Relief swept through him. At least the female leopard was alive and well. That would help to keep his male mellow. He’d never thought that he’d ever use the word mellow in the same breath with his leopard.

Evangeline made a soft sound, somewhere between a moan and a groan. He stared coldly at the nurse. “Is she in pain?”

The nurse shook her head. “We’re giving her morphine. She’s just coming out from under the anesthesia, that’s all. Sometimes they talk.”

Alonzo knew she wouldn’t talk. She was too quiet. Too private. That spoke of long training, of a way of life. She would remain silent, and if she couldn’t, her leopard would aid her in doing so. He was fine with that. He wanted Evangeline to choose to share her past with him when she was alert and focused solely on him.

He knew some facts about her, but very little. He knew which lair she was from. That she had a father and a brother. An uncle and a cousin who acted more like a brother than a cousin. Her brother was more like a distant cousin than a brother. She hadn’t been raised with any of them. He had no idea where she’d been raised or with whom.

He knew her best friend was Drake Donovan’s wife, but she rarely reached out to her, even when Saria texted. He knew Pauline Lafont Jeanmard had taught her to cook and bake. She stayed in contact with one other woman, although very, very rarely. That was a woman by the name of Charisse Mercier. Charisse was at the helm of a perfume empire. Very wealthy. Her perfumes were expensive and sought after. Otherwise, his woman kept strictly to herself. He was looking forward to learning about her past. What shaped her. What drove her. He wanted to know every single thing about her.

Alonzo tucked her hand under his chin, holding her to him, watching her face. Drinking her in. She was awake behind those eyelids, her brain working, assessing, her leopard feeding her information. The next time she opened her eyes, she looked right into his.

“Hello, malyutka,” he whispered. “You’re back with us.”

She moistened her lips and nodded. “Mitya?”

“Not out of surgery. At this point, I think not hearing anything is a good sign. He’s still alive.”

11

EVANGELINE wandered through the huge house for the first time. She limped, so she wasn’t graceful, but at least she was up, on her feet. Mitya had been in surgery twelve hours, but he had lived through the terrible wounds he’d sustained. After hearing Alonzo and his bodyguards talking in hushed tones, she knew his surgeon had all but performed a miracle. He wouldn’t be up and walking for some time, so she counted herself very lucky.