MEILING opened the sliding doors to her wide, enormous deck and stepped outside. The night air was cool, which she was thankful for. More and more she seemed to be getting so hot she sometimes felt she was burning from the inside out. It didn’t seem to matter what the actual temperature was; she was just a hot mess. She ached everywhere—her joints especially.
Ordinarily if she felt restless, Meiling went for a run. Now her body hurt too badly to run. Thanks to Gedeon’s generosity when he was attempting to bribe her to stay and be his partner, she had the best bathroom ever. How he managed it when her suite was on the third floor, she didn’t know, but her tub was deep and the hot water was endless. She could immerse herself in the hot water and soak her aching joints and muscles. Sometimes it helped, but the achiness was getting worse, not better, as time went on.
She and Gedeon had been back in New Orleans for three months when she began to experience waves of heat and aching muscles and joints. Her first thought had been that she’d picked up a virus of some sort, but she’d never gotten sick in her life. Then it occurred to her that she did, in fact, have a female leopard, and the leopard was making herself known.
Meiling paced across the balcony to the wide railing and leaned against it, lifting her face to the breeze. She didn’t know where she had gotten the idea that she didn’t have a leopard or why she believed so strongly that she didn’t have one, but it was as if it had always been that way. One of her earliest memories was of Libby’s mother telling her she was useless to the leopard community because she could never provide children for them. Libby had snuck into the little closet that had been her room and consoled her when she’d cried herself to sleep. Had Libby’s mother caught her crying, she would have really gotten into trouble. She wasn’t supposed to cry. She broke so many rules.
Meiling had gone to her room at ten that evening, using her private entrance, so restless and unable to understand why until the terrible sexual burning had started. Only then did it hit her that there was a real chance that she was going into the emergence of her kind: the Han Vol Dan, which was when her leopard wanted to arise.
Meiling sighed and looked out over the lights of the city. The house was close to the edge of the swamp, overlooked the city and yet also provided a view of the powerful Mississippi River. Gedeon managed to purchase his property in the perfect neighborhood, especially for a leopard. They had escape routes from every outlet.
She had a major problem—more than one. She would have been ecstatic over the discovery of having a leopard, but she knew it would change her life forever. She loved being Gedeon’s partner. They worked well together. In fact, they were good together nearly all the time in every aspect of their partnership.
Since the return from San Antonio, Gedeon had been even more restless than she had been, often coming up to her room at night declaring he couldn’t sleep, flopping on her bed and proceeding to fall asleep. Or he would call her on the intercom and cajole and plead until she gave in and went down to his room. She’d lie on his bed, and he’d wrap himself around her and fall right to sleep. It was disturbing the way he became more and more dependent on her to fall asleep at night. But she was becoming equally dependent on him, and she knew it.
“Gedeon.” She whispered his name. Because she was falling in love with him. Worse, she actually trusted him when she’d never fully trusted anyone. She didn’t want to, but to love someone, she had to trust him, not just with her life, but with her heart. If she had a female leopard, that would jeopardize everything they had together. She had no idea what she was going to do.
Her breasts felt swollen and heavy, her nipples hard pinpoints of flames desperate for attention. Between her legs flared a fire so intense she feared it would never be put out. She’d tried soaking earlier and used a toy, although that only made the sensation worse. She’d even been tempted to visit Gedeon’s nightclub and pick up a partner. For the first time she understood a little his constant need for sex. But she resisted. He didn’t even try.
Her bathrobe felt too heavy on her skin, rubbing against her screaming nerve endings, inflaming them more. She went back inside, leaving the doors open and closing the screen against insects. Pushing the robe off her shoulders, she paced nude in the dark. Her bedroom was enormous; so was the sitting room. The suite took up the entire third floor.
She would have to take a vacation. Leave. She couldn’t risk her leopard rising around Gedeon. She didn’t want him to claim her because she was leopard. Or because his leopard wanted her leopard. He would make a lousy mate. The man didn’t have a faithful bone in his body. After seeing what Lola Morales had done, Meiling feared, in a moment of madness, she might be equally as insane if Gedeon betrayed her—and he would. He wasn’t faithful to a woman for three hours; it wasn’t in his makeup.
She would have to leave right away, before they were called out of town on another case. She couldn’t go anywhere near him when she was like this. It was too dangerous for both of them. His leopard would react the moment her female began to rise, if only for a few moments. All male leopards would react. She’d need to find a retreat away from all shifters, somewhere she’d be safe. Where?
Pulling out her phone, she flung herself on the bed and began to look at various islands where she might be able to go. Transportation could be a problem in her condition. That and the fact that she had no idea how long it would take before her leopard decided to make an appearance.
She knew that the female leopard emerged when her cycle matched with her human’s. She just had never seen how long that took. She pulled up a calendar to check the dates of her cycle, which, unfortunately, was irregular. That wasn’t going to be extremely helpful to her. She stared at the dates while she rubbed her flat belly.
She had to find a place and she needed to go right away. Two heads were better than one. Over the past year she’d gotten to know Rene Guidry very well. She respected his expertise. He was extremely good at his job. They had become friends, although she never allowed herself to forget the fact that his loyalty belonged first to Gedeon. She looked at the time. Close to midnight, but he was always up. She wasn’t certain he ever slept.
Rene, sometimes I need a break. I go off alone for a couple of weeks and do a mini retreat. Feel that coming on. Place you recommend where I’d be safe, but no one would be around?
By alone you mean without Gedeon? Or your bodyguard?
Yes. I need to just be by myself with no one around. I need that time to recharge.
You know I would have to tell Gedeon.
I planned on telling him myself. I wouldn’t have put you in a position of lying to him. It’s no big deal. I’ll find a place.
She sighed, annoyed with Rene. Annoyed with herself. Feeling edgy and moody all over when the terrible sexual burning had begun to subside. She shouldn’t have asked him.
I was just clarifying, cher. I’ll find you the perfect place.
Thanks, Rene.
Meiling put her head back on the pillow and whispered to her leopard. “Listen to me, little sister. I welcome you. I do. You’ve helped me so many times when I needed it. Your strength. Your sense of smell, the keenness of your vision, your incredible speed. I want you to have your freedom, but I have to figure out some things before we find you a good partner.”
She feared finding a partner for her leopard meant permanently separating herself from Gedeon. She didn’t want a man for herself. She wanted Gedeon—and yet she knew she couldn’t have him. He was very careful to keep his very active sex life away from her, but she had an acute sense of smell, and as many times as he showered, he couldn’t wash the stench from him. She smelled the other women and the sex whether he showered once or ten times.
“I appreciate that he’s careful to keep that side of his life away from me. He really tries. It isn’t his fault that I’ve fallen so hard for him. He shares every other part of his life with me and seems to prefer my company the way I prefer his. It’s such a tragedy that he needs so many women to keep him satisfied. I don’t understand it, but he’s very honest about it.”
She turned over onto her belly and pressed her hot face into the pillow. “At least we never ruined our relationship by having sex. He doesn’t know I think about him day and night, or that it’s him I want to have sex with. I’ve managed to keep my cravings under control, but now that you’re showing yourself, that could be difficult.”
There was a faint stirring in her mind. A slight pushing against the inside of her body, as if something alive stretched. The terrible burning was already slowly subsiding, but now, for the first time, she could feel the other’s presence. It was a very strange feeling and she slowly sat up, clutching the pillow to her stomach while she took stock of her body, exploring the differences.
“I can feel that you’re here with me. I don’t feel alone anymore,” she murmured softly, in wonder. The feeling was miraculous. The bonding instantaneous. She found herself smiling, knowing the little female was doing the exact same thing—trying to discover all she could about her human.
The realization of actually having a leopard of her own began to take hold and joy burst through her. Real. Euphoric. She shared with the entity inside of her. “All of my life I’ve been alone, apart from everyone else, until Gedeon. And even he has had to hold a part of himself away from me. I’ve had to hold parts of me away from him.”
Tears welled up, burned behind her eyes. “But I have you. I’ll always have you. No one can take you from me. Even when I lose him, and I will, I’ll have you.”
She could feel the other moving in her mind, reaching to try to communicate. Meiling had been using telepathic communication with leopards from the time she was very young, but this was the first time she had ever tried with a newly awakened leopard. The images she was getting were mixed and didn’t make sense. The little leopard was clearly overwhelmed and struggling to understand what was happening to her. Like Meiling, she was overjoyed to discover her partner, but she didn’t yet know what was expected of her.
“We’ll find our way together,” Meiling soothed. “You never have to worry. We can figure it out. We’ve got time. Do you have a name? Something you want to be called? We can start there. I’m Meiling.”
She sent the images to the leopard as simply as she could make them. The leopard had been with her, waking on and off for short periods of time, before showing herself as the heat cycle took hold. Most likely she had learned a few things about Meiling. Maybe even about Gedeon and his leopard.
I am Whisper.
Meiling was elated she understood. The name Whisper wasn’t easy to understand in images. “Whisper, have you been through this before? Rising to be with your mate? Is this your first life cycle?” Meiling certainly didn’t remember having been through it before. She had tried to find dreams of a past life with someone, but she hadn’t caught so much as a glimpse of anyone. She had decided, because she believed she had no leopard, that she had never had one.
No memory.
Meiling’s heart accelerated. If it was her first cycle, was there a way the shifters in San Antonio had known? She had thought a lot about the way Fyodor and Timur had brought their unmated men to the bakery to meet her in the hopes that she might like one of them. She’d been a little outraged at the idea that they would assume she would be desperate to be paired with a man. It took a few weeks before she realized the men were the ones desperate to find a mate.
She calmed violent leopards. Gedeon had to fight with his leopard every single minute of every day. It wore on him. She knew he couldn’t sleep at night. He used the gym and worked out on the heavy bags. He went to the club and had rough sex with various women. When he came home, he was still fighting his leopard and unable to lie down to rest. He paced endlessly. Knowing she was upstairs made it difficult for him not to ask her to come down to his suite when he became desperate for sleep.
If she was truthful with herself, she wanted Gedeon to call her. She wanted to be the one he turned to when he was in need. They spent so much time together, talking softly, telling each other secrets no one else knew and laughing at the silliest jokes. She gave herself permission to bury her fingers in the wild silk of his hair.
You feel so much for him. The little female was very tentative when she voiced her observation of Meiling around Gedeon.
I do. Can you feel Gedeon’s leopard when I’m with him?
There was a very brief silence, as if Whisper was trying to find a way to express herself to Meiling. This was all so new for both of them, but exciting. Very, very exciting.
Yes, his leopard is very strong. Scary.
That was a shock to Meiling. She caught the edge of fear the cat tried to convey to her. She had only been afraid of Slayer initially, when she’d warned Gedeon of the bomb and he had shifted on the run coming straight at her. That had been a little terrifying. She could admit it to herself now. But since then . . . she couldn’t remember a single time Gedeon’s leopard had frightened her.
She thought of all the times Gedeon had told her his leopard was particularly vicious. She’d seen how fast Gedeon was. He could be brutal when he had to be. Men reputed to be dangerous, like Timur Amurov, respected and were careful around him. That had a lot to do with his leopard. Around her, Slayer had acted almost placid.
“Why would you think Slayer is scary, Whisper?” Meiling asked. The terrible burning between her legs had subsided completely, leaving her feeling exhausted, damp and needing a shower. The offending toy she’d tried using to alleviate the fire had been thrown across the room. She forced herself to her feet. She’d need to wash that thing and put it away before showering.
Her phone buzzed. She’d laid it aside on the pillow when she’d gotten up. She knew from the brief ringtone it played her that it was Gedeon.
You busy?
Her heart did that crazy melting thing it always did the moment he contacted her. She didn’t seem to have any pride when it came to Gedeon. Or any sense of self-preservation. It would be so risky to be with him now that Whisper had revealed herself.
I can stay hidden, Whisper assured.
Meiling decided to be diplomatic. She needed a shower before she could face him. He would be able to smell sexual arousal if she didn’t shower thoroughly.
What’s up?
Come to my apartment. I need you to calm Slayer down. I haven’t been able to sleep and for some reason he’s gone psycho on me. I’ve asked him over and over to tell me what’s gotten him so riled up, but he won’t answer me.
She really wanted to spend a little time getting to know Whisper. She could do that and take a shower. She hastened into the huge master bath. She loved her bathroom so much.
Do you think it will do any good if I try to talk to him? I’ve never done that before. I mean, sometimes I do tease him, she admitted.
Gedeon didn’t respond right away, giving her the opportunity to turn the water temperature to the perfect degree she wanted.
You tease Slayer? How?
I sometimes call him Mr. Sinister. I get the impression of him lifting his lip at me. Lucky for me he has a sense of humor.
Yeah, try to talk to him. Anything. I need you to come to me.
I have a few things I have to do, Gedeon. I’ll get down there, but it could take me a little while.
Again, there was a long pause. Meiling waited, tapping her foot on the tiles while she twisted her hair into a knot and secured it on top of her head.
You always come right down. It’s midnight. What do you have to do at midnight?
Meiling had to smile. She shared with Whisper. “Sometimes, although he’s supposed to be this big scary dangerous badass to everyone else, Gedeon to me is like a petulant, pouty little boy who didn’t get his way.”
He makes you happy, Whisper responded.
“Yes, he does. Even when he’s bossy or pouty. It doesn’t seem to matter.” She ignored that little part of her that insisted on reminding her that he couldn’t be faithful if his life depended on it—the part that made her incredibly sad.
I said I’d come down later, and I will. I always keep my promises to you.
Fifteen minutes?
Gedeon! An hour. Maybe an hour and a half. I’ll be there before two.
She could make it downstairs a lot faster. She had no idea why she was being so contrary. She stepped under the steady stream of water, and the moment the water touched her, it was as if a thousand tongues lapped at her sensitive skin everywhere.
The burning returned with a vengeance, bursting over her like a wildfire out of control. She gasped and wrapped her arms around her middle, pressing the button to change the spray to gentle. She felt the female leopard writhing in need, unable to control the terrible heat driving her to the surface.
Along with the sensations of being desperate for sex, Meiling felt an itch covering her entire body. Her skin lifted like a wave as something pressed hard against the inside, moving fast underneath, adding to the unfamiliar sensations. Her jaw ached. Her skull felt too tight.
I’m hurting you.
“No, this isn’t hurting, exactly. I feel what you feel. The drive to mate.”
You don’t like it.
Meiling needed to do a better job of shielding her leopard. She was learning, but this was all a first for her as well. “It’s uncomfortable, just as it is for you. We’re in this together, Whisper. It’s necessary so you can emerge.” She kept her voice soothing. “We both want you to emerge.”
She placed both hands on the wall of her shower and let the water run off her skin. “I wish I knew more about helping you. I’ll talk to one of the women I met and ask her questions. She might give me advice.”
There were several women she’d met in New Orleans who were shifters. All of them had been friendly. Each had been very different. She didn’t have a close association with any of them just because she didn’t know how to have friends. She didn’t trust easily and most likely never would.
Drake and Saria Donovan owned the LaFont Inn. He also owned one of the largest international global security companies in the world. He was renowned for his business ethics and his ability to get a job done. He also was the head of one of the lairs in New Orleans.
Joshua Tregre was the head of another lair in New Orleans but was the head of a crime family. His mate, Sonia Tregre, had a reputation for restoring old homes to their past glory.
Meiling considered talking to either of the two women, asking them questions about their leopards’ first emergences, but she quickly discarded the idea. She would run into those women around New Orleans. They might ask her a question in front of Gedeon or another male shifter. That wouldn’t do.
Meiling sighed. She needed answers for herself and her leopard. Who else was there? She’d met Evangeline Amurov in San Antonio. They weren’t exactly friends, although Evangeline had been friendly enough. She didn’t seem like the type of woman to gossip either. She could ask questions as if she was asking out of curiosity. If Evangeline didn’t ask her a direct question she would have to answer honestly, she might get away with not telling her she had a leopard close to emergence.
Meiling hung her head down and breathed deeply, trying to get air to her leopard. Trying to breathe through the relentless sexual demands. “This is just the start,” she murmured aloud, more to herself than to Whisper.
I need my mate. I must find him soon.
Meiling closed her eyes. Could Whisper emerge without finding her mate? Could she just have sex with a leopard through her heat and then walk away because he wasn’t her true mate? Was it possible to be in love with one man while your leopard was the true mate of another man’s leopard? She had to get the answers to those questions immediately. No way was she going to end up like Lola Morales.
“We’ll figure it out,” she promised.
Sweat beaded on her forehead and the water washed it away. There was no keeping her hair dry, so she unpinned it and washed it. Everything, the most natural, familiar, everyday actions, seemed to be an erotic act. Lifting her arms over her head to rinse her hair, she became aware of her breasts shifting. She was small and had never considered that her breasts would be so sensitive. With every drop of water hitting her skin, she felt a fiery arrow darting straight to her sex.
Whisper rose close to the surface, pressing tightly against her, more for comfort than because she thought she could get out.
“It’s too soon,” Meiling said, more for herself than the leopard. It was too soon.
This time the disturbing sexual heat retreated quickly, leaving Meiling feeling restless and moody.
Why don’t you ask Gedeon?
The leopard didn’t exactly use the name Gedeon. She sent his image, making him appear very big and scary.
Your friend. You like him best.
“He’s my best friend,” Meiling admitted. “We talk about everything together.” She was careful patting herself dry, not taking a chance on stimulating her body any more that it had been. She could tell Whisper was very sleepy and would be fading soon. She hoped so. She needed a respite. The leopard did as well. Neither of them knew what they were doing, and the fierce sexual hunger had taken a toll on them.
“He has had his leopard a long time. He must know things.”
Who knew Whisper would be the voice of reason? Meiling wasn’t certain how she could make her understand when she didn’t understand herself.
“I would want Gedeon for my mate if I could have him,” she confessed. “But it’s impossible. We talked about having a sexual relationship and both of us agreed it would ruin what we have together. He needs other women all the time. I would not want him to be with other women if we were together.”
There was a long silence while Whisper struggled to understand. I feel your absolute rejection of the idea but cannot understand why this would bother you.
Meiling sat on the edge of the bed, the towel in her hand. She wrapped her hair in the towel to squeeze out most of the water.
“It would be the same as if when you found your mate, he would insist on mating with other female leopards.”
Again, Whisper was silent while she thought about what Meiling said to her. You stay with the same mate all the time?
Did every leopard couple stay together after they mated through the first heat? She didn’t know. “The leopards I know only stay with each other. I always thought I would have that same relationship. I will have to ask a friend to answer these questions for us.”
Once again, she made her way into the master bathroom. Her hair was fine, but there was a lot of it. She had learned to comb it out as soon as possible to prevent tangles. Since moving to New Orleans and living at the house with Gedeon, she had allowed her hair to grow longer than she ever had. She’d always had very fast-growing hair and now it was nearly to her waist. Deftly braiding it, she secured it with a covered band and then chose clothes to join Gedeon.
Most times when she went down to his suite this late, she fell asleep, so she opted for a simple lounge suit. That always drove him crazy. He preferred she didn’t wear much in the way of clothes. In fact, if he had his way, she wouldn’t wear anything. Now, with Whisper rising, that was never going happen.
A burst of fury rushed over Meiling, shaking her.
I don’t think I would like to share my mate with another female, Whisper decided suddenly. I would want to kill her—and him.
Meiling was afraid of that—certain she would feel the same way. She kept her distance from Gedeon, never seeing him with other women. Never allowing herself to really think about that aspect of his life. In her mind, they weren’t together, and they never would be. He had made his needs clear from the very beginning of their relationship. There had been a clear line drawn and neither had ever crossed it. Now, for Meiling, everything had changed.
She held her hand out in front of her. It was trembling. Not with fear. Or trepidation. She trembled with that same underlying fury Whisper had experienced and shared with her. The edginess had started three months earlier in San Antonio, when they had worked the Atwater case together. When Lola Morales had turned so bitter, she had been willing to kidnap—and kill—a child because her love for a shifter had turned to hatred.
At first, Meiling thought the entire matter was just so disturbing that it kept her awake at night. But then she began to have heat flashes and moments of intense sexual desire. At the same time she found herself dwelling on Gedeon’s late nights at the club. It took discipline not to be angry with him, or worse—stalk him by going to the club herself. Some nights when he called for her to come to his suite, she was so filled with anger toward him she couldn’t allow herself to go. She spent those nights in a warm bath crying, or she’d go out to the swamp and run.
“I need answers, Whisper. I can’t afford to have Gedeon be my mate, and I have this terrible feeling that he is. Or that I’ve fallen in love with him. The real thing. If that’s the case, we have to get away from here very quickly. We can’t take the chance of his leopard claiming you. That would be a disaster.”
I’m going to sleep for a long while. I’m very tired. You can talk to Gedeon and ask him questions. I won’t rise and disturb his leopard.
“Are you certain?” Meiling didn’t want to take any chances.
I can’t stay awake even to help you.
Meiling felt the regret in the leopard. She was already as bonded to Meiling as Meiling was to her. A burst of affection spread through Meiling. She wrapped her arms around her middle to give the leopard a hug. “Go to sleep. We have time to figure this out. I’ll reach out to a friend in the morning and ask her questions. Maybe I’ll sound out Gedeon tonight and see what he has to say. I’m so glad you’re with me, Whisper.”
I’m happy.
Meiling thought about whether she could share with Gideon that she did, in fact, have a leopard. She shared everything with him. There was so much joy in her, it felt as if it was overflowing. At the same time, she knew she couldn’t tell Gedeon about Whisper. She would have to be very careful about the questions she asked and how she went about gathering information.
Gedeon was proprietorial over her. She had to admit she liked that trait in him—until now. Now she had to worry about how he would react if he did find out she had a leopard. Like Meiling, he had gotten used to the two of them being together.
“I’m happy too, Whisper. Go to sleep.”
Meiling finished dressing and went to the mirror to make certain the evening’s events hadn’t taken too much of a toll on her and Gedeon wouldn’t know anything different had taken place. She did look a little different. Her skin seemed to glow more. She looked almost radiant. Her eyes were darker, sultry looking. It was as if Whisper enhanced her looks in an exotic, sensual way. She wasn’t wearing makeup, so it wasn’t like she could wash the look away.
Meiling chose to use the stairs rather than the private elevator. Stairs gave her the opportunity to burn off a little energy, although she could feel the same exhaustion that had overtaken Whisper sneaking up on her. Maybe just lying down beside Gedeon would be enough for a while. She could save her questions for Evangeline and then figure out what to do. Her head was all over the place, just like her emotions.
The hall was lit only by the old-fashioned sconces that matched the house so perfectly. Meiling had come to love the house. It fit with the city, the swamp, and even the Mississippi River. The structure seemed to have a personality of its own. Over the years it had taken on the flavor of the city around it, so the beauty and flaws, the music and culture were absorbed into the architecture. The restoration and additions had been done very carefully so that Gedeon’s home, to Meiling, was a beautiful example of New Orleans culture.
Gedeon’s suite was at the very end of the hall, creating a private, separate apartment from the rest of the house. She was used to letting herself into his living quarters and going straight to the master bedroom. She didn’t need the aid of lights to see through the spacious rooms. One wall faced the swamp, just as hers did. She knew that his leopard could easily cross the short distance to reach the thick grove of cypress and gum trees, where it would be extremely difficult to find him. One of the walls in his bedroom also faced the swamp, so his leopard could escape from the bedroom. Gedeon had planned for all contingencies.
He was like that in the way he approached the jobs they took. He studied every possible outcome and had a strategy in place, usually more than one, on the off chance things didn’t go right. His mind was very methodical. He didn’t hurry his work and skip steps in order to get his work done faster. Still, his brain did work at an incredibly fast rate of speed. There were so many things she admired about him.
Meiling was three steps into the bedroom when the scents first hit her. Cloying perfume. Overpowering male sex. The sound of flesh slapping hard against flesh. She froze. Her mind shut down for a moment. Everything shut down while her vision focused on the woman kneeling on all fours on Gedeon’s bed while he was behind her, slamming his cock into her so hard he drove her forward.
“I thought your little partner would be the first one you’d call,” the woman gasped out, gripping the bedcover and pushing back.
“Really? Have you seen her? Do you really think she could stand up to my rough brand of sex?” There was just the right touch of derision in Gedeon’s tone. “Shut the fuck up or get out. I can call the next on my list if you’d rather talk than fuck.”
He lifted his gaze and caught sight of Meiling standing there. He looked nearly as stricken as she felt. She backed out of the room and, once out of the bedroom, turned and fled his apartment.
He’d practiced that tone. They’d written those words together. Early on they’d known someone would eventually ask why he wasn’t using his partner for sex. He didn’t want attention on her. She didn’t want the attention, not when she knew she was hunted. They’d sat together at the Café Du Monde and written the little script for him. He’d practiced saying the lines until he’d gotten that perfect derisive tone down.
Laughing together in their favorite café had been one thing; hearing him actually repeating the phrases while he was having sex with someone was another. Sex in his bedroom. Her room. That was their special place that was supposed to be off-limits to anyone else. Why would he bring someone to his room if he’d asked her to come to him? Did he want her to see him with someone? Had she somehow given herself away and he wanted to make it clear that he wasn’t about to have a sexual relationship with her?
She let herself out the front door and ran down the steps. There was a part of her that was so devastated she couldn’t think straight. Another part of her shook with fury so strong it was frightening. She had to get herself under control before she saw him again. If he had set her up, he was an idiot. She didn’t believe Gedeon was that stupid, but then, men could be when it came to women.
She walked toward the Café Du Monde. It was open all night and she could get her favorite drink and sit by the river and just think. Whisper and the overload of hormones she’d brought had caused her brain to rush too fast. She had to slow everything down.
Alone, as she walked toward the café, it was acceptable to cry. She’d lost Gedeon. She’d never really had him. He’d been her fantasy. She’d always known she was going to be alone. She’d been good at being alone. Finding him and then coming to depend on him had been both a miracle and a curse. She knew what it was like to share her life with someone. She would have to go back to being alone. The idea of it was like looking into a dark abyss.
Whisper. She had her leopard. She wouldn’t be entirely alone. She hugged that knowledge to herself as she dashed away the tears and straightened her shoulders. She would build her networks again and find places far away from Gedeon’s territories. He worked all over, but mostly he worked for the crime families. She didn’t. He worked for shifters. She didn’t. And wouldn’t. Now, more than ever, she would have reason to stay away from them.
There was a rowdy table of partiers and two tables of what appeared to be tourists at the café. She also recognized Remy Boudreaux, a shifter and the head detective in New Orleans. She’d met him a couple of times. He sat at a table with his wife, Bijou, a very famous singer. Surrounding them at the other tables were more shifters, presumably bodyguards for Bijou, and a couple of Remy’s brothers. Bijou sang in her club at times, and this night must have been one of those nights.
She returned the wave they gave her, purchased her café au lait and left quickly before anyone engaged her in conversation. The Boudreaux family was very nice. She knew the moment they realized she was alone, they would invite her to join them, and she didn’t want to talk to anyone. She needed the solitude to sort herself out. As she walked away, she could feel Remy’s frown and the way his alert gaze trailed after her. He was a protective sort of man.
Meiling continued away from the café down to the river, where there was a bench off the path. In the dark, few would see it. Bushes grew close, concealing the bench during the day, so at night she would be even more difficult to spot sitting on it. She could sit and stare at the water rushing by and listen to the power of the Mississippi while she regrouped.
There was no sound to warn her, not even his scent because the wind carried it out over the river, but she knew he was there. Gedeon sank down beside her, handing her a jacket as he did so.
Meiling stared straight ahead at the churning river, taking a sip of her drink, unable to look at him. He wasn’t hers anymore. He never would be again.