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HE heard the birds first Thousands of the To an untrained ear the sound would have been deafening, but it was rateful to inhale the scent of the rain forest He stepped off the boat and onto the rickety pier, his eyes on the canopy rising like green towers in every direction His heart shifted It didn't matter what country he was in--the rain forest was home Any rain forest; but it was here, in the wilds of Panama, where he had been born As an adult he'd chosen to make his home in the Borneo rain forest, but his roots were here He hadn't realized how much he'd missed Panama

He turned his head, looking around, savoring the le Each sound, from the cacophony of the birds to the shrieks of the howler monkeys to the hum of the insects, contained a wealth of infora flexed hisonly, but his bodyto the forest He wanted to tear his clothes from his body and run free and wild as his nature demanded He looked civilized in his jeans and simple T-shirt, but there wasn't a civilized bone in his body

"It's calling to you," Rio Santano said, glancing around at the few people along the riverbank "Hang on We have to get out of sight We've got an audience"

Conner didn't look at hi small boats up the river His heart pounded so the blood thundered through his veins, ebbing and flowing like the sap in the trees, like the reen--every shade in the universe--were beginning to for for the freedom of his homeland

"Hang on," Rio insisted between clenched teeth "Daht Control your cat"

The Panaerous of all the tribes, the most unpredictable, and Conner had always been a product of his genetics Of all the men on the teaht He could disappear into the forest and disrupt an enehostly assassin no one saw--they abandoned their position He was invaluable and yet volatile--very hard to control

They needed his particular skills on this mission Conner was born in the Panaenous to the area, and this gave thee should they coerous--shifters Conner also gave the tea the local Indian tribes The rain forest, most of it unexplored, even for other shifters, could be difficult to navigate But the fact that Conner had grown up here and used it as his personal playground meant they wouldn't be slowed dohen they needed to move fast

Conner's head turned in a slow freeze-fra leopard He was close to shifting--too close Heat poured off of hi and cunning, ripping and clawing to break free, permeated the air

"It's been a year since I've been in a rain forest" Conner dropped his pack at Rio's feet His voice was husky, aler since I've been hoo I'll catch up with you at the base camp"

It was a small miracle and a testimony to Conner's discipline that he waited for Rio's nod of consent before he began to walk fast toward the line of trees near the river Six feet into the forest the sunlight became only a few dappled spots on the broad leafy plants The forest floor--layers of wood and vegetation--felt fay beneath his feet He unbuttoned his shirt, already ith sweat The oppressive heat and heavy humidity took its toll onThe natives wore a loincloth and little else for a reason Shirts and pants greet fast, chafing the skin, causing rashes and sores that could quickly go septic out here He peeled off his shirt and bent to take off his boots, rolling the shirt and pushing it inside a boot for Rio to retrieve

He straightened, inhaling deeply, looking around at the vegetation surrounding hireat cathedrals, a canopy so thick the rain fought to pierce the various-shaped leaves and hit the thick bushes and ferns below Orchids and other flowers vied withevery conceivable inch of the trunks as they cli to pierce the thick canopy