Tariq roared, his vision filling with a red haze. His fangs and claws exploded outward as he leapt forward in a single bound. He snatched the man off her by his neck and threw him into the far wall hard enough to hear bones crunch. Then he launched himself after the male, ready to rend and tear him into itty-bitty bits and pieces. He would bathe in his Heart’s Blood attacker’s blood and gorge on his flesh.
Landing flat-footed in front of the male, he reached down and hauled him up by the throat. “You dare to touch what belongs to me!” He shook the man like a ragdoll.
A high-pitched scream sounded behind him.
“Reyna, no!” The male, who was looking behind Tariq, managed to choke out right before a heavy furred weight landed on Tariq’s back.
And then Tariq’s female, his Heart’s Blood, erupted into a snarling, screaming mass of clawing, biting fury. Her claws dug into his sides and legs and her fangs sank into Tariq’s shoulder blade, just missing his spine, which he strongly suspected was her target. They all rolled in a tangled heap with his woman doing her level best to kill him. He had an instant to decide whether to continue his attempt to kill her presumed attacker or protect himself.
Self-preservation won.
Tariq reached back to pry the hellcat off him. It galled him to admit that he might not have succeeded had not the other male helped. He ducked underneath and came around to grab her by the neck and body, pulling back while Tariq pried her claws out of his lacerated, bleeding chest and thighs. The minute he was free, Tariq spun around.
The cat, Reyna, twisted in an amazing show of agility and wrapped bloody paws around the nude male and the two…vanished.
Tariq blinked and looked again. How the hell had she done that? He searched inwardly. She was gone. There was nothing, not even a trace left behind for him to follow.
“Shit! Shit! Shit!” He crouched and slammed his fists against the ground, cursing up a storm. This woman was going to be the death of him.
Slowly he stood. A deep calm born partly of the cold rage eating him up from the inside settled over him. Since meeting his Heart’s Blood he’d been off balance, an emotional, irrational wreck. No more. It was time to tap into the same cunning and skill that had made him a warrior unparalleled and the leader of the Eastern domain.
Knowledge was power. He’d been operating blind but not anymore. He had a name, Reyna, and he knew what she was, Felini. It was enough. Time for him to begin using the brain the Ancient One gave him. This was war. The most important battle of his existence—the fight to claim his bloodmate.
Enrique, call a counsel. In three hours I want to know everything you can discover about the Felini. Check the personnel records of Illuminator Inc. and get me every bit of info about a woman named Reyna. By the time we meet I want to know what she does, where she lives, medical records, you name it.
When he popped back into his penthouse, Alvaro’s eyes widened as he took in his appearance. “What happened to you?”
“My Heart’s Blood,” Tariq snarled as he stripped off what remained of the ragged, bloody shirt, hissing as the wounds on his chest protested.
“Looks like you were mauled,” Alvaro commented, still studying him.
“She tried to take my head off.” He stalked through the living room into his bedroom, and once there, into the bathroom and wet a rag. The cuts were already healing. Tariq cleansed the gashes to ensure they wouldn’t get infected and scar.
“I take it the mating’s not going so smooth,” his friend observed from the bedroom doorway, a small smile flirting at the corners of his mouth.
“You find this amusing?” Tariq didn’t know what the hell was so funny. Certainly not finding his Heart’s Blood wrapped around another male. He growled at the memory of the man who was obviously her lover.
Alvaro chuckled. “I’m sorry, my friend. It’s just you’re used to women falling down at your feet. How ironic that the one that’s meant to be yours for all eternity is proving to be…difficult.”
Tariq was sure one day, when his balls weren’t blue and his mind was at peace, he too would see the humor. “I called a counsel,” he said abruptly. “I’d appreciate your being there to provide any insight into the Felini.”
“You called…” Alvaro appeared to be struggling not to laugh, “…a war counsel?”
“You have a better idea?” Tariq’s body literally vibrated with the need to pound into something.
Alvaro held both hands out in mute appeal. “Again I must beg your forgiveness. Not much amuses me these days.”
Tariq gauged Alvaro’s sincerity, remembered all he’d lost, and sighed. “No it’s me who needs to apologize. This whole situation is making me crazy. I detest feeling so…”
“Lost, out of control,” Alvaro suggested.
“Yes.” The word was hissed.
The smile Alvaro gave him was gentle. “I think the Ancient One does it on purpose. How better to make a male appreciate the one he’s given than to make him fight for her. Anything that comes too easy is quickly discarded.”
“I would never abandon my Heart’s Blood,” Tariq vehemently denied, highly offended.
“Are you so certain? On this planet we live many centuries. Long enough to take for granted those closest to us. When you’ve been together a hundred plus years, let’s see how easily you remember to value her.” Alvaro left the bedroom doorway and return to the outer room.
Tariq stood there contemplating his words.