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the jaguar race and the men did not commit these crimes against
their women. Something is wrong."
    "It isn't all the men. It is only a small group, yet they are very powerful
because they have banded together." She turned in his arms. "Do you understand
why I have to stay with these women? They have no other protection. Jasmine and
I feared the males were in league with someone at the new Morrison laboratory.
Too many animals on the endangered species list were being captured. We thought
the jaguar males were trading animals for help in finding the females. That was
one of the reasons we broke into the laboratory."
    "Is it possible a vampire has connected with a jaguar male and corrupted
him?"
    "I think these males have corrupted themselves."
    "We will return to your family and make certain they are safe, Juliette. If
you care about them, then, of course, I care about them. There is no question
this practice must be stopped."
    "I tried not to blame the males, I really did. Our species is dying out, but
they don't care at all about the females, only that they want the race to go
on." She shook her head sadly. "It isn't right. We have a right to our lives."
    He kissed her temple, the corner of her mouth. "I understand their
desperation. Our species is nearly extinct also." He tipped her chin up so he
could capture her mouth. His kiss was gentle, tender. "I bound you to me with no
thought of your feelings, Juliette. Perhaps I am as guilty as these males." His
arms circled her waist, pulled her onto his lap so that they half floated in the
water, her body fitting into the cradle of his hips. "I never thought how
selfish that would be. In my culture, lifemates are destined and must be
together for survival. It is another world now, one where our women, perhaps,
are not even from the same species. I should have thought more of what you
wished to accomplish in your life and less of what I needed to survive."
    Juliette lay back against him, resting her head in the niche of his sternum.
His hands cupped her full breasts, taking the weight in his palms, his fingers
gently massaging her almost without thought. Pleasure shot through her. She
thought she might never want to move again, yet his hands on her body created a
molten heat that moved slowly through her bloodstream and licked at her skin.
    "I wasn't thinking either, Riordan, only how much I wanted you. I could
barely think straight with wanting you. You hadn't bound us together at that
point so I'm not so certain I would have said no." She turned over lazily and
slid down his body, skin to skin, rubbing along his chest and rib cage,
delighting in the differences between men and women. His belly was flat and
ridged with muscles. She licked off droplets of water. The rain fell gently,
cool drops that seemed to sizzle against her hot skin. She wrapped her arms
around his hips, nuzzling his navel lazily. Her teeth nipped his skin.
    Riordan felt his body harden in response. Looking down at the clean line of
her back, the rounded enticement of her bottom, her legs floating over his in
the cool waters of the pool was enough to give any man pleasure. Her mouth
wandered over him, tasting and licking. There was nothing inhibited about
Juliette. She loved having sex with him, loved his body, and in her mind she let
him know. With her body she let him know. It was exciting to have a woman so
completely open and natural with him.
    "I should have given you the opportunity to at least discuss what it meant,
Juliette," he said. His voice was husky. Her mouth was doing delicious things to
his body and it was becoming much more difficult to think straight.
    "I don't think I wanted to discuss it." She slipped a little lower so she
could breathe hot air over his heavy erection. She smiled when she felt his
muscles contract and his hands clamp over her arms in reaction. Juliette lifted
her chin so she could meet his gaze, reveling in the hunger darkening his