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zone. Solange was waiting, intent on getting a clear shot through the dense foliage. She didn't have room to maneuver and her perch was precarious. Not only was the limb flimsy, but the weight of the cat sent the tops of the trees swaying.

Dominic moved swiftly, trying to cover the distance to catch her if needed, but all of his senses were focused on the cat. The large animal continued to stare straight up at Solange, growling and slobbering.

Can you reach its mind? Solange still sounded calm--much calmer than he felt with the huge animal ripping through the trees to get at his lifemate.

The other cat had been protected by the mage with a strong barrier. Dominic pushed hard into this cat's mind. The creature existed for one purpose only--to bring its master Solange's blood. The mutated animal's senses were all programmed for one scent, for one person. There would be no stopping it from dragging her from the trees and hauling her to the mage.

He took a breath and narrowed his vision, centering on the space just below Solange. It was the only true open space.

Be ready, beloved. The cat leapt at her. Dominic blasted it, catching it in the air, but the lightning bolt crashed through the huge body, slamming into the tree. The cat disintegrated into ash and the tree toppled with a terrible splintering crash.

Solange timed her jump using Dominic's mind. She vaulted from the tree as the bolt passed through the cat, leaping out and away from the falling tree. Still clutching the rifle in her hands, she made no attempt to shift, simply trusting him to catch her. He managed to get his arms around her as she fell about two-thirds of the way. At no time did he feel panic in her.

But he felt panic-stricken, his heart thundering in his chest as he held her tight enough that she could barely breathe. She didn't try to squirm away, simply allowing him his moment of relief.

He swooped over the ranch. Santiago's dead body was still lying on the ground. A blood trail led to where a vehicle had been parked. The silver-eyed mage and his sibling were long gone. Dominic changed direction, heading to the river. The smaller cub paced up and down the bank, yowling in distress. He snagged the creature and shoved it into Solange's waiting arms.

She caught it below its front legs, holding it out away from her, face out, rocking gently. The cat's head drooped to one side and it fell instantly to sleep.

Great. Now we have a friendly little kitten. What are we going to do with that? Dominic asked in disgust.

Solange's soft laughter warmed him as nothing else could. He had the feeling that in their lifetime together, rescuing animals children and possibly adults was going to become commonplace.

Chapter Sixteen

I can never betray you. You can never part from me. In love forever, this life and next. You are the very heart of me.

SOLANGE TO DOMINIC

Solange woke with her body wrapped tightly around Dominic's. For the first time she hadn't slept in the form of her jaguar. She wanted to lie beside him, skin to skin, and wake up looking at his face, touching his body. She dreamt of him, sometimes at night, sometimes during the day, but Dominic always filled her mind now. At times he seemed the center of her world and she didn't even know how--or when--he had so taken over her thoughts.

Sometimes, like now, she felt like she was drifting in a sea of need, craving the way his beautiful eyes moved over her with that look of such intense desire she could barely breathe. This evening, on waking, she felt almost possessed in her need to be with him, as if he truly did own one half of her soul. She'd spent her life alone, independent, and it was strange to wake up with Dominic as her first thought. She wanted to be everything he needed just as he was everything she needed. Dominic had awakened the woman in her. For the first time in her life she felt sexy and alive. She enjoyed the way he looked at her when she was wandering around their lair in the clothes he'd asked her to wear. She found she liked to dress for him, to see the dark lust building as his gaze followed her around the chamber.

She sat up slowly and looked him over. His lashes had lifted the moment she moved,