Right now she looked upset. Hurt. Great. He was going to walk her right up to three men—three single shifters—with her looking vulnerable. His mean temper was getting meaner and becoming a problem.

She kissed him in the morning. She didn’t wrap her lips around his cock. She kissed him. Now, watching the three men staring at her, he was damned sorry he didn’t wear her out another way. He should have spent more time making certain she knew who she belonged to. He should have spent a lot more time ensuring he was tired out from claiming her every way he could. His leopard was riding him so hard he could barely talk without growling. Now, he could only stand and be gracious when he wanted to snarl and roar.

He walked up to the fence and halted on his side of it, clamping his arm around Catarina, his fingers pressing into her bottom. She trembled. He forced his hand to smooth out and gently rub, trying to convey he wasn’t angry with her, just the situation. She wouldn’t have understood even had he tried to explain it to her.

“Cat, this is Joshua Tregre, Elijah Lospostos and Trey Sinclair. They work security for Jake Bannaconni.” He knew Trey from the rain forest. The man had recently come to work in the States for Bannaconni.

Eli heard the growl in his voice, that warning that came from every male shifter when his woman was close to the Han Vol Dan. Fortunately for all of them, Catarina’s leopard was being very stubborn, hiding away from her, otherwise she would have set off every male in the vicinity.

He felt Catarina’s body jerk. She actually tensed, moved closer to him, her eyes suddenly downcast.

“Catarina and I have met before, haven’t we?” Elijah said, his voice gentle.

Eli narrowed his eyes, his gaze settling on Elijah. When they’d talked a few days earlier, Eli had mentioned Rafe Cordeau, and Elijah had admitted his family had done business with him. Elijah’s family was mired deep in the international drug trade. He wasn’t surprised that Elijah and Cordeau had crossed paths, but he was shocked and not too happy that Elijah and Catarina had already met.

“Funny, you didn’t mention that the other day when I brought up Catarina.” Eli kept his voice neutral. Elijah was a good friend of Drake’s and he’d worked with Drake’s crew for a long time.

“I was at more than one meeting my family had with Cordeau,” Elijah said. “But only once at his home. That’s where I met Catarina.”