He bled for me. This magnificent creature had spilled his blood to save mine. He could’ve fled, but he’d stayed. He’d fought. For me.
He stopped a few paces away, close enough the heat radiating from his body slid down my front.
Soaked through and cold, I stood quaking like stone bitten by the first frost of winter. Staring into those burning eyes. His wild scent filled my nostrils, cedar and rain and something indefinably male.
The firecat studied me, his head tilting.
Then, with movements almost too gentle for something this large, he lowered his enormous head.
And licked my hand.
The rough warmth of his tongue on my skin sent a shock up my arm. My fingers tingled where his saliva left a warm, wet mark. The gesture was so tender, so unexpectedly intimate, that tears pricked my eyes.
This was how a predator claimed what was his, though thisdidn’t feel like dominance. I sensed this creature had fought for me, and he wanted me to know it.
My soul tilted sideways, part of me stretching toward him in the breathless silence.
I had the strangest, most dangerous urge to reach out and touch his damp mane, to run my fingers through his wet fur to feel the power that lay beneath. To press my face against his neck and breathe in his intoxicating scent until it filled my lungs.
“You’re hurt,” I croaked, reaching toward his wounds, though I had no idea what I could do to make this better. “I’m sorry.”
His head dipped forward and he released a low rumble from his chest.
As suddenly as he’d appeared, the great cat turned and bounded into the jungle.
I remained where I was, leaning against the tree, my body one big shiver.
Despite the shock running through me, I shook off the fear, scanned the jungle, and began noting landmarks. Fallen trunks, boulders, the shape of the slope. If the creature returned, I would be ready. My hands still tingled from the firecat’s touch, but my mind sharpened. I wasn’t helpless.
I ached to hold on to the memory of his gentle touch. His ember eyes haunted me. The way he’d looked at me, like he was seeing straight into my soul. Like he knew me.
“Isi?” The voice came from very far away.
I blinked, still staring into the green depths where he’d vanished.
“Isi!” Lexie’s cry echoed again, closer now, more urgent.
I startled, finally lowering my hands to my sides.
“Here,” I called. “Here!”
The six remaining survivors of our group appeared at the top of the hill, their clothing torn and their eyes wild with terror.
They stopped short when they saw the torn ground between us.
“What happened?” Bryson asked, starting down the slope with a thick stick in his hand, the others tumbling along behind him.
I opened my mouth and closed it again. How could I explain what I’d seen?
“Isi?” Lexie grabbed my arm, her dark eyes filled with worry. “Are you hurt?”
I shook my head, still unable to spit anything out.
Jaxon crouched beside one of the gouges. “What in all the fates happened here?”
“Two creatures fought.” I swallowed and dragged up my voice. “I hid while they battled. I think one of them killed Fara.”
Derren looked me over, his face wreathed with concern. “Did they hurt you?”
