The house was quiet, too quiet. He sat up in bed, noticing that Danica was gone. He flung the covers off, pulled on his jeans, and rushed across the hall to her room. She wasn’t there. He turned then ran down the hall and stopped at the foyer. Panic started to build, tightening his chest. Her boots sat by the door and her coat hung on the hook a few feet away.
Had she gone hunting? Maybe, but the lingering dread that woke him still said something had happened.
The front door flew open, and Nevan found himself face-to-face with a female shifter dressed in black jeans and a leather jacket. Her aggression rolled off her in thick, threatening waves.
Pure adrenaline and protectiveness pushed him forward to grab the woman by the neck and flatten her against the wall. Pressing into her small frame so she couldn’t move, he growled, “You’re not a leopard. Who are you, and where the hell is Dani?”
She raised a brow and smirked. “If you don’t want every bone in your body broken, you’ll release me, human.”
“Not until you tell me where Dani is.”
In a matter of seconds, Nevan’s face was pressed against the wall with the hand he’d had around the female’s neck twisted behind his back. She leaned in with her full weight and whispered, “You have balls. Why the hell do you think I’m here?”
“Cameron, let go of the human. Danica will be pissed if you harm him.”
Nevan recognized the male voice as Keegan’s. The female released him and disappeared to explore the house. Nevan flexed his wrist and peered at Keegan. “Who the hell is that?”
The Alpha’s lips twitched. “One of my best Enforcers.”
“No shit.” He jerked his gaze to the door as Blaine came in with an expression that told Nevan the Enforcer was ready to kill.
“Her scent is too faint.” Turning those gray eyes toward Nevan, Blaine growled, “She’s been gone for at least two hours.”
“What? Can’t be.” How had she left the house without him knowing? Because he was human.
Damn it.
Frowning, Cameron came back into the room. “She left in cat form.”
“How do you know that?” Nevan glared at the female.
“Boots are at the door, coat on the hangers, and her clothes are on the floor in the guest room.”
Blaine flashed to stand in front of her, swiped her dark hair from her shoulders, then shifted toward Nevan. “You touched her.”
“Dani? That’s none of your business.”
Keegan stepped in front of his son and growled, “Leave it,” then walked out the door. Blaine followed. Cameron rolled her eyes and gestured for him to go first. He grabbed his jacket and put his shoes on as he stepped out in the cold.
When Cameron stepped in line with Nevan, he asked, “What kind of cat are you?”
“What makes you think I’m a cat?”
Nevan snorted. “I lived most my life with lions. You move like a cat.”
Blaine growled again. Cameron growled back, and Nevan couldn’t help but wonder what the story was with the two of them.
“Black jaguar.”
“Oh, like Jared.”
She sighed. “Jared is my brother.”
Her don’t-ask tone told him to shut his mouth. Plus Blaine’s growls turned to snarls, and he inched closer to them with each question.
Several yards into the woods, Keegan stopped and held his hand up. Blaine cursed. “She’s bleeding.”
Nevan’s heart rate kicked into overdrive. She was hurt. He couldn’t do anything. Just like he hadn’t been able to protect Becca from her illness. He moved up to stand by the two alpha males.
“What do you mean?”
As soon as the questions tumbled out of his mouth, he felt it—a pull to something deeper in the forest. He started walking toward it then jogged when he felt the hint of pain that his empathic ability picked up.
He skidded to a halt at the sight of a leopard tangled in barbwire. She had struggled and managed to get some of the wire embedded in her skin. Nevan stepped forward, she growled. Her breath was labored, and her pain gripped him. The snow around here was colored red with her blood. Blaine advanced, ignoring the snaps of her teeth.
“Come on, sissy. I need to get you untangled.” She snapped at him again, catching him on the hand. He cursed and jerked back. “Cam.”
Cam pulled a pistol out of her thigh holster and aimed it at Danica.
Keegan’s huge arms wrapped around Nevan before he could get to the jaguar. “It’s a tranquilizer gun. Do you really think I’d kill my own?”
Nevan relaxed a little and shook his head.
The sound of the gun firing and the sight of Danica slipping into a restful sleep didn’t ease any of his worry.
It seemed to take Blaine forever to get Danica untangled from the barbs and back home. Nevan hadn’t left her side in the two hours they’d been back. In the short expanse of one day, the leopard had found a way into his heart. Almost losing her was the wake-up call he’d needed.
“Why hasn’t she shifted by now?”
Shay met his gaze and offered a tender smile. “The tranq they gave her will keep her in leopard form. She can heal faster this way.”
That made sense. He reached out to stroke her fur but withdrew his hand before it made a connection.
“You won’t hurt her. The worst has healed.”
Watching Danica’s side rise and fall as she slept, he shrugged. “Does it always happen this fast?”
When she didn’t answer, he turned and noticed her perplexed expression. “The mating.”
Color rose in her cheeks and she turned her head. “I don’t know. I’m twenty-five, and I’m a baby, according to my brothers and father. They don’t let me far from their sight.” She rolled her eyes and put aside the bowl with the creamy concoction she’d brought with her. “But, I’ve seen some mates meet and bond in the same day. I’ve been told that you just know when you meet the one you belong with. Cam and Blaine have been doing the mating dance since she came of age.”
“Came of age?”
She stood and moved to the window. Nevan was about to tell her never mind, that he hadn’t meant to embarrass her, when she answered the question. “It’s when a female shifter enters her first heat cycle.”
“And you haven’t?” When she shook her head and didn’t look at him, he cursed. “Sorry, that was too personal.”
“Oh, no. It’s okay. I’m just a late bloomer. Most females go through their first cycle by their twenty-third birthday.” She fell silent and peered at the door.
A few seconds later, the door opened slowly, and Jared stepped into the room. Nevan suppressed a groan and nodded at the male in greeting. Jared gave a sharp nod back and asked, “How is she? How did this happen?”
Shay narrowed her eyes at him. “Blaine thinks it was poachers setting up traps.”
“It’s too close to home. What are the Enforcers doing?”
“We’re doing our job.” Cameron spoke from the open door. “Stop being an ass, Jared.”
“All right. Dani needs her rest.” Shay pushed away from the window and shooed everyone out. She sent Nevan a wink before she shut the door with a soft click.
Silence filled the bedroom. Movement on the bed startled him. Turning to check on Danica, he gasped at her naked, lean body stretching. His erotic, beautiful shifter.
She smiled and placed her palm against his cheek. “I thought they’d never leave.”
He raised a brow. “How long have you been awake?”
“Long enough to hear about coming of age.” She laughed and growled as if in pain.
He jumped up on his knees to hover over her. “What is it?”
“Just bruising.” When she lifted her lids to meet his disbelieving stare, she took a deep breath.