Cordeau’s male relied on brute strength. He’d hunted humans. Humans without guns or weapons of any kind. Humans lost in the swamp. Mostly females who were terrified. Eli’s male had honed his battle skills in the rain forests, fighting with teams to extract kidnap victims. Roughhousing. Mock battles. Learning technique and always, always conditioning.

There was immense satisfaction in every blow he dealt to the rogue leopard. Every brutal injury he bestowed on the beast. Until Jake and the others had arrived, all in leopard form, and yet Jake had hastily shifted to human form and rushed to Catarina’s side. That meant something was wrong. Like most leopards traveling, Jake had kept a small pack around his neck with clothes, yet he hadn’t taken the time to don them. That meant Catarina was in dire circumstances.

Then he heard Jake call in the helicopter. He’d faltered in that split second and he was damned lucky that Cordeau was struggling to stay on his feet. He should have dealt the killing blow right then, but Eli could barely breathe with fear. He couldn’t lose Catarina. He hadn’t considered that it might happen. He had every confidence that he would defeat Cordeau. There was no other option.

Cordeau couldn’t have Catarina. She was a treasure and the man hadn’t protected her, and even now, when he could have called out to Eli that she needed aid, he’d chosen to battle instead. That meant no more dealing out punishment. That meant killing Cordeau fast. The black panther understood, knew his mate was in trouble and instantly charged the leopard who had attempted to take her away from them.

He hit the side of the large cat and drove him over, feeling something give in the other animal. The leopard screamed in pain and rage. In fear. The heavier black panther didn’t hesitate. He ripped at the unprotected underside of the tawny leopard, attacked the softer exposed male parts drawing rivers of blood. When the leopard had no choice but to turn in desperation, Eli was on him, driving his teeth deep in and holding him there in the killing stranglehold of their kind.

Desperate, Cordeau’s cat fought to get free, fleeing uppermost in his mind now. Self-preservation had finally kicked in. The tawny male used his last remaining strength to stagger a few steps, trying to dislodge the black leopard, but Eli’s male clamped down all the more viciously, determined to end the fight. Determined to destroy his rival. Determined to get to his mate to see how bad her injuries were.

Cordeau’s male’s fur was dark with blood. He fought one more savage moment, trying to turn, to use his flexible spine to hook claws into Eli’s male, but the black leopard countered the movement, his bite relentless. He cut off the airway and simply held on, a ruthless, merciless kill. Eli felt no remorse and even less compassion.

He knew Catarina would hurt over this kill, but he also knew it was necessary. Cordeau had allowed his leopard to go rogue, and in doing so, the same madness infected him. No shifter could allow that. No shifter would allow it. Hunting human men or woman in the swamp was absolutely murder and they all knew it. It was forbidden, against every law they had.

Cordeau couldn’t see the inside of a courtroom. He had to die and his body had to be burned and then buried deep where no one would ever find the evidence. His three lieutenants had to join him. Catarina might not like it, but she would understand. She had to understand, because he wasn’t losing her over Cordeau’s death and his part in it.

Cordeau’s large male gave one more shudder and then went limp. Eli’s panther knew better than to drop him. He kept a relentless, merciless pressure, a stranglehold that would suffocate the other cat, but he couldn’t let go too soon, although the need to get to his mate was nearly overwhelming.

Eli had discipline and he used every ounce of it. Waiting. Feeling the life drain from the cat until he was completely a dead weight. Still he held on. Elijah’s leopard ventured close. Eli fought down the urge to attack, realizing his leopard was still in battle mode. Elijah must have known it, because he was careful to approach with caution. He shifted just his arm and hand, checking Cordeau’s animal for signs of life. His cat shook his head, and Eli knew Cordeau was gone.

His black panther dropped the other cat and he spun around, uncaring of his injuries. Uncaring that he was exhausted from the intense, brutal battle between the two male leopards. He shifted as he ran, reaching Jake, reaching Catarina.

His heart stuttered in his chest when he saw her. It nearly stopped. Terror lived and breathed in him. He hadn’t known terror. Not even as a young boy when his parents had died. Grief. Overwhelming sorrow. But not terror. Not like this.

“Get dressed fast, the helicopter is coming. I’ll go with you to the hospital,” Jake instructed, preventing Eli from wrenching Catarina out of his arms. “Hurry. I’ll need to dress as well. The boys will clean up here.”

Elijah tossed him a pack, and Eli yanked the jeans free, dragging them up over his hips. Only then did he realize his body was streaked with blood as well. He hadn’t felt the blows. Not any of them, but of course Cordeau’s cat had scored on his male. He didn’t bother with shoes or a shirt, he reached for Catarina, needing to hold her to him.

She cried out when her side came in contact with his, an involuntary cry that made it seem all the worse. Her face was twisted with pain and her skin felt cold and clammy. Leopards were always hot-blooded and to feel the chill in her skin added to his growing fear.

“She’s lost a lot of blood,” Jake said, his voice calm as he pulled on his jeans and dragged a shirt over his head. “I’ve put pressure bandages on the wounds on her sides, but she’d already lost so much.”