?» he whispered hoarsely.

She realized she was chanting something, a keening plea. Lightning flashed through her body, streaks of it, as his body began to invade hers. He was thick, so hard, like a steel spear pushing through her soft folds, stretching and burning. «You're too big,» she gasped, afraid for the first time that she couldn't accommodate his body, nor like this, not when he gripped her hips and pulled her bottom back toward him as he drove relentlessly, mercilessly through her tight-channel. Yet even when she protested, she was arching her hips, wanting more, needing more, nearly crying with the pleasure spreading through her. Even the too-tight invasion, the burning that accompanied him taking her, couldn't stop the waves of ecstasy, or maybe it added to it.

In the dominant position, Manolito held her completely under his control, taking his time as he thrust into that hot channel, soft as velvet, surrounding him with living walls of silk. «You're so tight, MaryAnn.» His voice was rough, the growling rumbling in his throat. He bent over her further, deepening his invasion, filling and stretching her impossibly. «Don't move, meu amor, don't do that.»

But she couldn't help the way her muscles locked down around him, gripping and kneading, the action shooting darts of fire through her body. She felt him push deeper and deeper. His hips pulled back and then he thrust forward, driving through her soft folds, the friction hot and wild, sending vibrations through her entire body, so even her breasts felt the fiery flames and her body pulsed, saturating him with welcoming fluid.

His fingers bit hard into her hips, holding her still, his whisper a guttural sound, as he plunged into her again and again, wringing shocked cries from her with every stroke. She felt the edge of pain as he swelled, locking himself inside of her and beginning a hard, thrusting rhythm that went on and on, sending shafts of lightning streaking to every part of her body, but never easing the torturous ache.

He pushed her beyond any boundary she'd ever had, driving the need higher and higher, until she was sobbing, pleading for release. She tried to move, tried to crawl out from under him, terrified of losing herself, terrified it would be too much to handle, but he suddenly snarled, the sound animalistic, and leaned forward, his long body stretching over hers, locking her down, one arm under her hips as his teeth sank deep into her shoulder.

Unexpected pain washed through her, blending with dazzling white-hot streaks of pleasure as he rode her, his breath coming in harsh gasps, his strength enormous, as he drove into her over and over. She heard her own gasping cries, the sound of flesh hitting flesh, felt his balls, slapping against her body in a rough caress as he continued the furious pounding deep in her tight channel. A firestorm started, building hotter and more out of control, and she writhed against him, needing more, yet terrified he would give it to her.

His arm locked tighter, dragging her hips up so her bottom slammed tightly against him and he buried himself so deep he lodged against her womb. She felt him swell, felt her muscles tightening, until she was afraid she would shatter into a million pieces.

Manolito heard her harsh breath, the sobbing pleas, and knew she was there, riding the edge. That's it, sivamet come for me. Burn for me.

Multiple orgasms tore through her body, sweeping through every part of her in a tidal wave, each stronger than the last. The sensations ripped through her in powerful spasms. Her body arched, her hips reaching back for more, his hoarse cries echoing hers.

His release was brutal, the fire tearing up his spine and coiling in his belly, while her channel squeezed and gripped and milked jets of hot semen from his body. He felt the explosion in his toes, up his legs and gut, right through his chest to the top of his head. It should have sated him, but his body refused to be completely satisfied.

He held her to him, her smaller body soft and open and vulnerable to him. His erection remained thick and aching, the pulsing pleasure continuing as the tight walls around him rippled with aftershocks, locking him to her. He couldn't move, breathing hard, trying to stilt the wild pounding of his heart, trying to keep from allowing his incisors to lengthen. Surprisingly, his canines had done so, and he had buried his teeth in her shoulder, holding her still.

The urge to take her blood, to bring her fully into his world, was on him, but he fought it back, afraid he might trap her with him in the meadow of ghosts and shadows. Still, he craved the taste of her, so he held her beneath him, on her knees, his body covering hers while he let the urge pass. He ran his tongue over his canines, savoring the wild taste of her, one hand stroking her breasts, enjoying the rush of hot liquid bathing his aching cock every time he flicked her sensitive nipples.

«I could keep you here forever,» he whispered, running his tongue along her spinal column.

MaryAnn bit her lip and tried to still the wild pounding of her heart. Never in her life had she imagined she could give her body so completely over to another person. When he touched her, when he was close to her, she had no inhibitions whatsoever.. Fear maybe, but not of what he might do, only that she could lose herself in the absolute madness of physical pleasure.

There was no going back. She couldn't even blame Manolito. She had done as much seducing as he had, and it was purely physical. She closed her eyes and tried not to feel the pounding in her blood. This was addicting. He was addicting, and she would crave his touch for the rest of her life. No one would ever make her feel the things he could. And nothing would ever seem right with anyone else. But it wasn't love.

«How do you know, sivamet, how do you know what love is with me?»

«You're in my mind.»

«You merged with me.» He kissed the smooth line of her back. «Easy, csitri, I am going to ease you down onto the mattress.» She was trembling so much he was afraid she would fall over once he allowed his body to leave hers.

The moment he moved, her muscles clamped down on him, sending fresh sensations through both of them. He kept his arm tightly around her waist as he let his body slide reluctantly from hers. Very gently he let her collapse onto the bed before rolling over, taking her with him so that her body was pillowed by his.

«I do not think I can move.» The truth was, he didn't want to move.

«I know I can't,» MaryAnn whispered, unable to so much as lift her head. Her body still quivered with small aftershocks. It was impossible to get enough air, her lungs burning and her body on fire. She lay beside him, listening to their combined heartbeats. «What did you mean when you said I didn't know what love is with you?»

«How could I not love the woman who braves everything she fears to save me from the unknown? How could I not love you when you stand between me and the darkness? How could I not love you when you give me more pleasure than I ever dreamed possible?» He didn't say she brought him peace. That the moment he was in her company everything inside of him simply settled, calmed, became right. «It is you who do not love me yet, but you will learn to.»

He wrapped his arms around her shivering body and held her closer still, his chin nuzzling into her neck, warm breath against her ear. There was no censure in his voice, only a matter-of-fact statement.

Her body throbbed and burned and craved his all over again, and that was just downright frightening. He had such confidence in himself, was so certain he could make her fall in love with him. Even if she didn't, she knew it would be nearly impossible not to want to be with him, not when he could make her burn from the inside out.

«Don't you think that was just a little bit scary?»

«You are safe with me.» He buried his face in the wealth of her hair. «I want to stay here with you and sleep the sleep of humans.» He had never once, in all of his existence, thought he would want that simple pleasure, but now he wanted nothing more than to curl his body around hers and fall asleep with her in his arms.

«Why the sleep of humans?» she asked, snuggling against him. «That seems an odd thing for you to say.»

«I want to dream of you. Drift off to sleep dreaming of you, and wake up to you by my side.»

She rubbed up against him like a cat. «Well don't fall asleep. You have to go to ground, Manolito. Even I know that.»

He looked around the room. Light was already creeping in through the windows. It should have been burning his eyes, but instead he wanted to stretch and arch his body, bathe in the early morning glow. «Maybe I will stay here. We can cover the windows.»

Her heart jumped. «It isn't safe. No way. You have to leave.»

He propped his head on his hand and stared down at her, his eyes once again totally black. «You do not want me to stay, do you?» he said with sudden insight. «You want me to leave you.»

She swallowed the urge to deny his accusation. It would be a lie. «I can't think straight around you.»

«No?» The edgy aggression in his voice softened to a throaty purr of male satisfaction. His hand cupped her breast, his thumb sliding over her nipple so that she shivered beneath his touch.

«No. Do you think I always act so-so submissive?» She nearly spat the word. «I don't do bondage and submission.»

«Maybe I know more about what you like than you do,» he said. «I am in your mind and look for the things

that please you.»

She closed her eyes briefly, wondering if it was true. She had liked the things he had done. Like was a tame word for how she felt. She couldn't blame him for her own actions. She had wanted him fast and hard, almost brutal in his possession of her. She had wanted-still wanted-to belong wholly to him. To do whatever it was he asked of her. And that scared her on a whole different level. It was a major personality shift and needed consideration.

Manolito studied her face. She was puzzled by her behavior, and in turn, he asked himself why he had needed to be so dominant with her. He was a dominant man, so much so that he had no need to prove himself to anyone else, yet something in him had needed to mark her, to leave his scent, evidence of their mating. He brushed the hair from her shoulder and touched the small wound there. Carpathian males left pinpricks, maybe a strawberry, and he had left such a mark on her breast the first time he had ever taken her blood. The wound on her shoulder was something altogether different. Puzzled, he focused his gaze on it. It had been made with his canines.

MaryAnn turned her head to look at the mark as well, a small frown on her face. Why in the world had she found it sexy when he had held her like that? «I think you must have put some sort of spell on me.»

«I believe it was the other way around.»

«Did you?» she asked suspiciously. «Because Destiny can do that sort of thing. Get inside minds and influence them.»

«Merge with me again and I will see what kind of influence I have. This time, I think I will have you kneeling at my feet, taking my cock into your hot, very sexy mouth.» His hand stroked her throat, the pads of his fingers caressing. His body hardened all over again at the thought, pressing tightly against her, jerking at the erotic fantasy. «I might not live through it, but I am more than willing to sacrifice for the experiment.»

She should have been alarmed, but the thought of exploring his body, of driving him over the edge, of him commanding her to give him that kind of pleasure and her robbing him of control, sent a coil of excitement spiraling through her body. His tongue was flicking at her shoulder, teeth nipping, and already her body responded with those light quakes that spread up her belly to her breasts.

«Maybe I'm the one influencing you,» she said. «You're always telling me I'm the one merging with you.»

«Of course you influence me. I am reading your every fantasy and sharing mine with you.» His hands cupped her breasts and teased her nipples before sliding down the curve of her body to her buttocks. He began a slow, rhythmic massage. «When I come for you, tomorrow night, wear something feminine.»

She gasped, outraged. «I always wear feminine clothing. I have the best taste in clothes. I can't believe you insulted me like that.»

Male amusement gleamed in his eyes. «I apologize, meu amor, if you took that the wrong way. You are always beautifully dressed. I am old-fashioned and would prefer a dress or skirt.» His hand slid up to her belly, fingers splayed wide. He rubbed in gentle circles, sliding lower, even as his voice turned husky. «Aside from showing off your beautiful body to its utmost advantage, I would be able to touch you like this so easily.»

His fingers slid lower still, found warm, welcoming moisture waiting. «I want your body available to my touch. I look at you and want to slide my palm over your skin. There is nothing like it in this world.»

His fingers slid over her cleft, making her gasp. Her thighs clenched. Her womb spasmed, and just like that she was his. Every thought of resistance was gone. His fingers stroked and teased and began an intimate exploration all over again. His rough whispers in her ear only heightened her senses and nerve endings and increased her need of him.

Morning rays of sunshine crept in through the window, and light illuminated the stark arousal etched into his face. He rolled onto his back and simply lifted her so that she straddled him. She gasped as she looked down at his erection. It seemed impossible that she could take him inside of her, but her body burned and pulsed and wept for him. He positioned her thighs on either side of his hips, pushing the broad head of his cock into her. His smile was genuine, white teeth flashing at her, black eyes gleaming with something close to joy as she settled over him.

He drove right through her tight folds until he was seated deep inside her where he belonged. He brought her hands to his shoulders so she could brace herself as he began to move, to fill her, this time slow and easy so she could feel every stroke when she was already so sensitized.

She began to move to the rhythm herself as his hands guided her to ride him in a slow, sensual slide. He stretched her slowly, steel encased in velvet, moving through the tight, clenching muscles until the friction robbed her of breath-of sanity. It was different from the wild possession of before, but no less pleasurable. And there was something decadent in sitting on him while his gaze followed the sway of her breasts and his eyes focused on her with such hot lust and appreciation.

MaryAnn was exhausted by the time Manolito left her, but the sun was high. She did recognize that it was dangerous for him to be out at such a time. Her own body was so worn, she couldn't do more than return his kiss and wave a weak hand as he pulled the covers over her and left her alone. She barely registered his whispered command to sleep, already closing her eyes.

Chapter Nine

w m

ar

MaryAnn woke to the feel of tears on her face and the soft sound of feminine voices on the other side of her door. She groaned and turned over, her body sore in places she hadn't known she had.

«It was just sex,» she said aloud. «He doesn't love you. Love matters, and he doesn't love you.»

He might not love her, but he owned her body. She would have done anything he asked, and she hadn't known that was possible. There were whisker burns between her thighs and on her chin. She throbbed and pulsed with need the moment she thought of him. Her breasts ached and felt heavy. There wasn't an inch of her body he hadn't claimed or that she hadn't given him freely.

Her loss of control was terrifying. How could she crave his body to the point of letting him push her beyond every boundary, real or imagined, she thought she had? The only safe thing to do was leave, and it was far too late for that. She was practical, a woman who reasoned things out, and there was no reasoning this.

She sat up and wiped more tears away. She hadn't cried this much since she was a child. A shower only added to the sensations whispering over her skin. Memories of his fingers tracing every shadow and hollow,

every curve and dimple. His mouth driving her mad with cravings. «This isn't normal,» she said to her reflection in the mirror. «It isn't normal to want him like this and be afraid he'll come to me and more afraid he won't.»

Could she leave? Was it possible to go back to her life in Seattle? Manolito was still trapped between worlds; could she leave him knowing he might never make it back if she didn't help him?

MaryAnn dressed with care, using clothes as armor, as she often did when she needed confidence and to feel in control. Manolito had told her to wear a dress, so she put on slacks and a silky top. She stood trembling, staring at herself, wanting to wear a dress because it would please him. Because he'd look at her with that look of dark hunger she'd never be able to resist. For a moment her hands went to the small shell buttons on her blouse, but she forced her hands down. She wouldn't give in-not to herself and not to him. If she couldn't leave him, she could at least stand up to him.

Lifting her chin, she walked out into the common room. A young-woman sat curled up on a window seat, her long hair cascading down her back like a waterfall. She looked up with a hesitant smile that was not at all real, her emerald eyes watching carefully.

«You must be Jasmine. I'm MaryAnn Delaney. Did Juliette tell you I was coming?» She approached the girl slowly, her movements gentle and nonthreatening. This was why she had come in the first place, this young woman with the too-old eyes and the sorrow already etched into her face.

Jasmine smiled and held out her hand. «It's such a pleasure to meet you at last. Juliette speaks so highly of you.»

«You reek of Carpathian male,» another voice said, the tone filled with disdain.

MaryAnn turned to face Solange. It could be no one else. She was beautiful in a wild, untamed way. She had cat's eyes, amber, focused and wary. She prowled instead of walked, her quick restless movements graceful and agile. MaryAnn could see the anger in her, deep and held in tight. She had seen too many horrors to ever go back to innocence.

Solange wore loose-fitting drawstring pants and a belt around her hips. Where MaryAnn relied on pepper spray, Solange wore knives and guns with familiar ease. She had weapons MaryAnn had never seen before, many small and sharp and very efficient-looking. Her hair was shaggy but suited the shape of her face. Where Jasmine was ethereally beautiful, thin and shapely, with gentle curves and flowing hair, Solange was earthy, with full curves, temper in her eyes and passion stamped on her mouth.

«Do I? I took a shower.» MaryAnn smiled at the woman, wanting to soothe her, to help her relax.

Solange halted in mid stride, her nose wrinkling. «I'm sorry. That was rude. I have a very acute sense of smell. I shouldn't have said that. We've been roaming in jaguar form and it makes me ultrasensitive.»

«No, it's all right. You're entitled to say what you think.» MaryAnn sent her a quick, appreciative smile. «Even if you are saying I smell.»

«On, no,» Jasmine said, rising to her feet. «Solange didn't mean that at all.» She sent her cousin a warning look and reached out to take MaryAnn's hand. «Are you hungry? We were about to make dinner. We just got up a few minutes ago. I'm sorry if we woke you.»

«You were crying in your sleep,» Solange said. «I have exceptional hearing, too. Are you all right?»

MaryAnn kept her smile serene. Jasmine's fingers had tightened around hers, and the young woman was trembling. «I'm a city girl. The rain in forest is a little scary to me. I'd guess neither of you feel that way about it. Although I did use my canister of pepper spray on a jaguar last night when it attacked me.»

Solange whirled around, her dark eyebrows drawing down in a frown. «You were attacked by a jaguar? Are you certain?»

MaryAnn nodded. «I was very close to it.»

«Did it have a collar on its neck, or a pack of any kind that you could see?» Solange pursued. She was already hurrying from window to window, peering out.

«Now that you say that, maybe he did.» MaryAnn kept Jasmine's hand in hers. The girl shuddered, but kept walking through the wide-hall to the large, open kitchen. «I can't remember. It all happened so fast.»

Solange scented the air again, lifting her face and sniffing. «Were you near a jaguar male? A man aside from the Carpathian?»

Jasmine gasped and covered her mouth, her eyes going wide with fear. «Are they here? On the island?»

«It's going to be all right,» Solange assured her. «I can protect you, and Juliette wrapped the house in safeguards. As long as we stay inside, we should be fine. I'm just going to check the upstairs, make certain the balconies and windows are all closed and locked. The windows have bars, Jazz.»

Jasmine rushed to her, grasping her arm. «Don't leave me alone again. I don't want to be alone.»

Her young face looked haunted, and for just one moment, MaryAnn saw anguish in Solange's amber eyes. She put her arms around her cousin and held her close. «MaryAnn is here, honey. I'm just going upstairs. She'll sit with you and I'll be right back. Why don't you get MaryAnn some food? She's hungry, remember?»

Jasmine swallowed and nodded. «Yes, I'm sorry. Of course I'll get you food. Do you drink tea?» She watched Solange leave the room. «She'll be right back, don't worry,» she added.

«Of course she will,» MaryAnn said soothingly and wrapped a comforting arm around the younger girl. Jasmine had gone pale beneath the gold of her skin. «Tea would be lovely, thanks.»

Jasmine's hands shook so much the teacups rattled, but she poured both of them a cup of tea, added milk and sank down across from MaryAnn at the table, facing the door, watching for her cousin.

«It must be difficult to let Solange out of your sight,» MaryAnn said gently. She concentrated on putting the young woman at ease, soothing and comforting, wanting her to realize she had someone she could talk to.

I'm here now. It's going to be okay. I'll make everything okay. You're strong and we can handle this. Jasmine was barely out of her teens, and yet already her world was one of violence and fear. MaryAnn wanted to pull her into her arms and rock her like a baby, somehow set the world right again for her.

Jasmine nodded. «I try not to be a burden to her, but I can't sleep most of the time and she has to sit with me.»

«I'm sure she doesn't mind, Jasmine. It's obvious she loves you.»

Solange might be as tough as nails, but she was loyal and loving to her family. She would fight to the death for this child, and she would use her last breath to comfort her. MaryAnn could read that much in both of

them, but Jasmine was more than just afraid after her terrifying experience. She was holding something else, some dark secret that she hadn't shared with Juliette or Solange. MaryAnn mentally stroked the girl as she would a child, warmth and caring in her mind. She longed to make it right for Jasmine, longed to remove the sorrow from her eyes and take fear and trepidation away for good.

Jasmine took a deep breath. «I'm so glad you came. Thank you. Juliette said you're from the city and this is all difficult for you.»

MaryAnn shrugged, willing the girl to quit making small talk and come out with whatever she was on the verge of saying. It was frightening to her, and she wanted to tell MaryAnn without Solange in the room. «I wanted to come so you'd have someone to talk to. Sometimes it's easier when it isn't family.» It's okay, honey. I'm here now: I won't betray you. I've come a long way to help you. Trust me now. Trust me with the burden you're carrying, and the two of us will sort it out.

«And you've talked to other girls, girls like me, right?» Jasmine asked, lowering her voice, glancing at the doorway to ensure Solange was still upstairs.

«What happened to you was particularly brutal,» MaryAnn said. «You have to give yourself time.» Come on, baby. Share it. It's eating you up inside. Whatever it is, we can handle it. I know what I'm doing. You can rely on me. She wished she could find a way to convey to Jasmine that she would help, that she would never betray her confidence.

«I don't have time,» Jasmine whispered. She ducked her head and set the cup down. «It makes it easier that you know what happened. I haven't told anyone yet, but I'm going to have to soon.»

MaryAnn held her breath, her heart beating hard. She wanted to cry for the girl, little more than a teenager, her life already shattered. She laid her hand over Jasmine's, connecting them, willing the girl to be calm, to be comforted. «You're pregnant.»

Jasmine covered her face with her hands. «There's a plant we can use after, you know, to make certain, and Solange gave it to me, but I couldn't…» She trailed off and looked at MaryAnn through her fingers. «I already knew. The moment it happened. I just knew and I couldn't do it.»

«You didn't do anything wrong, Jasmine. Those men took away your choice and you stood up and made your own decision. Are you afraid you did something wrong?»

«It's complicated. We live a complicated life and I've made it so much worse. They'll never stop now. Those men. They'll come after us no matter where we are.» She looked at the doorway again. «Solange…» She broke off. «It's been so hard for her.»

«Are you sorry about your decision?»

«I don't know how I feel and I can't bear for Solange to be upset with me. She's done so much already and it will be one more person for her to take care of.»

«You would keep the baby?»

Jasmine's eyes flashed with something close to fire, and for the first time, MaryAnn saw the resemblance between Jasmine and her cousin. «I would never give my baby to them. Never. If Solange wants me to leave, I will, but I won't turn a child over to them even if it is a boy.»

«No, of course you wouldn't. What those men did was criminal. Jasmine.» MaryAnn took a sip of her tea and

regarded the younger girl.

She chose her words carefully. «Manolito told me he met one of the jaguar-men, the same one who saved my life yesterday from the jaguar who attacked me. He said that a vampire had tainted him, turning the men to commit crimes against their women. If that is so, in a sense, they are victims as well.»

«What are you saying to her?» Solange demanded.

MaryAnn turned as the woman entered the room. She moved in absolute silence, her body perfectly balanced, her bare feet making no sound on the cool marble floors. She crossed to Jasmine's side and put an arm around her, glaring at MaryAnn.

Jasmine stiffened, alarm spreading on her face. She sent MaryAnn a quick, nervous shake of her head, not wanting her secret revealed.

MaryAnn suspected Solange already knew. She was pureblood jaguar, with all the senses of the animal. It wouldn't be possible for Jasmine to hide such a thing from her, but MaryAnn wouldn't betray a confidence no matter what she thought.

«Just that if a vampire is influencing the men to hunt their women, it is a terrible tragedy for everyone.» She kept her voice mild and matter-of-fact. «If what Manolito found is the truth, the vampire is deliberately killing an entire species.»

Solange bit her lip and poured herself tea. «Maybe the vampire has the right idea. If our men are capable of the things they're doing, the species shouldn't survive.»

«Solange,» Jasmine protested.

MaryAnn caught the hurt look in her eyes and wished she could comfort her. She doesn't mean it the way it came out. She's seen too much, been through too much and has been traumatized, too. She would accept the baby. She couldn't assure Jasmine, even though she thought it was the truth. Solange would never turn her back on Jasmine or a child. It wasn't in the woman. .

Solange shrugged. «You know how I think, Jazz. I've never made a secret of my contempt for men.»

«You've never wanted a family?» MaryAnn asked.

«Sure. Sometimes. When I'm alone in the middle of the night, or when I go into heat.» She dropped a hand on Jasmine's shoulder. «There's no other way to put it. We suffer from mating urges a little more than most women, I think, but I'm not willing to live the kind of life a woman has to in order to have a family.»

«What kind of life is that?» MaryAnn asked, spooning a little honey into the tea. For some reason, she was having a difficult time drinking it. The food on the table turned her stomach. She hadn't eaten in a long time and should have been starving, but even the fruit didn't appeal to her.

«Giving up freedom. Being under a man's thumb.»

«Is that what you think most marriages are like? Is that what Juliette's marriage is? Is she forced to do everything Riordan's way?»

Solange opened her mouth, took a breath and closed it. Sighing, she sank down into a chair. «To be fair, maybe not. It looks like it on the surface, but the way he looks at her, the things he does for her, no, I think

she has just as much say as he does. She wants to make him happy.» There was curiosity in her voice. «I can't imagine wanting to do anything for a man.»

«Surprisingly, Solange, I felt the same way for a very long time. In my line of work, I see the worst in men– much, I suppose, as you do. But we're seeing a very small section. There are a lot of good men out there who have women they love, and they treat women with love and respect.»

MaryAnn willed her to understand and see what she was saying, because Solange was bitter and bitterness eventually ruined lives. You're too good a woman to live your life that way, honey. She wished she could take away all those terrible memories, all the tragedy that had befallen the two of them. Solange had been rescuing female captives from the jaguar-men for some time. She'd seen too much death and brutality, There were no policemen on the corners to call. It was a life-and-death struggle in the rain forest, and Solange had managed not only to survive, but to save many other women as well.

«Maybe you're right,» Solange agreed. «I keep thinking eventually Jasmine and I have to leave this place. It's my home and I love it, but if we keep up this fight, we'll eventually be killed. They already know us and our reputation.»

It was logical, but more than that, the fight with the jaguar-men colored every aspect of their life. «It isn't the best place for Jasmine,» MaryAnn agreed.

Solange nodded. «I know. We've known for some time that we have to find another home, haven't we, Jazz?» She ruffled her cousin's hair.

There was too much sorrow in Solange, as if a great weight sat on her shoulders. She was younger than MaryAnn, and that was shocking. She looked older, her face serious and womanly rather than innocent, but she had to be only a few years older than Jasmine.

«We've talked about it,» Jasmine admitted, «but where would we go? Neither of us could live in a city, so close to other people.»

«Juliette said that Riordan had a house built on their ranch property for us,» Solange said, her voice ultracasual. «We might try it.»

Jasmine stiffened and shook her head mutely.

MaryAnn was too adept at reading people. Solange did not want to go to the ranch. She had such a distrust of men, and the De La Cruz main home was a working ranch with men everywhere. But it would place both women under the protection and eye of the De La Cruz brothers, all of whom took their roles very seriously. Solange was worried about Jasmine. If she knew about the pregnancy, as MaryAnn suspected, she would want to take Jasmine to the comparative safety of the ranch house.

«Have you met Rafael and Colby?» MaryAnn asked. «Colby's younger brother Paul and her sister Ginny are living at the ranch. They seem to really love it there. Ginny is particularly wild about horses.»

Solange sent her a grateful smile. «Ginny is still young, right? I've heard Juliette talk about her. Eleven or twelve maybe.»

«It's not going to work, Solange,» Jasmine said. «I'm not going to go to the ranch without you.»

«Did I say without me? I would go, too, if you did,» Solange said. «And you're not eating enough to keep a bird alive. Eat.»

Jasmine scowled as she took a banana. «You'd go to the ranch, Solange, but you wouldn't stay there and you know it. You'd leave me with Juliette and come back to the rain forest and try to work here by yourself.»

Solange sat back in her chair and regarded Jasmine with a sober face. «I said I'd go with you and I will. I'll try to stay. That's all I can promise. I'll try to stay. I thought we'd be safe here, but if the jaguar-men know of this house and that most of the time the De La Cruz brothers aren't using it, they'll come for us. Maybe we should go back with Juliette and Riordan when they go.»

MaryAnn caught the underlying anxiety. Solange didn't believe for a moment that she would be able to stay at the ranch, but for Jasmine, she would try.

«What do you fear at the ranch the most?» She leaned her chin into her palm and studied Solange's face. Jasmine would never stay if her cousin didn't.

Solange was silent for so long MaryAnn was afraid she wouldn't answer. «I am not good with people. Men especially. I get claustrophobia in confined spaces. I haven't had anyone telling me what to do since I was about twelve, and I can't imagine living in a place with rules-someone else's rules. I've made my own for too long and I can't fit in anywhere.» She looked at Jasmine. «I don't want that for you, Jazz. You deserve a life.»

«So do you,» MaryAnn said quietly-firmly.

«I'm not such a nice person,» Solange said, her amber eyes going flat and hard. «I've done things and I can't take them back.»

Jasmine put her hand over Solange's. «You saved lives.»

«And I took them.»

There was no regret in her voice, and none on her face, but MaryAnn could feel the sadness coming off her in waves. She was a warrior, and there was nowhere in the world left for a woman like Solange.

«Don't feel sorry for me,» Solange said. «I made my choices.»

«And I've always made mine,» Jasmine asserted. «I stay with you. Here or at the ranch, or wherever. We're family and we stick close. Juliette feels the same way. She can't join us during the days, but she's with us when she can be.»

Good for you. MaryAnn flashed Jasmine an approving smile. The girl had spunk after all. She wasn't going to give up on Solange.

Jasmine flashed her a small, conspiratorial smile, and MaryAnn realized she was glad she'd come. Both women needed her. She was a born counselor, she helped people find their way and she was good at if, proud of her ability. Solange seemed more lost than Jasmine because she'd given up on life. On people. On everything.

Solange suddenly lifted her head, coming to her feet, her body still, Jasmine pressed a hand to her mouth to stifle a cry of alarm.

«It's okay, baby,» Solange assured.

«They're here,» Jasmine whispered. «Outside the house, and it's another couple of hours until sunset.»

«Take MaryAnn into the safe room,» Solange instructed. «Wait for me there.»

«MaryAnn will be just fine helping you out,» MaryAnn said. «I'm not hiding from these men. If they dared come here to harm you-«

«They'll rape and kill. That's what they do,» Solange said, her voice hard. «We live by the law of the forest here, kill or be killed, and you have to be prepared to do just that. Go with Jasmine.»

Jasmine pushed back her chair and reached under the table for the gun taped there. MaryAnn's eyes widened. They'd obviously been prepared for an attack.

«I'll take the upstairs,» Jasmine said. «You defend down here, Solange. MaryAnn, they won't be able to breach the safe room. If we get into trouble, we'll fight our way back to that, so leave it unlocked as long as possible.»

«I'll stay with you,» MaryAnn said. «I know how to shoot a gun.»

«Riordan and Juliette set safeguards on the house,» Solange said, not bothering to waste time arguing with them. «Jasmine, see to the windows. Stay back out of sight. If they see and recognize you, it might make them do something crazy to get in, but if they breach the window, shoot to kill. Do you understand me? Don't you hesitate.»

«I won't,» Jasmine assured.

«I'll be with her,» MaryAnn added. Jasmine looked so young and frightened. Her pregnancy made her even more vulnerable.

Solange caught Jasmine to her, stared into her eyes. «Be safe, little cousin.»

«You too.» Jasmine brushed a kiss along Solange's cheek and then turned and hurried up the stairs.

MaryAnn followed her, but paused to watch Solange move through the huge kitchen toward the hall. The woman looked like a jungle car, sleek and powerful and deadly. It was impossible not to admire her-or believe in her.

«She'll get us through this,» Jasmine assured her.

«I have no doubt she will.» Still. It was always better to have a backup plan. They had to hold out until Manolito, Riordan and Juliette managed to wake and get to them. She glanced at her watch. A little under two hours. The safeguards should hold that long.

«Uh oh,» Jasmine said, peeking out the window and ducking back against the wall. «They've got someone out there and he looks like he knows what he's doing.»

MaryAnn risked a quick look. The man was no jaguar; his build was all wrong. He was short and slender, his close-cropped hair blond. He stood facing the house, hands in the air, weaving a graceful pattern. She had only seen something like that once before and it chilled her to the bone. «Mage.» She whispered the word.

«He's taking down the safeguards, isn't he?» Jasmine said.

«It looks like it.»

Solange swore. Once again she'd crept up behind them. «I counted four of the jaguar-men. I recognize one of them. He's a tough fighter, Jazz. He knows our scent. The one you identified as a mage I've never seen before. He must have been brought here specifically to unravel the Carpathian guards.»

«And that means they're here for a reason,» Jasmine said, choking on fear, voice shaking. «They came here deliberately for us, didn't they, Solange? For me.»

«Calm down, baby,» Solange said. «You know they hunt any women with jaguar blood, particularly those who can shift. Both of us are of the age to have children; we carry purer bloodlines and we can shift.»

Jasmine shook her head. «Not me. I can't.»

«You don't want to. That isn't the same thing. Give me the gun, Jasmine.» Solange held out her hand.

Jasmine shook her head again, this time much harder. «No. I need it.»

«I mean it. Give it to me.»

MaryAnn winced at the steel in Solange's voice. «Jasmine, there's no need to panic. It will take time for the mage to unravel the safeguards. After Juliette and Riordan put the locks in place, Manolito came with me in the early morning hours and he added to the safeguards. Give Solange the gun and let's get ourselves something cool to drink and we'll wait downstairs near the safe room. If we block off or rig some kind of alarm on the stairs, we won't have to guard them. We can concentrate on defending the downstairs, a smaller area. It will be easier and we can leave a clear path to the safe room. No matter what, we'll be fine until the Carpathians get here.»

She kept her voice soothing, her features serene, dissolving the tension that had been building in the room.

Solange smiled at her. «That's right. Let them play their little games out in the hot sun. We're inside where we have plenty of food and water and shelter from the rain. It's started pouring again. The poor mage is looking like a wet dog.»

Jasmine's smile was thin, but she managed one as she put the weapon in her cousin's hand. «What is a mage exactly? And why is he here?»

Both women looked at MaryAnn. She bit her lip and shrugged.

«I'm not really certain. I can only tell you what I picked up here and there when I was in the Carpathian Mountains. Juliette or Riordan can explain better than I can. My understanding is mages were the most like humans, but with psychic powers and the ability to weave energy. They were close to Carpathians and shared a great deal of knowledge, Something happened and there was a war between the Carpathian people and the mages.»

«This was all years ago,» Solange acknowledged. «I heard a bit about it from some of the storytellers when I was a child, but I thought they were long gone from this world.»

«Apparently not,» MaryAnn said.

«And they're all against the Carpathian species?» Jasmine asked. «Does that mean the jaguar species is as well?»

«It's been my observation, Jasmine,» MaryAnn said, «that no entire race of beings is all good or all bad. Most

don't hate simply because others do. I met a jaguar-man who saved my life and was very troubled with what was happening to his people. I'm certain there are mages who don't approve of what is being done here. Many probably don't even know. Vampires are wholly evil, and once they infiltrate and influence anyone, they disrupt the entire balance of nature.»

«So the vampires used the violent tendencies of our males to corrupt them and end our species,» Solange said, a tinge of sarcasm in her voice.

«Not all males are bad, Solange, and reiterating over and over that they are, influencing Jasmine so that she fears a normal life, is no better.»

«You haven't seen what these men do.»

«Be honest, isn't it a small percentage? One small group? I believe the other jaguar-men have been trying to stop them. If that's the case, you are condemning some of the same men who have been working to stop this.»

«I've never met any of these mythical men,» Solange said, then glanced back at Jasmine. «But there may be some.»

«Many men sacrifice themselves for the common good. I saw Manolito step in front of a pregnant woman and take a poisoned knife for her. He died, n-nearly died.» Emotions rushed up and overwhelmed her before MaryAnn could stop them. She was unprepared for the grief and sorrow sweeping through her, shutting down reason and logic.

She turned away, blinking back tears, staring out the window at the mage. His hands followed a pattern and he looked triumphant, as if he knew exactly which safeguard had been used and how to unravel it.

If only he would grow tired standing in the pouring rain. Tired and wet, his arms feeling like lead. So tired he couldn't see straight or think to remember the ancient words and flowing movements.

MaryAnn watched the mage through the window, imagining his fatigue, hoping he was exhausted standing there, the rain pounding down on his unprotected head. He felt weak and weary and he desperately needed to get out of there. If they were really lucky, he was a little afraid of the jaguar-men and visualized them attacking him, tearing into his body with terrible teeth, crunching his skull with a single bite…

The mage staggered back, lifting one hand to his head and staring back at her through the window. He pointed at her, saying something she couldn't hear, but it was clearly an accusation.

«There in the trees,» Solange said. «You drew them out.»

MaryAnn peered into the heavy canopy where the forest met the wide expanse of yard. One half-formed jaguar moved in the branches. He was a big man, well built, with shaggy hair and cruelty etched in his face.

Jasmine shrank back into Solange's arm. «That's the one they call Sergio. He's terrible. They all listen to him.»

Solange nodded. «I remember him. He's a strong fighter. He could have killed me, but he knew I was a shifter and didn't want to take chances.» She flashed Jasmine a small, humorless smile. «It gives us a little advantage.» .

«Why did you say I drew them out?» MaryAnn asked, her hand going to her throat in a defensive gesture. The mage was staring at her now and once again moving his hands in a flowing pattern. She had the feeling

he wasn't unraveling the safeguards so much as trying to do something to her.

Solange pulled her back away from the window. «He knows you stopped him. We should go downstairs.»

«I didn't stop him. I was only hoping he would get a little tired.»

«Well, your hoping delayed him, but not for long. I want you and Jasmine in the safe room.» She led the way down the stairs. «You just set yourself up as a target. Sergio will know you aren't jaguar and that you're dangerous.»

«I'm not dangerous.»

«If you can break the concentration of a mage, you're dangerous. He'll want to kill you. Stay behind Jasmine.»

That was the last thing MaryAnn intended to do. Jasmine looked determined, but so frightened, MaryAnn wanted to gather her up and rock her. «I've got a couple of weapons as well,» she said, and held up the pepper spray. «They won't be expecting it.»

«I won't let them take me this time,» Jasmine said. «Not again, Solange.»

«They'll have to kill me to get to you, baby,» Solange assured. Her voice was quiet and steady. «Believe me, I'm not going to let that happen. If we're very lucky, MaryAnn bought us enough time for the sun to go down and Juliette to get here to help.»

MaryAnn noticed Solange didn't name either of the two male-Carpathians, as if she couldn't-or wouldn't– count on them for support. Solange was far more damaged than Jasmine appeared to be. MaryAnn smiled at Jasmine. «Don't worry. Manolito will rush to help us, and so will Riordan, although you know him better than I do and probably are well aware that he would never let anything happen to you if he could help it.»

Jasmine looked down at her hands. «I haven't taken the time to get to know him. I've had a difficult time adjusting after the attack.»

«We stay to ourselves,» Solange said. She met MaryAnn's steady gaze and understood the reproof, accepting it with a slow nod and a deep breath. «That probably hasn't been the best way to deal with things though. I think we need to go to the ranch and try to make a new and very different life for ourselves.»

«Do you really think that, Solange?» Jasmine asked. She pressed a hand to her stomach, fear in her eyes.

MaryAnn knew the look was fear of Solange's disappointment in her decision to have a baby, a jaguar child with nearly pure blood. Solange had seen too many horrifying events to ever be able to look at the jaguar-men without prejudice, and Jasmine knew it. Still, she'd been strong enough to make her own decision, and that was a good sign.

«Of course I do. We can't live in the forest forever, and the jaguar-men know who we are now and are hunting us. I think it's more than time that we got out.»

Solange caught Jasmine's arm and gave her a little push. «Get moving now. They're going to break through any second. MaryAnn, go.» She glided to the window with purposeful strides, her knife in one hand, a gun in the other.

She turned, swearing. «They're coming. Be ready!»

The front doors burst open and a large frame entered, half-jaguar, half-man, rushing across the cool marble straight toward them. It launched its body into the air, straight at Solange, snarling muzzle filled with wicked-looking teeth, hands curved into razor-sharp claws.

Chapter Ten

M ^

[?j

Jasmine screamed, and clapped her hand over her mouth to muffle the sound. She stumbled backward, reaching behind her to find the door of the safe room. Solange rushed the jaguar with no hesitation, gun out, firing shots as she ran at him. A second jaguar, the one Jasmine had identified as Sergio, hit Solange from behind, where he'd stalked her, unseen and unheard. He brought her down, slamming her to the floor 'and slapping the gun from her hand. The sound was loud as furniture and lamps crashed on the marble.

They rolled, Solange partially shifting to bring jaguar strength into play, swiping at Sergio with a sharpened claw as he used his size to pin her beneath him. The attack had obviously been orchestrated, their adversaries having studied Solange's abilities. The first jaguar staggered, his sides heaving as blood dripped steadily from the two bullet wounds. He went straight for Solange to aid Sergio in restraining her. MaryAnn blasted him with the pepper spray, using short bursts, hitting him in the eyes, mouth and nose repeatedly. Jasmine followed her into the fray, slamming a lamp against his head and driving him backward.

The first jaguar-man fell hard, landing between MaryAnn and Solange. He pawed at his face, howling, rolling back and forth and leaving blood smears on the marble.

Solange punched Sergio's throat, hitting hard, using her body weight as well as her cat's strength. She raked up his muzzle and tore at his belly. His cat's weight crushed down on her, and his teeth sank into her throat. She went still beneath him, sides heaving, amber eyes defiant, her body rigid and tense.

Jasmine leapt across the room after the gun where it had skittered across the floor. Before Jasmine could scoop it up, the mage was there before her, kicking the gun out of reach and shoving her against the wall so hard it knocked the wind out of her.

Jasmine's leap had taken her over the huge males just as another male burst into the room, fully changed, fierce, eyes glittering. He swerved around Jasmine and knocked Sergio off Solange. The two males reared up, slamming together so hard they rocked the walls.

The wounded jaguar roared with rage, swiping at MaryAnn's leg, and she gasped with pain. A claw raked her calf, tearing through her slacks and ripping skin and muscle nearly to the bone. MaryAnn's leg went out from under her and she fell, hitting the marble hard, digging her heels in to push backward in a crablike crawl to try to stay out of reach of those raking claws. Like sharpened spikes, the claws found her ankle and with a victorious roar, the jaguar pulled her to him, his teeth going for her skull. MaryAnn punched the cat's throat, the canister in the fist adding a more solid contact, but the animal continued to drive forward. He erupted into a killing frenzy, whipping claws from side to side as he blindly sought prey. His face was wet with tears, his nose and muzzle streaming, but he was dangerous, whipping around the room hunting for his attacker.

Solange landed on his back, all cat now, wild and furious, teeth clamping down on the broad head, her bite enormously strong. The jaguar forgot all about MaryAnn, rolling in an effort to dislodge Solange.

Mercilessly she raked at the cat's belly while she clamped down with her teeth on the muzzle.

MaryAnn dragged her leg out of the fray. Four jaguars rolled on the floor, fighting to kill one another. Jasmine's scream pulled her out of her haze of fear and pain. The mage had Jasmine by her long hair and was dragging her backward out of the house.

Fury swept through MaryAnn, fury and something dark and wild and dangerous. She felt it so close, deep inside her, ripping at her to get out. Her bones ached. Her mouth and teeth hurt. Her hands curled into fists, but her fingernails had lengthened and cut into her palm.

«Stop!» Stop right now! MaryAnn jerked to her feet. Enough already.

To her astonishment, all four jaguars ceased moving, heads hanging, sides heaving, tongues lolling out of their mouths. Only the mage kept moving, although he was sweating and shaking, his gaze on MaryAnn as he dragged Jasmine out of the house and kicked the door closed.

The sound of the door slamming triggered the jaguars back into action. At once, Solange drove deep again, tearing at the other jaguar's throat. The two males slammed into one another, all teeth and claws. MaryAnn pulled herself to her feet, skirted around the fighting cats and, shoving the agony of her leg into a mental compartment, stumbled after Jasmine and the mage.

Deep beneath the ground, Manolito woke to a burst of pain and fear. His heart began a strong, steady gallop, his pulse thundering in his ear. He knew, in the way of all Carpathian people, that the sun hadn't set bur was slowly beginning to sink from the sky. He couldn't wait. MaryAnn was in desperate trouble. He burst from the rich, dark soil, one arm across his eyes as he shifted into vapor and at the same time called on the clouds to block the sun. The dense canopy helped, but still he was caught for a microsecond in the rays. Flames should have raced over his skin, turning it into a melting inferno. He should have been a mass of blisters, and smoke normally would have mingled with the vapor as he shifted-but only his eyes burned.

He put aside the pain and streaked through the canopy toward the house. MaryAnn. Connect with me now. In spite of the fact that he had taken her blood and he knew exactly where she was, she had strong barriers in her mind. Right now they were in place, a steel wall he couldn't penetrate. If he could access her eyes, he could aid her from a distance.

He had left her with a command to sleep, but there had been something, a small block in her mind that he couldn't identify, and maybe that had kept his compulsion from working as it should have. He had to find a way around that shield in her mind in order to access her brain. She didn't seem to be closing him out purposely, but he couldn't get in. MaryAnn. I can help you. Let me aid you.

They were connected, yet they weren't. Her mind should have been open to him at will, yet he couldn't penetrate that dense spot no matter how he tried. It made no sense, the on again, off again connection. He was an ancient, entirely capable of placing powerful beings under his control, yet not his own lifemate.

He could feel her fear for Jasmine. Her sense of determination. There was pain, but she was ignoring it, pushing it to one side as her mind worked frantically on a plan to get Jasmine away from the mage. He felt all of those things and more. He felt Jasmine's emotions through MaryAnn, as if her connection with the other woman was as strong as a blood connection between Carpathians. Terror, regret, absolute determination to escape or die-Jasmine would not submit. MaryAnn was keenly aware of Jasmine's resolve and redoubled her efforts to find a way to save the younger girl.

Because Manolito was touching MaryAnn's mind, he felt the gathering of energy, a sudden surge within her brain. The air around him grew unstable. Wind shrieked, buffeting him and sending leaves and twigs spinning like missiles through the air. Lightning veined the clouds. Electricity sizzled and crackled. Below him, a branch snapped off a tree and plunged through the canopy, hurtling toward the ground. Power, uncontrolled, unstable and very dangerous, pulsed through the region.

MaryAnn narrowed her eyes as the mage spun to face her, pulling Jasmine in front of him, his fingers digging deep into Jasmine's throat.

«Stop or I'll kill her.»

She halted her forward progress, her stomach churning, anger welling into a hard, determined knot. She had come to the rain forest to help this girl and she would not fail. Jasmine had endured enough and it would stop this minute. MaryAnn longed for the abilities of a Carpathian, a way to let the wild wind take her high into the air and set her at the top of the tallest tree. Fury burned through her like a brand, and the mark over her breast pulsed in time to her heartbeat. She pressed her hand over the spot. Manolito. I cannot stop it.

Did she mean the mage? Or the feral thing unfurling inside of her? She didn't know. Her hands and feet hurt, bones cracking and jaw popping. Her injured leg felt on fire. Prickles swarmed up and over her body, thousands of tiny pinpricks itching and stinging. The forest around her wavered, lost the brilliant colors, but her sense of smell increased acutely. She could smell fear pouring off the mage. He kept Jasmine firmly in front of him as if her slender body could protect him from MaryAnn.

Jasmine struggled wildly. The mage's fingers bit hard into her throat, choking her. «Stop it, Solange,» he hissed. «You will cooperate.» He spoke in a singsong voice, weaving a holding spell to keep her from fighting him.

MaryAnn felt his words like a buzzing pressure in her head. «Knock it off,» she snapped. Stop it now! She was so furious she shoved her palms outward toward him, instinctively wanting to push the intense force right back at him. If he was attacking them with his mind, there was little she could do about it. She didn't know about mages and their abilities, but it made her angry that he choked Jasmine with so little care for her life.

The mage stumbled back, dragging Jasmine with him, coughing repeatedly as if something had lodged in his throat. Maybe they would get lucky and his stupid spell would backfire and leave a lump in his windpipe, making it difficult to breathe.

The mage grasped his throat in horror as if he could read her mind. And why would he think she could do anything to him? She had her canister of pepper spray, but it was nearly empty. She doubted if the second one held much more. But if he didn't take his other hand off Jasmine's throat, she knew she would tear him limb from limb. There would be nothing left of his body for the vultures. She glanced overhead and they were there, floating in lazy circles, just waiting.

The mage's gaze followed hers; he spotted the gathering birds and paled visibly.

«They know you're a dead man.» She was shaking, not with fear, but with something else, adrenaline pouring into her body, the itching everywhere, her scalp tingling, her toenails hitting the ends of her shoes so that they felt far too tight.

Her vision blurred until she was seeing him through a haze of yellow. She fixed her gaze on him, wanting

him to realize she was willing to fight to the death for Jasmine. «Let her go now.»

She felt it then, the gathering storm inside of her, fighting for release. The wind shrieked and lightning flashed. Thunder rolled and the trees shuddered under the gathering force. The air felt heavy with crackling energy. Tiny sparks snapped and crackled, orange and yellow flames sizzling in the air all around them.

«Her eyes,» the mage choked out. «Look at her eyes.»

Jasmine slammed her elbow into the mage's stomach, calling on her cat, a rarity for her, but the animal answered her, lending enormous strength. The air rushed out of her attacker's lungs. She leapt away, running toward MaryAnn, tears streaming down her face and blurring her vision. MaryAnn caught her wrist and thrust her behind her, steeling herself to meet an attack.

The mage retreated two steps and lifted his hands. Before he could weave a spell, a thick branch toppled from above them and dropped like a stone, driving the man into the soft soil. Jasmine screamed and buried her face against MaryAnn's shoulder. MaryAnn wrapped her arms around the girl and held her tightly.

«We can't leave Solange to fight the jaguar alone,» she whispered. «I have to go back and help her.»

Jasmine nodded her agreement, straightening up and stepping away from MaryAnn. She glanced at the huge tree limb that had fallen. The leaves hid most of the fallen man from her sight. «Do you think he's really dead?»

«I don't much care right now,» MaryAnn said, shocked that it was true. She caught Jasmine's hand and began to run back toward the house, trying to think how she could keep Jasmine safe with the two jaguar-men waiting inside. She was fairly certain the cat who had attacked Sergio had been Luiz, but if she was wrong, Solange was fighting alone for her life.

They ran through the trees back along the path leading to the house. As they sprinted, leaping over the fallen boughs and tangled roots, monkeys began to scream in warning. Jasmine skidded to a halt and whipped her head from one side to another, searching the canopy above of them. Hundreds of monkeys threw leaves and twigs and jumped in agitation, baring teeth toward a group of trees close to the house.

«There's another one,» Jasmine whispered.

«Of course there is, because it would just be too easy to have three of them after us.» MaryAnn took a deep breath. «It's stalking us, isn't it?»

«Yes,» Jasmine said. «There in the tree, I can see part of the fur. They want me alive, so maybe if we split up they'll come after me.»

«You can forget that,» MaryAnn said. «We got lucky with the mage, we might get lucky again, but whatever we do, we're not splitting up.»

Jasmine's eyes widened. «Is that what you call luck? I thought your aim was excellent.»

«I didn't do that. The lightning both hit it and sheered it off, or the wind took it down. Either way, it helped us and that's all that matters.»

The air suddenly charged with electricity, their hair crackling. Clouds boiled dark, edged with flashing light. MaryAnn caught Jasmine and threw her to the ground, covering her body as best she could with her own. The sound of lightning striking the tree was loud, the trunk splitting, the jaguar howling. The roar ended

abruptly with the smell of burnt flesh and fur.

Jasmine shivered continually. MaryAnn held her tighter. «That's Manolito,» she whispered, trying to assure the girl.

«I knew it had to be a Carpathian,» Jasmine admitted. «I thought it might be Riordan and Juliette.»

«It's a good thing. We have help. Solange is in trouble, Jasmine, and we have to get her out of there. He'll help us.»

Jasmine swallowed visibly and sat up slowly, blinking as the tall Carpathian male came striding toward them. The cloud cover helped and the last of the sun was sinking, allowing him to move with more freedom. He looked like a warrior of old moving fast through the smoke and ruin of a battlefield. His face was chiseled and set. His hair was long and flowing behind him. Muscles rippled beneath warm gold skin, and his ice-cold eyes were bleak and dark, holding too many secrets.

The gaze swept right past Jasmine to find MaryAnn. Warmth pushed the chilling ice aside, and his eyes went hot as MaryAnn rolled over and sat, blinking up at him. He didn't miss a stride, moving fast, leaning down to scoop her up, even as he caught Jasmine's arm and pulled her off the ground as well. His fingers on Jasmine's skin were impersonal, and he never even looked at her, other than a quick cursory glance to make certain she was all right. His gaze registered the finger marks at her throat, but then jumped to do a thorough inspection of MaryAnn.

The pads of his fingers brushed over her skin, absorbing the feel and texture of her. He could breathe again, knowing she was alive. A storm of fury gathered in his eyes as he took in the gaping wounds on her leg.

«MaryAnn.» He said her name. Breathed it. A mere thread of sound, but he made it poetry, as if she was his entire world.

She tried not to react. He was just so intense it was difficult not to respond to his complete focus. She swallowed the searing pain in her leg and attempted a smile. «Thanks for getting here so fast. Solange is inside fighting off a couple more of them. I think Luiz is here as well, trying to help.»

He bent to examine the rakes on her legs.

MaryAnn caught his arm and tugged. «You have to go help her.»

«I cannot leave you like this.»

«I'm coming with you, so it's all right.» MaryAnn wasn't going to argue, not when he set his jaw in that stubborn line. She pushed past him and began an awkward jog toward the house, certain he would follow her.

Manolito scooped her up and ran, cradling her to his chest as he covered the distance with blurring speed. He set her aside at the last moment, shifting to vapor and sliding beneath the door, leaving MaryAnn on the other side.

Blood and fur were everywhere, furniture turned over, glass smashed, chairs reduced to splintered sticks. A female jaguar lay on her side, her coat dark with blood and saliva. Her sides heaved as she tried to drag in air, and with every movement, blood gushed into the air. She valiantly tried to go to the aid of the male fighting two others. He was in a corner, shredded with claw marks and covered in puncture wounds, but he was too fast to knock off his feet, and one of the other males was nearly blind from his weeping, burning eyes.

As Manolito entered, Sergio lunged forward and grasped Luiz by the throat, closing strong jaws and ripping. The other male leapt for Luiz's back, but before he could land, the hunter seized him around the neck, surprising the shifter as he was jerked away. Manolito wrenched hard, his features set in harsh, merciless lines, his eyes without emotion. There was an audible crack and the jaguar-man sagged to the floor, tongue out of his mouth, breath ceasing instantaneously.

Manolito raised his head and looked at Sergio, death swirling in the dark depths of his gaze. Sergio dropped Luiz and leapt, crashing through the door and racing to the safety of the rain forest.

Jasmine barely managed to get out of his way as he sprang past. She stood in the doorway, one arm around MaryAnn's waist to help support her as they entered. She gave a little cry when she saw Solange and raced to her side, dropping down on one knee to clamp her hand hard over the gushing blood. «Do something. She's going to die.»

Manolito took two steps toward the door to follow Sergio, but Jasmine's cry stopped him. He turned back. The scent of blood was everywhere, triggering not only the inevitable hunger, but aggression as well.

«MaryAnn, sit down before you fall down. I will aid you in a moment. Let me look at the wounds and see what I can do.»

«Where's Juliette?» Jasmine asked. «I thought she would come.»

«I do not know, but they will come,» Manolito said. He knelt beside the jaguar and ran his hands over the shuddering cat.

Solange bared her teeth and turned her head. The effort cost her remaining strength, and blood geysered from the wound in her throat.

«Can you do anything?» Jasmine asked anxiously.

«I would have to seal her wounds and give her my blood. She resists even my touch, let alone the offer of my blood.» Manolito shook his head. «I am sorry, little sister, there is nothing I can do for her.»

«Solange!» Jasmine stretched out on the floor beside the cat. «Please. Don't leave me alone. Let him help you.»

Manolito sighed. «She feels she has nothing to live for, that her day in the rain forest is over. She cannot adjust to life elsewhere, and she wants no part of Carpathian blood.»

The room grew cold and the walls pulsed as power flowed in. MaryAnn sank to the floor beside Luiz, trying to stem the flow of blood with her hands. It was everywhere, and the jaguar lay as if already dead.

Manolito. Hear me now.

She heard the voice distinctly. It was hard-edged, as if teeth were bared and snapping together. It was a clear command with no room for argument. Heal her and give her blood. Riordan's lifemate is distressed. There can be no other choice.

There was the impression of danger, of a force and intelligence she had not encountered, nor did she wish to. She found herself holding her breath, watching Manolito. He seemed unfazed by the strength of power and merely shrugged his shoulders casually.

«Zacarias has given an order and it will be done.» He struck hard and swift, his mind plunging into Solange's before she could form a strong enough shield to stop him.

Who is he? MaryAnn thought the question more than she sent it to Manolito, but to her surprise, she actually connected with him.

Now you speak to me in the way of lifemates. There is no need to stroke his fur. He is dying. There was a definite reprimand in his voice.

MaryAnn heard the death rattle herself in the cat's throat. «Well he isn't going to die. You're going to save him.»

There was absolute conviction in her voice. And trust. When he spared her a quick glance, her eyes were shining with an emotion that made his heart melt. He couldn't recall anyone ever looking at him that way, not once in all the long centuries of his existence. He wanted to make her proud of him. He wanted to hold on to that look for eternity.

«Keep him alive, then,» he said. «Will him to live. You seem to be able to get people to do almost anything.»

MaryAnn flicked a small, determined smile his way. Her leg was hurting so bad she thought fainting might be a good idea, but when she looked at the carnage around her, she decided her wounds were very small in comparison. Manolito had to heal Solange and then Luiz and then her leg. He had just risen, and the one thing she knew about Carpathians was they woke hungry, and when they used energy to heal, they needed blood. «I'm good. You do what you have to do.»

Manolito turned his attention to Solange. She fought him, in her mind, trying to throw him out, but she was far too weak. He held her to earth, refusing to allow her spirit to slip away as he shed his physical body and slipped into hers. He was an ancient and powerful, but if she hadn't been so severely injured, he might have had to resort to a more dangerous and violent method of keeping her mind imprisoned within his. She had a will of iron and she fought hard to keep him away from her.

At first he thought it was her distrust of men, but as he merged his mind firmly within hers, he saw the fear was of Juliette and Jasmine realizing she was a killer-beyond saving, beyond hoping. There was no other way of life left for her. She didn't know if she could stop. Somewhere, she'd crossed a line and there was no going back.

And then he felt it, a soft warmth flowing gently into Solange's mind. He recognized MaryAnn's touch instantly, so light as almost not to be there, but steady and calming, a feeling of tranquillity and hope, bathing Solange in her warmth and absolute belief that life was good and filled with beauty and adventure and love.

He almost forgot himself, where he was, what he was doing, in awe of this woman who was his lifemate. She smoothly, seamlessly, blended with Solange, so that there was no way of knowing she had entered. He wouldn't have known if he hadn't exchanged blood with her, her touch was that light, but she filled Solange's mind with hope and belief. Under MaryAnn's influence, Solange grew cooperative, relaxing in the soothing cocoon of warmth. It was difficult to leave the comforting waves and seek out the torn and bleeding organs to repair them.

Manolito reluctantly allowed his spirit to travel through the body of the cat. Sergio had not wanted to kill her, but she had fought hard, and when the second jaguar had attacked her, it hadn't been so careful. The artery was nearly shredded, the jaguar body filled with blood. He knew what it meant, knew what had to be done to save her life. He let go of everything he was and became only healing energy, repairing every wound as quickly as possible, relying on MaryAnn to keep Solange cooperative.

MaryAnn held the male jaguar head in her lap, stroking the velvet fur, murmuring softly to keep him with her. He was struggling for breath, his lungs filling with blood. She kept talking to Solange as well, afraid if she quit, the woman would try to rip out Manolito's throat. It was a frightening situation, two people on the brink of death and only Manolito there to save them. Jasmine held towels to Solange's wounds and whispered to her, tears streaming down her face, fearful she was losing her.

Stay with us, Solange. MaryAnn prayed silently, trying to reach the other woman, to let her know that no matter how dark things seemed at the moment, it could all be better. It would be better. MaryAnn would make it her mission in life to help Solange and Jasmine after all the sacrifices they'd made rescuing women and helping them to a safe place.

Luiz was dying. She could see his life slipping away, see the spark fading from his eyes, and all she could do was watch helplessly. She willed him to live, the same way she willed Solange to have hope and see a future, but she couldn't do what Manolito was doing, healing from the inside out. How did you let go of everything you were and become an instrument of healing? She had seen Manolito sacrifice his life for a woman and unborn child. She had heard that he had gotten a scar around his throat, when Carpathians rarely scarred, from saving his prince. And now he had managed to let go of who he was in order to save a life.

Few could know what that really entailed, but she was with him, connected to him, and she realized just what had to be given up to become spirit. The body was vulnerable to all attacks, yes, but much more than that, Manolito had shed his personality, all ego, all hopes and dreams, his own needs, everything, and he had done so willingly.

She had been inside his mind when he had so quickly shed his opinions and ideas, his very personality, and become selfless in his effort to save Solange. She couldn't help but admire him. Manolito was a strong personality with set beliefs about women, yet with all that, he had immediately cast himself aside. What kind of true character did he have hidden under all that arrogance? And were his seemingly dominating ways with women maybe really about protection? His species certainly treasured their women and children. All of them. It didn't seem to matter that Shea was Jacques's lifemate, Manolito had stepped in front of her and taken the death strike meant for her without a qualm.

Live, Luiz. Hang on until he can help. He'll save your life. She was positive. She was in his head and she could see his absolute resolve to keep Solange alive. Manolito was so focused, so completely wrapped up in healing that he thought of nothing else. She saw goodness in him, something she might have missed if she hadn't been connected by his blood exchange, and for the first time she allowed herself to think about that exchange as something good. She might have dismissed the Carpathian as impossible if she didn't know about his other, much softer side.

She stroked back Luiz's hair, the gesture idle as she watched Manolito's face. Time seemed to stop. Everything around her faded until there was only Manolito. His eyes, dark and shadowed, with absurdly long lashes. They should have been feminine, but his face was too masculine, the strong jaw and straight nose. She felt his breath move in and out of her body. She felt his heart beat, strong and steady. Her heart. His. Luiz's. Solange's. They were all tied together by one man. One incredible man.

Manolito pulled out of Solange's body, swaying with weariness, his gaze seeking his lifemate. She had kept them all connected, sharing strength, keeping up a steady flow of absolute conviction of life. Of love. Of wholeness. Solange was still alive because MaryAnn had given her a reason to cling to life. Luiz still lived because she held him tight to earth, refusing to even consider allowing him to go.

She thought it was all Manolito. He didn't know whether to laugh or simply grab MaryAnn and get out before she could find out he was a fraud. He needed to give Solange blood, and it would take strength to force her. He was already ravenous. And the bright colors around him were fading into much duller spectrums, as if he couldn't keep his mind from wandering back to the land of shadows.

MaryAnn's gaze collided with his, and for a moment he couldn't move or breathe. She could never stop looking at him like that. The trust and belief, the absolute faith shining in her eyes, was a gift he would never forget. The shadows receded. «I need to give Solange blood. See if you can get her to accept what I offer. It will heal her faster and make her stronger. I will not exchange with her, merely give her enough to survive.»

He sounded so tired. The lines in his face were etched deep. She wanted to put her arms around him and hold him, comfort him, give him whatever he needed to help him continue. She read the determination in him.

«Hurry, Manolito. I know you're tired, but Luiz can't last much longer.»

His gaze flicked to the hand stroking Luiz's furred head. For a moment a flicker of black jealousy raked at his gut. He tasted ashes in his mouth, and once again the shadows drew close. Faintly, he heard voices calling to him. Join us. Join us. Shaken, he touched MaryAnn's mind and instantly found those fingers were really stroking his head; it was Manolito who consumed her thoughts. He sent her a quick smile before slashing his wrist and forcing the female jaguar to swallow his offering.

Jasmine made a small sound of distress and turned her head away.

«It is okay, little sister. She will not become anything else. Once she has enough of my blood mixing with hers, she will survive and be strong again,» he reassured her, his voice gentle.

«I know. I do, really. I just feel a little sick. Thank you for doing this. It can't be easy, She may not show you appreciation, but what you've done matters,» Jasmine said.

«I do not need her appreciation. She is under the protection of our family, as are you, little sisar, and we would never let her die if we could save her.»

Manolito was matter-of-fact, uncaring of the cost to him. He worried more about the cost to MaryAnn. She would have to provide for him, and the innocent faith he read in her eyes might fade for all time. He couldn't let himself think about that, or falter in his duty just to make his own life easier.

Solange was a family member, and as such was guarded with all care whether she wanted it or not. After this fiasco, Zacarias would issue a decree to the women and they would be forced to obey. He would want them close, where all the De La Cruz brothers and their people could help protect them.

He closed the wound on his wrist himself and turned his attention to Luiz. It took a little more effort to shed his body, as his hunger had built to an alarming need. He could scarce keep his teeth under control, and the scent of blood was a constant torment. The jaguar-man's body was ripped to pieces, powerful jaws having cut through tissue and bone. Blood was filling the lungs, the man slowly dying. Even if he repaired the damage and gave Luiz blood, there would he no saving him.

Manolito came back to his own body and shook his head with regret. He respected Luiz. «I am sorry, palafertul, I cannot save him. It is a great loss to the jaguar people.»

«Of course you can save him. I talked to Gabrielle at great length when I was in the Carpathian Mountains. Do you remember her? She was working for the prince to try to come up with a solution for so many stillbirths. She was human. When her injuries were so severe, one of the men saved her life by converting her. You would have converted Solange had you needed to. I could read that in your mind.»

«That was different.» He was so weak, his body swaying. He blinked rapidly to stay focused, but his vision blurred. The moment it did, colors dimmed.

«How is it different? If Luiz is jaguar, he must be psychic. Isn't the jaguar species the origin for a lot of the psychic abilities?»

«You do not understand.»

«What I understand is if Luiz was a woman with psychic ability, you would move heaven and earth to save her life. He's a man, so he isn't as valuable to you.»

The jaguar nuzzled MaryAnn's hand. It is all right. I am tired.

«No,» Jasmine said suddenly. «Save him. He saved Solange. If he hadn't come when he did, Solange would be dead, or those terrible men would have her. Please. If you are my brother as you say, I'm asking for this favor.»

Manolito closed his eyes briefly. «You do not know the heart of this man.»

«But you do,» MaryAnn said. «You drove the vampire from his mind. You saw his memories, saw what he was like. Is he worth saving?»

Chapter Eleven

mr w ^

«You do not know what you are asking for him, MaryAnn. Longevity is not always a good thing. The life of a Carpathian male is extremely difficult. You may be asking for something he wouldn't want.»

«Then ask him. Don't let him die simply because he's a man.»

Manolito sighed. She had a point, but then, she couldn't know what it was like for a Carpathian male to know just how low the odds were of finding a lifemate. She hadn't lived centuries alone.

«I'll need to feed, MaryAnn. Are both of you willing to contribute? Because I cannot do this without blood.» He was desperate to feed. The world around him was fading fast. He was fading. When he looked down at his hands, they were gray and growing transparent.

MaryAnn looked at Manolito's glittering eyes, saw the tiny red flames and felt her heart jump. She always forgot he wasn't human, even when she was asking him to do things that weren't at all human. She took a deep breath and nodded.

Manolito switched his attention to Jasmine. The girl sat on the floor, petting the spotted fur more to comfort herself than to keep Solange calm. «I think I can do it,» she agreed, without looking at him. «Tell me what to do.»

«Give me your hand.»

Jasmine slowly extended her arm. Manolito's fingers settled around her like a vise. The whispers began in his

head. Soft. Insidious. Temptation eating at him.

She gasped and tried to jerk away. «Wait. Wait. I forgot to tell you. I'm pregnant. Will this hurt my baby?»

Manolito dropped her hand as if she'd burned him. His gaze went obsidian black, his mouth set in a firm line. «You have no business offering blood, or fighting jaguars. No, I will not take your blood. You must take great care to guard the child.»

Before Jasmine could reply, Luiz gave a gasping wheeze and the jaguar shifted, bones crackling, body contorting as death reached for him.

MaryAnn gave a soft, alarmed cry and knelt, leaning over the broad chest to listen for a heartbeat. She immediately started CPR. «Do something, Manolito. You can't just let him die.»

She had no idea what she was asking. The other world was so close. He was starved. Weary. Shadows moved everywhere in the room. MaryAnn looked at him with her wide, dark eyes, so trusting. She had so much faith in him. More than he had in himself with the whispers pushing at the back of his mind and his own body fading. He blinked and forced himself to focus.

Hear me, jaguar-man. I can make you Carpathian. You will never be jaguar, yet you will live and be able to shift. Know that this gift is a dark one. If you do not find the other half of your soul, you will eventually lose emotion and color and live only on memories. You will need blood to survive. You will have to live under the rule of our prince and pledge your allegiance and protection, your very life, to him and to our people. I will hold your life in my hands. I will be able to touch your mind at will and find you no matter inhere you are. If you betray us, I will kill you without remorse as quickly as possible. You have the choice of going to another place and seeking peace or remaining in this world and continuing your fight.

This was no small matter. He would forever be responsible for anything Luiz chose to do. It was an obligation few males wanted. They knew the risks, and knew what it was like to hunt and kill former friends. He allowed Luiz into his memories, into that long, seemingly endless corridor of darkness. There could be no way to describe to the jaguar-man what it would be like; he could only show him the fading emotions, the centuries of hunting and waiting, relying only on honor and then memories of honor. He was as honest as he was able.

I have not yet finished my fight to save my people.

Luiz was far away, but he clung to life. Strangely, the further Luiz's spirit retreated, the more clear the misty world around Manolito became. Voices grew louder. The room became still. Shadows with stretched skin and gaping mouths, with sharpened pegs for teeth, slithered across the walls and floor. Hunger burned and raked, clawing at every cell and organ in his body. He felt thin and stretched beyond endurance.

Manolito made an effort to concentrate only on Luiz. They will no longer be your people. Your blood will be Carpathian. Jaguar will avoid you. Be very certain you understand what you are getting into before you choose.

I cannot allow the vampire to continue to prey upon my people whether my blood is Carpathian or human or jaguar. We are all the same, struggling to find a life and live it well. I choose life.

It will be painful. Very painful.

And MaryAnn would be witness. How could it not scare her to death? Everything in him ached to stop, to take his lifemate and leave, but there was no doing so, not after merging so deeply with Luiz, knowing what

kind of man he was and the hard fight he'd waged to save his people, to honor his women. Manolito could not abandon him to lamti bol juti, kinta, ja szelem, the meadow of night, mists and ghosts, nor could he wait much longer or the man would be half-dweller, as Manolito was certain he was.

I choose life.

Manolito put a restraining hand on MaryAnn's shoulder to stop her from continuing CPR. He simply took over with his mind, keeping Luiz's heart beating and the air moving through his lungs. «I cannot do this without blood.»

MaryAnn could see that Manolito had grown weak and pale, his skin nearly gray. He was swaying with weariness. It was a frightening thing to stretch out her arm and offer her wrist, but she trusted him; even with the red flames flickering in the depth of his dark eyes, she trusted him with her life.

Ignoring her wrist, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. «I could never harm you, sivamet.»

The way the last word rolled off his tongue was sensual and alluring. More than that, she caught the meaning in his mind. My love. Was she his love? Did he already feel more than physical need for her? Having been in his mind, she realized that the sharing of memories and the inability to hide from each other made the relationship so much more intimate than she could ever have imagined. If he was courting her, he was doing a good job, simply by being himself.

She went into his arms willingly and nuzzled his throat. He tilted her chin so that her gaze met his, was captured by his, mesmerized and lost in the dark depths of his eyes. Lost in the seduction of stark need and raw hunger. He never tried to disguise or lessen the way he felt about her. Her breath caught in her throat. Her heart did a curious melting as her stomach flipped and her womb clenched.

This man could be hers-was hers. She hadn't claimed him back. She didn't even know if she could live with what and who he was, but she admired and respected him. She could feel the hunger beating at him. The weariness. He was torn between two worlds, and to stay in hers drained him. His sense of honor toward Solange, and to her, hud only added to his burden.

«Take what you need.» Her lips whispered over his.

Temptation. Oh, lord, the temptation she was inadvertently offering him. His tongue was a velvet rasp over her pulse. She was warm, living silk in his arms. No one had softer skin. His emotions had long been frozen in a place deep inside him, buried so deep he thought it impossible to taste or feel or know the pleasure a woman's shape could bring to a man's body. Her touch, the sound of her voice, her very breath had awakened him. She had given him life again. He wanted her with him for all time. He wanted to ensure she was always by his side.

Temptation. He now knew what it felt and tasted like. He knew temptation was a woman and that he would have to use every ounce of control to keep from whisking her away to a place where they could be alone.

His teeth sank deep, and the taste and essence of her flowed from her to him, completing him body and soul. A sultry, smoky flavor and so MaryAnn. His arms tightened, and he closed his eyes to better savor her. At the same time, he allowed one hand to wander down the curves of her body to her leg. She was curled up in his arms, her legs in his lap, and he could easily find the tears in her flesh.

No one, woman or man, should have been able to push aside the pain and function, not only sitting, as she was doing now, but running as she had earlier in the rain forest. The pain should have dulled her thinking and affected her ability to manipulate energy. The pain was there in her mind. She felt it. But she pushed it into a

center of her brain he was unfamiliar with. He'd never seen the pattern before. He was ancient. He had used mage, jaguar and human for sustenance at one time or another, and as the species mixed, the patterns became less distinct over the ages. He ran his hands over her thigh, an intimate exploration. She shivered in his arms, her body moving restlessly against his.

She is yours.

Yes. She was his. Made for him. Shaped for him. The other half of him.

She was made for you.

Of course she had been, her body curved just so, soft and pliant hot silk moving in his arms so that he would know what it would be to bury his body deep within her, drive them both over the edge into ecstasy.

It is your right.

He had every right to her body. He owned her, body and soul, just as she did him. He could take pleasure when and where he wanted. His hand slid along her thigh, moved toward heat-his heat-she belonged to him. He knew exactly the things that would please her, would bring her to a fevered frenzy of sexual need.

Why bring the jaguar-man across? He will only turn vampire and you will have to hunt and kill him as you have so many others.

It was madness to consider bringing another male into their world when there were so few lifemates. He might try to steal MaryAnn.

He was alone with her. Naked. Showing her his body in order to lure her away from you. He wants her. He'll do anything to take her from you.

The jaguar-men had all proven to be deceivers. They did lure women and hold them captive, treat them brutally.

He touched her. He touched your woman. He saw your mark, smelled your scent all over her, yet he touched. You saw him standing over her. He was stork naked. What do you think he was trying to force her to do?

She defended him. Said he'd saved her life.

She wants him. Make her yours. Take her now. Take what belongs to you. Bring her to your side for all eternity.

He couldn't stop. He needed this. He was starving. Starving. The hunger drove him mad. Nothing could sate him but his lifemate. The rich, hot blood burst through his system with the rush of the most powerful drug.

He needed her body submitting to his, all heat and fire, sating the desire that had him so hard and hot and beyond caring of anything but sinking deep into her. He wanted to hear his name called out in a storm of need. He wanted to see her eyes glaze over with passion; he wanted to hear her beg for him to join them. He had waited an eternity through darkness and hell, and now she was there, in his arms, her body ripe and ready for his, her blood mingling with his.

Take her. It Is your right. She cannot deny you. Anything you want she must provide. Yours. Take her now before the jaguar claims her. You cannot stop now when you are so close. Take enough to convert her and she cannot leave you. Taste her. The whispers grew. Voices joined in.

For one moment, his arms tightened possessively and his body urged hers backward so that he bent her beneath him. For what? Would he take her right there with Luiz dying beside them? With Jasmine and Solange there as witnesses to his madness?

Yes. Yes. You take her now before it is too late and you lose her.

Fear rose in him. Fear that he couldn't control the addiction to her taste, that he wouldn't-couldn't-stop. He was losing his mind, and he was going to harm the one person he had sworn to care for. He shouldn't be listening, but the voices were insidious, creeping into his mind and preying on his worst fears and his worst traits.

His worst traits. The need to dominate. The need for her to see only him and no one else. The terrible need to force his will on her, so that she not only wanted to but needed to do everything he wished. He wanted her on his terms and knew he could control her through a sexual relationship. He knew her desires and fantasies, and he knew how to exact every erotic response. Not for pleasure-hers or his-but for control.

He would not only dishonor himself and everything he stood for if he took her blood and her body, if he brought her wholly into his world, but he would ruin any chance he had of gaining MaryAnn's affection. That was not what lifemates were all about. He was her lifemate and would be in every sense of the word.

The voices became louder, more persuasive. The shadows around him lengthened and grew. He caught at MaryAnn's arms, prepared to wrench her away from him, but she moved in his mind, a soothing warmth, a feeling of well-being.

That is not so, Manolito. I hear them and they speak falsely. Of course you feel I am yours. If I am your lifemate, I am the other half of your soul.

MaryAnn was grateful that Destiny had taken the time to try to explain the bond between Carpathian lifemates. Naturally you would want me wholly in your world. They are preying on your instincts, but you are stronger than they are. We are stronger than they are.

You can hear them? He was desperate for her to know that he walked in two worlds. It seemed so implausible. And yet he was surrounded by the shadows, the voices and the cold chill he couldn't shake, when a Carpathian could control body temperature.

Of course I hear them. She wouldn't let them take him. Whatever was happening was real, not imagined. She was an urban bush woman, and she could handle whatever the trash wanted to throw at her or her man.

Her stomach did another odd little flutter. She was already thinking of him as her man. Whatever. She wasn't going to desert him until he was safely in the land of the living, without vampires and ghouls hanging around.

Manolito tried to still his pounding heart and the surge of hot blood racing through his body straight to his groin. The good thing was, with her body heat, her soft skin and total acceptance, she had dimmed the voices enough for him to dull the demon rising to claim her, and for him to reason once again.

She had been aware of his thoughts, yet she hadn't fought him, hadn't pulled away. She had waited for him to sort it all out, believing in him through the entire exchange. Her faith terrified him. What if he let her down? What if the man she believed him to be didn't exist? She humbled him with her confidence in him.

He swept his tongue across the pinpricks, careful this time not to leave his mark. Once was enough, and he made certain it was still there to remind her, in his absence, of the connection of their souls. He held her for a moment, his heart pounding. Had the voices been more than a temptation to do her wrong? Had those in the

shadow world sensed she was connected to him and had Maxim tried to draw her into the world of mists, where he could kill her?

«Let me heal your leg.» He couldn't bear to see those marks on her, and she had been suffering long enough while he helped others. His fingers slid over the tears on her calf, the ripped flesh and the exposed muscle gaping from the wound.

«But Luiz…»

«I am keeping him alive. Allow me to do this.»

MaryAnn pressed her lips together to keep from protesting, sending one quick glance toward Jasmine and Solange, hoping they weren't witnessing her reaction to Manolito's attention. Because quite frankly, it was sexual. In the midst of blood and chaos, her body was doing things and thinking things it shouldn't. Solange lay without moving, eyes closed, holding Jasmine's total concentration.

«Go ahead then, but hurry.» Her voice came out choked. She could hardly think, let alone speak, with his fingers trailing up and down her thigh.

He bent his head toward her calf, his fingers circling her ankle to hold her still. Her breath caught in her throat, as she watched his silky hair cascading like a waterfall around his shoulders. She could see his profile, his long lashes and the outline of his lips. He was just too gorgeous to be real. She lifted a hand to her out-of-control hair. Even braided, it was trying to grow into a wild mass. The action drew her attention to the bloodstains on her silk blouse.

She looked with dismay down at her really chic black dress pants. One trouser leg was ripped and torn, the really cute cuff shredded into strings. Beneath it, her leg had deep rake marks, so deep the muscle poured from the slashes. Pain exploded through her, robbed her of breath, and for a moment she thought she might get sick.

«Manolito.» She gasped his name, shocked at the pain burning through her. Tears swam in her eyes. «It hurts.»

«I know, sivamet, I can take that away as well.» He found it interesting that the moment her mind had become aware of the wound, she had. felt the entire load of stabbing pain. It was no longer compartmentalized in her brain, shut off from her conscious self.

Manolito shouldered the pain and began the task of healing the wounds from the inside out. When the lacerations were sealed and free of all infection, he came back to his body and bent to inspect her leg. She closed her eyes when she felt his tongue rasp over the wound like the stroke of warm velvet.

She knew he had a healing agent in his saliva, and that there should have been an «ick» factor for her, but there wasn't. Instead, a million butterfly wings brushed at her stomach and her muscles clenched. Heat pulsed between her legs. He was doing something with the pads of his fingers, up higher, on the inside of her thigh, something that threatened her sanity, but before she could lose her mind, he lifted his head, eyes heavy-lidded and smoky with desire.

«We need to focus on Luiz.» His husky voice was thick with emotion.

She nodded, unable to speak. «Tell me what to do to help you.»

Carpathian men did not share their women, and Manolito was definitely the jealous type, but his heart went

out to Luiz when he sensed his apprehension as Manolito bent to his throat.

Try to hold him to you, MaryAnn, to make his transition easier. I fear his cat is strong and will not relinquish, him easily. It wasn't easy to make himself ask her, but he was already firmly merging with the jaguar-man, and the taste of fear was bitter for a man who had fought so many battles and worked so hard for his people. Manolito didn't want Luiz moving from one life to the other in a state of anxiety. He allowed himself to merge completely to calm the man, but the cat sensed what was about to happen and raged.

You will still exist. How could you not? You have been a part of Luiz for so many years. You two are the same. This will allow you both life. He has chosen to save you so that you can save your people. MaryAnn stroked the man's hair, her fingers lingering, caressing.

She touches another man.

The same man who was with her earlier.

The voices were hideous demons, designed to undermine his confidence in her. He chose to look at her hand, to feel her intent-to trust her instead of the voices. Her fingers were mesmerizing, and Manolito felt the touch in his own hair-on his own scalp. The three of them were fused tightly together through MaryAnn, but he was certain she had no knowledge of what she did.

He was beginning to figure out how she did it. Her abilities were unlike any he'd encountered. She gathered energy and used it as automatically as breathing. She reached out to those around her, anyone suffering or in need of comfort and «read» them without even knowing she did so. After she gathered and processed the information about the person, and their trouble, she used the energy to give them whatever was needed in the way of hope or comfort.

She gave Luiz her compassion, soothing and calming him, but she gave Manolito something altogether different. Partnership. She wasn't following him as he felt a woman should do; she was standing beside him, working with as much energy to protect and save him from the shadow world he dwelt in as he used to protect her. It was simply a different energy and a different approach.

He drew the life, blood and spirit from Luiz and took them into his keeping. Slashing his wrist, he gave the command to drink, and Luiz, submerged so deeply, didn't fight. The jaguar gave one roar of protest and then allowed MaryAnn to calm it.

MaryAnn bit her lip and continued stroking Luiz's hair, trying to figure out how best to help the situation. She didn't know what to expect, but she didn't want Jasmine to be around if anything bad happened. «Can you help Solange to the bedroom,» she asked, uncertain if the jaguar was unconscious or simply not moving.

The door burst open and Riordan strode in, Juliette a step behind. She was obviously frantic, pushing against him to get to her sister and cousin. There were burn marks down Riordan's arm and left cheek. A slash of blood along his thigh. Juliette appeared unharmed, but shaken. A small cry escaped when she saw the amount of blood spattered on the floor and walls, but Riordan's body blocked hers from any possible danger while he took in the scene.

«Does Solange need further assistance?» he asked Jasmine as he stepped aside to allow his lifemate to rush to her cousin's side.

«We need to put her in a room and allow her to shift back to human form,» Jasmine said. «She's quiet now, but in pain.»

«I'm so sorry.» Juliette was close to tears. «We tried to get here, but our enemies are near. They must have guessed our resting place, and when we tried to rise, they attacked us.»

Manolito flicked a quick, hard glance at his brother, to ensure the man had no wounds that needed immediate attention. Riordan shook his head to assure him.

«Jasmine and I can take Solange to her room,» Juliette said, «while you help Manolito.»

«What are you doing?» Riordan demanded, although he already knew. He just didn't want it to be true. «Have you lost your mind? We cannot bring a jaguar male over.»

«Why?» MaryAnn challenged. «You have no problem converting women. Wasn't Juliette human with a little jaguar blood thrown in?»

Riordan's gaze flicked to her face and then down to her shredded leg.

«Riordan?» Jasmine called his attention back to her.

At once his expression softened. «What is it, little sister?»

«I asked Manolito to save the jaguar. If he hadn't come to Solange's aid, she would have been captured or dead.»

«A mage traveled with them.» Manolito supplied the information, his features set in grim lines as he stopped Luiz from feeding. «He unraveled the safeguards to allow the jaguar into the house and then he came in behind them and grabbed Jasmine.»

Juliette spun around, her face paling. «Oh, no, it was a trap after all. We feared so when we spotted a jaguar watching the battle. Jasmine. Are you all right?»

Jasmine nodded. «But he wasn't after me. He thought I was Solange. He actually called me by her name. I didn't react or deny it, but he was definitely after her.»

Manolito sat back away from Luiz and wiped the back of his hand his forehead, leaving behind a smear of blood. «Luiz had been tainted by a vampire. The Malinov brothers are using the plan to gain control. They are destroying the jaguar race from within, just as we discussed when we were young. They are looking for royal blood, but I don't know why. I thought Juliette or Jasmine at first, but Luiz told me Solange is the target. A vampire has placed a compulsion within the men of the jaguar race to capture and turn her over to him.» He sent his brother a quick mental recap of all that had transpired.

Juliette shook her head. «Solange is pureblood and of the royal line.»

«Solange cannot stay on the island,» Riordan said. «We have to take her to the ranch as soon as she is able to travel.»

«She won't go,» Juliette said.

«She spoke of going,» Jasmine countered. «I think we can persuade her.»

«Take her up to her room,» Riordan ordered. «I'm going to get rid of the mess in here and clean up. This time we'll use only the safeguards never woven by mage.»

«Burn the jaguar I killed. He was tainted by the vampire and would most likely be used again,» Manolito advised. «I do not want him to be used by our enemies.»

«What plan?» MaryAnn asked, watching Manolito's face closely.

He remained expressionless, but flicked a glance at his brother.

It was Riordan who answered. «We were very young and thought of ourselves as intellectuals. We thought we could make the world a better place.»

«We thought we were superior to everyone around us,» Manolito corrected. «We all had quick brains and fast reflexes. Few hunters were better. When we sat in the council circle, it was always Zacarias who came up with the strategies for battles. It was always one of us who managed to think up the ideas for keeping our people from heading toward disaster.»

«What happened?» MaryAnn prompted.

Manolito sighed and dragged both hands through his hair. «Now I realize everyone's thoughts flowed together, flooding us with information. Our gifts allowed our brains to work fast to develop the answers we needed. That was what we contributed to the council meetings, just as everyone else had something of value to contribute. But back then we thought we knew the direction our people should go, and it wasn't the same as Vlad Dubrinsky decreed. He was prince then and our women were so few.»

Riordan shook his head. «Back then there was little hope of finding a lifemate. Few children survived and none of them female. We all could see that the extinction of our species was at hand. It was a matter of time. Many resented being regulated to the murmurings of old men and ancient peoples. We were becoming myth along with the others-the mage, the werewolf and the jaguar. There were many species of shifters, but most had died out, and the same was happening everywhere we looked.»

«We wanted to save our people, so we would sit around with our friends and come up with plans to take over. We had to lead the Karpatu people out of the dying shadows, and back into the world. Anyone who would follow the Dubrinskys and fight on their side had to go. So we played with ideas on how it could be done.»

«They were stimulating intellectual debates,» Riordan added. «We didn't mean anything by them.» He spread his hands out in front of him and looked at them, as if he might see the blood of his own people on them.

«Regardless of what we thought back then,» Manolito said, «the Malinov brothers are implementing that exact plan.»

«Who are the Malinov brothers?» MaryAnn prompted.

Luiz stirred, eyes snapping open, a gasp of air escaping. His body writhed, muscles locking and contorting.

MaryAnn leaned over the convulsing body with a small sound of distress escaping. «It isn't working, Manolito.»

Manolito caught MaryAnn and set her away from the jaguar-man.

«This is going to be rough, ainaak enyem. He would not want you to witness his conversion.»

She lifted her chin, looking from one brother to the other. «You don't want me to witness the conversion because you don't want me to know what happens,» she guessed.

«That as well,» Manolito conceded. «But his body will have to rid itself of toxins as the cat fights for supremacy.»

«Juliette's conversion was extremely difficult,» Riordan added.

MaryAnn kept her gaze locked with Manolito's. «I honestly believe I can help him with the transition.»

Riordan shook his head. «No one can help. If we could, we would bear most of the pain, but we cannot, not even for our avio palafertul, the other half of our souls.»

MaryAnn reached her hand out to Manolito. He immediately took it, lacing his fingers through hers. «I can help him, Manolito. I comfort people. It's what I do.»

«I am sorry, beloved,» he said as gently as he could. «It is too big of a risk. You are unaware of your gifts and you merge with people without even knowing it. I cannot take the chance that you might be locked with him and his body give out before the struggle is complete. I will not risk it.»

«It isn't your risk.»

Something dark and dangerous flickered in the depths of his eyes. A muscle jerked along his jaw, but his features remained absolutely expressionless. «I said no.»

MaryAnn scowled at him. «Manolito, you can't tell me what I can or can't do.»

He moved faster than she expected, his body a blur as he wrapped her up in strong arms, so strong there was no chance to fight. Before she could think to even object, he was striding with her through the house. In all her life, MaryAnn had never had anyone restrain her physically. Furious, she kicked at him, but his strength was enormous and his will made of iron. There was no stopping him.

«I am sorry, ainaak sivamet jutta.»

Forever to my heart connected. She read that in his mind as he glided through the house to her room and deposited her on the bed. His lips brushed a caress into her hair and he left her, closing the door firmly behind him.

Manolito stood there for a moment, murmuring a binding spell to keep the door locked should she manage to remove the hinges. She was entirely capable of such a thing, if any woman was. She was going to be spitting mad at him, but for both Luiz's and MaryAnn's sakes, he preferred she not witness what was about to happen. A shoe thunked against the door, and then a second one. Yeah. She was angry all right.

«Manolito, hurry,» Riordan called. «This is going to be bad.»

MaryAnn heard Riordan's urgent yell to his brother, and she caught up the pillow and held it to her stomach, feeling sick. She had been the one to push Manolito into saving Luiz, but now she'd deserted all of them. Luiz was alone, facing a terrible ordeal. She didn't know what it was, but sensed it was traumatic both for him and the two Carpathian males.

Had they ever converted a male before? If it had never been done, maybe there was a reason why. A good reason. She'd been rash to push them into it. She buried her hot face in the pillow, feeling tears burn. Luiz was going to suffer, and somehow she knew Manolito would suffer right along with him. She wanted to hold onto her fury at his highhandedness in locking her in her room, forbidding her, as if she was a small child, from witnessing the change, but because a part of her was still there, with Luiz, with Manolito, and she felt

their agony, she couldn't sustain her anger.

She went into the bathroom and ran hot water in the tub, needing to relax her cramped, hard muscles. Her stomach was in knots. She caught impressions of convulsions, of Luiz's body contorting, wrenched into the air and dropped down hard. She could get glimpses only and realized Manolito was blocking her from merging with him. It had taken a bit to get the trick of their connection, and most of the time when she tried, she simply wasn't that good at it. But now it seemed impossible.

She took a deep breath and let it out. She would not desert Luiz at this stage, not when he needed her most. Manolito was trying to shield and protect her, but whether he knew it or not, he needed her, too. She concentrated on him. The feel and texture of him. The layers in his mind. The intimacy of the path between them-such an unexpected gift. As much as she thought him arrogant, she knew him better now, the gentleness he hid from the rest of the world. She saw his compassion as he held Luiz, felt the way he had reached to calm him.

She felt the cat rake and claw, fighting for survival, and then the sensation was gone. She let her breath out slowly and continued to picture Manolito holding the jaguar-man. She caught a small wave of compassion from both Riordan and Manolito and then the cat again, the alarm building to panic, snapping and biting as it defended itself against the onslaught of Carpathian blood.

She went to her knees, stomach heaving. She knelt, hands and knees on the bathroom floor, gasping for breath as pain rippled through her. She caught Manolito's startled awareness that she was with him, and he once again put her firmly away from him.

There was an agony in being alone, knowing Luiz was suffering and Manolito needed her with him. She felt the need, but couldn't do anything to help either of them. Manolito had been uncompromising, not realizing, or maybe he did, that he was asking her to go against her nature. Once more she pushed away fear and concentrated on Manolito, because in that moment she had connected with him, she felt his struggle with the shadow world. She might not be able to reach Luiz, but she could Manolito. The connection between them was incredibly strong.

And then she was solidly in his mind, in Luiz's mind, and saw for herself the true horrors of conversion. The agony wrenching at the jaguar-man as death called, as the cat fought. Manolito took way too much on himself, shouldering as much of the pain as nature would allow. Both men were stoic, each fully aware of the other, Luiz trying to bear it all with great dignity. Manolito strove to be compassionate and comforting while allowing the jaguar-man his self-respect. In that moment, with tears running down her face and her body writhing in the shared pain of the two men, she knew she could love Manolito wholly, with everything in her.

The attraction may have been started with some ancient ritual. She may have been obsessed physically with him, but in the end, she saw his true character. He was open to her as he tirelessly worked to help Luiz come fully into his world, and her heart responded in the only way MaryAnn knew-completely.

Chapter Twelve

^ ^ ^

The conversion was the most frightening thing she could imagine, a dark, painful death and rebirth. She

knew she was facing it and that Manolito, watching what Luiz had gone through, was not as certain as he had been that he wanted to risk her. Strangely, for the first time she did consider risking everything, because what she had learned here today was that Manolito De La Cruz was far more than a gorgeous man with a too-arrogant attitude, and she was already more than halfway in love with him.

She French-braided her hair in the tub, her hands adept at the familiar task, giving her comfort when she wanted to weep a little for what Manolito, not Luiz, had gone through. His brothers thought him insane. He even believed he might be, but he had handled the jaguar-man with great care and respect and had suffered greatly for it. He had known she was there, helping Luiz and soothing him as best she could, and he would have done anything to spare her that, but it only made her feel closer to him.

She pulled on lacy thong underwear in midnight blue, the ones with the tiny gold chain on either hip that made her feel sexy and courageous in the worst of circumstances. Her skirt was calf length and fell in ripples of material, a fall of royal blue that looked dynamite with her butter-soft matching blue knee-high boots with the cuffed tops. They molded to her feet like slippers and whispered when she walked. The skirt showed off her nicely rounded butt to the best advantage and she was going to need every advantage she could get with Manolito when she discussed with him the dos and don'ts of their relationship. Because she'd made up her mind they were going to give it a try.

Her demi push-up bra matched the thong, dark and exotic, giving her curves a nice allure and enhancing the fit of her short, royal blue sleeveless blouse with the little pearl buttons up the front. Accessories were everything, and she had plenty. As she pushed bangles onto her wrist, she conjured up his image.

The way he smiled. His thick, jet black hair, even more shiny and luxurious than she had realized the previous evening. His eyes. Oh, lord, he had those hot, demanding eyes and that wickedly sensual mouth, and what the hell was she dressing to seduce him for? She was trying to get a handle on her emotions, and she was definitely dressed to get him to sit up and take notice. She was playing with fire, and she knew enough about life to know that if she did that, she couldn't cry when she got burned.

The tension in the house was gone, and she let her breath out slowly and sank down onto the bed to wait for him. She could hear the clock ticking. Endlessly and loudly ticking. He was coming. Soon. Immediately. She waited, but as the minutes passed, the smiled faded from her face. Her teeth clicked together as she-dare she use the word-gnashed them. He wouldn't leave her locked in her room like an unruly teen. He had better come. Now. Before she lost her sweet forgiving nature for all time.

She stalked across the room and gave the door a thump with her fist. «Come on, jungle man. Enough is enough. Get me out of here.»

Silence met her demand. She was going to kill him with her bare hands. Her nonviolent beliefs were wasted in the rain forest and definitely obsolete with jungle man. «I take back every good thing I ever thought about you,» she yelled at the door, and smacked it with her open palm for good measure. Right where his face should be. «You need someone to slap you upside that hard head.»

And a good hard slap wouldn't be enough. She might have to think up other, much more savage punishments, although she didn't have that kind of imagination. Whips and chains. But that conjured up black leather boots with stiletto heels, fishnet stockings and a leather bustier. And that was so not happening, because he didn't deserve it to happen. What he needed was the smackdown of a lifetime. Those horrible shows on television with men fighting in cages and one of them pummeling the other, that would be the way to go, not leather and boots.

The door swung open, and Manolito's broad shoulders filled the frame. He stood there blinking down at her, rubbing his jaw ruefully, a quizzical look on his face. «I believe it best if you only think nice thoughts about me.»

She opened her mouth to slay him with words, then snapped it shut abruptly. He looked exhausted. Totally exhausted, weary from his flight to save two lives, heal her and keep the two worlds he existed in separate. She felt the weariness like a great weight on his shoulders-on hers. She knew what he'd been through, and she knew why he had tried to spare her.

MaryAnn put her hands on her hips and regarded him from head to toe. «You managed to exhaust yourself. Did your brother give you more blood?» She felt courageous asking the question, forcing herself to face who and what he was without flinching away from his needs.

A faint smile softened the hard edge of his mouth and pushed the deep shadows from his eyes. «I did exhaust myself. You look beautiful, MaryAnn. One look at you and everything else fades away.» He held out his hand. «Come with me.»

She wanted to be alone with him so badly she actually took a step back instead. «Where?»

«I have a surprise for you.» He kept his arm extended toward her, gaze steady on hers.

Letting her breath out, she put her hand in his. At once his closed over hers and he drew her close to the warmth of his body. She could feel the heat and the pull of their connection wash over and into her.

«Luiz?»

«He is in the ground, well guarded. This time we used safeguards no mage should be able to penetrate. It is long since we have had dealings with that species, and over the centuries we have grown careless. The recent battle with them should have taught us we must always factor them in when guarding our homes and sleeping chambers. Such a mistake will not happen again.»

«Thank you for what you did for him.»

He leaned down to brush his lips against hers, a soft, lingering touch, nonaggressive, as if he simply was savoring her. «You are welcome. We will see how Luiz feels about it all when he rises.»

Manolito would have to control Luiz's natural instincts to feed. Luiz already had years of jaguar instincts and he would awaken ravenous. If he gave in to the need to kill his prey, Manolito would have to dispatch him fast and efficiently, but he didn't want to think about that now. He wanted to fill his mind with nothing but his lifemate, MaryAnn. He didn't want to think anymore about the shadow world, or the real world, or the mess he had gotten himself into just to see a look of gratitude on a woman's face.

«He can't feel pain, can he?»

Manolito tucked her hand beneath his chin, his thumb sliding over her skin in a slow caress. «No. He is safe. He will stay for two or three nights before he rises, and I will be there to help him as much as possible when the time comes.»

«And Solange?»

«Juliette and Riordan are with her.» He rubbed her knuckles back and forth against his jaw. «The house is clean and protected. Everything is quiet. I want to take you away from here and have you to myself for a little while.»

Her heart gave a funny little jump. More than anything she wanted to be with him. She had dressed with care and made certain she looked her best so that she would have the courage to face him and whatever was

between them, but now that he stood in front of her, looking better than any man had a right to look, she wasn't certain being alone with him was the smartest idea. He was just too sexy and appealing. She didn't want to relate to him just physically, and her newfound feelings made her feel more vulnerable than ever.

«I find my lifemate absolutely fascinating and would very much like to get to know you,» he added. There was no push to see it his way. There was no order, or demand. His simple statement held the ring of truth and cut through every defense she had.

«You're certain I shouldn't check in on Jasmine and Solange? I came here to try to help them, not that I've done much good.»

«You helped saved their lives,» he said, drawing her gently beneath his shoulder. «Solange is resting and Juliette is with her sister,» He took a breath, drew her scent deep into his lungs. «I need you.» His voice roughened with hunger. His black eyes smoldered with smoky lust.

She nodded, her heart pounding hard. Her pulse seemed to hammer right through her entire body, bunching muscles and tightening her nipples, making her ache. Her mouth went dry, and she touched her tongue to her lips, gasping as his watchful gaze followed the action.

«I'm not certain it's safe.»

«No harm will come to you,» he promised. The pad of his thumb traced the path her tongue had taken, outlining her lips with a brush of heat. «Not as long as I am with you.»

«You.» She could barely breathe, let alone get the word out. «You're not safe. I have this crazy reaction to you.» It was best to be honest and let him know. «The thing is, I set rules for myself a long time ago.»

«Rules?» His eyebrow arched in question, but his gaze was still on her mouth.

«For me. For men. I don't just sleep with anyone.» This so wasn't coming out right because she honestly couldn't think with him looking at her like that.