Saria was silent for a moment, but those cat’s eyes never left his face. She shook her head again. “What are you up to, Remy?”

“He’s not going to like her havin’ a man in her life. He’ll get mad and make a mistake, and I’ll be there to take him down.”

“No.” Saria stated the word quite fiercely.

For a woman so much younger than he was, Remy had to admire her courage. He wasn’t a man most people—man or woman—ever chose to go up against. His little sister had no such qualms. He raised his eyebrow and remained silent.

“I mean it, Remy. She’s . . . susceptible. You can’t pretend to be her boyfriend just to bring some stalker out into the open. I know you. You’ll decide she can’t know because she won’t act natural. You can’t pretend to care for her . . .”

They both scented lavender and leopard at the exact same moment. Remy was already gliding toward the door, more leopard than man in that moment. His leopard went wild—crazy. Snarling and raking, desperate to emerge. He couldn’t imagine what Saria’s cat was like, scenting a female close to her time.

“I’ll go.” He managed to bite out the two words. “You get out of here. Go to my house in the bayou.”

Saria was definitely struggling to control her female. “She heard me, Remy.” Her voice had gone husky, gravelly, fur running under her skin as her leopard fought for supremacy.

His breath hissed out of his lungs. There was no more doubt, Bijou was definitely leopard and she was close to the emerging. Every single male in the lair would be driven insane, and Drake, the only voice of reason, was gone. Remy cursed as he padded down the hall on silent feet. Bijou had heard every word Saria had said and she would believe it was true. It smacked of being true. There was no doubt he was a man who might do that very thing to bring a dangerous adversary into the light. There was every reason for Bijou to believe what Saria said. Hell. Saria believed it and she was his sister.

He moved swiftly through the halls, following the scent of the elusive female leopard. Bijou would have no idea why her emotions were all over the place. She had no idea what was happening to her—or what could happen. His lair was fucked up. There was no other word for it. They’d been isolated for so long and had no idea of the way leopard society worked—until Drake had shown up.

Some had intermarried and produced—monsters. Others had married outside of the leopard society and weakened the lair as generations failed to produce offspring. It was a complicated situation even as Drake tried to provide guidance for them. He sent the younger men to the rain forests in the hopes of finding mates, and that was difficult. Once any of the males got a whiff of a female coming into the Han Von Dan they would be all over her.

Remy’s lips drew back in a snarl. No one would be safe. Bijou had to be claimed immediately and thoroughly so there was no doubt she was taken. Without that, chaos would reign and the males could easily turn on one another. Drake was working magic on the lair, but it was difficult to overcome generations of problems.

Remy knew the exact moment Bijou was aware he was pursuing her. Her soft footfalls sped up and almost immediately a draft rushed through the house as she went through the front door and raced toward her car. He used his animal, the cat already sensing the desirable female running from him. He leapt after her, covering twenty feet in a single jump. His leopard could easily reach thirty-five miles an hour when running. She was fumbling with the car keys, her hands trembling, hurting, as her cat rose close to the surface. She tried to unlock the car door when he landed behind her, reached around and took the keys from her hand.

Bijou spun around fast, striking out. His leopard saved him from a swift rake of nails. Her female had leapt to Bijou’s defense, claws springing out for one moment to keep her human safe from attack. The claws barely missed him, and he glided back a few more steps just to be certain he was out of the danger zone.

Bijou clearly had no idea what just happened, or that her eyes were glowing an almost aquamarine blue. Her skin was nearly translucent, her hair wild. He’d never seen a woman so passionate or so alluring. His leopard had already gone insane, reacting to hers and the pheromones she was throwing out, demanding his human claim her immediately, whether she was ready or not.

Remy lifted his face to test the wind, worried that it was blowing in the direction of the bayou where so many other males might catch that elusive and potent scent. The need for sex was riding her hard, and if he read the situation correctly, she was on her way into town just for that specific purpose. Bijou, who clearly wasn’t a one-night stand kind of woman, had to be scared and confused.

“Give me my car keys,” she hissed at him.

His blood sang hotly in his veins. His body was on fire, aching. In need. He tasted lavender in his mouth, breathed it into his lungs. He watched her closely, unblinking, focused. The eyes of the leopard, not the man. Slowly he shook his head. “I don’ think so, Blue. You’re goin’ into town lookin’ for somethin’ you’re going to regret tomorrow.”

Swift color surged up her neck into her face. “That’s none of your business.” She held out her hand for the keys.

Remy knew he had already passed the point of no return. He had never experienced such an urgent, all-consuming need. He recognized her in some strange way. He knew they would burn hot and out of control, almost as if he knew every curve, as if they’d done this all before. He caught her wrist and yanked her to him, his other fist tangling in her hair to jerk her head back as he brought his mouth down hard on hers. The world around him exploded, turned red, the ground shifting as her body melted into his.