Already she was shifting, catching the scent of blood, of death. She took one leap and landed on the wide wooden railing just in front of Eli. Only it wasn’t Eli hanging there. It was another of Rafe’s lieutenants. She saw that in an instant and knew the one sitting so still was also dead.

Elation swept through her as she leapt from the porch and streaked across the open yard for the trees. She knew every inch of the way between their property and Jake Bannaconni’s. She also knew Eli had to be battling the third leopard, which meant her female would have to outrun Rafe’s male.

She didn’t look back. The little female valiantly ran for the fence that bordered the two properties. She knew where Jake’s men, all three shifters, had been working to repair a broken fence line so their cattle would remain on their land. She headed for that spot, hoping the men would get an early morning start and they would help her.

She ran full out, but she hadn’t counted on the damage Rafe had inflicted on her body. Every step hurt. She had to fight to breathe. He’d definitely hurt her ribs, and she felt each vicious kick he’d inflicted on her. She wasn’t nearly fast enough and she knew it. With a little sob, she pushed the female harder.

Something large slammed into the female leopard’s side, sending her tumbling, rolling over and over. She landed winded, shaking her head, trying to come to her feet. The heavier male was on her fast, too fast. His teeth bit down hard, lifting her, claws raking at her belly. She curled to protect herself. He shook her much smaller body and dropped her to the ground.

Catarina’s leopard rolled, came to her feet and ducked under the male’s attack, slicing at his sides with one claw, ripping him open as she leapt sideways out of the way. The male snarled, his eyes going yellow green. Her leopard eyed him warily. They stared at one another, the female trying to recover her breath.

She couldn’t outrun him. She couldn’t outfight him. But she might be able to outmaneuver him. She was much smaller, and she had a few moves Eli’s male had taught her. The key was not to panic and not to waste energy.

The male charged, exploding into action. She held her ground until the last possible second, springing into the air, swiping at his eyes with one claw, turning direction in midair to land a few feet away and behind the howling male. Blood streaked his side, not a killing wound, probably just shallow, but she’d scored there. Now blood streaked his face, and she saw one eye was damaged.

The male turned his head slowly and her heart nearly stopped. Rafe was not in control of the beast and his leopard, a true killing machine, targeted her for the kill. She could see the rage and fury in his eyes. He wasn’t going to simply demand her submission, he was going to annihilate her.

Eli watched Catarina go into the house with Cordeau. She looked so scared. So alone and vulnerable. He kept his head down, but his eyes were on the three men who had been having such a good time torturing him. They’d made several mistakes. They should have knocked him out. They should have tied his feet. The chains were wrapped around his wrists. And they thought with three against one the odds were in their favor.

One came at him from the front, his arms the legs of a leopard. He let the man get close, let him rake claws down his chest, a streaking, painful fire, but his legs whipped up and caught the man’s neck between his powerful thighs in a vicious grip, preventing shifting, preventing anything but trying to survive. He wasn’t going to. Eli killed him before the second leopard could leap the distance to try to come to the aid of his friend.

Eli lifted his body up, drove hard to rise above the hook and free his chains. He dropped to the ground and caught the second lieutenant around the neck with the chains, twisting with his enormous strength, relentless, brutal, taking the air from him, cutting it off, strangling him with the very manacles they’d used to bind him after they’d stunned him.

The other lieutenant recovered from his momentary shock and ripped his clothes from his body, shifting as he did so. Eli swung the dying man around to face the snarling leopard, giving the animal a target. The leopard leapt at him, his body hitting his friend with alarming force, smashing the chest, knocking Eli and the now dead man back. As he allowed the body to drop to the ground, Eli took the opportunity to shed the chains and his clothes in seconds. He shifted, his large male leopard already in combat mode, facing the leopard that had landed hard and was shaking himself.

Eli’s big black panther charged the lighter spotted leopard. The male leapt to the side with blinding speed and whirled to try to leap on Eli’s back. His panther met the leopard in midair, raking and clawing, using his teeth to try to secure a smothering hold, but the leopard was too experienced and twisted at the last second. He ran. Eli followed.

Eli knew he had no choice but to kill the leopard before Cordeau returned to kill him. And he would. There was no question no matter what he told Catarina. Cordeau knew better than to leave him alive. Cat’s leopard was Eli’s leopard’s mate. Cat was Eli’s mate. Cordeau would have to destroy him in order to have any claim on Catarina or her leopard. He knew, if Eli was alive, Eli would never stop coming after him and Catarina would be driven to try to find him.

Cordeau’s leopard had to be brutal. He’d driven the man mad. Some leopards, like their masters, were bad-tempered and edged a little toward insanity. Clearly, Rafe’s leopard had needed a strong hold on it, but he had allowed the personality to take him over. He’d become a reflection of his leopard – a killer.

Eli knew every inch of his property. He followed the leopard closely until he realized the animal was deliberately drawing him away from the ranch house and Catarina. At once he spun around and raced back. Better to face two leopards than allow Cordeau to steal Cat away. He knew Cordeau’s lieutenant would circle back to help his boss, but it didn’t matter. He needed to make certain Cordeau didn’t have the chance to take Catarina.