He framed her face with his hands. “Baby, you have this all wrong. A claiming isn’t just for one night. It’s not just my leopard claiming yours. We’re a mated pair. We stay together.”

She looked startled. “Leopards don’ mate for life. I mean, I know you mentioned that once but I thought you were . . .”

“Shifters do. We do. Saria and Drake. We mate for life.” He stared down at her frown. At her stubborn chin. “Are you saying you planned on using me for sex and then you were just going to send me on my way?” He couldn’t help feeling a little outraged. He was experienced. Older by several years. Worldly. And she was going to use him and send him away. Damn it all to hell. “We mate for life, Saria.”

She dropped her arms and stepped back. “I didn’ understand that part.”

“Clearly.” He gentled his voice. Maybe he’d scared her. “Did you think I was taking advantage of your leopard?”

Her gaze jumped to his. “Drake, I didn’t know. I’m sorry, I just have to get this clear in my head. I thought you’d be with me and then have to leave. You don’t live here. I guess it just made sense you’d be goin’ away—after.”

He pushed down anger. What kind of man did she take him for? On the other hand, there’d been warning signs she’d thought that way and it did make some sense. He’d ignored it because he wanted her feeling the same deep feelings he’d already developed for her.

“Look, Saria, I know I was selfish earlier. I should have stopped us and waited until we were in a room with a bed so I could make love to you properly. I’m no going to make excuses, but I won’t be a selfish lover. I’ll put you first and make sex great for you. More than great.”

Saria looked more confused than ever. “You don’ even know me, Drake, not really. I’m not a city girl and I don’ ever want to be. This is my home and I love it. My life is simple for a reason. I had choices. This is my choice.”

“I know that, baby. I see you. Every part of you. Of course I know you have choices. I want me to be one of those choices.”

She bit her lip. “I’m not like other people, Drake. I’m just not. I can’t breathe sometimes away from here. I do what I want. I don’ like hurtin’ others and I know if we were together, you’d eventually try to tell me what to do and I know I would never do it.” She shook her head. “I don’ want to end up with children, an unhappy husband and a divorce.”

“The female leopard is not submissive to the male, Saria,” Drake said. “She’s wild and moody and he has to be in tune with her in order to be a successful mate. I didn’t choose you because I thought you’d be submissive to me. Am I a dominant male? Yes. There’s no probably, but I want a woman to stand by my side, to think for herself, to argue with me if she believes she’s right. I want you. It’s up to you to decide if you want me the way I am.” He glared at her. “But you’re not using me for sex and throwing me away after.”

A slow smile crept into her eyes. “You drive a hard bargain. I was lookin’ forward to usin’ you for sex. You’re very yummy.”

He gave her his darkest scowl, not giving in to his inclination to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. “Just remember the next time you want sex, you’d better mean it.”

She rolled her eyes, not impressed with his ultimatum. “We’d better get out of here. You don’ want to be traipsin’ through the swamp at night. Not even with me.”

Drake hid a smile. Yeah. He liked that little stubborn streak and the challenge she was always going to present. She had a passion for life and that same passion would spill over into the bedroom. He followed her back through the swamp as they retraced their steps, careful to step where the ground was solid.

Halfway back to the boat, he felt the snarling awakening of his leopard. The beast clawed and raked at him, an urgent demand to be let free. He found his amusement fading to be replaced by anger. Anger grew into rage with every step he took as they wound their way quickly through the rapidly darkening swamp. Who the hell did Saria think she was, treating him like that? Use him and walk away? She was a control freak. She needed a real man to teach her a lesson. His leopard roared at him, fighting to set free, to . . .

Drake pulled himself up short. What the hell was he thinking? Saria was young and inexperienced. And afraid. He couldn’t blame her. She was only trying to sort out an unfamiliar situation. He never would harm a woman or even consider doing such a thing. He stopped and looked around them. He had wrestled internally for some time as they made their way back to where she’d docked their boat, almost as if he’d lost track of time. His leopard subsided, giving him some breathing room as he followed Saria into the boat.

What the hell was going on? He needed to talk to his team. To her brothers. To really investigate Fenton’s Marsh and figure out what was wrong with the place. It felt—evil.

THE Boudreaux house was somewhat small, but very well built. Mahieu escorted them inside and Drake’s team immediately deployed close to the windows. Remy kept the lights off, other than a few candles, and they sat down to discuss the situation. Drake sensed Saria’s nervousness. They’d showered—in separate rooms—and she’d been quiet since they left the swamp. He couldn’t blame her, he was fairly quiet himself, wondering just what had happened between them. She did sit next to him on the couch, which he was grateful for. She fit beneath his shoulder, his thigh touching hers, and that seemed to give her confidence to launch into her story.