Leopard's Fury

by Christine Feehan

So perfect. So absolutely perfect. "Say it." He bit out the demand between his clenched teeth. He couldn't hold out, not with her scorching heat strangling him, not when she was so close he could feel her body coiling tighter and tighter.

  "I love you, Iceman. My Iceman."

  She could never say it enough. He drove into her again and again so that her body, already scorching hot and tight, clamped down on his cock, a vise like a silken fist wrapped around him, nearly to the point of strangulation. He kept driving into her, a deadly piston that wouldn't stop, the friction pure fire.

  She screamed his name, her fists tightening in his hair. The bite of pain added to the wild savage nature inside of him. The orgasm hit like a tidal wave, ripping through her. Powerful. Hard. Vicious. His body nearly seized, the orgasm tearing through him, his balls burning, the rush as his seed jetted into her, again and again. So many times. His body was out of control. Dying. Living. Reborn.

  He collapsed over top of her, burying his face in her neck, letting her take his weight. She was soft, her breasts pushing into his chest. He kissed the skin right over her wildly beating pulse. She never complained about his weight or the fact that her ability to breathe was limited, she simply held him tight and waited.

  It was times like this, knowing he was heading out into something dangerous, that he realized how much she'd changed his life. How much he loved her and couldn't live without her. He always went to the bakery with her, not so much to do his work but to make certain she was safe. He had existed before her. He'd lived without hope. Now, his life was full and he looked forward to every morning, to every minute of the day. The nights were especially beautiful.

  "Honey?" She made the inquiry softly. "What's wrong?"

  She knew him so well. To distract her, he nibbled his way across her chin and down her throat to the sweet curve of her breasts, adding several new marks to the fading ones. He loved marking her. One hand slipped down to the junction between her legs, his thumb gliding over her clit while his finger curled inside, pressing against that sweet spot, sweeping back and forth while his teeth and tongue tugged at the nipple of her right breast and his hand was at her left.

  She came apart again for him, breathing deep and ragged. He felt every ripple and watched the beauty come over her, flushing her skin, her eyes wide and filled with that glazed look he loved. He held her a long time, kissing her over and over until he knew they both had to get up and shower, to get ready for the day.

  He took her in the shower, against the wall, another hard but fast tango, his hands and mouth possessive. It wasn't unusual, but still, she regarded him with suspicion. He had to make certain he told his brother and cousins, if they found a woman, to make certain she wasn't extremely intelligent.

  "I won't be coming to the bakery this morning with you. I'll have to meet you later, but I'll take care of things and get there as fast as I can." He dressed in clothes he could remove fast, clothes made specifically for shifters. One of Drake's friends manufactured them. They added needed seconds onto their speed.

  Evangeline looked him over with a slight frown. "What are you doin', Fyodor? And don' try to pretend it's nothin'."

  "I've got a little business thing this morning."

  "It's three in the mornin'."

  It never boded well for him when she put her hands on her hips and gave him that look, the one he always wanted to kiss off her face. Bog, but she was adorable. He pulled on his shoes. Those were just as special, easily removed when needed. She followed him down the hall to where his brother and cousins waited.

  "All of my boys are goin'? This doesn't look good. At least tell me you're goin' to be safe."

  "I'll keep him safe," Timur promised.

  She raised her chin, and Alonzo could have told his brother that wasn't a good sign. "Who will keep you and Gorya and Sevastyan safe, Timur? You count. All of you do. I'm not willin' to lose any of you. Do you have to do this, Fyodor?"

  Love for her nearly overwhelmed him. She could bring him to his knees. She didn't ask him again what he was doing, nor did she protest. Clearly she was worried for them and knew it was something big. She also had to assume it was something illegal.

  "Solnyshko moyo, I can tell you this much. Emilio Bassini is shipping guns overseas disguised as furniture. If we don't stop that shipment, those guns could be in the hands of terrorists. He's a major player in gunrunning. We haven't figured out where his source is yet, but we will." He gave her that much. The truth. She needed to know what she was facing living with him.

  She took a breath, comprehension on her face. "All of you are in on this. Now Jake and Drake make sense. They didn't before."

  "I'll never be entirely clean, Evangeline. Never. We'll have to go to our graves with others believing we're dirty, and they'll be right. We'll never be out of danger from either side. That's what I've dragged you into."

  She didn't hesitate, but then she never did. "I love you, Fyodor. All of you. Your crazy brother and cousins as well. I'm with you one hundred percent. Just be safe. All of you come home. Every single one of you."

  He hooked his palm at the nape of her neck, dragged her to him and kissed her hard. It would have to be enough to sustain him until he got back safely.

  *

  "ARE you ready to go, Evangeline?" Ted Freemont called. "Get a move on."

  "Warm up the car, it's freezin'," she called back. "I'm lookin' for my gloves. I'll be right out." She wasn't about to tell him she'd misplaced the keys to the bakery again. It was something she'd done more than once, and they had warned her over and over to hang them up on the key rack.

  "You're nuts, woman. It isn't freezing. It's warm this morning," Ted called back. "I'll have Max bring the car around to the front."

  "You know I could drive my own car. It's goin' to have problems sittin' in that garage."

  "Boss got rid of that death trap a while ago."

  Evangeline's head snapped around as she caught up the keys to the bakery. "He did what?" It would be just like him to get rid of her car and not say a word to her. "He'd better not have."

  "Got rid of it myself. Had it crushed. He said it was at my discretion, and having been around you, I knew you'd go looking for that piece of junk just out of some misplaced feminine crap independence."

  She was so going to kick him for that. Evangeline stomped out of the bedroom and down the hall toward the front door. Ted just stood there, his hand wrapped around the doorknob, a grin on his face.

  "Don' you pretend you didn't get rid of my car just so I won't kick you, because you did." She'd heard the ring of truth in his voice.

  "I'm with the boss on this one. That car wasn't safe." He opened the door. "We've got to get moving if you're going to bake. The kid is meeting us there. He took his motorcycle."

  They all called Jeremiah "the kid." Once Alonzo and Elijah were aware she knew Jeremiah was a shifter, he had moved into one of the small rooms over the garage. He liked being around Timur and Gorya, although she wasn't certain why that was. Not when every time she turned around they were boxing with him and beating the crap out of him. Still, he was a male and a shifter, so maybe that was her answer.

  Ted opened the door to the backseat and slid in beside her. Ralph opened the door on the other side. Max turned in his seat. "Ralph, would you check the garage? The boss doesn't like it if it isn't locked at all times and I was in such a hurry I think I forgot."

  "It's that kind of morning," Ralph said good-naturedly. He closed the door and turned away.

  Afterward, she would never know exactly what it was, the scent of Emilio, a note in Max's voice, or the quiet snick of the locks, but she flung herself at the driver just as he turned, gun in hand pointed right at Ted. He pulled the trigger as she hit him. The bullet tore through the back of the seat beside Ted's head, burning his cheek as it flew past.

  Evangeline was strong, using her leopard's strength. Gunfire erupted outside the car and she caught a glimpse of Ralph sinking into a crouch, firing his weapon toward t
he double gates. She twisted the gun from Max's hand and hit him on the side of his head very hard with the barrel. Max slumped down in the seat, blood pouring from his temple.

  "I'm going to cover you, Evangeline," Ted said grimly. He had his weapon out as well as his cell phone. "Get into the safe room and don't come out until Alonzo gets back." He punched in numbers and frowned as it went straight to voice mail. He texted frantically with one hand as he looked up at her. "Are you ready?"

  "Ted," she hedged.

  "Do it." Cars poured into the entrance. "This is a large force. I can only hold them for so long."

  She didn't argue. What was the point? Ted and Ralph couldn't possibly stop these men. They weren't shifters, and they were only two men against what looked like an army. She opened the door on Ralph's side and leapt out, ignoring Ted's cursing. Ralph was down, still firing, but he'd been hit at least once. She got an arm around him and began pulling him up.

  "Can you walk?" Bullets spat around them. Deliberately she stepped in front of him. She'd noted that none of the bullets came near her. That meant they wanted her alive. Whoever these people were, they weren't going to kill her outright. She began dragging Ralph before he could answer, back toward the house.

  Ted stepped around the side of the car to give them cover fire. She propelled Ralph forward, running toward Ted. Just as she reached him, he went down, rolled over and continued firing. "Go. Get the fuck out of here."

  She all but shoved Ralph through the front door and raced back for Ted. He sent her a mean look as she wrapped his arm around her.

  "Are you out of your fucking mind?" he demanded, trying to limp and run while keeping most of his weight off of her and firing at the advancing wall of men.

  "Considerin' that I'm savin' your life, you might be nicer," she informed him snottily as she shoved him inside and slammed the front door. She dropped the bar in place and helped both through the house into the safe room.

  "They're jamming the phone lines or something. I can't even get 911," Ted snapped.

  She flung the medical kit at him. "I've got to warn Fyodor. I think Emilio sent these men. If I'm right, they're running into a trap."

  "Damn it, stay in here," Ted shouted.

  She ignored him and slammed the door closed, praying he would lock it on his side. He had cameras and audio. If he couldn't get a message to the cops, at least he could hold out for a few days if she didn't make it back. By that time whatever they were doing to the phone service would be long gone.

  Running fast, she moved through the secret panel leading into the wall, closed it, raced for her bedroom and pulled out the small pack she had prepared for just such an emergency. Putting it around her neck she headed for the stairs. There were three safe rooms built into the walls. If she didn't make it out of the house, she could use one of the other rooms, but right now, all that mattered to her was getting to Alonzo.

  The intruders would succeed in breaching the house. The good news was she knew the grounds now. She stealthily opened a window in the guest bedroom and peered out. There were men moving in silence around the house, surrounding it. She didn't wait to see if one of them might be looking up.

  Shift. I can slip past them easier than you can.

  She'd always done this in human form. She'd played hide-and-seek with a male leopard for years in the swamp. She knew how to cover her tracks, to change her scent, to slip through humans hunting or fishing. Evangeline hesitated.

  I learned from you and my mate. He has been teaching me, and I don't get to make many mistakes without his anger.

  That much was true. Alonzo's leopard was bad tempered and mean when crossed. He wanted his female to be every bit as good a fighter as he was and he worked nightly with her. Sometimes when she shifted back to human form, Evangeline could barely move, feeling as if she'd been beaten with a baseball bat.

  "Be careful. Don't get shot."

  She stripped fast and shifted. Bebe slipped out the window onto the long, thick branch that was the beginning of the arboreal highway. She looked down and snarled at the intruders and then back at the house, clearly worried about the two humans they'd left behind.

  Don't think about them. We have to get to Fyodor and the others. They're all that matter right now.

  Evangeline couldn't think about Emilio's men doing anything crazy like burning down her house, especially with Ted and Ralph needing medical assistance. They had the security screens, even if they cut the electricity. There was a built-in generator.

  Her leopard ran along the branches easily, heading toward the highway. Another leopard. Right there, coming onto the property, Bebe warned.

  Evangeline recognized the rosettes and the way the cat moved. It was Jeremiah. Let him know we're here.

  Bebe immediately let out a soft chuffing noise. The leopard below them froze and then looked up. Bebe didn't need her human counterpart to tell her what to do. She leapt through the branches until she could land safely on the ground beside the bigger male. Both leopards ran for the safety of the brush just inside of the fence.

  Evangeline shifted, reaching for the pack. "Turn around." The men showed no modesty, but she wasn't there yet. She dressed hastily. Jeremiah pulled on a pair of jeans and a jacket.

  "I have to warn Fyodor that he's walkin' into a trap. Ted and Ralph are in the safe room off of Fyodor's old bedroom. You'll have to . . ."

  "I'm going with you. They'll have to just wait. I tried using my phone before I left and couldn't. Then as I was going down the road, several blocks from here, there were trucks and cars unloading men. I continued up the road until I could get service. It was much farther away than I wanted to go but we needed help. I called Elijah. They'll be coming, and they can get Ted and Ralph aid. I couldn't raise Fyodor and Timur."

  She didn't argue with him. He had a motorcycle and she needed a ride. They both looked up at the fence and went over it at the same time. She landed in a crouch. Jeremiah was already on the run. She made a note to herself that she was going to learn to do that. Land running. She followed him as he jogged down the road. Just like Emilio's men, he'd parked away from the property.

  "Do you know where they went?" She swung her leg over the bike and wrapped her arms around him, holding tight as the motorcycle roared to life.

  "Yes. If I didn't hear from them or they didn't come back, I needed a place to start. As soon as we get service, we'll keep trying to call."

  "Did you tell Elijah?"

  "Yes. I figured it was too much of a coincidence that they were hitting the house on the very morning the trucks were heading out toward Houston."

  Elijah would send help to Alonzo. She knew he would. That made her feel a little better. "If you know the route the trucks are taking, get ahead of them," she shouted.

  He nodded, and they tore down the highway. If they could just find them before Alonzo and the others made their move, she knew she could find a way to warn him. Time seemed to inch by as they hurried to catch up.

  *

  "HOW many guards did you pull off of Evangeline?" Alonzo snapped at his brother. "I wanted leopards on her, Timur, not regular soldiers."

  "We're stretched thin right now. We need to pull in our best people if we're going to take these guns without killing anyone. You want trigger-happy soldiers who might see some of us moving faster than normal, then fine, we'll switch people around."

  "Who's. On. Evangeline?" Alonzo snarled. The car ran with no lights, trailing behind the car guarding the freight trucks Emilio had sent out.

  "Lighten up, brat." Timur leaned toward his brother. "Do you think for one moment I would take a chance with her life? Not. Likely. I put two of our most experienced soldiers on her. Ted Freemont and Ralph Hurley. You know them. You've used them multiple times for all kinds of jobs. You even like them, and you don't like anyone."

  "I don't like you right now. I wanted shifters on her."

  "The moment I heard you were coming with us, I had to put the shifters on you. You didn't give me much
choice, Fyodor. The boss shouldn't be doing a ride-along. You stay at home and direct from there."

  "I have a bad feeling." He never ignored his gut. The last thing he wanted was for his brother and cousins to walk into a trap or be outmanned. He couldn't really be angry with Timur when his brother was doing his job, protecting him.

  "All the more reason for you to stay home."

  Alonzo ignored his brother's terse statement. They had eliminated the threat to Evangeline. He'd kept digging until he turned up the fact that the hit on her life didn't outlive Patrizio. With him dead, no other threats were even uttered in whispers. Mitya was safe, recuperating at Elijah's in order to learn more about what they were trying to accomplish and how they had to go about it from Elijah and Drake.

  Some of the knots in his gut eased just a bit. Evangeline had insisted she go back to work a week earlier than he'd wanted her to go, but Doc had given her the okay as long as she had help. She'd agreed to that. They had a young man working for her, a plant of course, but she'd figured that out the moment he walked through the door. Alonzo loved that she was so smart. On the other hand, it made it impossible to fool her.

  Jeremiah Wheating was leopard. He was young, but he'd been trained by some of the best. Elijah trusted him, and that went a long way to ease Alonzo's mind. Jeremiah had been with Evangeline at the bakery for a couple of weeks and that had given Alonzo time to observe him. He didn't want the work there, he'd prefer to be a bodyguard for Elijah, but after Timur had talked to him, he'd settled down. Alonzo was fairly certain his brother had threatened to kill him slowly, inch by inch, if Evangeline so much as got a burn on her little finger.

  "She calls us her boys," Timur said.

  Alonzo shot his brother a quick glance. There was no inflection in the voice at all, but just the absence told Alonzo that mattered to Timur. Evangeline had gotten to him. He was protecting her, not just for Alonzo.

  "She does," he agreed.

  Timur shook his head. "I hope you know how lucky you are."

  "I know." And he did. Every single morning he woke up to her. He went to bed at night with her after running their leopards. He knew. He'd had nothing before Evangeline; with her, he had it all.

  He'd woken her early knowing he had to get on the road. He knew he'd taken her a little roughly. He sometimes felt desperate for her. Insane for her. Like a wild, feral beast that had to ensure she knew she belonged to him. He had to hear her say it. He had to taste her, all that wild honey that drove him crazy. He had to see the helpless pleasure on her face. Mostly, he had to see that love for him shining in her eyes.