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regarded him from head to toe. "You managed to exhaust yourself. Did your brother give you more blood?" She felt courageous asking the question, forcing herself to face who and what he was without flinching away from his needs.

A faint smile softened the hard edge of his mouth and pushed the deep shadows from his eyes. "I did exhaust myself. You look beautiful, MaryAnn. One look at you and everything else fades away." He held out his hand. "Come with me."

She wanted to be alone with him so badly she actually took a step back instead. "Where?"

"I have a surprise for you." He kept his arm extended toward her, gaze steady on hers.

Letting her breath out, she put her hand in his. At once his closed over hers and he drew her close to the warmth of his body. She could feel the heat and the pull of their connection wash over and into her.

"Luiz?"

"He is in the ground, well guarded. This time we used safeguards no mage should be able to penetrate. It is long since we have had dealings with that species, and over the centuries we have grown careless. The recent battle with them should have taught us we must always factor them in when guarding our homes and sleeping chambers. Such a mistake will not happen again."

"Thank you for what you did for him."

He leaned down to brush his lips against hers, a soft, lingering touch, nonaggressive, as if he simply was savoring her. "You are welcome. We will see how Luiz feels about it all when he rises."

Manolito would have to control Luiz's natural instincts to feed. Luiz already had years of jaguar instincts and he would awaken ravenous. If he gave in to the need to kill his prey, Manolito would have to dispatch him fast and efficiently, but he didn't want to think about that now. He wanted to fill his mind with nothing but his lifemate, MaryAnn. He didn't want to think anymore about the shadow world, or the real world, or the mess he had gotten himself into just to see a look of gratitude on a woman's face.

"He can't feel pain, can he?"

Manolito tucked her hand beneath his chin, his thumb sliding over her skin in a slow caress. "No. He is safe. He will stay for two or three nights before he rises, and I will be there to help him as much as possible when the time comes."

"And Solange?"

"Juliette and Riordan are with her." He rubbed her knuckles back and forth against his jaw. "The house is clean and protected. Everything is quiet. I want to take you away from here and have you to myself for a little while."

Her heart gave a funny little jump. More than anything she wanted to be with him. She had dressed with care and made certain she looked her best so that she would have the courage to face him and whatever was

between them, but now that he stood in front of her, looking better than any man had a right to look, she wasn't certain being alone with him was the smartest idea. He was just too sexy and appealing. She didn't want to relate to him just physically, and her newfound feelings made her feel more vulnerable than ever.

"I find my lifemate absolutely fascinating and would very much like to get to know you," he added. There was no push to see it his way. There was no order, or demand. His simple statement held the ring of truth and cut through every defense she had.

"You're certain I shouldn't check in on Jasmine and Solange? I came here to try to help them, not that I've done much good."

"You helped saved their lives," he said, drawing her gently beneath his shoulder. "Solange is resting and Juliette is with her sister," He took a breath, drew her scent deep into his lungs. "I need you." His voice roughened with hunger. His black eyes smoldered with smoky lust.

She nodded, her heart pounding hard. Her pulse seemed to hammer right through her entire body, bunching muscles and tightening her nipples, making her ache. Her mouth went dry, and she touched her tongue to her lips, gasping as his watchful gaze followed the action.

"I'm not certain it's safe."

"No harm will come to you," he promised. The pad of his thumb traced the path her tongue had taken, outlining her lips with a brush of heat. "Not as long as I am with you."

"You."