Emma pulled Andraya and Kyle into her arms and looked up as Susan came running into Kyle's room, looking a little shaken as well.
"I want Daddy," Andraya sobbed.
"He's at the office, baby," Emma said, kissing the top of the little girl's head. "He'll be home soon." She hoped he wouldn't, that he'd have the good sense to ride the storm out safe in his office rather than trying to drive a car in the downpour. She patted Kyle's bed. "I was just going to tell the kids a story, Susan. Come join us."
Susan quickly sank on top of the bed, dragging Andraya into her lap and rocking her gently back and forth while Emma rocked Kyle.
"Emma?" Drake's voice called out. "You okay in there?" She knew he didn't want to come up the stairs and be close to her. Her leopard was too close, and the heat in her had spread, nearly consuming her. It was all she could do to sit with the children and settle them into bed.
"We're fine, Drake, thanks." Every part of her body was sensitive, and the storm wasn't helping her at all. She could feel every beat of wind and rain, wild and untamed, lashing at her, wanting her to break free, like the storm itself.
Another flash of lightning lit up the room and Andraya burrowed into Susan as thunder roared like a freight train. Far off, a horse screamed. The sound froze Emma's blood. It wasn't the cry of a frightened animal, but the sound of terror and agony rolled into one. She leapt to her feet. Then other horses began screaming, the sound horrifying.
"Drake!"
"Stay in the house, Emma," he called from the stairs. "I'm locking down the house."
An automatic lockdown meant that every window and door closed and locked and an alarm activated. For the first time, Drake didn't post bodyguards in the house, afraid for Emma's safety and ultimately the safety of any of the men who might be foolish enough to touch her in the throes of the madness. Jake would kill anyone who laid a finger on her.
Kyle and Andraya clapped their hands over their ears to drown out the sound of the screaming horses.
"Is there a fire?" Susan asked. "I'm scared, Emma."
"Drake will handle it," Emma said calmly. She tucked Kyle beneath the blankets and began to tell them the story of the magical children.
The loudest horse abruptly ceased screaming, but the sounds of distress continued from the stables. The wind increased in fury and the lights flickered. Once. Twice. The house was plunged into darkness. Both children wailed loudly. Susan's swift intake of breath told Emma her nerves were rattled as well.
"The generator will come on in a few seconds," she said confidently, careful not to betray that fact that her stomach had knotted and nerves fluttered over her heart. She counted in her head. It seemed to take an extraordinary amount of time. The lights flickered. Went off. Came back on, dim, and then the house was once more plunged into darkness.
Emma hit the intercom button. Nothing happened.
Her uneasiness exploded into full-blown fear. "Okay, kids," she said, keeping her voice even and calm. "We're going to go on a little adventure. I'm going to show you a secret place and you'll stay there with Susan until Daddy comes home. We can even sleep there. Susan, get their favorite blankets."
"I can't see in the dark," Susan said, her voice trembling.
Emma could see very well, although her eyesight was more in bands of heat. Information poured over her as if she had antennae, telling her where all the objects in the room were and where the kids and Susan were. She gathered up the blankets, caught up the pillows and pushed them into Susan's arms. "Everyone hold hands. This is a great adventure."
"Don't wanna," Andraya said. "I want Daddy."
"He's coming," Emma said, uncertain whether it was true, but the fear was now giving way to something else altogether. She raised her head and sniffed the air and scented--cat. Him. The leopard who had attacked her at the Bingley party. He was in her house, stalking her children.
Her own leopard leapt and slammed hard against her skin and bones. "We have to hurry," she said urgently. She didn't trust herself to be locked in the safe room with her children. She didn't know enough about her leopard, but it was wild to be free, pacing, roaring, furious that something threatened her children.
She caught up both toddlers and ran from Kyle's room down the hall to Jake's suite, Susan hurrying to keep up. He would hear and he would scent them, but once she had them inside, he wouldn't be able to get to them, not without a blowtorch. She tore open the door to the walk-in closet and pushed his clothes out of the way to get to the secret room.
"Get inside, Susan. There's plenty of room. There's a lantern. Get the kids settled on the mattresses. Lock the door and don't come out for any reason. No one can get to you. There's water and food."
"But you have to stay with us."
Emma pushed her gently inside, reached in and turned on the lantern. The babies clung to her but she quickly pulled them off and gave them to Susan. "We're trusting you with the children, Susan. They're everything to us. Keep them safe."
She shut the door herself, and immediately the soundproofed door cut off the sound of the children's sobs.
Emma turned slowly, flexing her muscles, her fingers, listening to the popping and crackling of her bones. She was close now. Her leopard. Her other half. "He wants to take our children," she whispered softly, no longer afraid.
Her feet were already bare as she padded across Jake's floor, taking comfort in the scent of him surrounding her. She knew exactly where the other male was, in his leopard form, creeping toward the stairs, thinking himself unknown to her and able to do as he wished. He was strong, as all the males of her species would be, but she was a mother defending her young. She slipped each button from its hole and let her blouse slide from her shoulders to the floor, unhooked her bra and tossed it toward Jake's bed, all the while walking toward the open door.
In the hall she shed her skirt and panties, feeling the cool air with relief on her sensitive skin. She stretched again, resolve filling her. He might kill her, but she would take him with her. He would not get to her children. She padded down the hall on bare feet, silent, her vision superb, her muscles loose and accommodating. She caught the railing with one hand and leapt over it, touching down lightly in a crouch on the first landing above the flight of stairs.
The leopard had one huge paw on the stair, his eyes gleaming in the dark at her. He pulled back, startled as she went to all fours. She flung her head back, her long hair falling around her like a cloak.
The man's face contorted, his chest and hands shifted, so that he was standing on cat legs, facing her, half man, half leopard. Rory, the man who had been paid to impregnate her, to rape and use her against her will, stared at her with vicious, calculating eyes. "You belong to me. You were promised to me."
The heat was nearly unbearable, her body temperature soaring. She should have been embarrassed to be naked in front of him, but the cat in her had already merged so deeply she didn't care. "Get out of my house."
Lightning flashed across the sky, lighting up the landing where she crouched. Tiny beads of sweat clung to her flushed skin. She knew her sex was swollen and moist, her scent calling to him. Her breasts ached, her nipples hard, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
"Look at you. You're in heat. You need me." There was satisfaction in his voice. "Soon your cat will take over and you'll crouch in front of me and I'll have you, both the leopard and the woman. You'll be mine and none of them will be able to do a damn thing about it." His voice was hoarse with sexual tension.
"I won't accept you."
He smirked at her. "You don't have a choice. In case you haven't noticed, I'm quite a bit larger than you."
"Drake will come."
"Drake can't even shift," Rory sneered. "He's useless to you."
"He'll come and he'll bring the other men with him."
"The men are down at the stables where a wild leopard has wreaked havoc with the horses. They'll be a while trying to save Bannaconni's precious horses."
"Your partner."
/> "That's right. And he can't get in here. You locked the place down, only I was already inside. Your precious Drake didn't scent me."
"You cover yourself with other scents."
"Like skunk." He sounded pleased with himself for outsmarting the other leopards.
"Jake will hunt you down and kill you."
"He'll never find us. I'm from the forest, and once we're back there, he'll be on my turf."
Emma's hands curved, knotted, her muscles extending. She reached for her leopard, called it to her, unafraid. Accepting. They were intelligent together. They were strong. She had need of her other half.
The Han Vol Don was upon her and she embraced it rather than fought it. It didn't matter that her skull felt too big for her head and pain pounded through her temples. She reached for the change--wanted it.
Another flash of lightning illuminated the room and he saw her muscles contort. As soon as he saw her body shifting, he took his other form, prepared to fight for her, fully prepared to make his claim on the female leopard. He was fascinated by her aquamarine eyes and held her stare, refusing to look away, showing her he was the male who would conquer her.
Emma ran her tongue over sharpening teeth, all the while holding the male's gaze. She knew she was alluring to him and she used her sensual state to mesmerize him, as the rippling under her skin ran from her belly to her arms. Adrenaline flooded her body, and with it strength--the strength she would need to defeat the much larger, heavier male. A wave of reddish golden fur broke through her skin, decorated with dark rosettes. Rather than finding the change repulsive, she found the half-transformed state sensuous, deliberately stretching her body again, allowing him to scent her readiness.
Her senses heightened even more and the wildness burst through her. She turned her head as her muzzle formed and fur rippled over the rest of her body. The female leopard came to her four feet, fluid, graceful, sleek. Emma had expected to find herself in the background, but she was there, only now her intelligence was twofold, now her determination and will were backed by the aggressive animal that was her other half.
In the throes of her sexual heat, the female leopard rubbed the length of her body along the banister, spreading her tantalizing scent everywhere, broadcasting to her mate. The male stared with his yellow-green eyes, fixed and focused. His nose wrinkled and he curled his upper lip, grimacing with an open mouth and wide yawn in the response of male leopard claiming a female.
Emma displayed her teeth and snapped at him, warning him to stay away from her, even as she slid her body low to the ground, enticing him by bringing up her bottom. She crouched low, but the moment he took a step toward her, she hissed and curled her lip at him, driving him back away from her as if she were too skittish to accept him.
If she could buy time, lure him away from the stairs and the chamber where the children were hidden, Drake would come to check on them. He wouldn't like that the generator wasn't running as it should be. Even if the horses were in a terrible state, the fact that they'd been attacked by a leopard would send Drake running back to her and he would bring the others. She needed time. If nothing else, she could pull the leopard into the great room where the huge windows were. And if all else failed, she could leap, break the glass and set off the alarm. That would draw all the men to the house.
Her wary gaze focused on the male, she took a step down, continuing to rub her body along the spokes in the banister. The male locked eyes with her, watching her just as warily. She extended her claws and hissed, clearly telling him to back off, that she wasn't ready. The male took a step away from the stairs, cautiously, as expected. No self-respecting male leopard would attempt to force a female until she was receptive to him, not unless he had a death wish.
Emma knew from extensive reading that a courtship between leopards was noisy, but the sounds the female was emitting shocked her. To the male, the vocalization seemed quite alluring. She hissed another rebuff and he retreated further, giving her more room. She continued rubbing her fur along every object she came in contact with. When she reached the floor at the bottom of the stairs, she rolled seductively and stretched.
The male approached, chuffing softly, trying to entice her, and she immediately leapt to her feet, delivering a swipe toward him with her outstretched claws. The male circled her as she continued to tease and play in the seductive manner of the leopard during courtship. She could smell him, a blend of cat, sex and man, all rolled together.
She rolled again, trying to ease her way from the stairs, leading the male toward the great room where the windows were larger and much more abundant. Every few steps she crouched, nearly offering herself to him, but when he tried to come in close to rub his body along hers, she swung her head, hissing, raking with claws, forcing him to leap away from her.
His circles became tighter as they passed the marbled foyer that opened into the enormous great room. As lightning whipped across the sky, the floor gleamed for a brief moment, white with small threads of gold running through it. Propelled by the fury of the storm and the enticing scent she was giving off, the male rushed her, broadsiding her without warning.
Emma staggered, using her flexible spine to turn even as she went down. The male was on her in an instant, gripping her neck with his teeth, biting down hard enough to draw blood as he blanketed her, using his superior weight to crush her body beneath his and hold down. Emma slashed with her claws, trying to rake his belly or sides, going for his legs, but the teeth drove deeper, trying to force her to submit.
She fought with everything in her, continually attempting to rear up like a horse on her hind legs to throw him off, using the powerful ropes and bands of muscles to aid her. Blood ran down the back of her neck and seeped into her fur, the smell of it overpowering in the room. The male leapt away to keep from killing her as she thrashed and raked at him. He knocked her back with a heavy paw, the claws raking her side again, the blow hard enough to knock the female sideways. She rolled and came up on her feet, head down, sides heaving.
Emma knew another battle was imminent and she would lose. She had to find a way to kill him. She hadn't expected his superior strength. In her leopard form she felt so powerful and strong, and she had thought she could match him in battle. He had lived most of his life in the rain forest, and he'd been shifting for years. She was new to it and had no real experience fighting.
She turned her head slowly and looked into his eyes. Her heart slammed hard in her chest. She felt her leopard pull back as well. The yellow-green eyes held triumph, gleamed at her with evil satisfaction. He was wearing her down, exhausting her, and then he would have his way. He was fully leopard now, even his cunning intelligence defeated by the maddening thrall that was on him.
The male began circling again, vocalizing his interest, his eyes staring directly into hers. She hissed, warning him off, turning with him to prevent him leaping onto her back again. Behind her, she heard the roar of another male. Rory spun, his accordion spine giving him the ability to nearly fold in half. He had recognized the sound before she did and had already launched himself at the intruding male.
Emma caught Drake's scent before she registered the sound of his voice and she flung her body at Rory, slamming into his side in an effort to keep him from getting to Drake, who had only partially shifted. His back legs refused to shift and he was at a severe disadvantage. He'd left the doors to the house open and the other leopards couldn't fail to hear the noisy battle.
Rory turned his fury on Emma, delivering a powerful cuff that staggered her, and then he leapt on her back and drove his teeth into her throat in a suffocation grip. Instantly she went still beneath him, recognizing his ability to kill her. Drake shifted to his human form and stopped Conner and Joshua as they burst into the house.
"Let her go, Rory," Drake said, recognizing the man from the rain forest. A traitor who had thrown out the code their people lived by and had chosen to use his unique abilities as a mercenary, to hire himself out to the one who would pay him
the most.
Joshua and Conner, in leopard form, closed in from either side of the male leopard, each roaring a full-throated challenge.
Emma felt the larger male press tight against her, urging her to move toward the entrance Drake guarded. She took a step, then a second, before her legs went out from under her. The teeth raked her throat, caught and bit down again. Rory sunk his claws deep into either shoulder, dragging her back to her feet. Her coat was streaked with blood, dark now with stains. Her sides heaving, Emma struggled to keep moving toward the door.
"Damn it, Rory, let her go," Drake entreated. He stepped aside, but just enough to allow the two leopards to slip through.
Rory took a firmer grip on Emma, half dragging her past Drake. At the last moment he dropped her, whirled and slashed across Drake's thigh with a powerful blow, ripping muscle and tendon down to the bone and dropping the man like a stone. Blood sprayed across the floor and up the walls.
Emma sank her teeth into Rory's leg from where she lay behind him. Even as Joshua and Conner sprang forward, the male leopard had her by the throat, gripping hard, furious now, ready to kill. Conner shifted back in order to save Drake as blood pumped from the massive wound.
Drake shoved at him. "Not me. Save her. If he takes her out of here, he'll kill her out of spite or take her with him."
"Sorry, man," Conner said as he pulled Drake's belt from his jeans and wrapped it around the wounded thigh. "That's Joshua's job now. He can take down the son of a bitch."
Emma heard Drake and her heart sank. She was not going to allow Rory to take her off the ranch. If his partner waited somewhere in the night to help him, they might defeat Joshua, and she refused to allow Joshua to die on her behalf. But she wasn't going with Rory. She moved with him down the wide hallway and through the kitchen toward the open back door. Joshua followed, warnings rumbling in his throat.