Free Leopard's Key by Marci Baun Page A

the day’s sun. He righted himself from the crouch and prowled toward the woman.
    She strode across the parking lot, unaware of his stalking.
    “Excuse me?” He kept his voice soft, not wishing to frighten her, but still she whirled around, blue eyes round.
    “Yes?” She cocked her head to one side, a question in her eyes. “Did you lock yourself out?”
    “Are you Hailey Sanford?”
    Her eyes widened, and she glanced around, and he knew she realized they were alone. But she didn’t bolt. Instead, she widened her step, transferring her grocery bags to her left hand. Her non-dominant hand.
    In her right hand, she held her keys, sharp edges out. He fought the urge to smile. Good girl .
    “Who’s asking?”
    A ghost of a smile tracked across his lips. “My name is Dmitri Petrov. I believe you know my brother, Kel.”
    Hailey frowned. “I remember a Kel.” She peered at him, as though measuring him against his brother. “But you could be anyone.”
    “I need to ask you about this,” he said, digging his hand in his pocket. She frowned. He’d piqued her curiosity. He drew out the small velvet bag and lifted the necklace out by its chain, careful to avoid the touch of silver to his flesh.
    He dangled the necklace and charm before her.
    “What are you doing with that? I sent that to Kel’s mother.” She reached to grab the charm, but he snatched it back, tucking it back into the pouch.
    “And I’m her second son. I want to know why you sent this to her.”
    She frowned. A strand of soft brown hair fluttered in the breeze, and Dmitri fought the unexpected urge to tuck the stray hairs behind her ear.
    She shrugged. “I thought she might like it.”
    He didn’t buy it. The shrug was too forced. There was no spark to her scent to tell him she was lying, though she wasn’t telling him straight. This woman had secrets.
    “Why silver?”
    “Of all the—Because silver is beautiful. It’s fun to work with, and I thought she’d like it.”
    Dmitri frowned. Could it be that innocent? “She’s allergic to silver. It’s a hereditary thing. All of us are.” They were more than allergic to it. If the metal got into their blood stream, it meant death. An open wound created by silver never clotted. They would bleed to death.
    “I’m sorry,” her voice was soft, filled with regret. “I’ll just take it back.”
    He shook his head. He wasn’t ready to let it go just yet. He tucked the small blue velvet jewelry bag into his pocket. “I’ll keep it for now.”
    The squeal of tires in the parking lot caught her attention. The vehicle backfired, and she jumped in surprise. This time he did smile. A she-cat would have sensed the vibrations of the car even before the sound occurred. Unlike the she-cat’s of his pride, she was small, delicate, and her hips whispered to him of sensual promise. Her blue eyes looked so innocent and human. Yet in their depths he could almost see her as a leopard. And for the first time he could remember, he wanted to protect someone besides family.
    “Look, I need to put these groceries away.” She turned and headed to the door. Dmitri followed. Her skirt swished with every step, advertising the sway of perfect hips. The beast inside him sniffed, just as pleased with her scent as he had been the first time he’d opened the box he’d found in the mail. Inside was a note in his brother’s own hand. Something special for both of you.
    Only the gift didn’t please. It made his mother cry, and that pissed him off. His mother never cried. A gift of silver from her eldest son was as devastating to a shifter as a human mother receiving emancipation papers from her child. It hurt. When they’d tried to reach Kel, he was nowhere to be found.
    The human female reached the door and juggled her bags, readjusting to slide the key into the door. Dmitri placed his hand over hers. Her hand yanked back. Her gaze jerked to meet his eyes, and he wondered what it would be like, if he had more time, to