She resisted, stubbornly digging her claws into the dirt and then, when he continued to push at her with his larger body, she dropped to the ground, refusing to move. Elijah felt the burst of temper exploding in his moody cat and instantly shifted to keep the little female from the male’s retaliation. He dropped his hand on the female’s neck, digging his fingers into the beautiful thick fur.

“Baby, you’ll love the grove,” he whispered softly in the cat’s ear, leaning his head against her. When in leopard form, he didn’t have the human tactile feel of the leopard’s fur against his skin. It was amazing, incredible, and he couldn’t resist stroking caresses along her back.

Siena shifted out from under his hand, wrapping her arms around herself. Neither had brought a pack with clothes. Nudity didn’t bother Elijah at all. He was comfortable in that form, and like all shifters, he stashed several caches with clothes and money around the property. He’d had his leopard almost as long as he could remember, and before that, he was aware of the creature. Siena, however, was clearly uncomfortable out in the open without her clothes. He locked his arm around her waist, pulling her front to his side, so he could shelter her a little with his larger body.

“I don’t like the smell,” she whispered, her hand sliding up his chest. It was trembling. “I can’t quite catch what it is, but it makes me uneasy.”

She was pregnant. Her cat would share her heightened sense of smell. Already, the leopard’s ability was acute, but with the pregnancy, it would be even more so.

“Shift, Siena,” he ordered softly. “Stay right here, in the taller grass and wait for me. I’ll look around.” He believed her. Siena wasn’t given to unfounded fears.

The moment he recognized that she was afraid, the night went from beautiful to sinister. The overhead clouds became ominous. The entire atmosphere of the night changed, so that he felt that same uneasiness that her female had conveyed to her.

Siena wrapped her arms around his neck. “Let’s just go, Elijah. We can go home and . . .” She obviously didn’t know what, but her body trembled and her voice shook. She kept her tone very low, just a thread of sound, and she spoke against his ear as if she feared someone—or something—would overhear.

“You won’t feel safe until I figure out what has you spooked, mi vida,” he whispered into her ear, following her lead in order to show her he took her seriously. “Shift for me now, baby. Stay low, and I’ll just scout around a little.”