"You're bleeding," he said, his voice rough with concern as he strode toward his front door. "Come inside so I can clean that wound properly."
Her instincts screamed at her to refuse, to maintain the distance she'd tried so hard to establish. His home was dangerous territory—not because he would hurt her, but because he represented everything she'd spent her life avoiding. Dependence. Need. The terrifying possibility of caring so much about someone that losing them would destroy her.
But her arm throbbed with pain, and the logical part of her mind recognized that she needed medical attention. More than that, something deeper than logic was pulling her toward him with magnetic force—the same inexplicable connection that had made riding on his panther's back feel like destiny.
This is such a bad idea,she thought as she followed him up the steps and through his front door.
The moment she crossed his threshold, she knew she was in trouble. Not the kind of trouble that came from wild panthers or alien jungles, but the far more dangerous kind that came from wanting something—someone—she had no business wanting.
TEN
RAIKAR
Raikar crossed the threshold of his estate with measured steps, though every muscle in his body still thrummed with residual violence. Sweat gleamed across his bronzed shoulders and chest, a testament to the brutal efficiency with which he'd dispatched the rogue panther. His hands still trembled—not from exertion, but from the memory of that tremor that had ripped through the mate bond like lightning through his nervous system.
The sensation had been unlike anything he'd experienced before. Not the full, overwhelming connection that would come when their bond was complete, but strong enough to send him racing toward the jungle without conscious thought. One moment he'd been reviewing patrol reports in his office, the next he was shifting mid-stride and following her scent trail with desperate urgency.
I felt her terror like it was my own,he thought, his jaw clenching at the memory.
The sight that had greeted him in the jungle would haunt him for the rest of his days. Jade pressed against that ancient tree, blood streaming from her arm, exhaustion evident in every line of her body as that massive panther prepared to deliver thekilling blow. The rage that had consumed him in that moment transcended anything he'd felt in a decade of warfare—primal, absolute, and terrifyingly pure.
Who was that panther?The question gnawed at him as he moved through his home.And who sent him to attack her?
Because this hadn't been random. Rogue panthers didn't venture this close to the territory without purpose, and they certainly didn't target specific individuals unless directed to do so. Someone wanted Jade gone, and that realization made his protective instincts surge with renewed force.
He could hear her soft footsteps behind him, following at a careful distance. The memory of her on his panther's back sent heat coursing through his veins—how perfectly she'd fit there, how naturally she'd moved with his gait, the way their heartbeats had synchronized until he couldn't distinguish where he ended and she began.
She was born to ride with me,his panther insisted with satisfaction.Born to be ours.
Raikar reached his bedroom and grabbed a pair of black shorts from his dresser, pulling them on with quick efficiency. When he turned around, Jade stood in the doorway, her injured arm cradled against her chest. Blood had soaked through the makeshift bandage she'd fashioned from torn fabric, and the sight of his mate wounded sent fresh fury racing through his system.
"Follow me," Raikar said, his voice rough. "I need to clean that wound properly."
She hesitated, and he could practically see the internal battle playing out across her expressive features. This was the same woman who had fled his home last night after their kiss, who had made it clear that whatever was happening between them was inappropriate and unwelcome. But pain and practicality won out over pride.
"Fine," she said quietly, falling into step behind him as he led her toward his master bathroom.
The space was larger than most people's bedrooms, all marble and glass with a view of the jungle canopy through floor-to-ceiling windows. A small bench sat near the vanity, and Raikar gestured for her to take a seat while he retrieved his first aid kit from the medicine cabinet.
"I should thank you," Jade said once he knelt before her, opening the kit with methodical precision. "For coming to rescue me. How did you know I was in trouble?"
"I was conducting a perimeter check when I heard the commotion. Saw you were in danger." The lie was smoothly delivered despite the way his conscience protested.
Her dark eyes studied his face with that sharp intelligence he'd come to both admire and fear. She didn't believe him—he could see the skepticism flickering in her gaze—but she was in too much pain to press the issue.
"What were you doing in the jungle alone?" he asked, beginning to clean the blood from her arm with gentle efficiency. "It's not safe for you to venture in there without an escort."
She winced as he applied antiseptic to the deep gashes left by the panther's claws, her breath hissing between her teeth. "I know I shouldn't have gone in there alone, but..." She paused, seeming to struggle with how to explain. "It was calling to me. I got mesmerized by the beauty of it and just kept walking deeper."
Of course it was calling to her,Raikar thought with dark satisfaction.The jungle recognizes its future queen.
"Well, you're not going back in there alone again," he said with quiet authority, wrapping clean bandages around her arm with practiced skill. "Not until we figure out who that panther was and who sent him."
Her spine stiffened at his commanding tone. "I can take care of myself. I proved that today."
"You proved you're brave and skilled," he agreed, his hands gentling as he secured the bandage. "But you also proved you're not invincible. That panther would have killed you if I hadn't arrived when I did."
The stark truth of those words hung between them. Raikar's chest tightened at the thought of how close he'd come to losing her before their bond had even begun to form properly.
