Cordeau couldn’t see the inside of a courtroom. He had to die and his body had to be burned and then buried deep where no one would ever find the evidence. His three lieutenants had to join him. Catarina might not like it, but she would understand. She had to understand, because he wasn’t losing her over Cordeau’s death and his part in it.
Cordeau’s large male gave one more shudder and then went limp. Eli’s panther knew better than to drop him. He kept a relentless, merciless pressure, a stranglehold that would suffocate the other cat, but he couldn’t let go too soon, although the need to get to his mate was nearly overwhelming.
Eli had discipline and he used every ounce of it. Waiting. Feeling the life drain from the cat until he was completely a dead weight. Still he held on. Elijah’s leopard ventured close. Eli fought down the urge to attack, realizing his leopard was still in battle mode. Elijah must have known it, because he was careful to approach with caution. He shifted just his arm and hand, checking Cordeau’s animal for signs of life. His cat shook his head, and Eli knew Cordeau was gone.
His black panther dropped the other cat and he spun around, uncaring of his injuries. Uncaring that he was exhausted from the intense, brutal battle between the two male leopards. He shifted as he ran, reaching Jake, reaching Catarina.
His heart stuttered in his chest when he saw her. It nearly stopped. Terror lived and breathed in him. He hadn’t known terror. Not even as a young boy when his parents had died. Grief. Overwhelming sorrow. But not terror. Not like this.
“Get dressed fast, the helicopter is coming. I’ll go with you to the hospital,” Jake instructed, preventing Eli from wrenching Catarina out of his arms. “Hurry. I’ll need to dress as well. The boys will clean up here.”
Elijah tossed him a pack, and Eli yanked the jeans free, dragging them up over his hips. Only then did he realize his body was streaked with blood as well. He hadn’t felt the blows. Not any of them, but of course Cordeau’s cat had scored on his male. He didn’t bother with shoes or a shirt, he reached for Catarina, needing to hold her to him.
She cried out when her side came in contact with his, an involuntary cry that made it seem all the worse. Her face was twisted with pain and her skin felt cold and clammy. Leopards were always hot-blooded and to feel the chill in her skin added to his growing fear.
“She’s lost a lot of blood,” Jake said, his voice calm as he pulled on his jeans and dragged a shirt over his head. “I’ve put pressure bandages on the wounds on her sides, but she’d already lost so much.”
Catarina’s eyes were closed. Eli bent his head to her. “Look at me, Kitten. I want to see your eyes.” He used his commanding voice, the one that always made her shiver. The one she obeyed without question.
Her lashes fluttered and lifted. His heart tripped. Tight knots formed in his gut. She was fading away from him. Instinctively his hands tightened on her, holding her to him. He bent his head, his eyes drilling into hers.
“You will not leave me. You understand, Catarina. You will not leave me. I need to know you understand.” His tone was implacable. He wouldn’t lose her. He didn’t allow fear into his voice, but it was there, deep inside, eating him up. He could barely breathe with terror edging his mind. “Say it. Say it to me right now.”
Her lashes fluttered, but she didn’t look away from him. Her gaze clung to his as if he was her anchor, and he intended to be. He knew leopards who had shared a past could eventually be so close they were psychically connected. He pressed into her mind. Used his male shamelessly to press into her female’s mind. He had to find a way to keep her with him, keep an unbreakable thread between them.
He heard the helicopter now, the whop-whop of the blades as it cruised through the air to get to them. Jake was on the radio giving orders. None of it mattered. She hadn’t answered him.
“Catarina, you fucking promise me right now. You won’t leave me.”
She gave him the faintest of smiles and it broke his heart. Her tongue touched her lips. Clearly just moving hurt, but for him, she reached for her voice. “Can I promise that?”
“You can.” He was adamant. Demanding. Arrogant even. “If you give me your word, I know you’ll keep it.”
The helicopter was down, and Eli cradled her as close as possible to keep from jarring her as he ran with her through the clearing to the open field. Her teeth came together and he could see the pain in her eyes, but she didn’t cry out again. She was limp, a rag doll, not holding herself at all, her arms and legs clearly lead, all strength gone.
He pushed down fear as Jake climbed into the helicopter and held out his arms for her. Eli shook his head and made the leap, landing in a crouch, Catarina against his chest. Eli couldn’t take the chance of losing contact with her.