At first, when he’d gotten to the Inn with the intention of talking to her—explaining about her heritage as best he could without seeing the actual proof of her leopard—he’d been angry that she was gone. He feared she’d run from him, but she wouldn’t have left her clothes and jewelry behind. There were too many personal items in the room. She’d had time to pack her most important things if she was leaving permanently and she hadn’t done that.

As he stepped onto the sidewalk beside his brother, Gage shook his head. “Everyone’s been out lookin’ but no one has spotted her car. Do you want me to put out an official request?”

Remy took a breath. He could feel something was wrong, but he had another solution to try. “Not yet. I’m goin’ back to the Inn and let my leopard try to track her. I’ll take a radio and call in if I find her or need backup.”

“It’s daylight.”

Swift impatience crossed Remy’s face. His fists clenched and he took an automatic step back, away from his brother. His temper was as out of control as his leopard felt. He was terrified she’d left him and he’d bungled everything because he couldn’t stop himself last night. He was angry as hell at himself. Even Gage had been shocked that he’d left his mate in a state of emergence. The Han Vol Dan was brutal on a woman, especially when she had no idea of what was happening.

“I don’ give a damn if it’s daylight. My leopard can keep to the groves and grasses. He’ll track her.”

He’d put work first. It had been so important to him to find Bijou’s stalker. He’d deliberately set himself up and then, when he knew her stalker had been drawn out, he’d been so impatient to get there, he’d left her behind without so much as talking to her about what had transpired between them. He knew her. He knew her better than anyone, whether she thought so or not. Maybe better than she knew herself. He had known she’d wake up and be horrified at her behavior. And she’d attribute it to her father’s genetics, not her mother’s.

“Don’ go off all crazy, Remy,” Gage cautioned. “You can’t have a leopard runnin’ free in daylight hours, not confined to the swamp. Everyone is packin’. You get some good ole boys spottin’ a leopard and they’ll go huntin’ and then we’ll really have a problem on our hands.”