He was already close to the edge of his control, realizing that if Emma was in fact one of his species, she had to be close to her first true heat. He had experienced the maddening thrall once before and he could feel the temper and dominance of his kind raking at his belly and churning with a black rage. His body was hard and hurting, and every bone and muscle ached with the effort to hold back the change. Now she was gone and the scent of male cat was strong.

His men converged from all sides, Drake, Conner and Joshua bursting through the crowd. Evan leapt over the bar and Sean tossed his tray aside and rushed toward them. Jake pointed to a door just a few feet from the couch where Emma had been sitting. “Her scent is strong this way.”

The door was locked, but he expected that. He was enormously strong, and when he called on his cat, that added to his physical strength. They took down the door in seconds, splintering the hard wood. Emma was on the floor, on her knees, her face so pale she looked like a ghost. Her stockings were torn and her clothing disheveled. A man was reaching for her, but he stopped abruptly as Jake and his men poured into the room. The man’s face was bloody. It looked as if his nose might have been broken.

Already Jake’s body was contorting, his clothes ripping.

“Take her,” Drake snapped as Conner and Joshua moved between Jake and Emma. “Get her out of here.”

Jake looked around the room. “You’re dead,” he said quietly, and reached for Emma.

She had trouble getting her legs under her and standing, so he simply swept her up, cradling her body close, and turned and went out, Sean leading the way with Evan flanking them. Drake, Joshua and Conner held back the two leopard mercenaries with warning growls of their own. Jake strode through the curious partygoers, paying no attention to the gasps and questions. The men closed ranks, the others catching up as they exited the house.

Jake put Emma in his Ferrari, slammed the door harder than necessary and started the engine. “Put your seat belt on.”

When she fumbled with it, he swore and did it himself. Looking straight ahead, he pulled the car onto the deserted street, following the vehicle carrying two of the bodyguards. Behind them, another vehicle followed close.

“What the hell were you thinking, going off alone into a room with them?” Inside the close proximity of the vehicle, the other man’s stench was overpowering. She reeked of something half man, half leopard. He could smell the other cat and it drove his leopard into absolute madness. He could barely control the car, his fingers contorting and curling, curved claws pushing against the ends of his fingers.

Emma moistened her lips, trying to get past the cotton in her mouth. Her brain was still fuzzy, refusing to work properly. She knew Jake’s fury with her was building, but she seemed unable to find a way to answer him. Her arms remained heavy, the drug in her system clinging in spite of her best efforts to shake it off.

She was close to tears. Rory had come close to raping her. That had been his intention, with Trent, Cathy Bannaconni and the other man, Clayton, looking on. If Clayton and Trent hadn’t wanted in on the action, in those few moments, Rory might have succeeded, while Cathy documented the entire assault. She didn’t know if their plan to make Jake throw her out would have been successful, or if it had without the assault. He was nearly out of control, low, menacing growls rumbling constantly in his throat.

She needed comfort, not tantrums, and Jake was close to a violent tantrum.

“I told you to stay in plain sight. What did you think was happening? After what happened yesterday, did you think this was some kind of game?” His vision was changing, and he saw heated bands of color. The lights of the cars hurt his eyes. His jaw ached. He breathed hard through his nose, trying to hold back the change. His cat was in a fury, the stench of the other male driving him mad.

She didn’t respond, and in truth, Jake was grateful she didn’t make excuses, knowing it would have infuriated him even more. He drove in silence until they were on his property and the security peeled off, leaving them alone. Instead of heading for the house, he chose to drive out toward the back part of the property, taking them away from the children and his security team now that they were on his ranch. He didn’t trust himself. His intention was to get out, to tell her to drive back without him, and then he would run until the cat was exhausted. He no longer trusted himself in his present state.

He slammed on the brakes and brought the car sliding to a halt, shoving open his door and nearly falling out, his cat pushing hard against his skin. He tore off his jacket, tossing it on the hood of the car, and ripped at his shirt, popping buttons so that they fell to the ground, scattering everywhere.

Breathing hard, he went around to the passenger side and yanked her door open with every intention of having her get into the driver’s seat. The stench of the other male filled his lungs and he scented . . . leopard. She had another male’s mark all over her. Without even being aware of his actions, he jerked her out of the car. Emma tried to pull away, falling back against the car, fighting to shake off the lethargy the drug had produced.

Her resistance triggered the leopard in him. Snarling, he ripped at the offending dress, raking down it with sharpened claws, tearing it off her in strips. The material went everywhere as the wind blew across the sky, carrying ribbons of black satin into the trees. Emma didn’t move, holding perfectly still, watching him with her wary gaze. Her eyes were greener. Her skin softer. Her body nearly glowing and so hot it was all he could do not to throw her onto the hood of the car and bury his body in hers.