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THE three-story Greek Revival house sat on an impressive expanse of laith a small stream a few yards froes in the distance On her way there, walking through the Wildlands&039; village, with Raphael at her side andin and out of their puma states as they went about their day, Julia had pretty ic, the shifting creatures, and how such a remote spot so deep within the bayou could be the most incredible oasis she&039;d ever laid eyes on
Maybe tomorrow she&039;d wake up to a different reality, but for now, for tonight, she was living aht this would suit your needs rather nicely" Miss Nathalie, the proprietor of the boarding house, stood in the doorway of the top floor bedroom, her hands on her hips as she looked around "But I have two others downstairs that&039;re unoccupied I could show you"
Julia smiled at the tall, pin-thin woman who appeared to be in her early sixties "It&039;s perfect" And it was Spacious, yet cozy, the rooant handmade furniture, and a clawfoot bathtub in a small alcove that overlooked a azine "You have a beautiful hoainst the doorfrarandparents built itor hed, her pale green eyes sparkled with gold "Never can be sure"
"I&039;d believe the ic part" Julia&039;s eyes came to rest on the bed Queen-sized with dark wood that rose to an intricately carved canopy
"My children did, too," Miss Nathalie remarked a bit wistfully "They loved it here, but they&039;re gone now Livin&039; on their own Both of &039;em Suits Diplomatic Faction, like Raphael Not sure how that happened when their papa and I are Nurturer But the Shaman always knows"
Julia&039;s attention shifted back to the woer than anybody, even the elders" As her grin widened, the woic, she is Predicted the placement of every Pantera cub born"
How incredible, Julia thought, and yet co with the e "So you don&039;t decide which Faction you&039;re going to be in, or your child&039;s going to be in?"
"No, Gal The ic decides You&039;re born to it It&039;s already inside you Been a long time since we&039;ve seen the Shahtened "But if you stick around youof Raphael and Ashe&039;s child The one Julia had been asked to help bring into the world The more she learned about the history and complications of the Pantera race, the more interested she became, and the more pressure she felt She wanted to help them, help Ashe, but frankly, she wasn&039;t sure she had the skills This child, and Ashe&039;s pregnancy, they would be so she&039;d never experienced before
"Glad you&039;re here, Gal," Miss Nathalie said as she moved into the room and headed for the"Nice to have a feet many female boarders?"
"Most who coe pane of glass "Mates who&039;ve been sent away by their fehed "Really? Why?"
"Gotthe way a female works"
Julia felt her cheeks warhed at her expression "No, no Not that way, Gal Every Pantera ifted when it comes to sex Their animal takes over, knows innately how to please their partner But with the animal comes a lack of personal skills Some of our males, even the Nurturers, don&039;t kno to listen, comfort, be a friend to their mates That&039;s where I come in And this place They stay, and I talk to &039;eo home"
"In other words," came an irritated male snarl near the bedroom door "She has them neutered and declawed"
Julia&039;s heart lurched into her throat and she turned to see Parish standing in the doorway She always forgot how tall and broad he was He looked gorgeous, freshly showered, in jeans and a black T-shirt, his expression wicked And those eyes, they still gloith the gold heat of his puma
Julia couldn&039;t tell herself it wasn&039;t true anymore She&039;d seen it with her own eyes And daht ever
"Your time&039;ll come, Parish Montreuil," Miss Nathalie said with a soft chuckle "If you ever al, that is"
Parish didn&039;t answer her He was too busy looking at Julia His gaze raked down her body, a co his expression "Raphael will feelon about, Hunter?" Miss Nathalie asked, her teasing,after Dr Cabot here Guarding her" His eyes cut to Miss Nathalie "She was e or hthis fierceness "He didn&039;t say anything about aze ripped back to her and he growled softly "Well, you do And it&039;s htly breathless The way this man looked at her, with the animal behind his eyes, was as worriso with humor, Miss Nathalie turned to Julia, her eyebrows raised "What do you say to this, Miss Julia? Shall I kick this self-important feline out of my house, or do you want to accept his care?"
"She has no choice," Parish said quickly,into the roo to take it there, was he? He eousto run Julia Cabot&039;s life but her Not anyic actually existed She glared at him as he approached, and spoke slowly and clearly "I will always have a choice, Parish Montreuil Got it?"
Dark brows lifted over blazing gold eyes
Miss Nathalie chuckled "I like this huh he wasn&039;t used to being scolded or contradicted Hefrom the tub to the bed "You need so the Pantera, it&039;s asking for trouble"
"Maybe I like trouble," Julia found herself saying Maybe I&039; for it
Parish turned to face her At first his expression was tight, and Julia thought he was gearing up for another verbal argument But after moment, his face broke into a broad sht like this huht I&039;d see this day," Miss Nathalie uttered, shaking her head "Cave-dwelling, arsenic-spewing Parish Montreuil, laughing his fool head off"
"I&039;ll be staying for supper, Natty," Parish said, though his eyes reood one"
"It&039;s Miss Nathalie to you, and you&039;ll eat whatever I put in front of you And you&039;ll like it"
He growled playfully low in his throat, and Julia felt the sound all the way to her toes
"Growl like that atpotatoes with your canines"
"Can&039;t" Parish reached out suddenly, and took Julia&039;s hand "I&039;entled his tone "If she acceptsand callused in hers, and she had the strangest desire to tighten her grip on hih the skin of her palm and into her blood She had to force herself to breathe as she looked up at him "She accepts For now"
Miss Nathalie snorted "Well, be back before the sun goes down" She was on her way out the door when she added, "Supper&039;s at six-thirty sharp"
The one, Parish rounded on Julia, pulled her close until they were just a foot apart His dark eyes flashed with gold as he gazed down at her "Don&039;t do that tostill felt aard "What?"
"Leave Without tellingoff his body "I didn&039;t Raphael ca you, wait for aze was affecting her brain, how it processed "You orried?"
His nostrils flared and he growled at her softly "Out of my mind Until Ashe told me where you were"
"I&039; to be sorry about I know I&039; and blunt and a scarred-up wreck of a male, but I have to protect you" He looked like he wanted to say more, but held himself back
"Because of the baby," Julia pro still uneven and shallow as she stared up at him
"It should be because of the baby"
"But it&039;s not"
He shook his head, his gaze fierce anting
Julia&039;s skin prickled and her mouth felt suddenly dry No one had ever looked at her like this No one had ever said such words as their eyes filled with deep, vulnerable need And yet, even with her newfound belief inhurt, of what had happened with Gary-with all the Garys in her past-clung tightly to her heart
"You&039;ve got to understand so out of a relationship I don&039;t want to-"
"That wasn&039;t a relationship, Julia" His thuently, but his expression was resolute "That was a lie told by an arrogant, self-centered piece of shit who had no idea what he had What he was blessed with" As his gaze roaold "If I was lucky enough to be claiive you cause to wonder"
Tears forazethe blatant sincerity behind boththis e her, her heart and her soul, if she would ever allow it
"Co her toward the door "You think what you saw today at midday meal and out your as beautiful, you haven&039;t seen anything yet"
She felt like heaven on his back
The weight of her, the way her thighs gripped the sides of his body And her hands, fisting the fur at his nape as he ran the fa in and out of trees with the waret used to this
Several feet from the bluff, his puma came to a halt For one exceptional moment, he looked out over his sacred space and purred as Julia leaned dorapped her arht anyone here It was the secret hideout he and Keira had spent hours playing in as cubs, then the home Parish had created after she&039;d left Noafter she&039;d beenthat wanted to talk, lecture or demand, the caves had been his solace While the scent of the bayou, the sharpness of the rocks, and even the intensity of the heat had become his family He&039;d never needed more than that to feel whole, never craved more
Until now
Until her
Parish allowed Julia a moment to slide off his back, then quickly shifted and walked to the very edge of the bluff As was his daily custoed hillside and the caves above, the heavy vegetation that hung froently into the ater of the bayou pool below He sensed nothing unusual or threatening, and his muscles relaxed
"Incredible," Julia said behind hi over his shoulder, Parish eyed her with just a hint of playful arrogance "Me or the landscape?"
She smiled "You within the landscape"
"Thank you for that" He smiled back and reached for her hand When she instantly curled her fingers around his, his cat purred Her touch did what nothing else could: co re her protectively at his side, Parish led her down the incline to the grassy bank near the pool The scent of bayou coated the insides of his nostrils, and he breathed it deeper into his lungs