She was soclose.And yet she couldn’t quite get there. Even with him deep inside her body, he seemed just out of reach. No matter how she strained to make that final connection, something held her back.
No, no, no. Her lioness clawed at her.Not yet. Not like this.
Her animal was fighting her? But why? Shan was her mate. Sheknewhe was.
Yes.Her lioness stood between them, blocking the bond.But we can’t claim him. We’re not ready!
That was utter nonsense.Shewas ready. And he needed her.
She impatiently slapped her animal, shoving it out of the way. “Shan.Now.”
With a deep groan, he went rigid, spilling into her at last. And there,therehe was. At last. Her mate.
Mine.His love flowed into her, filling her completely.My Leonie. My mate.
No!her lioness roared, frantic.We’re not complete, we’re not whole, NO!
Her animal fled from the crashing surge of the mate bond. Even through the waves of ecstasy, she felt it reach down a different channel, a different connection?—
Andpull.
CHAPTER 29
There was no warning.
One moment, Leonie was coming, head thrown back, pulsing around him. And the next, she was scrabbling away, recoiling as if he’d burned her.
“Leonie?” Alarm chased away bliss. He surged up, reaching for her. “What is it?”
“No.” Her eyes were squeezed shut. She clutched at her head, voice rising in panic. “No, no, no!”
“Leonie!” He grabbed her shoulders, supporting her as she swayed. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
She shook her head in a jerky, violent arc. He could feel her distress down the mate bond, beating in his chest like a trapped bird.
And yet…the feeling was muted. For a shining moment, he’d been inside her, body and soul. Yet now, the bond felt unfinished. Like it had started to form, but then stretched and frayed, leaving only a thread of connection between them.
Something was wrong. Very, very wrong.
No. His qiongqi should have been in a fury, ready to tearapart the world. Instead, it was oddly still, burning eyes fixed on Leonie.This is right.
He thrust his animal to the back of his mind, more concerned with his mate. “Leonie. Look at me.”
Her breath came in ragged heaves. Slowly, she lowered her hands, head lifting.
She opened her eyes.
They were gold. She’d always had a thin, bright ring around her pupils, but now it filled her whole irises. No trace of amber remained. Only deep, rich gold.
He stared, aghast. Her eyes weren’t like his own. She still had round pupils, human whites. But still…had he done that? Infected her with his own nature, stealing away her humanity?
Leonie must have read the horror in his expression. She pushed past him, rushing to the bathroom. She peered into the mirror.
“No,” she whispered. She reached out, hand shaking, touching her own reflection. “That’s impossible.”
He followed, unsure what to say. Before he could even open his mouth to apologize, she was pushing past him again, ducking back into the bedroom. She scrabbled through her discarded clothes, pulling out her phone.
Now he was completely lost. “Leonie? What are you doing?”
