L06 Leopard's Prey

by Christine Feehan

  The female whirled around, ears flat on her head, snarling, warning him off. He kept a respectful distance. Bijou was totally angry with him, and her cat protected her, even to warning off her mate. Remy swore at himself. He’d always bulldozed his way when he wanted something. He’d never really needed finesse. He was intelligent and like his leopard, cunning, strong and bad-tempered. He had control and discipline to offset the more negative traits of his leopard.

  He chuffed at her again, letting her know he found her beautiful and alluring. She snarled again and took a swipe at the leaves in front of her, sending them into the air. She whirled and ran, heading deeper into the swamp.

  The large male leopard followed her, keeping an exact safe distance, waiting for her to give him a sign she was more receptive to his advances. They traveled several miles in a light rain. The leaves overhead protected them from the water, but neither really noticed or cared. She was making her way in a steady line away from the Inn, and the male leopard circled to get in front of her and change her direction.

  The small female lifted her lip at him, growling and spitting, but she was tiring, and the demanding hormones were slowly edging out the rage. She allowed him to change her direction, and he moved closer to her, tentatively approaching. She rubbed along several more tree trunks, a small boulder and rolled in the grass. When she crouched, he moved closer. Instantly she was up, extending her claws and hissing her displeasure of him.

  She was up again and moving away from him. Patience was required of a male leopard, and with the little female already disoriented and frightened, just finding herself in her animal form, he had plenty of patience. Once again, he fell in behind her and followed her as she moved through the swamp.

  A small trickle of water became a larger ribbon, cutting through the wet land, and she padded through the inches of shallow water, splashing playfully and leaping back onto firmer ground. Just as she did, the black leopard slammed into her, driving her sideways, away from the thicker tree line. A golden male burst through the brush and circled her, coming to an abrupt halt when he caught sight of Remy’s black leopard, roaring a challenge as he attempted to stare down the black leopard.

  Remy recognized Robert Lanoux instantly. He was a member of the lair, single, and he’d given them trouble more than once. He had a reputation for not fighting fair, and usually, he traveled with his brother, Dion. Remy didn’t wait for the intruder to make his move, but rushed him, hitting him hard in the side and driving him off of his feet.

  The golden leopard rolled fast as the larger leopard drove after him, Remy relentless, wanting to end the fight fast without killing a member of his lair. Remy followed up his advantage with a punishing slap of his paw, claws slashing the side and neck of his adversary. Streaks of blood instantly matted fur. Robert kept rolling until he slipped into a tight opening in the brush.

  Remy’s leopard slammed into the shrubs, ripping through branches and leaves, using his superior weight and heavy muscles. He landed on the back of the golden leopard, driving him to the ground. Instantly, he flipped the smaller leopard and settled his teeth around Robert’s throat. Silence instantly descended in the swamp until there was only the sound of ragged, hot breathing coming in gasping puffs.

  The two leopards stared at one another, Remy not giving an inch. It wouldn’t be difficult to bite down and suffocate the smaller male if he made one wrong move. His leopard raged at the control he was imposing, furious that the intruder had challenged him for his mate. His mark was on her, his scent. There was a code of honor within the lair, and Robert had ignored it. He was within his rights under their laws to kill the challenger.

  Movement to his left had him biting down a little harder in a threat. He hadn’t smelled Robert’s brother Dion, but they were rarely separated, although he’d noticed that more and more Dion had seemed upset by his brother’s bullying ways. His gaze shifted for just one moment. The little female watched intently, curled up to make herself smaller. Bijou had risen closer to the surface, and he could scent fear along with the female’s excitement of the courtship rituals. The female trembled, her coat damp.

  There was no way to reassure her in his present form. Killing Robert in front of her wouldn’t give her cause to trust him either. Beneath him, Robert’s leopard suddenly relaxed and submitted. Remy held him that little bit longer to warn him not to be stupid. It took everything he had to hold his leopard back from the kill.

  Disgusted, his leopard dropped the golden leopard’s throat and backed off, snarling as he did so. Twice he charged the smaller male, roaring as he did, swiping his enormous paw in the grass and leaves, sending vegetation into the air. It took a few minutes for the leopard to settle enough that Robert could get up cautiously and slink off into the heavier brush and sprint away.

  The moment he was gone, the female leopard took off in the opposite direction as if running for her life—and maybe she felt as if she were. He couldn’t imagine what it was like for Bijou to discover at such a late date that she had an animal form living inside of her. She didn’t know how she could move between forms, how she would come to control her leopard and keep the animal’s emotions from affecting her too much. Her leopard was probably just as confused and scared as she was.

  Once again Bijou had headed away from the Inn and he circled to get in front of her, needing to drive her back. She halted abruptly when he appeared in front of her, baring her teeth, ears flat against her head, signaling her displeasure with him. He approached her carefully, and she slapped leaves and twigs at him. He rushed her, hitting her with his shoulder, turning her back toward the Inn and springing away before she could retaliate.

  The female leopard hissed at him, whirling around in a circle, trying to get past him, but he blocked her every way until she took the only out left to her and headed in the direction the male wanted her to go. This time she didn’t run from him, clearly already tired from trying the impossible—fighting the demands of her hormones and the urgent need to mate.

  Again, he was careful, keeping a safe distance, but this time he paced alongside of her, testing the air to ensure they were once again alone. Every now and then, the female would rub along the trees. Eventually the action became more frequent and she would roll in the vegetation almost playfully, submissively, but when she crouched for the first time and he approached her, she spat at him and leapt away.

  Remy retreated farther to allow the female leopard more freedom. No other leopards—or humans—appeared to be in the area, and clearly Bijou had withdrawn once again to allow her female her time. Her buff-colored coat with the dark rosettes allowed her to nearly disappear at times as she padded on her silent paws through the vegetation and trees. Every few feet she would stop and crouch, but if the male got to close, she would rebuff him.

  The rebuffs became less and less threatening and her actions more and more enticing. She lured the male closer still, with tantalizing chemical messages, vocal calls, seductive rolls and sensuous stretches, all directed toward the large male. The male became more aggressive and possessive as she crouched again, this time blanketing her, driving his teeth into the back of her neck to hold her in place.

  Hours later, exhausted, both cats broke apart, the little female retreating to the shade of the trees as the dawn began to break. The male lay close to her, watching over her and resting for a few minutes before getting to his feet and nudging her up. Reluctantly she obeyed, too tired to fight him as he pushed her onward.

  The male leopard retreated enough to allow Remy to think logically. He was exhausted, and Bijou had to be as well. The two leopards had had sex for hours, over and over as their species did. They still had to make it back to the Inn before they could be seen.

  It took only a few minutes to make it to the edge of the swamp and circle around to the lake where the back of Saria’s property stretched out in front of them. Remy kept them inside the grove of trees as long as possible, testing the wind and air for signs of human activity before they sprin
ted across the open grass for the Inn itself.

  He leapt up to the branches of the tree closest to her second-story balcony, showing her the way back to her room. The next leap took him onto the railing and then to the floor of the balcony. The smaller leopard followed him, head down, sides heaving, barely making it over the rail to flop down onto her side.

  Remy shifted to his human form, opened the French door and stepped back to allow the small leopard into her bedroom. “Shift back, Blue,” he encouraged. “Just let her go, take your form back.”

  The cat looked at him. There was something in her eyes that made him uncomfortable. He could shift fast enough to protect himself if she launched an attack. Her leopard was exhausted—hell—they both were exhausted. Bijou would barely be able to move once she returned to her human form. That first shifting was exhilarating, but it was definitely draining. Instead of launching herself at him, the small female leopard walked past him, nose in the air. He’d never seen an animal look so haughty and regal and dignified.

  She went straight into the bathroom and the door slammed behind her. Remy let out his breath, unaware he’d even been holding it. He caught up a towel and wrapped it around his hips, sinking down into the comfortable chair facing the French doors. He felt every muscle in his body, sore and bruised from the fight with the other male and long sessions of rough sex. His leopard might not be sore, but it was different for him as a human.

  He glanced toward the bathroom door. The silence went on for so long he stirred, determined to go to her, but then the water in the shower went on. He leaned back and pressed his fingers to his eyes. He needed sleep—a very long sleep, but there was no way it was going to happen until he talked to Bijou and found out why she was so angry with him.

  The water seemed to go on forever. He sighed. He needed a shower as well. His muscles were going to get stiff sitting there; he had to make himself move. He stood up, stretched and went to the French doors to pull the drapes. Hand on the pull cord, he paused, movement catching his eye. Down by the edge of the swamp, something moved in the brush, just enough to stir the leaves the wrong direction.

  Not wanting to draw the eye to him, he inched freeze-frame, much like his leopard counterpart, until he was back in the shadows, but able to see out the French doors. He waited patiently, all fatigue forgotten, holding still and sending up a silent prayer that Bijou wouldn’t choose that moment to walk into the room.

  As he watched, a golden leopard thrust his head through the brush to look up at the Inn. It stood there for a long while, just staring, and scenting the air. Very carefully the leopard emerged, until it was fully in the open, something none of them did unless absolutely necessary—as Remy had done in order to track Bijou. Robert Lanoux was up to something, and it couldn’t be good.

  Remy had considered that the killer might be leopard. He knew it was possible to disguise any odor, even from a leopard. It had been done by one of his kind before and everyone in the lair was aware of those gruesome killings. Any shifter could hunt as a leopard and kill as a man or vice versa. As he watched, the golden leopard reached high and raked one of the trees near the Inn. He scent-marked several others before whirling around and rushing back into the safety of the swamp.

  Remy frowned. Had Drake been home, he would have taken Robert’s actions as a challenge for leadership. To come onto Drake’s property and scent mark and leave rake signs on trees would garner swift retaliation by the lair’s leader—and Robert had fought and lost to Drake before. In fact, it was apparent that Drake could have killed him easily. So why would Robert take such a chance? Nothing about Robert’s actions made any sense. He knew Remy could kill him. He knew Remy’s leopard could as well.

  The water went off abruptly, and Remy pulled the drapes, darkening the room, certain that Robert had retreated to the safety of his own property, but taking no chances. He swung around to face Bijou as she emerged. Her hair was wrapped in a towel and she wore a robe. There were shadows under her eyes, bruises and love bites on her neck. He didn’t think it would have mattered if she’d come out wrapped in a garbage bag, his body immediately reacted with urgent demands—and he was damned tired. There was no getting around it and there was no hiding it.

  He saw the flare of desire in her eyes, quickly veiled by her long lashes. She shook her head. “Don’ you have a place to sleep?”

  He glanced at the bed.

  Bijou sighed. “It’s not goin’ to happen, Remy. I need sleep desperately, and right now, I don’ like you very much.”

  “Why? What the hell did I do wrong?”

  She recoiled for just a moment at his tone, and then her chin went up. “Figure it out. In the meantime, I’m goin’ to bed to sleep, so go away.”

  “That’s not goin’ to happen, Blue.” He threw her words right back at her. “I’m stayin’ right here with you.”

  “You can’t tell me Saria won’t give you a place to sleep.” Bijou stalked across the room to the edge of the bed, yanked down the covers, and tossed her robe aside.

  Before she could hide, he saw the dark smudges on her body. She moved a little stiffly as if, like him, her body ached. He reached out and caught the covers, holding them open for her so she could crawl in the bed.

  “I’m takin’ a quick shower, and then I’ll be sleepin’ right next to you,” he warned.

  Bijou slid into bed and turned on her side, clearly savoring the feel of the mattress and soft sheets. “Do whatever, Remy. I’m too tired to argue. Just please don’ wake me, because I don’ want to have sex with you.”

  “I’m waitin’ for lightning to strike you, woman,” he replied.

  She didn’t even look at him, her lashes already veiling her eyes so he couldn’t read her expression. It didn’t matter. He knew. She craved him every bit as much as he did her.

  Remy took a long shower, allowing the hot water to run over his tired muscles, washing his hair and going over everything that had happened between them. Had she still been angry with him for leaving her earlier? Most likely, although for a short while she’d seemed to have forgiven him.

  He sighed and made his way back into the bedroom. Bijou clearly had fallen asleep and the towel she’d wrapped her hair in had come loose. Her long hair was everywhere, still damp. She looked young to him, too young for the kinds of things he’d done to her.

  He slipped into the bed and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her into the protection of his body. She was warm and soft. He buried his face in her shoulder, kissing the bite marks along her neck. He laid back, content to just be with her, so close, his body tight against hers, his cock nestled between the firm globes of her buttocks and her breast in his palm. He drifted off to sleep with the scent of lavender surrounding him.

  12

  REMY woke to pounding on the door. He kept his eyes closed just that little bit longer, holding Bijou close to him, enjoying the warmth and softness of her body. Beside him she stirred, moving with a low groan of protest.

  “Remy! Your cell phone is off. They need you at work right away,” Saria called out. “There’s been another murder.”

  He dropped his head on Bijou’s shoulder and swore softly under his breath. “Not again. This can’ be happenin’ again to us.”

  The pounding continued.

  “I hear you, Saria. I’m on it, thanks,” he called out reluctantly.

  Bijou rolled over in his arms, her gaze meeting his. Her eyes were such a deep, perfect color of blue. He knew he’d never get enough of falling into them and just drowning.

  “I’m sorry, Blue, I’m goin’ to have to go again. I know we need to talk . . .”

  She sat up and pushed back her heavy fall of wild hair. “Remy, I’m perfectly fine. I’m some kind of freak, but I’m fine. We have great sex and no attachment, but guess what, I’m still fine. I’m all grown up and I’m just as responsible for what happens every time we get together. The freaky change into an animal thing, I’m just goin’ to ignore until I’ve had my coffee. I might
give it some thought then.”

  He rubbed his palm down the length of her spine, needing the contact with her. “Great sex with no attachment? We’re havin’ a long talk about that misconception. But you make me laugh. You wake up grumpy, don’ you?”

  “Only when I’ve destroyed an entire room in my only friend’s beautiful Inn with some kind of depraved sex and then turn into an animal and run around the swamp like a sex-starved cat hussy. Otherwise, no, I’m perfectly fine when I wake up.”

  He leaned over and brushed a kiss over her temple, keeping his lips against her skin. “And you aren’t sex-starved anymore. We’ve taken care of that,” he whispered.

  “Says who?” Bijou asked. “Don’ be thinkin’ you’re all that, Remy Boudreaux. You’re not that good.”

  He trailed kisses to the corner of her mouth. “I know I’m that good. Stay the hell out of the swamp.”

  “Don’ be tellin’ me what to do. We might have sex once in a while but you never get to tell me what to do.”

  She managed a haughty expression even with his mouth moving on down her neck to the swell of her breast. He heard her breath catch in her throat, and she pushed him away. “Go, Remy. You need to catch whoever is murderin’ people.”

  “Are you goin’ to stay put this time?” He narrowed his eyes and pinned her with a hard gaze. It usually worked for him, but she gave a little sniff. “I mean it, Blue. I don’ want to have to put every cop in the city and every sheriff in the surroundin’ parishes on alert lookin’ for you. If I have to do that, believe me, mon pitit, you’ll be hauled back in handcuffs.”

  “Delightful.” Sarcasm dripped from her voice. “And I’m not your mon pitit.”

  “You’re my anything I need or want you to be.” He leaned closer and licked her already taut nipple.

  She shuddered, one arm circling his head. She didn’t pull him away or push him closer, she simply stayed still, looking down at him.