He kept his voice low, amused, a little taunting and it carried to the black leopard. The animal snarled, ears flat, teeth showing in a grimace. The killing rage was still on him and this time he had a target—a stranger—one who had dared to claim his sister. He knew he shouldn’t throw the challenge back in Saria’s brother’s teeth, but damn it all, he was tired of this lair’s out-of-control, strike-first-and-ask-questions-later policies. Someone needed to teach them a lesson.
He was still hanging on to his intellect enough to know his own leopard was driving him a bit, enraged over the attack on Saria, but he’d had it. He wanted to give in to his leopard’s savage nature. His hands dropped to his jeans, slipping the buttons open quickly.
“What are you doin’?” Saria demanded, putting a restraining hand on his wrist. “Are you insane? That’s my brother.”
It was too late for Saria to stop anything. Her other brothers were flinging shirts off and stepping out of shoes. This wasn’t going to be a one-on-one fight with Remy. Saria was their sister and as far as each of them was concerned, she’d been stolen—kidnapped—forced to accept a man they didn’t know as a mate. They could smell his scent all over her and it maddened them. Remy continued forward in that slow stalk preceding an all-out attack.
The shotgun blast filled the air. Simultaneously, an automatic weapon sprayed bullets just a few feet from Saria’s brothers, throwing dirt and twigs into the air. More bullets were fired in front of the black leopard. Elie swung around, his rifle at his shoulder, but there was no target. Everyone froze.
“Stand down. The next one who moves is dead.”
Drake recognized Joshua Tregre’s voice. He sounded deadly and no one, least of all Drake, was foolish enough to move.
“Drake, move back into cover,” Joshua instructed. “Everyone else just stay right where you are and don’t make the mistake of thinking we won’t kill you. You don’t mean a damn thing to any of us. Fucking bastards, turning on your own kind.” He spat the words in disgust.
Two of Saria’s brothers flinched, faces darkening. One glanced at the gun he’d put on the ground near his shirt.
“Don’t,” Drake warned. “You’ll be dead your first step. They don’t miss.”
The black leopard contorted, fur rippling, joints and bones cracking as the man emerged from the beast. Saria gasped and pushed her face into the back of Drake’s shirt to prevent herself from seeing her oldest brother naked.
Remy was covered in blood and rake marks, but he straightened without wincing, his glacier-blue eyes sweeping the surrounding trees. “Don’ move. Any of you,” h commanded his brothers. He glanced at Drake. “I take it your boys have joined us.”
It was a measure of Remy’s strength that he’d fought back his leopard’s killing rage and sounded matter-of-fact, casual even. He also was drawing attention to himself. It wouldn’t work. Drake’s team members were too well-trained. Each had a target, or in this case, a couple of them. Remy’s brothers had been caught grouped too close together.
Drake gave him a curt nod. “I run a couple of teams in the rain forest.” It was a shrewd guess, but Remy was no home-grown boy. He’d been around. A leopard sought out the wilds. If Remy had traveled, he would have run across a lair, and at least a few of the men who worked hostage and rescue.
“Mahieu, throw me my jeans before Saria has a stroke.”
Saria’s brother was as big as Drake, with the same heavy muscles, but his hair was very dark and he wore it long and shaggy and loose. His eyes were a striking cobalt blue. His face was tough, strong, the lines carved deep. A scar on the side of his neck indicated a knife had nearly ended his life at some point.
“And hurry,” Saria added. “I do not want to see Remy in all his glory. I’ll be scarred for life.” Her voice trembled a little, but Saria wouldn’t crumble, even under the tense situation.
“Let him,” Drake told his team. They were concealed in the brush, impossible to spot, although the Boudreaux brothers had to have scented them by now.
Mahieu, using careful movements, retrieved his brother’s jeans and threw them.
Remy caught them in one hand and dragged them up over his hips.
“Remy, the boys need medical attention,” Elie Jeanmard pointed out, worry edging his voice. “It may already be too late.”
“Too damn bad,” Remy snapped. “I don’ particularly care if they live.” He looked at Drake. Those piercing blue eyes never wavered. “I want to see my sister out in the open. I need to know she’s all right. Saria, step out where we can see you. Don’ be afraid. If this man is holding you hostage . . .”
Drake kept his hold on Saria. “A little late to play the concerned big brother. Where the hell were you when she was attacked?”
Saria dragged in her breath audibly. The two torn and bloody leopards, sides heaving, tongues lolling, both jerked in reaction, and began trying to drag themselves into the brush. Remy turned to eye them and both ceased all movement. He turned slowly back to regard Drake with a puzzled frown.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“My point. A couple of weeks ago a member of your lair decided to force his leopard on Saria. I don’t see that she had any protection. Not from the lair and not from her family.”
“You don’ pull your punches.” Remy made it a statement.
“You might want to remember that the next time you challenge me to a fight.”
A brief smile touched Remy’s mouth. “You’re also a hard-ass bastard.”
“Bet your life I am,” Drake agreed without remorse. “You didn’t take care of her.” He all b spat the accusation.