“You killed my father.”

He shook his head. “I’m not letting you lay that at my door. I have enough sins without you blaming me for something I didn’t do. You know better. You don’t want to face it, but he killed himself the moment he threw in with that bunch for the money. They kidnapped and tortured people for money. How is that different from what’s going on here?” His palm cupped her face, his thumb sliding over soft skin before she could pull away. “If you need a reason to hate me, you have legitimate ones. Stick to one of those.”

Isabeau pulled away from him and crossed to the window, staring out into the forest. “Those children need to be rescued, Conner. It really doesn’t matter what I feel right now. This isn’t about what happened between us. It really isn’t. I didn’t bring you here for revenge. I wouldn’t have sent for you, but Adan refused to allow me to try by myself to get inside her compound. Those children are in danger. She’ll really do what she’s threatened—send them home in pieces if the tribe doesn’t cooperate.” She turned to face him again, her eyes meeting his. “How do we get inside to find out where they’re being held?”

He was silent a moment, watching her. She seemed more fragile than he remembered, more beautiful, her skin nearly glowing, her hair shiny and rippling with a silken invitation. She was telling the truth. “Then we’ll have to get them out, won’t we,” he said softly.

Some of the tension eased from her body. “I thought you weren’t going to help me.”

“You really don’t know about the leopard world, do you?” he asked.

She frowned and looked at her hand. “I didn’t think that was real.”

He held out his hand. “Look at me, but stay very calm. I mean it, Isabeau, don’t make any moves or scream. My cat is hungry for you and I’m going to let him out just enough for you to know I’m speaking the truth. Don’t incite him any more than your scent already has.”

She looked more confused than ever, so he willed the change. His leopard leapt at his control, battering hard in an effort to emerge fully. Claws burst through his hands and fur raced up his arm. He felt the contortion of his muscles and, breathing deep, he fought the cat back. It took every ounce of strength. Sweat trickled down his body and muscles locked and froze as he urged the leopard under control.

Isabeau gasped, but she stood her ground. Most of the color leeched from her face, and her eyes seemed enormous. She rubbed at her arms as if they itched, as if her cat had leapt toward his beneath her skin. “How is this possible?” Her voice was a whisper of sound.

He glided toward her, afraid she might fall, but she stepped back and held up a defensive hand, shaking her head. He froze again, going completely still.

“The short version is, we’re a separate species, not leopard, not human, but a combination of both. Our female leopards don’t emerge until the Han Vol Dan, or the first heat for the leopard. Many females don’t know they are leopard. My guess is, the doctor delivered you, and not realizing you were leopard, as we’re a closely guarded secret, he decided to raise you when your birth mother died. We’d have to do some research, but he probably passed you off as his wife’s child, or quietly adopted you.”

“Why is it when I’m around you everything in my life goes to hell?” She pushed a shaky hand through her hair.

His leopard snarled a warning just as the cicadas ceased their song. A chuffing sound followed by a grunt of acknowledgment came from outside the cabin.

“Who followed you, Isabeau?” Conner was on her fast, gripping her arm and pulling her into the protection of his body, and away from the window. “Do you have someone else with you?” He dragged her onto her toes. “Answer me, now, before someone gets killed.”

3

ISABEAU swallowed hard, shaking her head, her eyes wide with fear, even as she fought him, more instinctive than wanting free. “I swear, it was just Adan and me who came to see you, no one else.”

Conner responded by dragging her away from the windows and into the shelter of a small alcove where anyone looking in wouldn’t be able to see her. He gave a series of chuffing sounds, warning the others that whoever was approaching the cabin had not come with Isabeau’s knowledge.

Isabeau’s heart was pounding loud enough for him to hear, her breathing coming in ragged gasps. He held her still, ignoring the heel drumming into his shin. Dropping his voice to a whisper, he pressed his lips against her ear. “You’d better be telling the truth, because whoever is out there will be hunted.”

She forced herself to stop struggling, but her body remained tense, on the verge of flight. “I swear to you, Adan and I came alone.”

“Who knew you were trying to hire a rescue team?” Her scent was driving him insane. Her body was soft and lush and he remembered every curve, every secret hollow. It was difficult to keep from nuzzling her throat. As it was, his head dipped low and found the soft joining of her neck and shoulder.

“Adan’s wife. And he went to the grandfather of the other children, but no one else. Cortez pays spies. She has them everywhere. We had to be careful. We didn’t even meet in the open. Adan went off for a while trying to track you down, but I don’t know if he talked to anyone else.”

Rio would be questioning Adan, and the tribal elder was too savvy to lie to a leopard. “You’ll be fine, Isabeau. Nothing will happen to you with all of us around. They’ll take care of it.” But he felt caged. He didn’t like the walls surrounding him. He needed to be out where he felt he could remove any threat to her. “Just relax.”