Pauline forced a laugh and looked at Drake. "That from the girl who wants no part of marriage and children."
Drake's eyes met Saria's. She damn well better get used to the idea of marriage and children because as he'd warned her, once he staked his claim, there was no going back. What did she think--that when her leopard was ready they'd have wild sex and he'd just go away? He suppressed a groan. She probably did think that. Damn it all. He should have been more specific.
Locking her gaze with his, Saria shrugged her shoulders. "In my experience, Pauline--and I do have five brothers--men tend to be very bossy. A few of my friends are married, and believe me, the ones staying home are definitely dictated."
Pauline threw her hands in the air and ranted in Cajun-French for a few minutes. Saria was unfazed. She made a face at the innkeeper. "You just said you were too old to change your ways, which means you're afraid he'll try to dictate you." She glared at Drake. "Men are arrogant and bossy and think they're always right."
Drake flashed her a quick, unrepentant smile, looking more wolf than leopard. "Perhaps the men in your life had no finesse."
"See?" Saria pulled back as though he'd encroached on her space. "That's arrogance. And I notice you don' deny being bossy and arrogant."
"Of course not. I'm not in the habit of lying. I have confidence in my abilities or I'd be a damned poor leader, now wouldn't I?"
"What exactly do you lead?" Pauline asked.
He had to hand it to the woman. She was not only sharp, but extremely quick. "I have a field team. They'll be meeting me in a couple of days. A few weeks ago a boat hit an abandoned oil well and knocked off the cap. I represent Jake Bannaconni's company. He wants to know the exact damage done to the environment and how best to fix it. Mr. Bannaconni is especially fond of this area and wants it as pristine as possible. Once I determine the extent of the damage, I can formulate a plan and my team will come in and aid me with that. Mr. Bannaconni will implement the plan as soon as we complete the study."
"I knew his great-grandfather," Pauline said. "A good man."
"I never had the privilege, but Mr. Bannaconni speaks highly of him." He stood up when Saria did. "Thank you for the wonderful breakfast, Pauline. It was delicious. Saria, when we go through the swamp, would you mind pointing out the Tregre property?"
There was an instant silence as if he'd dropped a major bomb. The two women exchanged uneasy glances.
"Why?" Saria and Pauline both asked simultaneously.
Drake's shrug was casual, but his radar screamed a warning at him. "A friend of mine had relatives with that name from this area. He doesn't remember them, but he thought I might run across someone with that name."
"You wouldn't want to," Saria said. "We don' want to set foot on their property."
He lifted an eyebrow. "I thought all of you got on with your neighbors."
"We get along with them," Pauline confirmed, "because we don' bother them."
Drake shrugged. "No big deal. I just told him I'd keep an eye out. I'll just grab my pack, Saria, with my test kit in it. Be right back."
"I'll be packin' the boat," she said. "I take food and water and tools just to be on the safe side. Meet you there in ten minutes." She snagged one last beignet and sauntered out of the room.
Drake watched her go. "She sure is beautiful."
"And never forget she has five brothers," Pauline warned.
"I'll keep that in mind," he said with a grin as he started out of the room. He turned back. "One other thing, Pauline, and I'm a little embarrassed about this. Last night I was on my balcony and it started to rain some. I just stripped and left my clothes and shoes on the railing. I didn't want to get the floor wet and I figured I'd get them in the morning, but they were gone. I looked on the lawn, but couldn't find them."
Pauline flashed him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Darn raccoons will carry off anything. I should have warned you about leavin' things outside."
7
STEPPING outside the bed-and-breakfast was like stepping into another world. Everything was gray and eerie. Sound was muffled by the thick ghostly fog hovering over the water and winding through the trees. Drake made his way down to the boat and stowed his gear. Saria looked competent at the helm, a picture in her blue jeans and loose sweatshirt covering her slender arms as she waved him to a seat and took them out into the water.
Drake waited until Saria had maneuvered through the small section of lake and headed back through the canal to the swamp. Cypress trees rose up as if guarding the land on either side of the duckweed-filled water. The early morning fog seemed particularly dense over the water, and he said nothing to distract her as she took the boat through a labyrinth of canals and bayous, crisscrossing over the tall weeds until she seemed to settle into a steady speed.
"Before we head to Fenton's Marsh, I'd like to see some of the swamp Fenton leased to the seven families. It will help me get a better feel for everyone."
Saria glanced at him. "How? Swamp is swamp."
He shook his head. "Each leopard is different and his territory is going to tell me a lot about him."
She shrugged. "No problem, but sooner or later, someone is going to spot us and there may be trouble."
"So eventually we'll have eyes on us."
"Most likely."
"In that case, stop the boat." He put a command into his voice.
She frowned but obeyed, slowing and then stopping the boat. The boat sat in the water with the engine idling while they faced one another. He crooked his finger at her. Her frown deepened, but she made her way to him, easily handling the motion of the water as it gently rocked them back and forth.
Drake curled his fingers in the front of her shirt and tugged, forcing her to bend toward him. She put one hand on his shoulder to steady herself. He didn't let up, applying a steady pressure until her face was a breath away.
"You didn't kiss me this morning." He whispered the words against her lips and before she could reply, he took possession of her mouth.
When he touched Saria, the world dropped away, leaving them the only two people in existence. For a man who was always in control, it was a little terrifying to disappear into her homouth, her exotic taste, to lose himself so completely in a woman. He started off thinking he'd take a morning kiss to reaffirm his claim on her, maybe shake her calm just a little, but the kiss turned into something altogether different.
Sunlight burst behind his eyes. He merged with her. Into her. Floated with her across the sky. He forgot where they were. There was only Saria and her soft skin and hot mouth. He kissed her again and again. Exchanged soft breath. Turned to ragged gasps. They were flying. Soaring. He shifted her more closely into his arms, fitting her against him so that she was snugly against the cradle of his hips. The movement rocked the boat, so that he had to balance them both. Ruefully he lifted his head, astonished that he'd been so lost in the haven of her soft mouth.
Saria pressed her forehead to his, both hands on his shoulders. "So it is real." Her eyes were wide with a kind of dazed shock he found endearing.
"Very real," he agreed. "And I don't want you to forget it."
"It's a little scary," she admitted.
He framed her face with his hands. "I know it is, Saria. I know I'm asking a lot from you to trust me with this, but I'll see us through it. I won't let you down."
She studied his face for a long time. Around them, the water lapped gently at the boat and a large bird took flight, the sound of the wings surprisingly loud as the creature lifted into the air. He could read the trepidation on her face--but also the resolve. His woman wasn't going to run, not like the birds taking to the air around them; she would see it through no matter how frightened she was. Each show of courage added another string into his heart.
Drake slipped one hand into all that silky hair, bunching it into his hands. "They won't give you up easily, Saria. You have to know that. This is a small community. Every female is valuable. Amos Jeanmard sacrificed
his own happiness for his people. I believe he is their leader, but he isn't holding them together the way he once did. Sooner or later a younger leopard will challenge his right to leadership. If that happens before your leopard emerges, he could potentially change the rules on us. In any case, he will expect you to stay with your lair and mate with one of the males here to preserve the shifter lineage. Should a younger male challenge him, he may set the others on a course to reacquire you."
"And you'll fight them all."
"I have experience they don't. And my team will be joining us. They're all experienced in battle."
"They're my friends and family," Saria pointed out.
He brushed his lips gently over hers. "I'm a leader, Saria. We don't ever sacrifice our own kind needlessly. I will do my best not to allow this to get out of hand, but they won't take you from me."
She licked her bottom lip, betraying her nervousness. "I've never . . ." She trailed off. "You might be very disappointed."
His heart skipped a beat. "Never?"
She shook her head. "Growin' up here, everyone feels like a brother. I don' feel anythin' other than affection for them. No . . . fire." Her gaze met his steadily. "Like with you."
He wao wrap her in his arms and comfort her. She was struggling to accept her leopard, the chemistry between them and her loyalty to her lair. She didn't see her lair as her own yet, but he knew that was a huge part of her worry. He was a virtual stranger to her, one she had extraordinary chemistry with, one she instinctively trusted, but he didn't make sense if she thought about it too much. She had accepted they would have sex, but she wasn't allowing herself to think beyond that.
"I won't be disappointed, Saria. Many men have a selfish desire to know his woman is his alone. I'm no different."
She frowned. "And if I'd been experienced?"
"I would have reaped the benefits. Either way, I win." He brushed her mouth again. He loved the feel of her soft, full lips.
"I don' think there will be many benefits as it is. Although I think my leopard is a freakin' hussy."
He laughed. "She'll have no problems, but perhaps we'll take it a little slower so the next time she pushes her way to the surface, you won't be so shocked by her."
"Is there slower? Every time you touch me I feel as if I'm burnin' up."
The honesty in her was astonishing. He found her perfect. Saria wasn't shy or backward, and she would approach sex and passion as she did everything else.
She burst out laughing, her fingers tightening on his shoulder. "You're lookin' at me as if I'm somethin' very special. You have no idea what I'm like."
He flashed a quick grin. She didn't know him either. "Isn't that the fun part? Learning about one another? I already know to look before I step into a shower or bathtub in case you've given me a present."
"Fast learner," she said and made her way back to the front of the boat.
He couldn't help but admire the way she moved in her snug-fitting jeans. She was very fluid. Her leopard had been close most of her life, without her awareness maybe, but her coordination was too good, her reflexes too fast. She'd craved the wildness and freedom of the swamp when most women would have rejected the humid, very dangerous environment. She'd thrived, living off the land and learning to avoid the dangers.
Birds were everywhere, tall egrets walking gracefully along the shallower waters. Other smaller birds flitted from branch to branch. Each called, sang or scolded as they searched for food in the cool gray mist. The sun had begun to rise, turning the entire swamp into shades of gold and red muted by the dense fog.
"This area starts the beginning of the Tregre lease," Saria called to him. "They have nine thousand acres and you can see how wild it is. This is probably the thickest vegetation in the swamp. This section of the swamp was never clear-cut. The growth is original."
"Tell me about them."
She sent him a quick look and then turned her attention to navigating. "They're one of the oldest families. The grandfather, Buford Tregre, was a fierce, cruel man. He drank a lot and beat the crap out of his three sons and wife. It was rumored he abused his daughters-in-law as well, but that was hushed up pretty fast. He died a couple of years ago, but not before he did a lot of damage to that family. Thre is one girl about my age, but she never leaves the property. Two of his sons still live there, both wives left a long time ago. The grandfather wouldn't allow them to take their children. So the girl and at least two boys live there, but we don' see them often, more since the old man died. One brother was killed. Again, it's an unconfirmed rumor that he died running with his wife and son and that the old man killed him."
Drake was very aware of the depravity a shifter could sink into if he didn't take firm control of his animal. Temper and lust could easily rule their lives. It sounded as if the leader of the lair had allowed the Tregre clan to live outside the rules of the lair. If the grandfather had been corrupt, certainly his offspring could become killers. Joshua Tregre's mother had brought the boy back to the rain forest and had never said a word to her people about why she'd returned. He suspected it had been Joshua's father who had died helping his family escape the old man.
Drake studied the wild, tangled vines and thick brush through the trees. Two men--brothers--whose father beat them and ran their wives off, lived there with two sons and a daughter. They were virtually isolated in that tangled jungle of plants and trees. Unless a complaint was filed, no one was going to venture into that swamp and take a look at the family.
The lair was far larger than he'd first imagined. Cajuns were all about family, and the shifters who had settled centuries earlier in the region had embraced that philosophy and way of life. He was definitely going to need his team and he'd have to call them in quickly. Once word got out that he'd claimed Saria, the Louisiana lair would be up in arms. If they were as undisciplined and out of control as they appeared, there would be more trouble than he'd first expected.
"Get me close."
She took a slow, careful look around. "We can't set foot on their land. They could decide to shoot us," she cautioned, but she maneuvered the boat as close as she could without getting into the tangle of knobby roots.
Drake used high-powered binoculars to study the land. There were several ominous signs warning of no trespassing. Each sign stated clearly violators would be shot. That took care of human visitors. He studied the trees. Rake marks were visible on most of them. He inhaled and smelled the pungent markings of the leopard male, warning others from his territory. There were clumps of leaves built up every so many feet. The male had been busy, determined to ensure no other male came onto his land.
"Whose lease borders the Tregre family's lease?"
"The Mercier land borders theirs and we have a tiny corner of our lease butting up against theirs. Remy forbade all of my brothers to go near there--and especially me."
"Did you listen?"
"Everyone listens to Remy. He's very much like you, soft-spoken, but you can see the steel underneath." She shrugged, maneuvering the boat around a bend and once again coming in closer to the cypress trees with their knobby roots protruding above the water's surface.
"You went to the corner." Drake stated it as a fact. He studied the profile of her face with hooded eyes. Yeah, she had definitely visited that corner where the two properties connected. She was going to lead him in a terrible dance.
Saria laughed. "Ofse I did, but I did listen to my brother." For a moment her eyes sparkled with mischief.
"And?" he prompted.
She sent him a veiled look from under her long lashes. "I struck up a friendship with Evangeline, the daughter, and we meet sometimes and just hang out together."
He closed his eyes briefly, trying not to imagine what would have happened if she'd been caught by Evangeline's grandfather. "There on the property?"
"I told you, she doesn't leave it--ever."
"Not even to go to school."
"She's homeschooled. I bring her books sometimes."/> "And your brothers don't know."
"Of course not. Remy would be really angry. Evangeline is different and very lonely. I don' see the harm in keepin' our friendship a secret."
"If the old man died a couple of years ago, why does she still have to hide that she knows you?"
Saria shrugged. "Her father and uncle might not like it, that's all. We didn't want to take the chance that they'd forbid our friendship."
He suppressed a groan. Saria's stubborn streak of independence must have made her father crazy. She chose her own way, and few things seemed to deter her--not even danger.
She pointed to a particularly muddy bank. "See that, the way the mud has those skid marks. That's a gator slide. They have territories too. They can get quite large and they're dangerous, Drake. If you're messin' around in the swamp or bayou, you have to be aware of the predators."
He glanced at her sharply. She was telling him she could take care of herself--and she probably could under most circumstances. "Sometimes predators are sitting next to you for years, honey, and you can't see them."
Her gaze flicked to his, caught and held before she looked away. "Amos Jeanmard leases this property," she said. "He loves birds and allows me to photograph here whenever I like."
Drake could see why she would want to take pictures. Jeanmard had a little piece of heaven. Birds of every color flitted through the trees. Others wheeled above in a large colorful flock. He spotted hawks and cranes and just about every kind of bird in between.
"I was here that first night. I had set up a blind to capture a series of photographs on owls," Saria said. She nodded across the water. "The tip of Fenton's Marsh is over there."
The fog was slow to burn off, even with the glow of the orange sun beating down on them. He could barely make out the curve of the land mass she was referring to.
"I could just make out the lights of two boats. Someone screamed. It was really scary."
He sighed. "At least you knew enough to be scared, although that didn't stop you from investigating."
She shrugged, undeterred by his judgment. He turned his attention to the Jeanmard property. There were the telltale piles of leaves and the rake marks. These were quite high and deep, but less frequent, as if the resident leopard had less to prove. He studied the deep furrows for a few moments. On three of the trees, a second leopard had raked deep into the tree over Jeanmard's marks. A challenge then.