Chapter 10
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 the killing 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.
"Which is why you're staying here under my protection," he continued, rising to his feet and fixing her with his most authoritative stare. "At least until we identify the threat."
"I don't need protection," she protested, but her voice lacked its usual fire. The attack had shaken her more than she wanted to admit.
"This isn't a request, Jade." His tone brooked no argument. "Someone targeted you today. Someone who knew exactly where to find you and when you'd be most vulnerable. Until we know who and why, you're not safe anywhere else."
She opened her mouth to argue further, then seemed to think better of it. "Fine. But only temporarily."
"Of course," he agreed, though his panther practically purred at the thought of having her under his roof. "Just until the threat is neutralized."
No, forever, his beast corrected with smug certainty.
"I'll show you to the guest room," Raikar said, leading her out of the bathroom and down the hallway. "We can collect your things from Talia and Brenn later, but for now you should rest."
The guest room he selected was spacious and comfortable, with its own private bath and a view of the pink ocean in the distance.
Jade moved to the windows, her silhouette outlined against the alien sunlight, and something in her posture—vulnerable despite her strength, beautiful despite her wariness—made his chest constrict with unfamiliar emotion.
She could have died today. The thought hit him hard, stealing the breath from his lungs. I could have lost her before I ever really had her.
Unable to stop himself, he moved closer, drawn by the same magnetic force that had been pulling at him since the moment they'd first touched. She turned at his approach, her dark eyes wide and uncertain.
"Thank you again," she said softly. "For everything. I wasn't sure I was going to survive today."
The quiet admission shattered something inside him—some last vestige of the control he'd been desperately trying to maintain. Without conscious thought, he reached out and cupped her face in his palm, his thumb tracing the delicate line of her cheekbone.
Instead of pulling away as he expected, she leaned into his touch with a soft sigh that sent fire racing through his veins. Her eyes fluttered closed, and when she looked at him again, the barriers she'd erected between them seemed to have crumbled.
"Raikar," she whispered, and his name on her lips was the most perfect sound he'd ever heard.
He should have respected the boundary she'd set the night before.
Should have stepped back and given her the space she'd demanded.
But the memory of how close he'd come to losing her, combined with the way she was looking at him now—like she wanted him as desperately as he wanted her—obliterated his good intentions.
He leaned in and kissed her, tender yet desperate, pouring all of his fear and relief and need into the connection between their lips. To his amazement and delight, she kissed him back with equal fervor, her hand pressing against his bare chest.
When she deepened the kiss, her tongue sliding against his with bold hunger, his panther roared its approval, demanding he claim her fully and completely.
When she finally pulled back, her dark eyes were wide with a war between logic and desire.
"This might be a bad idea," she whispered, her gaze locked on his. "But I really want you right now."
That was all it took. A declaration stripped of all her usual armor, raw and honest. His panther surged in triumph.
He didn't speak. Words were useless now.
Instead, he guided her with a hand at her waist, turning her toward the vast expanse of the guest bed.
He guided her down, and she obeyed, her movements fluid and trusting.
As soon as her back touched the mattress, she reached for him, pulling him down atop her into another kiss.
This kiss was different. It was hunger incarnate, a fierce and consuming claim.
His hands found the hem of her simple black shirt, and he broke the kiss to pull it up and over her head.
The sight of her lace bra, delicate against her toned frame, sent a jolt of heat straight to his groin.
Then he removed it with efficient motions, hooks and fabric yielding to his need.