Rafe didn’t wait to see if she could manage on her own. He gripped her arms to shift her to one side, but his hands slipped through the blood and fell away. He cursed and looked at the puncture wounds on her shoulder. She was losing a lot of blood there as well. His cat had been savage in establishing dominance over the little female. The moment the little leopard had disappeared and the male had a human under him his instinct was to kill. Rafe had used every ounce of his own strength and iron will to pull the leopard back and allow him to shift.

“Let’s get you out of here. I have a vehicle just outside the tree line. You need medical attention, Catarina. It’s going to hurt when I lift you. If you feel yourself passing out, just do it.”

She was surprised at the gentleness in his voice. He had never been a gentle man, but he was afraid for her. She knew she was in trouble just by his voice.

His arms went around her and he lifted her. She screamed as sheer agony ripped through her. Her sides felt as if someone had ripped them apart, exposing bone and organs to air.

Rafe suddenly cursed and nearly tossed her away, but at the last minute he went down on one knee and shoved her away from him. She hit hard and rolled, leaving smears of blood in the grass. The action took what little air remained in her lungs so she couldn’t even cry out.

But she saw him. The huge black panther charging toward them. His golden eyes were deadly and focused wholly on Rafe. Already Rafe was shifting, rushing toward the black leopard as he did so to give his leopard momentum. He was fully cat by the time the two males came together in a terrible crash of heavy bodies.

Roars of challenge filled the air. The sounds were terrible. Fur flew. Droplets of blood sprayed high in the air and surrounded the two combatants. They reared up on their hind legs like two primal beasts, raking with hooked claws and biting with terrible teeth. They dropped apart and charged again, leaping into the air, changing direction in midair, using flexible spines to try to get a killing position on the other over and over.

They were both experienced fighters and strong males. Roped muscles moved fluidly beneath the loose skin that protected them from the teeth and claws of their adversaries. They hit each other so hard, driving first Rafe and then Eli from their feet, the sound horrible each time their bodies came together, like two freight trains crashing. The ground shook at times.