She groaned but the sound came out more of a low growl. The itch increased until she wanted to scream. She tried to bite down on her lip, but her mouth felt strange and then she found herself inside a cocoon, surrounded by another, and she knew her instantly. Her leopard prowled the room, every step painful as her ribs protested the action. She lifted her head and scented the male who had come there. The one who had done the damage to both woman and leopard. Her lip lifted in a silent snarl.

Deep inside the animal, Siena found a kind of solace. She wasn’t gone, she was right there and fully aware of her leopard padding softly through the bedroom to the wall where the male leopard had raked deep rivets in the wood. Every step hurt. It hurt to drag in a decent breath, and Siena felt that right along with her leopard. She soothed the leopard, talked to her, told her everything. Part of her was hysterical, thinking she was having a complete breakdown, but it didn’t matter to her.

The leopard moved to the bathroom and looked in the full-length mirror there. Golden, with black rosettes, there was a tinge of fire to her fur. She was beautiful. She had Siena’s exotic eyes, and that deep green stared back at her.

You’re beautiful, she whispered to the animal. Her savior. She wished she could put her arms around the little female and hug her tight. If she was crazy, she would be happily so. Much better to live as this beautiful creature, even if she was put in a zoo, than to live as a woman who clearly was no good at being a woman. Being a leopard had to be better than being a woman who was an accessory to four murders.

The leopard returned from the bathroom to leap onto the bed. The movement, as fluid and graceful as it was, sent waves of excruciating pain through the animal—through Siena. The cat forced its head out the window, looking at the tree branch that curved invitingly close. One leap and she would be gone. It was close to midnight and few people would be out. She could get to her car and escape.

The sound of a gunshot was loud, reverberating through the house—coming from downstairs. Deep inside the leopard, Siena froze. Opened her mouth in a silent scream. She knew. She knew the gunshot had come from downstairs, and her grandfather was down there. Four more shots were fired. She winced with every one.

The leopard whirled around as Siena, without any real thought, seized it, forcing herself to the forefront, shifting back in a sea of pain as her ribs protested. She found herself on the bed, naked, the itch settling down as the leopard withdrew. It had wanted to run free, but it had immediately obeyed when she called it back.