Eat Prey Love (28 page)

He snorted. “I was just buying time, sweetheart. I knew the instant I saw J.L. that help was on the way.”

“You know him?”

“Sure.” Carlos slapped J.L. on the back. “He works for MacKay. I knew he wasn't going to hurt you.”

J.L. nodded. “Sorry about scaring you. I knew I'd better put a knife to your throat before any of the other guys could.”

“How did you find us?” Caitlyn asked.

“When your sister claimed you were in San Francisco, I went undercover in Chinatown,” J.L. explained. “Angus and the guys teleported to the coven house nearby and waited for me to call.”

“And since J.L.'s a Vamp, he has a homing beacon inserted underneath his skin,” Carlos continued. “I knew Angus and the others would come.”

Caitlyn let out a deep breath. Shanna had received the images. “Thank God.” She hugged J.L. “Thank you. I was so afraid Carlos would try to fight everyone by himself and get killed again.”

Carlos frowned. “I had a plan. I was going to grab that brass stand and leap onto the altar and threaten to ram it through Master Han's heart if
they didn't put down their weapons and let you and Rajiv go.”

J.L. nodded. “Not a bad plan.”

“And what would have happened then?” Caitlyn asked. “How were
you
going to escape?”

Carlos shifted his weight. “I didn't have that part figured out yet.”

She didn't know whether to scream or cry. He always put her safety before his own. “I love you so much.”

He grinned and pulled her into his arms.

“It is over then?” Rajiv asked Caitlyn in his language.

“Yes.” She turned toward him. “We can take you home if you like. Or if you'd rather, you could probably work for the same company as these other guys. They work for MacKay Security and Investigation, and they go around catching bad guys.”

“Like Master Han?” Rajiv asked. “I would like to work with them.” He hung his head. “It is my fault that Master Han rose again. I only did it because I thought they were going to kill you.”

She hugged the young were-tiger. “No one blames you, Rajiv. You have proven yourself the bravest of warriors.”

“What's going on?” Carlos asked.

“I think Rajiv would like to work for Angus,” she replied.

“I'll introduce him.” J.L. motioned for Rajiv to follow him. He turned and nearly skidded in the pool of blood left by Sawat. “Damn. He left his balls in San Francisco.”

Carlos laughed and gathered her back into his arms. “Are you really okay?”

“Yes.” She leaned her head against his chest. “But I'm ready for a nice long break.”

His arms tightened around her but he remained silent. She could guess what he was thinking. Her break would not last long. In two weeks she would shift for the first time. And she might not survive it.

 

As soon as they teleported back to Romatech, Carlos asked Sean Whelan for his daughter's hand in marriage. Afterward, when Carlos's nose stopped bleeding, he called Father Andrew to make the arrangements.

They were married the next night at the chapel at Romatech. Roman offered to walk Caitlyn down the aisle since her father refused to come. Shanna was her matron of honor and Coco and Raquel served as flower girls. Carlos asked Fernando to be his best man. Constantine was his ring bearer.

It made his heart ache when Caitlyn spent their wedding night running a fever and throwing up. After returning to Romatech, he confided to Shanna and Roman that he'd bitten Caitlyn and feared they would lose her in two weeks.

Shanna, Roman, and his head chemist, Laszlo, worked all night long, developing a formula that would hopefully ease Caitlyn into the transformation. The formula consisted of synthetic blood that matched Caitlyn's blood type, plus a small amount of were-panther DNA they had isolated from his blood. They figured her chances of survival would be greater if her body was allowed to adapt slowly to the were-panther DNA rather than
letting her undergo an abrupt and total change when the moon was full.

Shanna was so terrified of losing her sister that she insisted Caitlyn receive the first dose the next night, the night of her wedding. Within a few hours Caitlyn was miserably sick.

The next night she was given another dose, this one with a tiny bit more were-panther DNA. Again she was sick.

This went on for a week, and Carlos feared the worse. Were-panther DNA made her ill. How could she ever survive the transformation?

Caitlyn refused to stop the treatments, since Roman believed their plan would work. She insisted on remaining positive and hopeful. Her bright attitude was one of the things Carlos loved most about her, so he tried not to show how frightened he was.

When the night of the full moon arrived, Romatech employees were given the night off. Only Shanna, Roman, and Connor remained. Phineas and Howard stayed at the Draganesti home with Tino and Sofia. Carlos knew Shanna didn't want the children around in case the worst happened.

Shanna had attempted to make the gazebo in the Romatech garden comfortable for them. She'd placed a mattress inside with blankets. Roman had given Carlos a syringe with a painkiller in case Caitlyn needed it. As the moon began to rise, Caitlyn and Shanna hugged each other tightly with tears in their eyes.

Then with a heavy, fearful heart, Carlos led Caitlyn outside to the gazebo. He glanced back at the Romatech cafeteria and could see Shanna inside,
pacing nervously while her husband and Connor stood nearby.

As the moon rose higher in the night sky, Caitlyn's breathing became more labored. The first pain hit right after they entered the gazebo.

She curled up on the mattress, her eyes squeezed shut. When the pain subsided, Carlos encouraged her to undress. She was shaking, so he wrapped her in blankets and held her tight.

Another pain hit, and she cried out. Soon she was rocking back and forth, whimpering.

“Do you want the painkiller?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I'm going to get through this, Carlos. I'm not giving up.”

Tears blurred his vision. “You're the bravest woman I've ever met.”

She cried out and collapsed on the mattress. She rolled onto all fours and trembled. She screamed when claws burst out of her fingertips. Her arms started to shimmer, then turned black. Her hands shifted into paws.

“You're doing it, Caitlyn.”

She screamed when her back legs crackled to reform into panther legs. Then her back arched, more bones crunching and shifting. Her whimpers turned into a growl.

“My head,” she whispered. “It's going to explode.”

He held her tight. Her body was now sleek and black.

She screamed again. Her head shifted, and her scream turned into a roar. She collapsed onto the mattress, panting.

“You did it.” He held her head in his hands and
gazed at her lovely turquoise cat eyes. “Catalina, my beautiful cat, you did it.”

She licked his hand, and her tongue was raspy.

Carlos stripped and shifted. She was still lying on the mattress, but her breathing had eased. He nudged her with his head.
Come on, let's go play.

She lifted her head.
You can talk to me telepathically?

Yes. It was a power I gained when I reached level three. Level one were-panthers can't do it, usually, but you came into this with psychic power.
He nudged her with his head again.
Come on, run with me.

She rolled onto all fours and followed him outside the gazebo. She glanced toward the cafeteria. Shanna was inside, and when she spotted two were-panthers, she jumped up and down, hollering and punching the air. She and Roman hugged each other, laughing.

Carlos chuckled, then trotted toward the woods.
Your senses will be sharper. You'll be able to see in the dark.

I feel strong
, she told him.
Like a hunter.

They ran all over the grounds at Romatech. She learned to leap and sharpen her claws. She even tried pouncing on Carlos a few times. When the moon began its descent, they returned to the gazebo.

The shift back to human form was less painful for her. Still, she lay back on the mattress, breathing heavily. “My God, I'm exhausted. I could sleep for a week.”

Carlos shifted back, then covered her with a blanket. “You did it, Catalina. I'm so proud of you.”

She heaved a sigh. “I'm glad it's over. Now you can stop looking at me with all that guilt in your eyes. It was hurting me to see you hurting so much.”

Tears threatened to fall. “I don't know how I could have lived with myself if I'd lost you. I love you more than I can say.”

She touched his face. “It's all right. We made it through.” She smiled. “I guess Shanna was right from the beginning. I get to have kittens.”

Smiling, he brushed her hair back from her brow. “Our children will be completely normal until they reach puberty and shift for the first time.” He tilted his head. “I take that back. No child from you would be completely normal.”

“Hey.” She swatted his shoulder.

He chuckled. “I mean your children will probably be beautiful, intelligent, and psychically gifted.”

“Oh. Well, that's true.” Her eyes twinkled with humor. “And your children will probably know how to sweet talk their way out of trouble.”

“I like them already.” He kissed her freckled nose.

“Me, too.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Maybe we should get started on them right away, you being an endangered species and all. It would be the environmentally responsible thing to do.”

“I love it when you talk sexy.”

She laughed. “I love it when you purr in my ear.”

He nuzzled her ear and growled low.

She shivered.

He kissed a path down her neck. “Catalina, are you sure you're not too tired?”

“I'm exhausted. But then I thought I'd just lay here and let you do all the work.”

He lifted his head to give her a wry look. “You're never forgiving me for that, are you?”

Her mouth twitched. “You'll never know.”

“Naughty kitty.”

With a laugh, she flipped him over and straddled him. Holding his shoulders down, she leaned over and nipped at his ear. “No more dying, you hear me? I won't have you dying for me.”

He chuckled. “For you, sweetheart, I want to live forever.”

H
ow could I possibly write humor without those people who bring joy into my life? For all the hours of laughter and sushi, I must thank my dear friends and critique partners: MJ, Sandy, and Vicky. My thanks to my husband, who still makes me laugh like he did on our first date many years ago. My thanks to my children, who fill me with pride and joy. My thanks to my editor, Erika Tsang, and all the professionals at HarperCollins. I love working with you all! My thanks to Michelle Grajkowski of Three Seas Literary Agency, who miraculously manages to be a fortress of strength and sweetness at the same time. And many, many thanks to all those who read my books and keep coming back for more. Your notes and e-mails are greatly appreciated!

KERRELYN SPARKS
is the
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestselling author of the Love at Stake series. Her heroes are generally fanged or furry, but never suffer from cavities or fur balls. And in spite of a tendency to nibble or howl at the moon, they're still wonderfully romantic. Please feel free to visit
www.kerrelynsparks.com
, where you can read excerpts, play vampire games, join the forum, or send Kerrelyn e-mail. She loves hearing from readers, even those who nibble or howl at the moon. Letters may be sent to P.O. Box 5512, Katy, TX 77491-5512.

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