He made it into the comparative shelter of the first stand of trees not out in the water, knowing he wasn’t completely out of Saria’s sight, but his leopard was impatient to be allowed his freedom. There was a certain urgency the animal was exhibiting and over the years Drake had learned to rely on the instincts of his leopard. He tossed his clothes aside, uncaring that Saria would see him with all the scars and wounds on his body. The change was already on him, his leopard rising as he reached to embrace the transformation.

Power poured through him. Roped muscles stretched and he was running, the leopard raking trees and dragging leaves into piles to mark them as he raced against time to claim as much territory as possible to warn the other males away. It took longer than he wanted, as the leopard reveled in his freedom and untouched wilderness stretching out before him.

He forced his leopard to become aware their mate was unprotected, the one means he knew would deter the animal from continuing. Once he had him circling back, Drake processed the information the leopard had collected on the marsh itself. A beautiful place, it seemed relatively untouched by human or leopard and that struck him as peculiar. If a leopard was killing here, he would mark his territory. There was no scent trace, no markings, and no tree had been touched until Drake had raked it.

What leopard would do that? This lair was confusing. A leopard had a certain nature throughout the world. Instincts were ingrained. It mattered little what region the leopard was from, whether shifter or animal, most of the instincts were the same. Shifters generallyd for life, unlike their animal brethren, but there were very little differences in the nature. Lairs, regions where shifters lived in harmony, had specific rules that were enforced for the good of everyone. They lived by rigid rules to keep the aggressive and dominant males from harming others. Without those rules, no lair would survive. Was this one on the brink of chaos?

He returned to the tree where he’d left his clothes, only to find Saria sitting in it, waiting for him, the rifle across her lap.

“Wait,” she called to him. “Don’ shift yet. Is it safe for me to come down?”

Drake looked up at her, his leopard staring, curling his lip, wrinkling his nose and grimacing with an open mouth, indicating he found Saria’s leopard very attractive and close to her heat. Only Saria would chance sitting in the crotch of a tree bough with a rifle in her lap and casually ask afterward if she was safe. The leopard nodded.

She didn’t hesitate, skimming down the tree recklessly, although he noticed she faced the leopard the entire time and never lost her grip on the rifle. He could have told her his leopard would be on her in a second, far too fast for her to protect herself had she been an enemy, but he couldn’t help admiring the way she attacked life head-on. She was leopard and she chose not to fear it, but to take an opportunity to examine a leopard up close.

The measure of her trust in him humbled him. He hadn’t earned it. Her instincts had to come from a life together neither fully remembered, but their leopards did. Whatever the reason, he wasn’t about to let her down. He took a firm grip on his leopard, who all but knocked her over, rubbing himself all over her skin. He used his large head to rub and mark his scent glands over her.

She sank her fingers into the thick fur, her expression one of pure joy. Drake could tell she didn’t know the male leopard wanted his female leopard’s counterpart to absorb his scent throughout her body to warn any rivals away. He waited patiently, although he was aware of every minute ticking by, allowing Saria a chance to stroke and caress the leopard as much as she wanted.

“Can you shift with me touching your shoulder? I want to see it up close and feel it.” She looked the leopard right in the eye, unafraid of that piercing, intelligent stare.

He was going to be stark naked when he emerged, but if that was what his lady wanted, he could accommodate her. He was a big man, with a deep chest and the heavy, defined muscles of his kind. His thighs were twin columns of muscle, his waist trim and his hips narrow. Even for a shifter, he had an impressive cock, and as he shifted, with the same, quick transition, the sight of her gaze jumping to his groin sent a rush of hot blood filling him. She raised her eyes slowly to his face.

“No doubt about it, honey, my body definitely belongs to you,” he said and snagged his jeans. He drew them up carefully over his rather painful erection, willing himself to relax. She hadn’t run, although for the first time, she looked a little shaken.

“You’re very fast at going from human to leopard.”

“I have to be. I run a team that rescues hostages and protects people in dangerous situations. We have to have certain skills to be able to do that without getting killed.”

Her gaze moved over the injuries on his body, the old scars and newer raw wound made by the leopard fight. She had to have seen the terrible scar running down his leg—unless—her gaze had jumped to his groin again. The instant rush was hot and urgent. She licked her lips and his cock jerked, straining against the material of his jeans.

“What if I can’t take . . . I mean, Drake, you’re bigger than I imagined.”

“You grew up with men.”

“Brothers. I didn’ look at them. I’m tellin’ you, they were rarely there and when they were, inevitably I went into the swamp.”

He drew on his shirt and reached for her, catching her shirt and pulling her to him until her body was pressed tight against his. He transferred his hold to the nape of her neck. “You can take me. You were made for me, Saria. And I’ll make certain you’re ready. Keep trusting me, honey. I promised you I’d get you through this.”