"And what is it you think you can do to stop them?" His voice was utterly devoid of expression.

Juliette felt a chill go down her spine. She sensed his sudden stillness. She had been in his mind and there was a ruthless, merciless quality buried deep inside of him that alarmed her. "Someone has to rescue the women. I'm strong. I'm capable of shifting, and I'm not afraid of those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds. I can protect my sister and cousin. Well, maybe Solange protects me." She turned her head to look up at his face. "They took my mother. She was held in a tiny room, and several men raped her to get her pregnant. It didn't happen immediately so they had her for a long time. It took us two years to find her."

"Juliette." He breathed her name. Her sorrow beat at him, tore at his heart and soul. He nuzzled the top of her head. "I am so sorry." She didn't need to tell him the rest. He saw it in her mind. Her mother had died in childbirth, too long neglected by the men who held her prisoner. The child had died as well, and Juliette felt responsible because it had taken so long to find her mother.

Riordan had been prepared to forbid her to a.s.sume the part of a warrior woman, but he couldn't speak, couldn't issue commands even though it might keep her safe. Her pain ran too deep. He understood the need to protect others.

He understood honor and responsibility. His fingers crushed her hair in his fist.

"Did you find the men who took her? You must know them by scent."

Tears burned behind her eyelids, tears she vowed would never be shed. She refused to spend her time crying. There were very few women capable of shifting and the jaguar males who had banded together were determined to possess them.

She was every bit as determined that they would never get their hands on them.

"Jasmine may not be able to shift on command, but even the small ability she has places her in danger. She has other gifts to aid her, but she couldn't fight against the males if they captured her. I live with Jasmine and my cousin. Solange is my mother's sister's daughter and my mother raised her after my aunt was killed when several males tried to capture us. She fought them off, giving my mother time to escape with the three of us girls."

"So now you and your sister and cousin live in fear of these men coming after you. Why did you stay in the jungle where there is danger?"

"Why do you hunt the vampire?" she fired back. "This is our home. We're not the only women these men are after, but we have skills. After what they did to our mothers, we don't plan to just let them steal and kill other women. We know the way the men think now, and we've successfully taken back several women."

"Juliette, what you do is very dangerous. These males are not right. I have known some of the jaguar race and the men did not commit these crimes against their women. Something is wrong."

"It isn't all the men. It is only a small group, yet they are very powerful because they have banded together." She turned in his arms. "Do you understand why I have to stay with these women? They have no other protection. Jasmine and I feared the males were in league with someone at the new Morrison laboratory. Too many animals on the endangered species list were being captured. We thought the jaguar males were trading animals for help in finding the females. That was one of the reasons we broke into the laboratory."

"Is it possible a vampire has connected with a jaguar male and corrupted him?"

"I think these males have corrupted themselves."

"We will return to your family and make certain they are safe, Juliette. If you care about them, then, of course, I care about them. There is no question this practice must be stopped."

"I tried not to blame the males, I really did. Our species is dying out, but they don't care at all about the females, only that they want the race to go on." She shook her head sadly. "It isn't right. We have a right to our lives."

He kissed her temple, the corner of her mouth. "I understand their desperation.

Our species is nearly extinct also." He tipped her chin up so he could capture her mouth. His kiss was gentle, tender. "I bound you to me with no thought of your feelings, Juliette. Perhaps I am as guilty as these males." His arms circled her waist, pulled her onto his lap so that they half floated in the water, her body fitting into the cradle of his hips. "I never thought how selfish that would be. In my culture, lifemates are destined and must be together for survival. It is another world now, one where our women, perhaps, are not even from the same species. I should have thought more of what you wished to accomplish in your life and less of what I needed to survive."

Juliette lay back against him, resting her head in the niche of his sternum. His hands cupped her full b.r.e.a.s.t.s, taking the weight in his palms, his fingers gently ma.s.saging her almost without thought. Pleasure shot through her. She thought she might never want to move again, yet his hands on her body created a molten heat that moved slowly through her bloodstream and licked at her skin. "I wasn't thinking either, Riordan, only how much I wanted you. I could barely think straight with wanting you. You hadn't bound us together at that point so I'm not so certain I would have said no." She turned over lazily and slid down his body, skin to skin, rubbing along his chest and rib cage, delighting in the differences between men and women. His belly was flat and ridged with muscles.

She licked off droplets of water. The rain fell gently, cool drops that seemed to sizzle against her hot skin. She wrapped her arms around his hips, nuzzling his navel lazily. Her teeth nipped his skin.

Riordan felt his body harden in response. Looking down at the clean line of her back, the rounded enticement of her bottom, her legs floating over his in the cool waters of the pool was enough to give any man pleasure. Her mouth wandered over him, tasting and licking. There was nothing inhibited about Juliette. She loved having s.e.x with him, loved his body, and in her mind she let him know. With her body she let him know. It was exciting to have a woman so completely open and natural with him.

"I should have given you the opportunity to at least discuss what it meant, Juliette," he said. His voice was husky. Her mouth was doing delicious things to his body and it was becoming much more difficult to think straight.

"I don't think I wanted to discuss it." She slipped a little lower so she could breathe hot air over his heavy erection. She smiled when she felt his muscles contract and his hands clamp over her arms in reaction. Juliette lifted her chin so she could meet his gaze, reveling in the hunger darkening his eyes. "If I'd thought too much, I wouldn't have been able to have you. And I really, really wanted you."

She lowered her head so she could lick along the head of his p.e.n.i.s, a slow, leisurely exploration of the shape and texture of his body.

His breath slammed out of his lungs. "I have to admit, I am eternally grateful you want me. I do not think we will ever have enough time to do all the things I have in my mind." Deliberately he let her see his every desire, his every need.

Juliette laughed softly. "It's good we think along the same lines. I would hate to be tied to someone who isn't adventurous. I definitely need adventurous."

It was his turn to yell. The sound ripped from his throat when her mouth engulfed him, took him deep into her throat and began a slow, sensuous foray. I thought I would find out how you taste. Whether you're hot and spicy and tangy. Her teasing laughter played over his senses and stroked at his body. He lost time, drifting in the waves of the pool lapping at his body, with her hot mouth and tongue bringing him to a fever pitch. When he could no longer stay still, he moved his hips into her, letting her take charge of the rhythm, set the pace. She teased him to the brink of an o.r.g.a.s.m, sucking hard and lavishing attention with her tongue, only to slide her mouth loosely over him, her teeth gentle. I love to feel what you feel. I love to hear the roar in your head and know I can put it there just by doing this. Her mouth pulled at him. His hands fisted in her hair, his hips growing more urgent, more frantic in his response. She took him deep, working him until he was so caught in her spell, so far gone with pleasure he couldn't think straight.

"Finish it or let me have you," he managed to hiss out between his teeth.

She complied, her soft, taunting laughter only teasing his senses more. Juliette reveled in her power. He was enormously strong and dangerous, and yet he needed her. You need fun in your life, Riordan. You really do need me. d.a.m.n it. He growled it in her mind, his hands bunching in her hair.

Her mouth sent him deliberately over the edge, milking him as her teasing laughter burned in his brain. She was etched in his very bones for all time. He would never be able to go back to what he had been. And he would never be able to be without her. She carried light with her and she made him feel it in the unrelenting darkness that had been his home.

She ducked under the water, pushing away from him. Riordan reached out and caught her, dragging her back. He pushed the wet hair from her face and stared down at her. His miracle. "I do need you," he admitted. If she could be brave and honest and admit what she wanted and needed he could do no less. "You are everything."

Chapter 7

"I need blood, Juliette. The night is slipping away from us. We must return to your family at full strength. I would love to spend the rest of my days here, making love to you and discovering the secrets of my lifemate, but I must have sustenance to renew my strength." Riordan waded out of the pool and held out his hand to her.

Juliette took her time, her eyes taking her fill of him. "I swore I would never have anything to do with a man. The men I've known have no knowledge of caring." She looked down at the ground. "It's a terrible thing to grow up being ashamed of what you are, knowing you might give birth to a male of the species and no matter what you do, how much you love him, how you raise him, his nature will always prevent him from loving you back."

His fingers settled around her wrist and he drew her to him. "I have lived many years and have found that each species has both strengths and weaknesses. The males of the jaguar race are wanderers, but the ones I encountered cared about their women. They could not settle down and the continual drive to perpetuate their race became their downfall. They would not stay with one female, though I believe many of them tried and were very distressed that they could not." He drew her into his arms to comfort her. "The rain forest here in South America is very large and there are no borders in the jungle. We settled in Brazil, on the edge of the forest, but we travel from country to country to insure the safety of the inhabitants. In our travels we often encounter the males. They are all solitary creatures. We had been instructed by our prince to avoid them if possible, but often we spoke with them. Jaguars, like our species, are on the verge of extinction.

They are intelligent and know they contributed to their own extinction, yet they still could not stop what nature dictated." And a part of him felt very much as if they deserved their fate when they refused to treasure their women and children.

"You're saying it's not their fault." Juliette pulled out of his arms, turning her face away from him as she gathered her clothes with shaking hands. She stepped into her jeans and dragged them up over her bare skin, blinking back tears. That was twice she'd nearly cried in front of him. She didn't cry. Not because of a man.

"We are not talking about the rogue males, the ones out of control and doing harm to their women. They should be brought to justice, not allowed to be kidnapping and raping women with the idea of creating baby machines." He took the shirt from her hands and turned her around to face him, tipping up her chin so she had to meet his dark gaze. "I may be rough, Juliette, and I will admit I have long ago forgotten how to be gentle, but I would never harm a woman unless she threatened my life or my people. It is not done."

She framed his face, her palms resting along his shadowed jaw. "You're gentle enough for me." And he was. He moved her like no other man had ever done-or ever could. They had come together in fire, burning hot and out of control, yet then he had stroked tender caresses down her body with a trembling hand, sitting her on his lap, cupping her b.r.e.a.s.t.s reverently.

Riordan leaned down to kiss her upturned face, taking his time, lingering over it. His heart found the rhythm of hers. "You are an unexpected gift. I am not a man to throw such things away."

She took her shirt from him and slipped into it.

He reached out to pull the edges of the material together over her generous b.r.e.a.s.t.s. "Even in your clothes, you look so s.e.xy I am uncertain whether or not I can keep my hands off of you." He lifted the soft weight of her breast, his fingers sliding over creamy skin. "Your skin is so soft and warm and inviting." He bent down and drew her nipple into the heat of his mouth, unable to resist the temptation.

Juliette closed her eyes, pressing closer to him, wrapping her arms around his head, holding him to her while waves of pleasure coursed through her body, swamped her utterly and completely. She loved the way he indulged himself with her body. She loved that he enjoyed her so much and that he obviously wanted her to feel the same about him. "We're never going to leave this spot if we keep this up," she murmured, wanting to strip off her jeans and wrap her legs firmly around his waist. "I think s.e.x with you is addicting."

"I cannot help myself." His tongue teased her nipple into a hard peak before reluctantly releasing her. "Your body is such a temptation."

Her fingers drifted over his heavy erection. "There you go again, blaming it on me. I see you like this, hard and thick and so in need, and naturally I want to do something about it."

He groaned. "I have no discipline around you." He tugged at the jeans until they were down around her ankles and she could kick them aside. "If I do not get some relief, I doubt I will be able to walk, let alone battle any vampires. What do you intend to do about it?"

She circled his neck with her arms and pulled herself up his body, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist. "I thought I would just take a ride," she whispered and licked his ear with a teasing tongue. Very slowly she settled over his p.e.n.i.s, lowering herself with slow deliberation. As he began to push his way through her tight folds she shivered with pleasure. "It's always so perfect with you." She waited to move until he had filled her completely, sinking down onto his shaft so that she was impaled and full and every nerve ending was alive and sizzling with flames.

Riordan didn't wait for her, catching her hips in his hands and helping her with her sensuous ride; long, hard thrusts that went deep inside of her, joining them together. He loved the way her b.r.e.a.s.t.s rubbed against his chest, the way she threw her head back, obvious pleasure lighting her face. She purred, just like a cat, deepening the movement, as wild and uninhibited as he was. He was so tuned to her mind now, he could adjust his every movement to better give her pleasure. He knew the moment she wanted him to be slow and deep and he knew when she needed the hard, long strokes that sent fiery friction whipping through both of them.

Night shadows hid them in the small grotto. The wind rustled in the canopy overhead. Bats fluttered above the water, hitting insects just above the surface.

Raindrops splattered into the pool. Juliette inhaled the scents of the night, the combined scent of man and woman. Her nails dug into Riordan's shoulders and back as wave after wave of o.r.g.a.s.m burst through her. He shared the experience in her mind and the riptide of ecstasy coursing through her sent him over the edge. Juliette, merged so completely with Riordan, felt the pressure start deep in his core and explode through his body with the force of a locomotive. They fed each other pa.s.sion and heat, a firestorm of pleasure that washed over and through them and left them breathless and clinging to one another.

Juliette fastened her mouth to his-hot, wet, hungry. She tried to crawl inside of him, share the same body, the same mind. Kisses went from greedy l.u.s.t to slower, calmer, leisurely exploration, to long, lingering enjoyment. She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. They stared at one another for a long time, drinking each other in, falling into the depths of each other's eyes. "I look at you and everything just comes together, Riordan. I don't know why, and I don't think I want to question it too closely. I'm just going to take what fate offered me and grab on with both hands."

"You will never be sorry, Juliette," he promised, raining kisses over her face, her eyes, down her neck and throat. "You will never be sorry."

"I can feel your hunger now, the call inside you. It's a frightening thing. How can you keep it at bay the way you do? If I felt like that, I would be devouring something." She swept back his hair and slowly allowed her legs to drop to the ground. "You have to get some nourishment. I don't mind, Riordan. I'm not in the least bit hungry and the thought of food makes me want to gag, but it's sort of s.e.xy when you take my blood. I think I'm getting a bit kinky." She looked around for her clothes, missing the look of wonderment on his face.

He reached down to snag her blouse from where it had been carelessly tossed aside. He didn't even remember stripping it off of her. "You are a very generous woman, but I think I will refrain from the temptation of your blood." This time he firmly b.u.t.toned the blouse. "You know I am going to think of your b.r.e.a.s.t.s just waiting behind this very thin barrier. If I am distracted later, you will know why."

Juliette laughed. She couldn't remember being so happy. "That's all right, you go ahead and think about my b.r.e.a.s.t.s. I'll be thinking of your very nicely put together anatomy." She yanked her jeans on and deftly braided her hair. "How much time do we have for traveling tonight?"

He glanced at the sky. "A few hours. We should be able to cover many miles. I will have to carry you, and that means I will have to find blood." He glanced down at the terrible marks on his chest. "Carpathians heal in the ground and yet I did not. I need to get back to full strength for the coming battle, and that means I need to find people."

She suddenly went still. "Not my sister or cousin." There was a warning note in her voice.

He grinned at her. "I do not think you have to worry. I would not risk your wrath." He tugged playfully at her braid. "You sound so fierce."

Juliette watched him clothe himself. It was done with a simple wave of his hand as if he'd manufactured the clothes from thin air. His hair was neatly brushed back away from his face and tied with a leather thong. There wasn't a drop of water on him anywhere and his hair was dry. "Oh, that is cheating. Look at me, I look like a drowned rat." She flipped her thick wet braid over her shoulder. "I want to be able to do that."

"You will," he a.s.sured. "Come here. We need to get started."

"You aren't going to throw me over your shoulder like you did last time, are you?" she asked suspiciously. He grinned at her, his teeth very white. "Well, I was thinking about it."

"Refrain. Last time I considered getting sick all over you."

"I am so glad you didn't." Riordan gathered her to him, holding her close, and took to the air, shifting into his favorite form of a bird as he rose. It was easier to fly above the canopy then to try to wind his way through the thick branches and leaves. And he was wary of traps. They were nearing the area where he had first heard the voice of the vampire calling to him for help. He was certain the vampire and his human accomplices were responsible for the net that had nearly claimed him a second time.

Juliette laughed aloud as Riordan raced across the sky. Twice she reached out, trying to touch a cloud, unable to resist. This is astonishing. She felt a part of the night sky, the stars and the clouds and even the rain. It was as though she had merged with nature. She expected to feel fear, but she felt elation, joy, completely alive. It was every bit as wonderful as running through the jungle in the form of a jaguar.

Do not ever feel regret, Juliette. You will be able to shift into many forms and effortlessly hold those forms.

I have to tell you something. The smile faded from Juliette's face. Riordan caught the uneasiness rising as he followed the directions in her mind. We have to move often. We have several homes.

He waited. It wasn't what she wanted to tell him. She was hesitant, very unlike his bold Juliette. She carefully turned over her words, trying to formulate the best way to get him to understand.

Juliette. You must trust me. Just say what you need to say and trust me to understand.

She could see the canopy far below her. The leaves of the trees were silver- black in the moonlight. The raindrops dazzled her eyes, glittering like diamonds as they fell from the clouds. We have seen terrible things from the males. Young girls unable to shape-shift beaten and abused. Solange, Jasmine and I vowed never to have anything to do with a man other than the necessities.

Necessities? She meant s.e.x. Riordan felt his heart pound. Something black and dangerous swirled in his gut. It was ugly and volcanic, and he was ashamed of his reaction. She was telling him something terribly important, not only to her, but to her life, and his first thought had been that the necessity was s.e.x with another man.

He despised himself for being so petty. She was a beautiful and sensual woman.

Many men would find her attractive, and he should be proud of her. Lifemates trusted one another implicitly. It was impossible to lie to one another or hide anything, and as they grew to know each other better it would be natural to spend more and more time in one another's mind.

I am not such a man, Juliette. At my worst, I would not harm a woman or child. It is abhorrent to me. I had no idea my returning emotions would be so overwhelming and intense, but I know myself well. I would never, I could never hurt you or your sister and cousin.

Juliette leaned into him, felt the tickle of feathers and immediately wanted to be able to join him in the form of a bird. You don't have to tell me that. I already know you wouldn't ever hurt a woman or I would never be with you. I'm concerned my family won't be very accepting of our relationship. I will win them over.

Far below them, near the edge of the rain forest, was a small settlement.

Riordan began his descent cautiously, one part of him scanning the area below for signs of the vampire. Always scan to look for danger before revealing yourself.

It feels a bit intrusive. You pick up random thoughts. She was studying his ways carefully, trying to learn as much as possible. I would hate to pick up my sister's thoughts or worse, my cousin's.

He laughed as he set her gently on the ground, shifting back to his natural form as he planted his feet in the thick vegetation. "You can avoid scanning the thoughts of your family. You will learn to tune things out once you refine the process. Start experimenting now with volume and reading the air. You can feel danger vibrating.

If there is a blank spot where what seems natural to you is not there, a vampire is attempting to hide his presence from you."

"Do you always know a vampire is a vampire?"

"Unfortunately, no. If a vampire is skilled, such as a master vampire, he could easily walk up to one of the hunters, greet him in the way of our people and go on his way unscathed."

"How frightening."

"Stay here while I feed. You should be safe for the moment. There is a feel to the forest, as if the animals are in hiding."

Juliette went still. She had been so busy trying to think as a Carpathian, so wrapped up in Riordan as a man, that she had forgotten the first rule of living in the jungle. She hadn't paid attention to the warning system of the inhabitants.

Riordan strode away from her, melting into the shadows so that it was impossible to see him, even when she was looking directly at him.

She lifted her face to the wind. She was jaguar. And her senses were enhanced by ancient Carpathian blood. She could read the forest news. Animals were hiding, lying low and trembling, waiting until a night bird signaled they were once again safe from predators. Juliette turned her head this way and that, on the alert, feeling the vibration of danger moving through the air. Something was wrong.

They were a few miles from the laboratory and several miles from her home.

Her heart jumped. "Jasmine." A large predator or a hunting party had pa.s.sed through the area and frightened the inhabitants. A sudden chill went down her spine. Or a group of predators. She was supposed to lead the guards from the Morrison laboratory away from the direction of her home, but Riordan had carried her off instead. Had they found Jasmine's trail? Jasmine might not have been as cautious as she should have, thinking Juliette would be drawing the guards away from her. What if it was worse than the human guards? What if the male jaguars had cut across Jasmine's trail? Solange was on a scouting mission, hunting for any news of missing females. Jasmine had been alone.

Juliette didn't hesitate, she turned and ran, following the small animal trail through the brush. I think my sister's in trouble.

I am feeding, near full strength. Wait for me. I will get us to her.

She couldn't wait. She knew it didn't make sense, but she had to do something.

Adrenaline was pouring through her body. Fear took hold of her mind. What if Jasmine had been taken the night before and the males had her already for nearly twenty-four hours? Please G.o.d, please G.o.d. She chanted the plea, her chest burning, her throat closing. The more she ran, the more she was certain the jaguars had been on her sister's trail, tracking her.

"Juliette," Riordan caught her in strong arms, in front of her, blocking her way.

She hit his chest hard, but his larger frame barely rocked under her a.s.sault. "We have to be cautious. And we do not want to ruin any tracks. If they have her, it is better to slow down and find her trail, than to go running around without direction."

"You don't know what they do," she hissed, pulling away from him.

"We will find her and get her back."