"Trust me. She'll be fine. You get a cloth and water, I have to go pick up a few things." With that, Dr. Matons left the bedroom. A quiet but finite snap of the door told Aaron the doctor had left the apartment.
With a basin full of clean, warm water, Aaron moved to the side of the bed. His stomach muscles clenched wildly as he took in the sight of the damage done to his woman's body. Her back was a mass of criss-crossed, angry, open lashes. The oozing pink and white raw flesh contrasted wildly against her dark skin.
Unable to take the sight of her ravaged body, Aaron dimmed the lights as he began to work, easing a soft cloth over the worst of the wounds. He changed the water in the basin three times before managing to clean all the cuts and dried blood. Where the hell was the damned doctor? It had been more than an hour since he'd left and there was still no sign of the man. When Reya awoke she would need something for the pain.
He wished he could give her something to forget her ordeal. Hell, he wanted something to help him forget. To erase the memory of the regal form of the gold and black jaguar squaring up to pounce on him, fangs bared with a menacing growl in its throat. Then the beautiful black-furred cat appeared. Almost as large as the male, her smooth coat reflected the pale moonlight as she barreled into the one meaning to attack him.
According to what Reya had taught him about the jaguars in the sanctuary, hunting together was almost unheard of with these solitary animals. Yet the black cat and two other majestic gold cats coordinated their efforts in order to protect him, fight for him.
Even when she'd thought he was leaving her for good, thought he didn't want her, she'd come to protect him. Had sacrificed herself for him. God knows he didn't deserve such a woman.
Closing his eyes, he could still see the aggressive jag's claws ripping into Reya's flanks. His ears couldn't seem to push away the anguished roar that escaped her throat as the flesh of her back was torn open. He'd come so close to losing her. Trying to shake the memory, Aaron inadvertently dug his fingers into Reya's tender flesh through the soft cloth.
A quiet moan rumbled through Reya's too still body. Aaron looked down and immediately pulled his hand away. Flipping the cloth over in his hand, he grimaced. Fresh blood. Her blood. Rinsing it again, he ran it over her now fevered skin and braced himself when the sound came again. Something about the low sensual quality of Reya's moans wrapped firmly around his balls and gently squeezed. Damn and double damn. The woman was hurt, and here he was getting horny over the way she moaned as he cleaned her up. Boy did he need help.
His eyes roamed over her nakedness in appreciation. She was a beautiful woman. And not just her facial features, but everything about her was exquisite. A brilliant mind, full of knowledge of everything from medicine, to big cats, to the latest and most popular anime movies. Physically, she was perfect-firm, toned, with everything in abundance. Her arms were cut and well defined, her stomach rippled and ridged. Breasts and hips were full and ample. Lush. All covered in rich cocoa skin.
Aaron had never really been into muscular women, but then again, he'd never had the pleasure of undressing one. Making love to one. Gently, slowly caressing every inch of delectable skin over solid muscle. And there was no doubt Reya was what he preferred.
As his fingers ran over her skin, the contrast of his fairer golden skin was sensually beautiful to him against her darker tones. His mind flitted to the memory of the sight and feel of his long, tanned fingers sliding into her silky, tight depths, so dark on the outside but pink as cotton candy on the inside. His unruly cock stirred. Damned good thing she was injured and unconscious, otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to resist dragging her underneath him and burying himself to the hilt in her hot pussy.
Chapter Eight
Ooooh, that felt so good. Something cool and soft traipsed over her back with easy strokes. She wasn't sure what it was, but it was so nice she didn't really care. Before the coolness touched her skin, her back burned with such ferocity the pain reached beyond the tranquilizer to penetrate the peaceful darkness of unconsciousness. Half awake now, the intense fire from the deep claw marks was a dull ache rather than raw, pulsing pain.
Boy that tranq had really knocked her on her … oh god! The tranquilizer dart! It had pierced the deep muscle of her shoulder. A tranq dart shot by Aaron! She remembered hitting the dewy grass in her jaguar form. Considering she now lay in her human body, there was no doubt that her secret was out. Aaron knew she was a shifter.
This was definitely not good. He'd already left her bedroom with his lame excuse of wanting to "do right by her" but she knew the real reason. It was because he was trying to find a way to bow out gracefully. Well, if he needed a reason, her being a shifter was definitely it. Now that he knew who, or rather what, she was, he'd run hell for leather back to the States.
Embarrassed and more than a little frightened that Aaron knew her deepest, most closely guarded secret, Reya's words came out on a rush as her groggy mind suddenly cleared and snapped fully awake. Trying to rise, she found herself eased back down to her stomach.
With more than a hint of panic she blurted, "What are you doing to me?"
"Easy, baby. Dr. Matons is on his way."
The soft sheets under her bare flesh were damp from the cool liquid being dribbled over her raw wounds.
"Does this feel all right?" Aaron's voice was soft and full of concern. That couldn't be right. He should be running and screaming, or something. Anything other than being so sweet to her. "Did you hear me, Reya? Is this pressure all right? I don't want to hurt you."
"Uh-well … " she stammered. Maybe her wits were still out in the jungle. They certainly weren't anywhere near her head right now.
"Relax, baby. I'm sorry if this hurts, sweetheart, but these scratches are deep. Dr. Matons told me to wash your wounds as well as I could while he went to get a few things."
No censure or hostility in his voice? Was he just being nice until he could make sure she wouldn't change and bite him in the ass?
"Reya, I doubt you feel like talking about this now, but you were incredible," he said softly but with something that sounded a lot like pride. Man, that rogue must have slapped her in the head harder than she thought-surely she was imagining all of this.
"I mean, hell, I don't know what to say," Aaron continued. "That big male would have had me if not for you and your friends. Baby, it was the most amazing thing I've ever seen! It was just, like … wow, Reya!"
Wow? Amazing? Was he crazy? Her aunt had always taught her that she must keep her abilities under wraps. Aunt Sulu had always said that it was hard enough being a black female, let alone one who could turn into a jaguar and rip you to shreds. But here was the most handsome man in the universe complimenting her on her abilities.
"Does anyone else know?" he asked softly.
It took her a moment to get her head around his question, too caught up in her disbelief that he wasn't running out the door.
"Reya, does anyone else know, baby?"
"No, well, yes. Dr. Matons and Bethsaida. No one else outside of my family, which consists of only my Aunt Sulu." She listened to the water trickle into the basin as Aaron dipped the cloth into the water, wrung it out and bathed the ridges on her back again with cool water. She hissed long and loud at the pain, wishing she'd remained knocked out a little while longer. Each cut felt like a hive of bees had landed on the open wounds and started stinging her repeatedly. It took all her concentration not to flinch with each stroke of Aaron's hands.
"So you're a black panther, eh?"
She sniffed, throwing her nose up in the air as much as she was able considering her position on her stomach. "There's no such thing as a black panther."
"Well, you sure looked like … "
"I didn't say there weren't black cats, just not black panthers. I'm a jaguar, a melanistic one."
"Mellon-what?" he asked, pausing mid-stroke with the cloth.
"Melanistic, Aaron," she chuckled, then winced before explaining that melanism was a hereditary trait, an abnormality of one of her cat genes associated with coat coloration and markings. He lifted her hair out of the way to run the cloth over the back of her neck and paused. The second her neck was exposed, every muscle in her body went taut.
"Reya, what the hell happened to you?" he asked angrily, pressing a little too hard with the cloth. She yelped.
"I'm sorry, baby. But these scars, what happened?"
She knew exactly what he was looking at-the scars hidden in her hair just above her nape. Something she'd never shown or shared with anyone. Ever.
"Look, Reya, understand me when I say I'm not willing to go another day pretending I can leave you alone. Hell, I can't even stay mad at you. You are, as of this moment, stuck with me. So your choice, tell me now or tell me later. But you will tell me so I can kill the son of a bitch who did this to you."