Gedeon noticed that the moment Timur voiced his very real concerns, the security detail around Fyodor, Kyanite and Rodion alerted instantly. Elijah did as well. Timur was serious, Gedeon decided, and he wanted his brother to be serious, but Fyodor instantly rejected the idea.
“Addler is a straight arrow, Timur. He won’t bend the rules, not even for a man he despises. He’s just too perfect.”
“He’s obsessed with your wife,” Timur snapped, out of patience. This was obviously an argument that had been going on for some time. “I’m your head of security. You should trust my judgment.”
Fyodor sighed. “I do, Timur. It’s just that this cop has a long history with our family, and you have every reason not to trust him.”
“It’s always best to trust your security man,” Elijah counseled as decks of cards appeared on the tables and were dealt out to those supposedly playing.
10
MEILINGopened the sliding doors to her wide, enormous deck and stepped outside. The night air was cool, which she was thankful for. More and more she seemed to be getting so hot she sometimes felt she was burning from the inside out. It didn’t seem to matter what the actual temperature was; she was just a hot mess. She ached everywhere—her joints especially.
Ordinarily if she felt restless, Meiling went for a run. Now her body hurt too badly to run. Thanks to Gedeon’s generosity when he was attempting to bribe her to stay and be his partner, she had the best bathroomever. How he managed it when her suite was on the third floor, she didn’t know, but her tub was deep and the hot water was endless. She could immerse herself in the hot water and soak her aching joints and muscles. Sometimes it helped, but the achiness was getting worse, not better, as time went on.
She and Gedeon had been back in New Orleans for threemonths when she began to experience waves of heat and aching muscles and joints. Her first thought had been that she’d picked up a virus of some sort, but she’d never gotten sick in her life. Then it occurred to her that she did, in fact, have a female leopard, and the leopard was making herself known.
Meiling paced across the balcony to the wide railing and leaned against it, lifting her face to the breeze. She didn’t know where she had gotten the idea that she didn’t have a leopard or why she believed so strongly that she didn’t have one, but it was as if it had always been that way. One of her earliest memories was of Libby’s mother telling her she was useless to the leopard community because she could never provide children for them. Libby had snuck into the little closet that had been her room and consoled her when she’d cried herself to sleep. Had Libby’s mother caught her crying, she would have really gotten into trouble. She wasn’t supposed to cry. She broke so many rules.
Meiling had gone to her room at ten that evening, using her private entrance, so restless and unable to understand why until the terrible sexual burning had started. Only then did it hit her that there was a real chance that she was going into the emergence of her kind: the Han Vol Dan, which was when her leopard wanted to arise.
Meiling sighed and looked out over the lights of the city. The house was close to the edge of the swamp, overlooked the city and yet also provided a view of the powerful Mississippi River. Gedeon managed to purchase his property in the perfect neighborhood, especially for a leopard. They had escape routes from every outlet.
She had a major problem—more than one. She would have been ecstatic over the discovery of having a leopard, but she knew it would change her life forever. She loved being Gedeon’s partner. They worked well together. In fact, they were good together nearly all the time in every aspect of their partnership.
Since the return from San Antonio, Gedeon had been even more restless than she had been, often coming up to her room at night declaring he couldn’t sleep, flopping on her bed and proceeding to fall asleep. Or he would call her on the intercom and cajole and plead until she gave in and went down to his room. She’d lie on his bed, and he’d wrap himself around her and fall right to sleep. It was disturbing the way he became more and more dependent on her to fall asleep at night. But she was becoming equally dependent on him, and she knew it.
“Gedeon.” She whispered his name. Because she was falling in love with him. Worse, she actually trusted him when she’d never fully trusted anyone. She didn’t want to, but to love someone, she had to trust him, not just with her life, but with her heart. If she had a female leopard, that would jeopardize everything they had together. She had no idea what she was going to do.
Her breasts felt swollen and heavy, her nipples hard pinpoints of flames desperate for attention. Between her legs flared a fire so intense she feared it would never be put out. She’d tried soaking earlier and used a toy, although that only made the sensation worse. She’d even been tempted to visit Gedeon’s nightclub and pick up a partner. For the first time she understood a little his constant need for sex. But she resisted. He didn’t even try.
Her bathrobe felt too heavy on her skin, rubbing against her screaming nerve endings, inflaming them more. She went back inside, leaving the doors open and closing the screen against insects. Pushing the robe off her shoulders, she paced nude in the dark. Her bedroom was enormous; so was the sitting room. The suite took up the entire third floor.
She would have to take a vacation. Leave. She couldn’t risk her leopard rising around Gedeon. She didn’t want him to claim her because she was leopard. Or because his leopard wanted her leopard. He would make a lousy mate. The man didn’t have a faithful bone in his body. Afterseeing what Lola Morales had done, Meiling feared, in a moment of madness, she might be equally as insane if Gedeon betrayed her—and he would. He wasn’t faithful to a woman for three hours; it wasn’t in his makeup.
She would have to leave right away, before they were called out of town on another case. She couldn’t go anywhere near him when she was like this. It was too dangerous for both of them. His leopard would react the moment her female began to rise, if only for a few moments. All male leopards would react. She’d need to find a retreat away from all shifters, somewhere she’d be safe. Where?
Pulling out her phone, she flung herself on the bed and began to look at various islands where she might be able to go. Transportation could be a problem in her condition. That and the fact that she had no idea how long it would take before her leopard decided to make an appearance.
She knew that the female leopard emerged when her cycle matched with her human’s. She just had never seen how long that took. She pulled up a calendar to check the dates of her cycle, which, unfortunately, was irregular. That wasn’t going to be extremely helpful to her. She stared at the dates while she rubbed her flat belly.
She had to find a place and she needed to go right away. Two heads were better than one. Over the past year she’d gotten to know Rene Guidry very well. She respected his expertise. He was extremely good at his job. They had become friends, although she never allowed herself to forget the fact that his loyalty belonged first to Gedeon. She looked at the time. Close to midnight, but he was always up. She wasn’t certain he ever slept.
Rene, sometimes I need a break. I go off alone for a couple of weeks and do a mini retreat. Feel that coming on. Place you recommend where I’d be safe, but no one would be around?
By alone you mean without Gedeon? Or your bodyguard?
Yes. I need to just be by myself with no one around. I need that time to recharge.
You know I would have to tell Gedeon.
I planned on telling him myself. I wouldn’t have put you in a position of lying to him. It’s no big deal. I’ll find a place.
She sighed, annoyed with Rene. Annoyed with herself. Feeling edgy and moody all over when the terrible sexual burning had begun to subside. She shouldn’t have asked him.
I was just clarifying, cher. I’ll find you the perfect place.
Thanks, Rene.
