pair of jeans. She skidded to a halt, recognizing him instantly. Sevastyan.
He held up his hand. “Take a breath, Ania. Everything is going to be all right.” His tone was soothing. He was deliberately trying to calm her.
“Stay away from me!” she cautioned, yelling. Her throat hurt.
She turned away from him, ran a few feet and had to stop as Vikenti stepped out of the tree line, still zipping his jeans. There was sweat on his body. She felt drops running down her skin to pool in the valley between her breasts. Her arms were wet. Slick. She glanced down at her arms. In the dark of the night, with only a pale bit of moon desperately trying to come out from behind the clouds, her arms looked shiny, almost black.
Vikenti did the same thing Sevastyan had done. Holding his hand palm out, he stepped toward her, cutting her off from that direction. “Sweetheart, you know me. Take a breath. Your leopard is out of control and only you can get her to stop.”
Her vision was blurred, and she didn’t know if it was the weird way she was seeing, in bands of color that wavered, or the liquid in her eyes she couldn’t quite get rid of. Her body hurt. Her lungs. Mostly her arms.
She shook her head and eyed the two men warily. Sevastyan was walking toward her with slow, unhurried steps. Vikenti did the same.
“Don’t come any closer. Stay away from me.” She didn’t recognize her own voice. It was low, husky. She wanted to rake at them, scream, strike back.
Ania whirled around and ran in the opposite direction, running toward the Amurov estate. It was the only way open to her if she wasn’t going back to the house and disaster. She would have to face the truth, and she couldn’t. Not when chaos, rage and guilt ruled her mind. She had no plan. No idea what she was doing. Nothing made sense.
“Ania, stop.” Just ahead, Zinoviy was hopping around, dragging on his jeans for her modesty, and coming toward her. Slowly. He gave her a tentative smile. “Honey, I know you’re upset. You have every right to be . . .”
“No.” She shook her head violently. He couldn’t say it out loud. He just couldn’t. “Get away. All of you go away.”
Kiriil and Matvei emerged from either side, each holding up a hand and trying to murmur soothing nonsense to her, but she couldn’t hear what they were saying. The roaring in her ears was too loud.
“Ania.” She heard that. So soft. How had she heard that low, caressing voice when she didn’t hear anyone else? She closed her eyes. He was right behind her. They’d been distracting her all along, corralling her in while Mitya came up behind her.
She whirled to face him, almost choking. Her throat closed. Her skull was far too tight. Her teeth hurt and her clothes were so painful on her skin, she needed to pull them off. She whirled around to see Sevastyan close. Too close. Vikenti and Zinoviy were closing in on her on one side. Kiriil and Matvei on the other.
“Look at me, baby. Only at me,” Mitya said softly.
She swung back to stare at him, but her vision was so messed up she couldn’t see him. “I can’t be here.”
“I know. You don’t have to be. Miron has the car waiting. We’ll go home.”
“I don’t have a home. There’s no one.” She swung around again. “I need you all to leave. Go away. I can figure this out.” She was growing desperate. The only way out was to fight. She had to fight.
Jewel pushed close. She felt her rising. Felt her wanting to help. To take over.
“Mitya, she’s going to shift,” Sevastyan warned.
Mitya took her from behind, wrapping his arms tightly around her and lifting her off her feet. She exploded into action, throwing her head back, driving her heels into his shins.
“Get off me!” she yelled. “I mean it, get off me!”
“It’s all right, Ania. You’re safe. Just breathe with me.”
“I want you to go. This is my property. Get off me now!” She fought with everything she had, punching at him, kicking, trying to turn so she could use her knee. She could hear someone screaming, and it was only the fact that her throat hurt that made her realize it was her.
Twice, Jewel attempted to shift, but Mitya refused to loosen his grip. The second time, there was the slide of fur and