Dark Possession Page 9

Chapter Nine

 

  MaryAnn woke to the feel of tears on her face and the soft sound of feminine voices on the other side of her door. She groaned and turned over, her body sore in places she hadn't known she had.

  "It was just sex," she said aloud. "He doesn't love you. Love matters, and he doesn't love you. "

  He might not love her, but he owned her body. She would have done anything he asked, and she hadn't known that was possible. There were whisker burns between her thighs and on her chin. She throbbed and pulsed with need the moment she thought of him. Her breasts ached and felt heavy. There wasn't an inch of her body he hadn't claimed or that she hadn't given him freely.

  Her loss of control was terrifying. How could she crave his body to the point of letting him push her beyond every boundary, real or imagined, she thought she had? The only safe thing to do was leave, and it was far too late for that. She was practical, a woman who reasoned things out, and there was no reasoning this.

  She sat up and wiped more tears away. She hadn't cried this much since she was a child. A shower only added to the sensations whispering over her skin. Memories of his fingers tracing every shadow and hollow,

  every curve and dimple. His mouth driving her mad with cravings. "This isn't normal," she said to her reflection in the mirror. "It isn't normal to want him like this and be afraid he'll come to me and more afraid he won't. "

  Could she leave? Was it possible to go back to her life in Seattle? Manolito was still trapped between worlds; could she leave him knowing he might never make it back if she didn't help him?

  MaryAnn dressed with care, using clothes as armor, as she often did when she needed confidence and to feel in control. Manolito had told her to wear a dress, so she put on slacks and a silky top. She stood trembling, staring at herself, wanting to wear a dress because it would please him. Because he'd look at her with that look of dark hunger she'd never be able to resist. For a moment her hands went to the small shell buttons on her blouse, but she forced her hands down. She wouldn't give in-not to herself and not to him. If she couldn't leave him, she could at least stand up to him.

  Lifting her chin, she walked out into the common room. A young-woman sat curled up on a window seat, her long hair cascading down her back like a waterfall. She looked up with a hesitant smile that was not at all real, her emerald eyes watching carefully.

  "You must be Jasmine. I'm MaryAnn Delaney. Did Juliette tell you I was coming?" She approached the girl slowly, her movements gentle and nonthreatening. This was why she had come in the first place, this young woman with the too-old eyes and the sorrow already etched into her face.

  Jasmine smiled and held out her hand. "It's such a pleasure to meet you at last. Juliette speaks so highly of you. "

  "You reek of Carpathian male," another voice said, the tone filled with disdain.

  MaryAnn turned to face Solange. It could be no one else. She was beautiful in a wild, untamed way. She had cat's eyes, amber, focused and wary. She prowled instead of walked, her quick restless movements graceful and agile. MaryAnn could see the anger in her, deep and held in tight. She had seen too many horrors to ever go back to innocence.

  Solange wore loose-fitting drawstring pants and a belt around her hips. Where MaryAnn relied on pepper spray, Solange wore knives and guns with familiar ease. She had weapons MaryAnn had never seen before, many small and sharp and very efficient-looking. Her hair was shaggy but suited the shape of her face. Where Jasmine was ethereally beautiful, thin and shapely, with gentle curves and flowing hair, Solange was earthy, with full curves, temper in her eyes and passion stamped on her mouth.

  "Do I? I took a shower. " MaryAnn smiled at the woman, wanting to soothe her, to help her relax.

  Solange halted in mid stride, her nose wrinkling. "I'm sorry. That was rude. I have a very acute sense of smell. I shouldn't have said that. We've been roaming in jaguar form and it makes me ultrasensitive. "

  "No, it's all right. You're entitled to say what you think. " MaryAnn sent her a quick, appreciative smile. "Even if you are saying I smell. "

  "On, no," Jasmine said, rising to her feet. "Solange didn't mean that at all. " She sent her cousin a warning look and reached out to take MaryAnn's hand. "Are you hungry? We were about to make dinner. We just got up a few minutes ago. I'm sorry if we woke you. "

  "You were crying in your sleep," Solange said. "I have exceptional hearing, too. Are you all right?"

  MaryAnn kept her smile serene. Jasmine's fingers had tightened around hers, and the young woman was trembling. "I'm a city girl. The rain in forest is a little scary to me. I'd guess neither of you feel that way about it. Although I did use my canister of pepper spray on a jaguar last night when it attacked me. "

  Solange whirled around, her dark eyebrows drawing down in a frown. "You were attacked by a jaguar? Are you certain?"

  MaryAnn nodded. "I was very close to it. "

  "Did it have a collar on its neck, or a pack of any kind that you could see?" Solange pursued. She was already hurrying from window to window, peering out.

  "Now that you say that, maybe he did. " MaryAnn kept Jasmine's hand in hers. The girl shuddered, but kept walking through the wide-hall to the large, open kitchen. "I can't remember. It all happened so fast. "

  Solange scented the air again, lifting her face and sniffing. "Were you near a jaguar male? A man aside from the Carpathian?"

  Jasmine gasped and covered her mouth, her eyes going wide with fear. "Are they here? On the island?"

  "It's going to be all right," Solange assured her. "I can protect you, and Juliette wrapped the house in safeguards. As long as we stay inside, we should be fine. I'm just going to check the upstairs, make certain the balconies and windows are all closed and locked. The windows have bars, Jazz. "

  Jasmine rushed to her, grasping her arm. "Don't leave me alone again. I don't want to be alone. "

  Her young face looked haunted, and for just one moment, MaryAnn saw anguish in Solange's amber eyes. She put her arms around her cousin and held her close. "MaryAnn is here, honey. I'm just going upstairs. She'll sit with you and I'll be right back. Why don't you get MaryAnn some food? She's hungry, remember?"

  Jasmine swallowed and nodded. "Yes, I'm sorry. Of course I'll get you food. Do you drink tea?" She watched Solange leave the room. "She'll be right back, don't worry," she added.

  "Of course she will," MaryAnn said soothingly and wrapped a comforting arm around the younger girl. Jasmine had gone pale beneath the gold of her skin. "Tea would be lovely, thanks. "

  Jasmine's hands shook so much the teacups rattled, but she poured both of them a cup of tea, added milk and sank down across from MaryAnn at the table, facing the door, watching for her cousin.

  "It must be difficult to let Solange out of your sight," MaryAnn said gently. She concentrated on putting the young woman at ease, soothing and comforting, wanting her to realize she had someone she could talk to.

  I'm here now. It's going to be okay. I'll make everything okay. You're strong and we can handle this. Jasmine was barely out of her teens, and yet already her world was one of violence and fear. MaryAnn wanted to pull her into her arms and rock her like a baby, somehow set the world right again for her.

  Jasmine nodded. "I try not to be a burden to her, but I can't sleep most of the time and she has to sit with me. "

  "I'm sure she doesn't mind, Jasmine. It's obvious she loves you. "

  Solange might be as tough as nails, but she was loyal and loving to her family. She would fight to the death for this child, and she would use her last breath to comfort her. MaryAnn could read that much in both of

  them, but Jasmine was more than just afraid after her terrifying experience. She was holding something else, some dark secret that she hadn't shared with Juliette or Solange. MaryAnn mentally stroked the girl as she would a child, warmth and caring in her mind. She longed to make it right for Jasmine, longed to remove the sorrow from her eyes and
take fear and trepidation away for good.

  Jasmine took a deep breath. "I'm so glad you came. Thank you. Juliette said you're from the city and this is all difficult for you. "

  MaryAnn shrugged, willing the girl to quit making small talk and come out with whatever she was on the verge of saying. It was frightening to her, and she wanted to tell MaryAnn without Solange in the room. "I wanted to come so you'd have someone to talk to. Sometimes it's easier when it isn't family. " It's okay, honey. I'm here now: I won't betray you. I've come a long way to help you. Trust me now. Trust me with the burden you're carrying, and the two of us will sort it out.

  "And you've talked to other girls, girls like me, right?" Jasmine asked, lowering her voice, glancing at the doorway to ensure Solange was still upstairs.

  "What happened to you was particularly brutal," MaryAnn said. "You have to give yourself time. " Come on, baby. Share it. It's eating you up inside. Whatever it is, we can handle it. I know what I'm doing. You can rely on me. She wished she could find a way to convey to Jasmine that she would help, that she would never betray her confidence.

  "I don't have time," Jasmine whispered. She ducked her head and set the cup down. "It makes it easier that you know what happened. I haven't told anyone yet, but I'm going to have to soon. "

  MaryAnn held her breath, her heart beating hard. She wanted to cry for the girl, little more than a teenager, her life already shattered. She laid her hand over Jasmine's, connecting them, willing the girl to be calm, to be comforted. "You're pregnant. "

  Jasmine covered her face with her hands. "There's a plant we can use after, you know, to make certain, and Solange gave it to me, but I couldn't. . . " She trailed off and looked at MaryAnn through her fingers. "I already knew. The moment it happened. I just knew and I couldn't do it. "

  "You didn't do anything wrong, Jasmine. Those men took away your choice and you stood up and made your own decision. Are you afraid you did something wrong?"

  "It's complicated. We live a complicated life and I've made it so much worse. They'll never stop now. Those men. They'll come after us no matter where we are. " She looked at the doorway again. "Solange. . . " She broke off. "It's been so hard for her. "

  "Are you sorry about your decision?"

  "I don't know how I feel and I can't bear for Solange to be upset with me. She's done so much already and it will be one more person for her to take care of. "

  "You would keep the baby?"

  Jasmine's eyes flashed with something close to fire, and for the first time, MaryAnn saw the resemblance between Jasmine and her cousin. "I would never give my baby to them. Never. If Solange wants me to leave, I will, but I won't turn a child over to them even if it is a boy. "

  "No, of course you wouldn't. What those men did was criminal. Jasmine. " MaryAnn took a sip of her tea and

  regarded the younger girl.

  She chose her words carefully. "Manolito told me he met one of the jaguar-men, the same one who saved my life yesterday from the jaguar who attacked me. He said that a vampire had tainted him, turning the men to commit crimes against their women. If that is so, in a sense, they are victims as well. "

  "What are you saying to her?" Solange demanded.

  MaryAnn turned as the woman entered the room. She moved in absolute silence, her body perfectly balanced, her bare feet making no sound on the cool marble floors. She crossed to Jasmine's side and put an arm around her, glaring at MaryAnn.

  Jasmine stiffened, alarm spreading on her face. She sent MaryAnn a quick, nervous shake of her head, not wanting her secret revealed.

  MaryAnn suspected Solange already knew. She was pureblood jaguar, with all the senses of the animal. It wouldn't be possible for Jasmine to hide such a thing from her, but MaryAnn wouldn't betray a confidence no matter what she thought.

  "Just that if a vampire is influencing the men to hunt their women, it is a terrible tragedy for everyone. " She kept her voice mild and matter-of-fact. "If what Manolito found is the truth, the vampire is deliberately killing an entire species. "

  Solange bit her lip and poured herself tea. "Maybe the vampire has the right idea. If our men are capable of the things they're doing, the species shouldn't survive. "

  "Solange," Jasmine protested.

  MaryAnn caught the hurt look in her eyes and wished she could comfort her. She doesn't mean it the way it came out. She's seen too much, been through too much and has been traumatized, too. She would accept the baby. She couldn't assure Jasmine, even though she thought it was the truth. Solange would never turn her back on Jasmine or a child. It wasn't in the woman. .

  Solange shrugged. "You know how I think, Jazz. I've never made a secret of my contempt for men. "

  "You've never wanted a family?" MaryAnn asked.

  "Sure. Sometimes. When I'm alone in the middle of the night, or when I go into heat. " She dropped a hand on Jasmine's shoulder. "There's no other way to put it. We suffer from mating urges a little more than most women, I think, but I'm not willing to live the kind of life a woman has to in order to have a family. "

  "What kind of life is that?" MaryAnn asked, spooning a little honey into the tea. For some reason, she was having a difficult time drinking it. The food on the table turned her stomach. She hadn't eaten in a long time and should have been starving, but even the fruit didn't appeal to her.

  "Giving up freedom. Being under a man's thumb. "

  "Is that what you think most marriages are like? Is that what Juliette's marriage is? Is she forced to do everything Riordan's way?"

  Solange opened her mouth, took a breath and closed it. Sighing, she sank down into a chair. "To be fair, maybe not. It looks like it on the surface, but the way he looks at her, the things he does for her, no, I think

  she has just as much say as he does. She wants to make him happy. " There was curiosity in her voice. "I can't imagine wanting to do anything for a man. "

  "Surprisingly, Solange, I felt the same way for a very long time. In my line of work, I see the worst in men¨C much, I suppose, as you do. But we're seeing a very small section. There are a lot of good men out there who have women they love, and they treat women with love and respect. "

  MaryAnn willed her to understand and see what she was saying, because Solange was bitter and bitterness eventually ruined lives. You're too good a woman to live your life that way, honey. She wished she could take away all those terrible memories, all the tragedy that had befallen the two of them. Solange had been rescuing female captives from the jaguar-men for some time. She'd seen too much death and brutality, There were no policemen on the corners to call. It was a life-and-death struggle in the rain forest, and Solange had managed not only to survive, but to save many other women as well.

  "Maybe you're right," Solange agreed. "I keep thinking eventually Jasmine and I have to leave this place. It's my home and I love it, but if we keep up this fight, we'll eventually be killed. They already know us and our reputation. "

  It was logical, but more than that, the fight with the jaguar-men colored every aspect of their life. "It isn't the best place for Jasmine," MaryAnn agreed.

  Solange nodded. "I know. We've known for some time that we have to find another home, haven't we, Jazz?" She ruffled her cousin's hair.

  There was too much sorrow in Solange, as if a great weight sat on her shoulders. She was younger than MaryAnn, and that was shocking. She looked older, her face serious and womanly rather than innocent, but she had to be only a few years older than Jasmine.

  "We've talked about it," Jasmine admitted, "but where would we go? Neither of us could live in a city, so close to other people. "

  "Juliette said that Riordan had a house built on their ranch property for us," Solange said, her voice ultracasual. "We might try it. "

  Jasmine stiffened and shook her head mutely.

  MaryAnn was too adept at reading people. Solange did not want to go to the ranch. She had such a distrust of men, and the De
La Cruz main home was a working ranch with men everywhere. But it would place both women under the protection and eye of the De La Cruz brothers, all of whom took their roles very seriously. Solange was worried about Jasmine. If she knew about the pregnancy, as MaryAnn suspected, she would want to take Jasmine to the comparative safety of the ranch house.

  "Have you met Rafael and Colby?" MaryAnn asked. "Colby's younger brother Paul and her sister Ginny are living at the ranch. They seem to really love it there. Ginny is particularly wild about horses. "

  Solange sent her a grateful smile. "Ginny is still young, right? I've heard Juliette talk about her. Eleven or twelve maybe. "

  "It's not going to work, Solange," Jasmine said. "I'm not going to go to the ranch without you. "

  "Did I say without me? I would go, too, if you did," Solange said. "And you're not eating enough to keep a bird alive. Eat. "

  Jasmine scowled as she took a banana. "You'd go to the ranch, Solange, but you wouldn't stay there and you know it. You'd leave me with Juliette and come back to the rain forest and try to work here by yourself. "

  Solange sat back in her chair and regarded Jasmine with a sober face. "I said I'd go with you and I will. I'll try to stay. That's all I can promise. I'll try to stay. I thought we'd be safe here, but if the jaguar-men know of this house and that most of the time the De La Cruz brothers aren't using it, they'll come for us. Maybe we should go back with Juliette and Riordan when they go. "

  MaryAnn caught the underlying anxiety. Solange didn't believe for a moment that she would be able to stay at the ranch, but for Jasmine, she would try.

  "What do you fear at the ranch the most?" She leaned her chin into her palm and studied Solange's face. Jasmine would never stay if her cousin didn't.

  Solange was silent for so long MaryAnn was afraid she wouldn't answer. "I am not good with people. Men especially. I get claustrophobia in confined spaces. I haven't had anyone telling me what to do since I was about twelve, and I can't imagine living in a place with rules-someone else's rules. I've made my own for too long and I can't fit in anywhere. " She looked at Jasmine. "I don't want that for you, Jazz. You deserve a life. "

  "So do you," MaryAnn said quietly-firmly.

  "I'm not such a nice person," Solange said, her amber eyes going flat and hard. "I've done things and I can't take them back. "

  Jasmine put her hand over Solange's. "You saved lives. "

  "And I took them. "

  There was no regret in her voice, and none on her face, but MaryAnn could feel the sadness coming off her in waves. She was a warrior, and there was nowhere in the world left for a woman like Solange.

  "Don't feel sorry for me," Solange said. "I made my choices. "

  "And I've always made mine," Jasmine asserted. "I stay with you. Here or at the ranch, or wherever. We're family and we stick close. Juliette feels the same way. She can't join us during the days, but she's with us when she can be. "

  Good for you. MaryAnn flashed Jasmine an approving smile. The girl had spunk after all. She wasn't going to give up on Solange.

  Jasmine flashed her a small, conspiratorial smile, and MaryAnn realized she was glad she'd come. Both women needed her. She was a born counselor, she helped people find their way and she was good at if, proud of her ability. Solange seemed more lost than Jasmine because she'd given up on life. On people. On everything.

  Solange suddenly lifted her head, coming to her feet, her body still, Jasmine pressed a hand to her mouth to stifle a cry of alarm.

  "It's okay, baby," Solange assured.

  "They're here," Jasmine whispered. "Outside the house, and it's another couple of hours until sunset. "

  "Take MaryAnn into the safe room," Solange instructed. "Wait for me there. "

  "MaryAnn will be just fine helping you out," MaryAnn said. "I'm not hiding from these men. If they dared come here to harm you-"

  "They'll rape and kill. That's what they do," Solange said, her voice hard. "We live by the law of the forest here, kill or be killed, and you have to be prepared to do just that. Go with Jasmine. "

  Jasmine pushed back her chair and reached under the table for the gun taped there. MaryAnn's eyes widened. They'd obviously been prepared for an attack.

  "I'll take the upstairs," Jasmine said. "You defend down here, Solange. MaryAnn, they won't be able to breach the safe room. If we get into trouble, we'll fight our way back to that, so leave it unlocked as long as possible. "

  "I'll stay with you," MaryAnn said. "I know how to shoot a gun. "

  "Riordan and Juliette set safeguards on the house," Solange said, not bothering to waste time arguing with them. "Jasmine, see to the windows. Stay back out of sight. If they see and recognize you, it might make them do something crazy to get in, but if they breach the window, shoot to kill. Do you understand me? Don't you hesitate. "

  "I won't," Jasmine assured.

  "I'll be with her," MaryAnn added. Jasmine looked so young and frightened. Her pregnancy made her even more vulnerable.

  Solange caught Jasmine to her, stared into her eyes. "Be safe, little cousin. "

  "You too. " Jasmine brushed a kiss along Solange's cheek and then turned and hurried up the stairs.

  MaryAnn followed her, but paused to watch Solange move through the huge kitchen toward the hall. The woman looked like a jungle car, sleek and powerful and deadly. It was impossible not to admire her-or believe in her.

  "She'll get us through this," Jasmine assured her.

  "I have no doubt she will. " Still. It was always better to have a backup plan. They had to hold out until Manolito, Riordan and Juliette managed to wake and get to them. She glanced at her watch. A little under two hours. The safeguards should hold that long.

  "Uh oh," Jasmine said, peeking out the window and ducking back against the wall. "They've got someone out there and he looks like he knows what he's doing. "

  MaryAnn risked a quick look. The man was no jaguar; his build was all wrong. He was short and slender, his close-cropped hair blond. He stood facing the house, hands in the air, weaving a graceful pattern. She had only seen something like that once before and it chilled her to the bone. "Mage. " She whispered the word.

  "He's taking down the safeguards, isn't he?" Jasmine said.

  "It looks like it. "

  Solange swore. Once again she'd crept up behind them. "I counted four of the jaguar-men. I recognize one of them. He's a tough fighter, Jazz. He knows our scent. The one you identified as a mage I've never seen before. He must have been brought here specifically to unravel the Carpathian guards. "

  "And that means they're here for a reason," Jasmine said, choking on fear, voice shaking. "They came here deliberately for us, didn't they, Solange? For me. "

  "Calm down, baby," Solange said. "You know they hunt any women with jaguar blood, particularly those who can shift. Both of us are of the age to have children; we carry purer bloodlines and we can shift. "

  Jasmine shook her head. "Not me. I can't. "

  "You don't want to. That isn't the same thing. Give me the gun, Jasmine. " Solange held out her hand.

  Jasmine shook her head again, this time much harder. "No. I need it. "

  "I mean it. Give it to me. "

  MaryAnn winced at the steel in Solange's voice. "Jasmine, there's no need to panic. It will take time for the mage to unravel the safeguards. After Juliette and Riordan put the locks in place, Manolito came with me in the early morning hours and he added to the safeguards. Give Solange the gun and let's get ourselves something cool to drink and we'll wait downstairs near the safe room. If we block off or rig some kind of alarm on the stairs, we won't have to guard them. We can concentrate on defending the downstairs, a smaller area. It will be easier and we can leave a clear path to the safe room. No matter what, we'll be fine until the Carpathians get here. "

  She kept her voice soothing, her features serene, dissolving the tension that had been building in the room.
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  Solange smiled at her. "That's right. Let them play their little games out in the hot sun. We're inside where we have plenty of food and water and shelter from the rain. It's started pouring again. The poor mage is looking like a wet dog. "

  Jasmine's smile was thin, but she managed one as she put the weapon in her cousin's hand. "What is a mage exactly? And why is he here?"

  Both women looked at MaryAnn. She bit her lip and shrugged.

  "I'm not really certain. I can only tell you what I picked up here and there when I was in the Carpathian Mountains. Juliette or Riordan can explain better than I can. My understanding is mages were the most like humans, but with psychic powers and the ability to weave energy. They were close to Carpathians and shared a great deal of knowledge, Something happened and there was a war between the Carpathian people and the mages. "

  "This was all years ago," Solange acknowledged. "I heard a bit about it from some of the storytellers when I was a child, but I thought they were long gone from this world. "

  "Apparently not," MaryAnn said.

  "And they're all against the Carpathian species?" Jasmine asked. "Does that mean the jaguar species is as well?"

  "It's been my observation, Jasmine," MaryAnn said, "that no entire race of beings is all good or all bad. Most

  don't hate simply because others do. I met a jaguar-man who saved my life and was very troubled with what was happening to his people. I'm certain there are mages who don't approve of what is being done here. Many probably don't even know. Vampires are wholly evil, and once they infiltrate and influence anyone, they disrupt the entire balance of nature. "

  "So the vampires used the violent tendencies of our males to corrupt them and end our species," Solange said, a tinge of sarcasm in her voice.

  "Not all males are bad, Solange, and reiterating over and over that they are, influencing Jasmine so that she fears a normal life, is no better. "

  "You haven't seen what these men do. "

  "Be honest, isn't it a small percentage? One small group? I believe the other jaguar-men have been trying to stop them. If that's the case, you are condemning some of the same men who have been working to stop this. "

  "I've never met any of these mythical men," Solange said, then glanced back at Jasmine. "But there may be some. "

  "Many men sacrifice themselves for the common good. I saw Manolito step in front of a pregnant woman and take a poisoned knife for her. He died, n-nearly died. " Emotions rushed up and overwhelmed her before MaryAnn could stop them. She was unprepared for the grief and sorrow sweeping through her, shutting down reason and logic.

  She turned away, blinking back tears, staring out the window at the mage. His hands followed a pattern and he looked triumphant, as if he knew exactly which safeguard had been used and how to unravel it.

  If only he would grow tired standing in the pouring rain. Tired and wet, his arms feeling like lead. So tired he couldn't see straight or think to remember the ancient words and flowing movements.

  MaryAnn watched the mage through the window, imagining his fatigue, hoping he was exhausted standing there, the rain pounding down on his unprotected head. He felt weak and weary and he desperately needed to get out of there. If they were really lucky, he was a little afraid of the jaguar-men and visualized them attacking him, tearing into his body with terrible teeth, crunching his skull with a single bite. . .

  The mage staggered back, lifting one hand to his head and staring back at her through the window. He pointed at her, saying something she couldn't hear, but it was clearly an accusation.

  "There in the trees," Solange said. "You drew them out. "

  MaryAnn peered into the heavy canopy where the forest met the wide expanse of yard. One half-formed jaguar moved in the branches. He was a big man, well built, with shaggy hair and cruelty etched in his face.

  Jasmine shrank back into Solange's arm. "That's the one they call Sergio. He's terrible. They all listen to him. "

  Solange nodded. "I remember him. He's a strong fighter. He could have killed me, but he knew I was a shifter and didn't want to take chances. " She flashed Jasmine a small, humorless smile. "It gives us a little advantage. " .

  "Why did you say I drew them out?" MaryAnn asked, her hand going to her throat in a defensive gesture. The mage was staring at her now and once again moving his hands in a flowing pattern. She had the feeling

  he wasn't unraveling the safeguards so much as trying to do something to her.

  Solange pulled her back away from the window. "He knows you stopped him. We should go downstairs. "

  "I didn't stop him. I was only hoping he would get a little tired. "

  "Well, your hoping delayed him, but not for long. I want you and Jasmine in the safe room. " She led the way down the stairs. "You just set yourself up as a target. Sergio will know you aren't jaguar and that you're dangerous. "

  "I'm not dangerous. "

  "If you can break the concentration of a mage, you're dangerous. He'll want to kill you. Stay behind Jasmine. "

  That was the last thing MaryAnn intended to do. Jasmine looked determined, but so frightened, MaryAnn wanted to gather her up and rock her. "I've got a couple of weapons as well," she said, and held up the pepper spray. "They won't be expecting it. "

  "I won't let them take me this time," Jasmine said. "Not again, Solange. "

  "They'll have to kill me to get to you, baby," Solange assured. Her voice was quiet and steady. "Believe me, I'm not going to let that happen. If we're very lucky, MaryAnn bought us enough time for the sun to go down and Juliette to get here to help. "

  MaryAnn noticed Solange didn't name either of the two male-Carpathians, as if she couldn't-or wouldn't¨C count on them for support. Solange was far more damaged than Jasmine appeared to be. MaryAnn smiled at Jasmine. "Don't worry. Manolito will rush to help us, and so will Riordan, although you know him better than I do and probably are well aware that he would never let anything happen to you if he could help it. "

  Jasmine looked down at her hands. "I haven't taken the time to get to know him. I've had a difficult time adjusting after the attack. "

  "We stay to ourselves," Solange said. She met MaryAnn's steady gaze and understood the reproof, accepting it with a slow nod and a deep breath. "That probably hasn't been the best way to deal with things though. I think we need to go to the ranch and try to make a new and very different life for ourselves. "

  "Do you really think that, Solange?" Jasmine asked. She pressed a hand to her stomach, fear in her eyes.

  MaryAnn knew the look was fear of Solange's disappointment in her decision to have a baby, a jaguar child with nearly pure blood. Solange had seen too many horrifying events to ever be able to look at the jaguar-men without prejudice, and Jasmine knew it. Still, she'd been strong enough to make her own decision, and that was a good sign.

  "Of course I do. We can't live in the forest forever, and the jaguar-men know who we are now and are hunting us. I think it's more than time that we got out. "

  Solange caught Jasmine's arm and gave her a little push. "Get moving now. They're going to break through any second. MaryAnn, go. " She glided to the window with purposeful strides, her knife in one hand, a gun in the other.

  She turned, swearing. "They're coming. Be ready!"

  The front doors burst open and a large frame entered, half-jaguar, half-man, rushing across the cool marble straight toward them. It launched its body into the air, straight at Solange, snarling muzzle filled with wicked-looking teeth, hands curved into razor-sharp claws.