“He wouldn’t do that,” Isabeau denied.

“Why?” Rio asked.

“He has a sense of honor,” she replied.

The knots in Conner’s belly tightened even more. He didn’t want Ottila Zorba anywhere near Isabeau. “Listen, baby,” he crooned softly. “This isn’t your fault. None of this is your fault.”

“I did something to him.” There was a frown in her voice, but she wouldn’t look at him. “He said my cat would accept him. And she didn’t come out to help me. She didn’t protest what he was doing.”

“We have venom in our claws.” He brushed kisses over her temples. “Zorba is trying to confuse you, to make you think that what you did entitles him to you, but he saw you and in his twisted mind, like any other common stalker, he thinks you have a relationship with him. He knows you’re my mate. He knows you’re married to me, but it doesn’t matter to him. Mates are sacred. No one touches another’s mate.”

He took her through to the bathroom and allowed her legs to drop to the floor, one arm holding her steady.

“I don’t understand, Conner. You said he has the right to challenge you.”

“You chose, but yes, an unmated female certainly has the right to choose her mate. She isn’t restricted to one single male until that choice is made. Ordinarily, mates look for one another, life cycle after cycle, but they don’t always. Your cat indicated she found his cat attractive, that’s all. But you are mated, and he has no rights at all to you. He knows that.”

“Then what does the venom do?”

He was afraid she’d ask. He busied himself tugging at her shirt, which she didn’t want to give up. She kept pulling the hem back down. Finally she covered her chest with her arms, preventing him from removing her top.

“I’ll do it myself, when I’m alone.”

Defiance crept into her eyes. Shame. His heart contracted. He caught her arms and dragged her to him, his mouth coming down on hers. His kiss was long, tender and filled with as much love as he could pour into it.

“You have to believe me, Isabeau. This isn’t your fault. Did you think because all the people in this valley are so kind, that leopard people are always good? The danger of our business is that we see the worst of people, not the best, as we have in this valley. But I’ve seen the worst in leopards and the best in humans. Ottila is a sick man. You didn’t give him an opening, he fixated on you all by himself.”

She refused to meet his gaze. “He did this so you wouldn’t want me. I know he did. The wounds will heal, but they’ll scar. Right now, his scent and his marks are all over me. He wanted you to find me distasteful—repugnant.”

“Well, guess what, he didn’t succeed.”

Her gaze leapt to his face. “My cat can smell your lie.”

“Not a lie. My cat is raging. As he should be. As, deep down, I am. I don’t want another man touching you.” He kept his gaze steady on hers, never flinching. Yes, his cat was snarling, hating the smell of the other man—but never her—never his mate. He raged at himself for not protecting her, but the blame was on his shoulders, not hers, if there was blame to be had by one of them. “I could never be repulsed by you, Isabeau. You’re my heart. My soul. This man can’t drive a wedge between us. Let your cat smell whether I’m telling you the truth or a lie. Now let me take your clothes off and see what damage he’s done.”

“He was careful not to really injure me.”

“He’s a first-class bastard who gave no thought to your feelings. Possession isn’t love, Isabeau, no matter how possessive a man feels. And I do feel possessive, but I know I don’t own you. And I don’t have the right to hurt you or take away your choices. I put my mark on you to protect you from him, not to brand you as mine. I think my leopard may have that idea, but I’m not just my leopard and I refuse, as every man should, to use our cat’s instincts to guide us into animalistic behavior. And don’t get me wrong, Isabeau, Ottila’s behavior was an abomination against animals.”

For the first time a faint smile crept into her eyes. “Did you think he dazzled me with his show of strength? He terrified me. I never want to see him again.”

This time she let him remove her clothing. His fingers brushed her skin and she jumped a little, but remained still. There were puncture wounds on her breasts and at the junction of her legs, a strike at him, Conner was certain, but the real damage was the mottled bruising coming up under her skin.

He closed his eyes for a moment, breathing deep, breathing away the combined rage of the leopard and the man. He waited until he was completely under control. “You know I’m going to kill him.”

She sank into the heated tub, shivering, the blood slowly turning the water pink. “That’s what he wants. Let’s just get the children and leave.”

“You aren’t coming with us, Isabeau. It’s too dangerous and you’re in no shape. Tomorrow you won’t be able to move.”

Her gaze jumped to his face. “You’re not leaving me alone. Not again. And I’ll be even more of an asset to the team. Imelda and her crew will think Elijah did this to me and they’ll be happy that he’s like them. It will be one more thing to make her let down her guard enough to give us a little rein in her territory. Besides, I’m the one her grandfather talked to about gardens. He said he had one. That’s outside. He’ll expect me to go out with him and see it. My cat can smell as well as yours. I’ll find them while Elijah and Marcos talk alliances and you look tough.”