He drifted with the light coming in the window, just holding her, listening to her even breathing, knowing he wanted to hear that soft sound for the rest of his life. Already, he couldn’t imagine going to bed without her or waking up to complete emptiness. Rain played music on the roof and the wind drove branches into the house. He could see the mist through the window, turning the world into a glittering silver paradise for the two of them. She felt like warm, living silk, her skin heating his. He tightened his arms around her, laughing softly when his body, of its own volition, began to come alive again. He couldn’t imagine that a baby would not be the result of their coming together so urgently. If her leopard had emerged, both of them were fertile, the only time a shifter could be conceived.

Outside, a twig snapped and he went on alert. His leopard jumped, so that his skin itched and his jaw ached. He listened for another moment and heard the whisper of material brushing against leaves.

Drake lifted his head. “Wake up, baby, we’ve got company.” His fingers tangled in Saria’s hair and he brushed a kiss over the top of her head. “Wake up.”

Saria nuzzled his neck. “Mmm, a few more minutes, Drake.”

“Charisse is outside. We’ve got to get up.”

Chapter 19

19

“JUST a minute, Charisse,” Saria called as she yanked a pair of jeans from the pack her brothers had given to Drake the night before. “Great. These are too long.” She wiggled her hips. “And tight. Whose are these anyway? I think some woman left her jeans in one of my brother’s rooms and I’ve inherited them.”

“Before you open that door, Saria, you listen to me,” Drake whispered, pulling a weapon from under his pillow.

She scowled at him as she fished for a T-shirt. Whoever had packed the case hadn’t believed in underwear. “A gun under your pillow? I was too occupied to think about weapons last night. I have no idea where my knife is.”

“You should be happy you have a man who puts your safety first.”

“I want you to be so crazy out of your mind for me you can’t possibly think about safety,” she objected.

Drake flashed a rueful grin. “Then I’ll admit I didn’t think about it until early this morning.” He tugged on his jeans, the grin fading. His eyes went dark and somber. “Don’t put your body between me and Charisse at any time. Not for any reason. I don’t miss, baby, and if I have to, I’ll kill her.”

The teasing laughter faded from Saria’s eyes and she went still. “Charisse would never hurt anyone, Drake. Please don’t make things worse for her by lettin’ her know you think she’s capable of bein’ a serial killer.”