staring at him, her face pale. “Holy shit.” She took a step back, stumbled and landed on her butt. He hurried toward her, concerned she’d hurt herself.
She was going to die. That was Toni’s first thought when the massive cat leapt at her. She threw up her arms to ward him off even knowing it wouldn’t do her any good. It certainly hadn’t helped the men who’d come to her home, and they’d had a gun. Her weapon and theirs was locked in the trunk of her car and of no use to her.
When deadly claws didn’t rake over her skin, Toni peeked out from behind her arms. The cat was sitting next her, calmly waiting for her to acknowledge him. She peered into eyes she knew. There was no denying they belonged to Stavros.
“This isn’t possible,” she whispered, even though the evidence to the contrary was right before her eyes. The cat lowered his head and butted it against her arm. The gesture was so much like a housecat that she automatically reached out and scratched him behind the ears. The jaguar began to purr. Realizing what she was doing, she yanked her hand back.
Okay, so maybe Stavros was telling the truth. Unless she was having some sort of hallucination, an out-of-body experience, or her mind had lost its grip on reality, the only truth was the one sitting in front of her.
“You really are the jaguar.”
The cat chuffed his agreement.
Toni swallowed hard and reached out to touch the amazing creature once again. No, not a creature. Stavros.
The jaguar’s fur wasn’t really black. It was covered in dark rosettes that enveloped his entire body, making him appear to be one solid color unless you were as close as she was to him.
His breath was warm on her face as he chuffed again.
“Okay, I believe you.”
The cat stood and flicked his tail as he walked several paces from her. The play of muscles beneath his sleek coat of fur had her wishing for her camera. But she didn’t think he’d appreciate it if she jumped up, got her equipment and started snapping photos. Better not to anger the shapeshifting warrior.
And, yeah, it was going to take her a while to wrap her brain around that one.
Stavros began to shift once again. Only this time, instead of morphing into a cat, he became a man once again. Thankfully, he was wearing those leather pants he’d worn earlier. Not that they were much of an improvement. They clung to his muscular thighs and slender hips like a well-fitting glove.
She looked away from the prominent bulge in the front of his pants. Now was definitely not the time to be thinking about sex, no matter what her libido wanted. His bronzed chest was once again on display. A smattering of dark hair spanned between his two nipples before thinning to a line that ran down his midsection and disappeared behind the waistband of his pants.
“Toni.” His rough voice sent a shiver of longing through her. She suppressed it and met his black gaze.
“So you really are a shapeshifting warrior?”
He nodded. “An immortal. A warrior of the Lady of the Beasts, a goddess few in the world remember.”
That much was true. Toni certainly had never heard of her. “What are you doing here?” It seemed strange to her that she’d run across such a being in the bayous of Louisiana. Maybe the rainforest of South America near some ancient ruins. That would be easier to believe.
She started to laugh and slapped her hand over her mouth. It didn’t help. She’d obviously lost it. Nothing in her life made sense.
Stavros looked concerned, and there was nothing she could do to reassure him at the moment. She was clinging to her sanity by a thread.
He scooped her into his arms as though she weighed nothing at all and carried her toward the small home. She held on to him, needing something to ground her on this crazy night. Maybe she was in shock. Fine tremors wracked her body from head to toe.
He carried her inside and kicked the door closed behind him. The place obviously had a woman’s touch. It was
She was going to die. That was Toni’s first thought when the massive cat leapt at her. She threw up her arms to ward him off even knowing it wouldn’t do her any good. It certainly hadn’t helped the men who’d come to her home, and they’d had a gun. Her weapon and theirs was locked in the trunk of her car and of no use to her.
When deadly claws didn’t rake over her skin, Toni peeked out from behind her arms. The cat was sitting next her, calmly waiting for her to acknowledge him. She peered into eyes she knew. There was no denying they belonged to Stavros.
“This isn’t possible,” she whispered, even though the evidence to the contrary was right before her eyes. The cat lowered his head and butted it against her arm. The gesture was so much like a housecat that she automatically reached out and scratched him behind the ears. The jaguar began to purr. Realizing what she was doing, she yanked her hand back.
Okay, so maybe Stavros was telling the truth. Unless she was having some sort of hallucination, an out-of-body experience, or her mind had lost its grip on reality, the only truth was the one sitting in front of her.
“You really are the jaguar.”
The cat chuffed his agreement.
Toni swallowed hard and reached out to touch the amazing creature once again. No, not a creature. Stavros.
The jaguar’s fur wasn’t really black. It was covered in dark rosettes that enveloped his entire body, making him appear to be one solid color unless you were as close as she was to him.
His breath was warm on her face as he chuffed again.
“Okay, I believe you.”
The cat stood and flicked his tail as he walked several paces from her. The play of muscles beneath his sleek coat of fur had her wishing for her camera. But she didn’t think he’d appreciate it if she jumped up, got her equipment and started snapping photos. Better not to anger the shapeshifting warrior.
And, yeah, it was going to take her a while to wrap her brain around that one.
Stavros began to shift once again. Only this time, instead of morphing into a cat, he became a man once again. Thankfully, he was wearing those leather pants he’d worn earlier. Not that they were much of an improvement. They clung to his muscular thighs and slender hips like a well-fitting glove.
She looked away from the prominent bulge in the front of his pants. Now was definitely not the time to be thinking about sex, no matter what her libido wanted. His bronzed chest was once again on display. A smattering of dark hair spanned between his two nipples before thinning to a line that ran down his midsection and disappeared behind the waistband of his pants.
“Toni.” His rough voice sent a shiver of longing through her. She suppressed it and met his black gaze.
“So you really are a shapeshifting warrior?”
He nodded. “An immortal. A warrior of the Lady of the Beasts, a goddess few in the world remember.”
That much was true. Toni certainly had never heard of her. “What are you doing here?” It seemed strange to her that she’d run across such a being in the bayous of Louisiana. Maybe the rainforest of South America near some ancient ruins. That would be easier to believe.
She started to laugh and slapped her hand over her mouth. It didn’t help. She’d obviously lost it. Nothing in her life made sense.
Stavros looked concerned, and there was nothing she could do to reassure him at the moment. She was clinging to her sanity by a thread.
He scooped her into his arms as though she weighed nothing at all and carried her toward the small home. She held on to him, needing something to ground her on this crazy night. Maybe she was in shock. Fine tremors wracked her body from head to toe.
He carried her inside and kicked the door closed behind him. The place obviously had a woman’s touch. It was
Similar Books
