“Tell me what to do,” Saria said. “Hurry. You have to hurry, Drake.” Her shoes were on the ground and she was pushing her jeans from the curve of her hips.

“She’ll rise, honey, and you have to embrace her. It will be difficult because you’ll feel like she’s swallowing you, but let her come to the surface. Let her have her form. You’ll be there, inside of her, feeling everything she feels.”

She was so beautiful, all flowing skin, golden eyes glittering at him with a mixture of fear, excitement and heat. His leopard itched, trying to leap to the surface, but Drake forced calm. This was her first time and he wanted it to be a perfect experience for her. Shoes and clothes were stowed in the pack and slung around his neck.

She suddenly cried out and flung out her hand to him. Her knuckles curved, and beneath all that smooth skin ran something else—something alive and determined to emerge. He couldn’t take his eyes from her. She left him breathless. Her body contorted and she went down to her hands and knees. He kept one hand on her shoulder, stroking with his fingers. Her back arched and she lifted her buttocks invitingly.

“Please, Drake,” she whispered, an enticement.

Heat radiated from her body. She looked at him over her shoulder, her eyes begging him. His cock was so hard he couldn’t take a step. It was all he could do not to slide his hands between her legs and stroke her inviting sex. She was so beautiful, her head thrown back, her buttocks high, her breasts swinging invitingly.

The moment he felt fur sliding over her skin, he leapt back, took a breath and called his leopard. A female leopard was dangerous. Moody. Edgy. Especially in heat. One never took chances. It was all about her. What she wanted—when she wanted. He had only to keep every rival from coming near her—and to keep her safe while he waited for her signal.

Golden fur, dotted with glossy black rosettes, covered the female form. She turned her head and golden eyes blazed at him, a haunting, smoldering fire that sent a shaft of heat rushing through his body to center every nerve ending in his groin. Her spotted coat was one of the most beautiful he’d ever seen. A luxurious, unique, exotically marked fur, the rosettes scattered like stars against gold.