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A multitude of expletives bubbled in his throat. He tossed the flashlight and reached for his gun. Ducking as low as he could while still carrying Aliyah, he crept closer to the house. He had no choice but to stash her outside and go in to secure the cabin.

He laid her gently on the ground behind a clump of bushes, shrugged out of his jacket and laid it over her. He reached for his radio again.

“Nick, I may need backup. I have an unknown vehicle parked in front of my cabin. I had to leave Aliyah on the ground out front. I’m going in.”

“I’m on my way,” Nick said shortly.

Duncan pocketed his radio again and crept toward the cabin. He stopped near the front window, pressed himself against the wall and peered around the edge. Through the sliver the curtain bared, he saw a middle-aged couple standing in the living room.

He relaxed a fraction. Aliyah’s parents? Whatever the case, they didn’t appear to be armed. He pulled his radio out.

“Nick, stand down. I’ve got it from here.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. I’ll check in later.”

Duncan raised his gun and hurried for the door. He put his free hand on the knob, twisted and burst in, weapon pointed at the couple.

The man shoved the woman behind him and immediately raised his hands.

“Who are you?” Duncan demanded.

“Lawrence Carver,” he replied. “We’re here for Aliyah.”

Duncan lowered his weapon. “Stay here. I’ll get her.”

The woman darted from behind Lawrence. “Where is she? Is she all right?”

Duncan held up his hand. “Stay here, Mrs. Carver. I have to go back for Aliyah.”

He turned and hurried back to where Aliyah lay. He holstered his gun and quickly picked her up. As he strode back to the cabin, he heard Mrs. Carver’s anguished cry.

They stood back so Duncan could pass through the door. He walked over to the couch and laid Aliyah down. Her mother flew to her side and knelt on the floor beside her. Her hands fluttered over Aliyah’s face.

“What happened?” she asked.

“Merry, she’s alive,” Lawrence said as he sank to his knees beside his wife. He touched Aliyah’s wound with trembling hands then turned his gaze to Duncan.

“What happened?”

“Hunters,” Duncan said grimly.

“But why was she out there?” Merry asked desperately.

Duncan scrubbed a hand over his face as he faced her parents. “She helped us locate them,” he said quietly.

“You were supposed to protect her. You were supposed to keep her safe until we got here.”

The accusation in her voice made Duncan flinch.

“You have to take her away,” Duncan said. “She’s not safe here.” His gaze swept over her wound, and he took in the worried stares of her parents. “Will she heal?” His voice cracked, and he swallowed the knot building in his throat at the idea that this would be the last time he saw her.

“It will take time,” Lawrence said in a quiet voice. “She will need to once again find the balance between herself and the cheetah. It will aid her in her recovery. We’ll take her home at once. You have our undying gratitude not only for saving our daughter but for keeping her…our secret.”

“I have to go,” Duncan said. “We made several arrests. I brought her back here to shield her from scrutiny, to keep her out of the case. It would be better if she weren’t here. I don’t know what all the hunters saw.”

Lawrence nodded and the ache in Duncan’s chest grew. He moved hesitantly toward Aliyah. Her mother stood and moved back a step as if sensing his need.

He knelt by the couch and put his hand gently over her forehead. He smoothed his fingers through her hair and pressed his lips to her brow.

“Good-bye,” he whispered. “Be safe. I –” He broke off and turned away, rising to his feet. He cast a quick glance at Aliyah’s parents. “Tell her…tell her I’m sorry.”

He turned and walked out of the house to get into his personal truck. For a long moment he sat behind the steering wheel, watching as Lawrence Carver carried his daughter from the cabin and put her inside his vehicle.

His fingers curled around the steering wheel, and he felt the quiet rise of despair. He keyed the ignition, put it in reverse and backed out of the drive.

CHAPTER 18

He missed her. No two ways about it.

Duncan shed his coat and tossed it on the couch then followed it down with a weary sigh. The last few weeks had been a pisser. Elk Ridge had made national news, and as a result, the media had been swarming over the small town, interviewing the locals and everyone who’d ever claimed to visit the region.

Arrangements had been made for the animals recovered in the sting operation. Arrests had been made, and the poachers awaited trial on a host of federal charges. It had been a circus, but now things were finally quiet again.

And here he was, home, alone, thinking about a golden-eyed temptress and missing her with his every breath. It was pretty pathetic, and he was fairly certain it made him a pussy.

He hadn’t heard from Aliyah or her parents, a fact that made him crazy. He didn’t know how she was doing, if she was hurting, healing, but then he hadn’t tried to call them either. He didn’t want any chance of a link being discovered between him and Aliyah and the possible questions that could arise were it found out that she had been here when the raid went down.

You love her, fool.

Yeah, as crazy as it sounded, he’d fallen and fallen hard in the few days they’d been together. He’d even managed to get around the fact that she spent part of her time as a cheetah. Yep, he’d lost his mind. Or his heart more accurately.

He rubbed tiredly at his neck and briefly contemplated hitting the sack early, but going to the empty bed that awaited him in his bedroom wasn’t remotely appealing.

A light scratching noise interrupted his self-absorbed malaise. He cocked his head, thinking maybe he’d imagined it, but then he heard it again. Coming from his front door.

With a frown, he got up and walked cautiously to the door, his hand reaching for his sidearm that he hadn’t yet taken off.

There it was again. Definitely something outside his door and getting louder and more persistent.

He cracked open the door but before he could even look out to assess the potential danger, he was flattened by a flying fur ball.

He fell back as a cheetah pounced on him. His back hit the floor with a resounding thump as a golden-eyed cat licked him and nuzzled his face.

Aliyah.

His surprise turned to complete and utter joy. Relief.

And then suddenly he found himself holding a gorgeous naked woman in his arms.

“You’ve really got to stop doing that shit,” he grumbled. “It’s disconcerting and it looks painful.”

“Aren’t you glad to see me?” she asked as her lips met his.

“Oh, honey,” he groaned. “If you only had any idea how much I’ve missed you.”

He stretched his leg out to kick the door shut then wrapped his arms around his woman and proceeded to kiss her senseless. Her lips were cold against his, and she’d never tasted sweeter.

Her hair fell over his face, and her breasts pressed against his shirt. He smoothed his hands over her body, wanting to touch her, absorb her, make sure he wasn’t in the midst of a dream. One he’d had many times since she’d left.

And then it hit him. She was here. And she shouldn’t be here. She should be safe in Alaska. With her parents. Not here where she risked discovery.

“What are you doing here?” he asked even as he stroked her skin, touched her face, twined his fingers through her hair and stole another kiss. “You shouldn’t be here, honey. It’s dangerous.”