He held her easily, and his wings flapped as he began to lift her into the air.
And then Julian changed completely. The panther’s eyes opened and that golden gaze burned as he tilted back his head and roared. That feral stare—it locked right on her and Leo.
“Not right,” Leo said and he sounded worried.
The great cat leapt toward them. Leo took them higher and the panther snarled. The panther paced the boat, snarling, clawing, and roaring his displeasure.
“Let me go,” Rose fought in Leo’s hold. “I can help him!”
“No, you can’t. His beast is in control. He’s all beast, no man at all right now, and that is not the way this should have worked.”
Leo thought he knew everything. He thought he knew Julian. He thought he knew her. Maybe it was time for him to get a wake-up call. He wasn’t letting her out of his grip, just holding her with that effortless strength that was stronger than a vampire, stronger than a shifter, stronger than anything. He had one arm wrapped around her upper body, and, when she craned down her neck and chin, that arm of his was conveniently close to her mouth.
Since he wouldn’t let her go…
She’d make him suffer.
Rose bit him. His blood flowed into her mouth, hot and powerful and the rush blasted through her whole body even as he bellowed in shock.
Then she was falling. He’d let her go instantly and her body hurtled through the air as she dropped fast. She wasn’t like him—wings didn’t magically sprout from her body. She just fell straight down and crashed into the waves. Her body sank deep as bubbles swirled around her, so thick that she couldn’t see anything. Then the current was pulling at her, tossing her about, and Rose kicked up, knowing she had to get to the surface. She’d drowned before, and it was one of her least favorite ways to die.
But then there was a hand reaching out for her. Strong, hard, and it closed around her wrist, pulling her upward with an unyielding force. She kept kicking and she swam forward, following that pull. Her head broke the surface and she sucked in a deep, gasping breath.
“I’ve got you.” Julian. Back in human form. Treading water right next to her and holding her securely in his arms. “Fucking bastard,” Julian growled as he began to guide them toward the shore. “Can’t believe he dropped you.”
Julian was okay. Happiness exploded through her and she didn’t even stop to think. She kissed him. Wild and frantically. She crushed her body tightly against his. She felt shock stiffen his muscles, but then he kissed her back. Julian drove his tongue past her lips, he locked his other hand around her waist, and he kissed her with the same desperation that she felt.
Some of the fear that had been inside of her lessened. That cold, clinging fear that had tightened around her heart dissipated.
The waves rocked against them.
Julian tasted like the sea.
He tasted…
His mouth pulled from hers. “Fucking scared me when I saw you fall.” His words were a rumble.
“I…bit him.”
His eyes widened. Then they narrowed. “What?”
There was anger in his voice. Jealousy? Too hard to say for sure. But he was holding her even tighter now and going double-time as they headed back to the shore. They didn’t speak again until their feet were on the sand. He kept his hold on her wrist as they trudged up the beach.
“Where’s the human?” Julian demanded. “The trigger happy one.” A deep rumble vibrated his chest. His naked chest. Shifter side-effect. She was sure his clothes were in a ripped pile some place. “The human got aboard the Devil’s Prize. That bitch pumped me with tranq.”
Once she’d knocked Julian and Marcos out, she must have also steered the Devil’s Prize back to shore and secured it to the dock before she’d gone hunting. But the human wasn’t a threat they needed to worry about right then. “Leo put her to sleep.” Rose’s clothes clung to her body and water trickled over her skin. “Julian, when I first found you, it looked as if you were…caught, mid-shift. Frozen. And I was so scared…” Her words trailed away as his expression softened.
“Worried about me?” He finally freed her wrist and his hand rose so that the back of his fingers traced over her cheek. “Better tread with a fine step or you’ll make me think you care.”
Her chin lifted. “I don’t want you dead. I’ve never wanted that.”
“Then you understand, finally, how I felt the night your human life ended.” His gaze glittered. “There was no fucking way I was going to let you go.”
“Julian—”