The waiting seemed endless. Jake stalked across the room and tugged Emma away from him, putting her in a chair, and sliding a second one close so she could put her feet up. Joshua handed him a wet towel without saying a word. Eli used it, wincing as he wiped at the rake marks on his chest. The slashes were deep and yet he hadn’t noticed he was injured.

It was useless to put on the T-shirt they’d brought, not with blood seeping from the various wounds on his body. It didn’t matter to him. Nothing did. He kept his gaze on the double doors where they’d taken her. Waiting. His heart in his throat.

He heard the measured footfalls coming toward them from the hallway leading to the surgery rooms. His pulse thundered in his ears. He felt bile churning in his gut. Still, he didn’t move, every muscle locked in place. His leopard pushed close, too close to the surface. Beneath his skin the wave of fur sent an itch rushing through him. His eyes went cat, heat waves banding.

Every scent came to him, pouring off the doctor as he stepped through the doors. Her blood. Her scent. He didn’t go to the doctor. He couldn’t take a step, not without his cat forcing a shift to protect him.

“Mr. Perez?”

Eli nodded. That was all he could manage. The rest of his body was locked in place. Frozen with fear. Coiled and ready to strike.

“I’m Dr. Mulligan. Jake called me in to help with Catarina. She’s alive and she’s doing very well. The woman is a fighter.” There was satisfaction in his voice.

Eli’s entire body seemed to shut down. He was afraid he might actually collapse. The thunder in his ears roared louder and little jackhammers tripped against his skull. He forced his body under control because the doctor continued to speak and he needed to listen.

“There was a severe loss of blood. Broken ribs. She was battered, but she protected the baby. There wasn’t so much as a bruise on her stomach or abdomen. Her ribs, hips and back took the brunt of the attacks. We had no shortage of blood. Jake called it in fast, and Dr. Mason and I were set up for her. She’ll be sore and weak for a while, but she’s going to be fine.”

Eli glanced around the room. There were only shifters. “Her leopard?”

“I’m certain the leopard is okay as well. There were no signs that there was any damage, but of course we had no way of examining her cat.”

“Thank you.” He could barely get the words out. He glanced at Jake, who was holding Emma close to him. “Thank you both.” Dr. Mason had done the surgery on Drake, and Eli remembered him from that operation. He was grateful Jake had called both shifter doctors in to try to save Catarina.

Jake gave him a small salute, one that said “what are friends for.” Emma was crying with relief, and that’s what really mattered to him. Jake turned her into the shelter of his body and held her gently. He might be angry that she came, but there was only gentleness in his touch.

“I need to see her.” Eli made it a demand.

“She’s in recovery right now. In a couple of hours…”

“I need to see her,” Eli said again. This time his voice was a low growl. His leopard needed to see her as well.

Mulligan was a leopard. He knew the signs of a male at his limit. He nodded his head. “I’ll show you the way.”

“Elijah will stay,” Jake said. “He’ll have anything you need, Eli. Let Liam take care of your wounds while you’re with Catarina in recovery. You’re scaring the hospital personnel looking like that.”

He couldn’t answer. He couldn’t breathe without her. He needed to see her. That was all that mattered. Until he did, his leopard prowled too close. Until he did, air wouldn’t move through his lungs. He nodded a little curtly to Jake to indicate he understood and stalked through the double doors and down the wide hallway.

Dr. Mulligan hurried after him. “She’s strong, Mr. Perez.”

“Eli. Any man who saves Catarina’s life can use my first name.”

Mulligan smiled for the first time. “I’m not altogether certain I was the one who saved her life. She was a pretty determined woman.”

He opened a door, and Eli actually caught hold of the doorjamb to keep his legs from going out from under him. Only Catarina could make him this weak. She lay on a hospital bed, so pale she was nearly as white as the bleached sheets she was on. Her eyes were closed, her long lashes two thick feathery crescents standing out starkly against her white skin.

She had bruises everywhere. Her face was swollen and shadowed with blue and black. She was swathed in bandages. But she breathed. In and out. He sagged there, gripping the doorjamb to keep from sliding to the floor. She breathed. She was restless, fighting the sleep, or maybe reliving the attack, her body moving constantly as if trying to flee. Shadows flitted across her face. The nurse fussed over her, clicking soothingly, but that didn’t stop the agitated movements.

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” Mulligan said briskly. “The nurses in here like things sanitary. If you’re going to stay, you can’t be bleeding all over the floor.”

He nodded. He was going to stay whether they liked it or not, but he could cooperate now, his Catarina was breathing.

Ignoring the doctor and the nurse sitting so close to his woman, Eli crossed the distance to her. He laid his hand very gently over her small one, the one fisting over and over in the sheet. They were still giving her blood and intravenous antibiotics. Shifters carried venom and bacteria in their claws. He’d need a round of antibiotics as well.