expanding. The pain made her want to black out. She was certain her ribs had gone from bruised to cracked. Her breath came in spasms. Hard. Raw. Desperate.
She slid off the bed to the floor on her hands and knees.
Just come. Take me over. I donât do so well as a woman. Maybe youâll do better than me.
She wanted to disappear, and becoming a leopard was as good a way as any. She just had to be very quiet so those downstairs wouldnât hear. Every now and then she heard raised voices, men shouting to each other in Italian, and she knew Paolo and her grandfather were having an argument.They didnât do so often, but when they did, it usually got very heated.
Her body contorted. Her teeth ached. Her jaw was painful. Most of all, the pain along her ribs had become agony. She dropped her head down, breathing through it, welcoming the leopard. Wanting to become anything but what she wasâa woman so covered in vile filthâa party to the murder of four men and almost a fifth. Her grandfatherâthe man who was supposed to love and protect herâhad done that.
She had thrown herself at Elijah. She dreamt of him nearly every night, and had since she was fifteen years old. Sometimes the dreams felt so real, she couldnât imagine that they werenât already together. Often, the dreams were just silly, the two of them laughing together and walking along a road holding hands. Other times, they were highly erotic, two lovers unable to keep their hands off of each other.
She groaned but the sound came out more of a low growl. The itch increased until she wanted to scream. She tried to bite down on her lip, but her mouth felt strange and then she found herself inside a cocoon, surrounded by another, and she knew her instantly. Her leopard prowled the room, every step painful as her ribs protested the action. She lifted her head and scented the male who had come there. The one who had done the damage to both woman and leopard. Her lip lifted in a silent snarl.
Deep inside the animal, Siena found a kind of solace. She wasnât gone, she was right there and fully aware of her leopard padding softly through the bedroom to the wall where the male leopard had raked deep rivets in the wood. Every step hurt. It hurt to drag in a decent breath, and Siena felt that right along with her leopard. She soothed the leopard, talked to her, told her everything. Part of her was hysterical, thinking she was having a complete breakdown, but it didnât matter to her.
The leopard moved to the bathroom and looked in the full-length mirror there. Golden, with black rosettes, therewas a tinge of fire to her fur. She was beautiful. She had Sienaâs exotic eyes, and that deep green stared back at her.
Youâre beautiful,
she whispered to the animal. Her savior. She wished she could put her arms around the little female and hug her tight. If she was crazy, she would be happily so. Much better to live as this beautiful creature, even if she was put in a zoo, than to live as a woman who clearly was no good at being a woman. Being a leopard had to be better than being a woman who was an accessory to four murders.
The leopard returned from the bathroom to leap onto the bed. The movement, as fluid and graceful as it was, sent waves of excruciating pain through the animalâthrough Siena. The cat forced its head out the window, looking at the tree branch that curved invitingly close. One leap and she would be gone. It was close to midnight and few people would be out. She could get to her car and escape.
The sound of a gunshot was loud, reverberating through the houseâcoming from downstairs. Deep inside the leopard, Siena froze. Opened her mouth in a silent scream. She knew. She knew the gunshot had come from downstairs, and her grandfather was down there. Four more shots were fired. She winced with every one.
The leopard whirled around as Siena, without any real thought, seized it, forcing herself to the
She slid off the bed to the floor on her hands and knees.
Just come. Take me over. I donât do so well as a woman. Maybe youâll do better than me.
She wanted to disappear, and becoming a leopard was as good a way as any. She just had to be very quiet so those downstairs wouldnât hear. Every now and then she heard raised voices, men shouting to each other in Italian, and she knew Paolo and her grandfather were having an argument.They didnât do so often, but when they did, it usually got very heated.
Her body contorted. Her teeth ached. Her jaw was painful. Most of all, the pain along her ribs had become agony. She dropped her head down, breathing through it, welcoming the leopard. Wanting to become anything but what she wasâa woman so covered in vile filthâa party to the murder of four men and almost a fifth. Her grandfatherâthe man who was supposed to love and protect herâhad done that.
She had thrown herself at Elijah. She dreamt of him nearly every night, and had since she was fifteen years old. Sometimes the dreams felt so real, she couldnât imagine that they werenât already together. Often, the dreams were just silly, the two of them laughing together and walking along a road holding hands. Other times, they were highly erotic, two lovers unable to keep their hands off of each other.
She groaned but the sound came out more of a low growl. The itch increased until she wanted to scream. She tried to bite down on her lip, but her mouth felt strange and then she found herself inside a cocoon, surrounded by another, and she knew her instantly. Her leopard prowled the room, every step painful as her ribs protested the action. She lifted her head and scented the male who had come there. The one who had done the damage to both woman and leopard. Her lip lifted in a silent snarl.
Deep inside the animal, Siena found a kind of solace. She wasnât gone, she was right there and fully aware of her leopard padding softly through the bedroom to the wall where the male leopard had raked deep rivets in the wood. Every step hurt. It hurt to drag in a decent breath, and Siena felt that right along with her leopard. She soothed the leopard, talked to her, told her everything. Part of her was hysterical, thinking she was having a complete breakdown, but it didnât matter to her.
The leopard moved to the bathroom and looked in the full-length mirror there. Golden, with black rosettes, therewas a tinge of fire to her fur. She was beautiful. She had Sienaâs exotic eyes, and that deep green stared back at her.
Youâre beautiful,
she whispered to the animal. Her savior. She wished she could put her arms around the little female and hug her tight. If she was crazy, she would be happily so. Much better to live as this beautiful creature, even if she was put in a zoo, than to live as a woman who clearly was no good at being a woman. Being a leopard had to be better than being a woman who was an accessory to four murders.
The leopard returned from the bathroom to leap onto the bed. The movement, as fluid and graceful as it was, sent waves of excruciating pain through the animalâthrough Siena. The cat forced its head out the window, looking at the tree branch that curved invitingly close. One leap and she would be gone. It was close to midnight and few people would be out. She could get to her car and escape.
The sound of a gunshot was loud, reverberating through the houseâcoming from downstairs. Deep inside the leopard, Siena froze. Opened her mouth in a silent scream. She knew. She knew the gunshot had come from downstairs, and her grandfather was down there. Four more shots were fired. She winced with every one.
The leopard whirled around as Siena, without any real thought, seized it, forcing herself to the
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