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works both ways. I might not be able to come up with an impenetrable bubble, but I can find something else."

He ruffled her hair, massaging her scalp where he'd been so rough before. "I bet you could, too, my little warrior woman. When we have children, make them all boys. Little girls running around with no fear in them will be too much for my heart."

Solange stepped away from him, hastily turning her head. She knew she would never be able to hide the shock his teasing had produced. Her heart pounded so hard she feared it might crash through her chest. Children? Plural? A family. She bit her lip hard. She supposed that was the natural progression of a committed relationship. Dominic was always five steps ahead of her. She was still tiptoeing around having him inside of her and he was already at children.

"You're hyperventilating." There was amusement in his voice. Purring, satisfied male amusement.

Solange glared at him. "You said that on purpose."

He definitely kept her off balance, and in a way it was exhilarating. She could never be with a man she could walk on, let alone be with one who didn't stimulate her intelligence. She liked that he played. She'd forgotten laughter and teasing. She'd certainly forgotten playing, and it was just plain fun with him. She even missed wearing her sexy clothes. That was a new experience for her, one she would treasure and never ever tell her cousins.

Dominic shrugged. "Nevertheless, it is true."

"For that, I'm producing ten daughters. Two at a time. And since I have no idea about raising children and you're so knowledgeable, I will let you do the raising." She managed to sound as if she was doing him a big favor, but the "true" part had definitely sent another somersault rolling through her stomach.

He laughed and nudged her. "I will accept your terms. Mostly because you will never hold to them. You are very opinionated."

"I've been very quiet these last few days."

"Risings," he corrected automatically. "I am in your mind, never forget that."

She tried not to blush. If he was in her mind, he would be seeing quite a few shocking things, especially the last couple of risings. "We should go before the trail gets too faint."

His grin told her he knew she was deliberately changing the subject. "I suppose you are right, although I find this conversation very interesting. Once I remove the safeguards, wait for me to scan the area and make certain it is clear before you leave the chamber."

She rolled her eyes. "I think I'm perfectly capable of determining when it's safe to emerge. It isn't like this is my first time."

"You nearly died. Whether you like it or not, you are going to have to put up with me being a little on the protective side for a bit."

She secretly didn't mind his protective side because she was going to do whatever it took to win each battle, and hopefully they'd always be thinking alike, but it was nice to have someone worried about her.

She blew him a kiss and shifted, shocked that she did so easily, certain of him now. She liked that--being so certain of him. He did trust her at his side in a fight, and she found she could tap into his battle experiences, which gave her insight to the way he worked and also valuable information when facing his enemies.

"I will follow the water to the source and see if I can pick up any `footprints.' "

I'll be waiting in the forest by the stream where I think it is most likely he found a way in. At some point he had to be more than shadow. Each time he attacked, he had to become his flesh and blood self, so there will be tracks. In this form, I can track anything substantial.

She waited, crouched at Dominic's feet, taking the chance to look over his magnificent body. He was really quite gorgeous, although she found his hard-edged masculinity a little intimidating. He was well endowed and she had to admit she found herself looking at that one part of his anatomy more than any other, absorbing the shape of him, the girth and length. She'd never been intrigued by the male phallus, certainly never the real thing. Now she felt almost obsessed, wanting to touch him, to taste him, to know him as intimately as he knew her.

Hidden deep inside the jaguar where she was safe, she sighed, recognizing that