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At once he sensed the other cat He smelled blood and inwardly cursed the devil for his continual interference and then sent up a small prayer that his cousin hadn't been shot He pushed farther into the roo close to either side of him the moment he fully entered

Another one of A The leopard had leapt froher position, most likely the top of the heavy sideboard There were bullet holes in the ceiling The cat had hit hi bones, his teeth cla bite of death

Alonzodeeper into the roo fur and huge paws ca for the pack around his neck to drag on his jeans

"She's safe, Fyodor," he said iht to the heart of the matter "They caht Had a bad feeling and acted on it Tucked Evangeline into the safe roo I had to send the huoose chase, but we took out all of them Seven The eline A her"

Alonzo and the others shifted as well, pulling on clothes and fitting the weapons from the pack easily back onto their bodies Weapons were part of them and they felt naked without them, whereas they didn't feel naked without clothes It had been drilled into them from birth to always be prepared for any situation

"Thanks for keeping her safe" Alonzo said "Tione after the son of a bitch right after he left the bakery, he wouldn't have had tie Have him find out about the contract Does it end with Amodeo's death? I need to have the information Also, I want an update on Mitya He needs around-the-clock guards I want him protected at all times"

Ti rid of seven bodies wasn't going to be easy Because they'd been killed by a leopard they had to be disposed of so no one would find theht

Alonzo took a deep breath and clapped one hand on Sevastyan's shoulder, relieved that he was safe and grateful he'd watched over Evangeline "Thanks," he reiterated, unable to articulate just what he felt

Sevastyan grinned at him "You think she's only for you, Fyodor, but she's for all of us You really feel so for her She calms your leopard If that can happen for you, maybe it can happen for the rest of us If not, we see what she does for you, and she matters"

Alonzo hadn't thought of it that way He looked at Ti because he nodded Gorya did as well His heart clenched and he set his jaw and turned away from them before he could allow himself to feel the depths of his emotions And they were deep He knew that but he'd spent a lifeti and he didn't knohat to do with emotions

Barefoot, hefor his bedroom She was there, inside the safe room, behind the walls where hopefully no enemy would detect her Still, she'd had so many bad experiences already because of him and the life he led Every step closer filled him with dread that when he looked into her eyes he'd see everything she felt for hione He wouldn't blame her, but he had no idea what he'd do

The idea of losing her was terrifying He tried to tell himself that it was his leopard he worried about, but he knew that wasn't the strict truth He needed her Fyodor Amurov, that frozen block of ice, a , needed her He kept walking, putting one foot in front of the other, but he felt as if he alking to his doom

13

EVANGELINE curled into the fetal position, drawing up her knees to her chest, trying to make herself as sht, the bigand biting at the door, trying to get in She kneas a shifter because he often tried the door with his hands Once he broke the lock, but she had already gone out theat the urging of her female

The leopard tried to track them in the swaone to the very center of a heavy grove of cypress trees, clih into the thinner branches where the cat couldn't follow The next rove of trees, but he hadn't followed her all the way through the thicker brush She'd been so scared She'd ht years old

He didn't get us Her fe the inside of her skin as she'd done when Evangeline was a child We're older now Even if they got past theus and broke into this room, ould kill them

"You haven't eeline whispered "You mean I'd have to kill them"

I would come to your aid

She was being a baby, allowing the circumstances to throw her back to her childhood It happened Just not often any position "I'm happy you think you could come to my aid, but it doesn't work that way You can't just come out whenever you feel like it The circuht We both have to be fertile at the same time Saria told me all about it"

That's happened already Twice

Evangeline's breath caught in her throat She couldn't stay still and had to get to her feet and pace "What do you mean? That's ience was extremely uncomfortable sexually

The first ti it difficult on you We hid in the deepest part of the swamp for days

Evangeline's hand crept to her throat She reht she had some kind of infection She was hot all the tis and her skin hurt Her breasts ached She was certain she was ill At her feht the little mini-camp secreted in the rass around the island kept y, unstable for anyone very heavy

"You protected me" She made it a statement "But at what cost to you? I'm supposed to take care of you You should have told me"

You were fourteen Her fematic about it Casual, even

"This is terrible I've been neglectful of you" Evangeline wanted to cry Her leopard had been fiercely protective of her Always there for her Always In the worst moments of her life she'd been able to count on her fele hu "It must have been awful for you You should have told , because she desperately needed movement Her leopard was close to the surface She felt the fa, as if her internal te Her mind felt chaotic and no matter how she tried, she couldn't rein it in

You were too young The leopard sent in ies rather than actual words They'd perfected their communication skills over the years until they were both adept at it

"What about the second time You said twice" But she already knew She couldn't help but reht after she'd left the swah country for so, but she hadn't knohat it was and she never found it She'd been driven though Again, her body felt hot beyond all coer

"It was your idea to leave" She remembered that as well Vividly Her feet her to leave the swamp

No decentenough to protect you fro the heat cycle

Evangeline couldn't help but wince when her leopard reminded her of the way they would be when both females became fertile at the same time "Why did you accept this male? He's far worse than the ones back hoerous to both o

f us"

Her fe He is your choice Hisand that pleases me He can help me protect you

Does he scare you?

Evangeline received the i her Searching for the right i because he can control mine He scares me more, but I know you, and you can handle him

That answer set her heart pounding If her female believed that she could handle Alonzo's male but was a little concerned about Alonzo, what did that say about him? Had she made a mistake? She chewed at her lower lip as she paced

You're strong

"Ten o I was curled up in the fetal position like I did when I o"

She got the distinct feeling her leopard was laughing at her You always do that And then you get up and take care of the problem You did when you were two