Once at the door, the leopard rose on its hind feet and placed its paw on a sensor panel by the doorbell. The panel lit up with a green light, and the locks tumbled and whirled mechanically as they slid back. The leopard dropped heavily to all fours as the door clicked and opened slowly. He gave what could only be described as a frustrated growl and turned his head back toward the car, his whiskers drooping with moisture.

What? Oh. Right. Clothes. Ellie bolted back through the rain to get his clothes, cursing Jack mightily under her breath on her return. When she stumbled into the foyer behind him, a strange sense of exhilaration flooded through her. She’d been assaulted, nearly abducted, shot at, discovered she had the ability to call animals to her side, and had met a shifter. She’d found out she had family. She was from royalty, if she could believe Jack. At the moment, it seemed immaterial as to whether she could trust him or not. She was soaking wet, and she’d never felt more alive. She glanced at her watch, the numerals glowing faintly in the dark. All in the last hour.

She pushed past the leopard into the dark hallway, the excitement bubbling to the surface despite everything that had happened.

“You’re laughing?”

Jack’s incredulous voice made her turn. He stood in the open door, rain drumming down just beyond the end of the porch. A streetlight silhouetted him from behind. This time he looked like some kind of mythological god, all muscle and lean elegance, underlined by a potent animal magnetism that was impossible to ignore.

Ellie had never wanted anyone more.

She tried not to stare. Had she been the one standing naked in front of a stranger, she would have prayed for the ground to open up and swallow her. Even the Army guy she’d dated once, who was completely at home nude in a locker room, would have at least been searching for a towel right about now.

Maybe it was because Jack was a shifter. Given the way their bodies could change at will, maybe shifters were simply more comfortable in their own skin—whatever form it took. Darn it, she wanted to see him actually shift. Obviously it was nothing like they showed in the old werewolf movies, where the shifter howled in agony during the change. Curiosity made her long to see the process in action.

Either way, she didn’t regret his lack of inhibition. As though watching a scene from a movie, she could picture herself walking up to him and kissing him with every ounce of her being. He would kiss her back—somehow, she knew this. Knew he’d be powerless to resist her. The well of joy frothing up from inside her was confusing. There was nothing amusing about the events of the evening. She should be collapsed in a hysterical heap right now. Part of her knew that. Instead, she smothered another laugh.

“I thought you were going to stay a leopard. You know, in order to heal.” As she spoke, she could see the wound on his arm was less horrific than it had been just a half hour before. Damn, shifters must have phenomenal healing powers. For a split second, she wondered what kind of shifter she might be, but firmly squashed the thought. Nothing as sexy as a panther, she was sure. She knew in her heart she was something… ugly.

Instead of answering right away, Jack locked the door behind him and set the alarm. Damn. The view from the back was every bit as fine as the one from the front. She always had been a bit of an ass girl.

“I have to make a phone call. Not easy to do in leopard form. You didn’t answer my question about what you find so funny about this whole situation.”

She couldn’t help it.  A giggle escaped her. “It’s hard to explain. I feel as though I’ve woken from a coma.” She pulled the band off her ponytail and shook out her hair, finger-combing through the damp strands with a smile. She probably looked like a drowned rat but she didn’t care. What had Susan called it? Ah, yes. Her inner Marilyn wanted to come out and play. With Jack.

He shot her a sharp look. Or at least, she guessed it was a sharp look. His head had turned swiftly in her direction, but with the door closed, it was too dark in the foyer to easily make out his expression.

He limped a little as he walked past her into an open room. She sniffed appreciatively as he passed, savoring the heady scent of male skin and some sort of cologne that reminded her of clean linen, citrus, and pine needles. A tiny part of her mind was appalled at her base enjoyment of the situation. She should be scared. She should be freaking out. Instead, she wanted to grab hold of his arm and swing him around for a kiss that would melt titanium. Something curled inside her with humming satisfaction, lashing its tail at the glory of this man in his naked state, all for her viewing pleasure.

He crossed over to the blinds and pulled them shut.

“Get the light, will you?”

The ordinariness of the request subdued her somewhat. She shoved a hand in her pocket, and unexpectedly came into contact with the cold stone of her necklace. Touching it sent an odd chill through her, and she shivered uncontrollably. Suddenly, she became aware she was drenched, of the way her clothes stuck to her skin, and how her hair dripped as it clung to her face and neck like wet rags. Oh God, she probably reeked of garbage as well.

Just as her fingers brushed the light switch near the door, lightning crashed down outside, followed closely by thunder. The room was briefly illuminated before it plunged into darkness again, the flash burning itself temporarily on her retinas, making it difficult for her to see.

Jack cursed vehemently. She could make out his movement by the window, but when he cracked the blinds, the street outside was as dark as it was in the house. “Power’s out. We’ll have to make do.”

She wasn’t sure what that meant until she saw a burst of light and a bright flame wavering in Jack’s hands. He’d struck a taper against the mantelpiece, and kneeled to start a fire in the hearth. When the fire caught in the grate, the light caressed the lines of his body, playing over his limbs like a lover. Ellie had never seen anything so beautiful in her life.

He stayed by the fire for a moment, resting a hand on his knee as he watched the flames. Apparently satisfied the fire would stay alit, he stood. The kindling crackled and spit as it ignited, and flames licked upward on the stacked logs.

“This is one of Redclaw’s safe houses. That’s the agency I work for. You should get out of those wet things. I’ll bring you some dry clothes. I have to make a phone call, let the boss know what’s going on, and then I’ll change back into panther form, at least until the power comes back on. You’ll be safer that way.”

“When are you going to tell me what this is all about?” She wasn’t being petulant, damn it. She had a right to know. And in panther form, he wasn’t going to be explaining anything to her.

“I promise I’ll tell you everything as soon as I can. I need to make sure we’re secure first. I’d feel better if the alarm system was working. My hearing and reactions are better as a leopard, so until I can be sure you’re completely safe, I should shift.”

He sounded just a little regretful about that.

“You really think those guys in the alley were after me because of my grandfather—not because I embarrassed them this evening? Or because I’m an easy target, someone no one cares about?”

“You, an easy target?” His laugh came out as a snort. “Not hardly. You should have seen yourself back there in that alley. You were magnificent.”

His praise brought heat into her face, and suddenly she became aware once again of just how naked he was. In the glow of the fire, his skin looked bronzed. As if drawn by a magnet, she couldn’t help a quick glance at his cock, which stood half-erect.

He must have caught the downward direction of her gaze, or else he became aware of his state of undress as well. Abruptly he turned toward his pile of clothing. He lifted a dripping pair of jeans so he could sort through the pockets. His actions made sense after she saw him fish out his cell.

So that’s why he wanted her to bring his wet things inside.

The jeans landed with a wet splat as he dropped them. He shook water off the phone, and swiped a finger over the screen. “Damn it.” He tried again.

Ellie pulled her cell out of its protective case. It was damp, but the screen lit up when she touched it. “Here.” She held it out.

He closed the distance between them, and Ellie desperately wished it wasn’t for as prosaic a reason as to borrow her cell phone. As before in the alley, she could feel the heat radiating off his body. It made her shiver in a good way.

“Thanks.” His voice sounded husky as he took the phone. He must have been feeling the chill as well, because he stood by the fire to make his call. “You should get out of those clothes.”

I’ve been waiting for you to say that all day.

What would his reaction have been if she’d said those words aloud? She’d never know. His call went through, and he began speaking.

“Lyssa? Yeah, it’s me. No, there was a bit of a problem. My phone’s out of commission at the moment. For the time being, if you need to reach me, call this number.” Jack cut a glance in Ellie’s direction, and then half-turned away as though to shut her out of the conversation. “Someone tried to grab her. We’re at SH3.” He looked at Ellie again. A small smile crossed his features. “I think we’re good for the moment. She’s a trooper.”

Whoever Lyssa was, Ellie could hear her squawk of disbelief. Jack frowned and turned back toward the fire. When he spoke again, his voice was hard. “Think what you like, she handled it well. We’re going to stay here for the night, and then move on to the next phase tomorrow as planned. Fill Ryker in for me, okay? I’ll check in with an update in the morning.”

He disconnected the call and took a step toward Ellie, returning the phone at arm’s length as though unwilling to come any closer. “Better leave it out some place where it can dry. Since the power is off for the foreseeable future, I’d suggest hanging your clothes up in here. I’ll go find us some other things to wear.”

“Your arm looks better.”

“My wh—? Oh. Right.” Jack glanced at his wound. “It’ll do.”

“Do you always heal that fast when shifted? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Unexpectedly, Jack turned beet-red. “Not usually. Though we’re faster when we’re sleeping.”

The reason for his embarrassment suddenly hit her. “You weren’t supposed to fall asleep, were you?” She couldn’t keep a little teasing gloat out of her voice.

His face got even redder.

“No, I wasn’t. Totally against protocol. I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night, but that’s no excuse. Some body guard I’m turning out to be.” He muttered the last under his breath.

“So… you’re like a cell phone. You charge faster when you’re powered down?”

He looked up sharply at that and then his mouth relaxed into a small smile that inexplicably unlocked something inside her she hadn’t even realized was bolted shut. “That’s one way of looking at it. Never heard that one before but yes. In a manner of speaking.”

“Well between no sleep and getting hurt, I’d say you might have an excuse.”

“Not sure the boss would see it that way. Or your grandfather, for that matter.”

His wan smile tugged at something inside of her. When he turned to leave, she spoke rapidly, saying anything to make him stay. “It must be inconvenient to spend half your time in a form where you can’t speak and don’t have opposable thumbs.”

He blinked at the non-sequitur, and then his smile curved into something more like true amusement. “Not as bad as all that. We can shift any time we like. As for talking, it’s overrated.”

Ellie frowned, not certain if that was a dig at her chattiness or not. “So is the strong, silent type. No offense, but I think I deserve some answers.”

A shadow passed over his features as he decided how to respond. “I’ll do my best to answer all your questions in time.  But right now, I need to get us some dry things to wear. Hold that thought?”

Ellie nodded. “Is there anything to eat in the house? If so, I can put something together for us.”

“It should be well-stocked. But stay back from the windows and don’t leave the house while I’m upstairs, okay? Not for any reason.”

The warning chilled her in a manner that had nothing to do with being cold and wet.

“You guys always have firewood laid out to light at a moment’s notice?” Ellie wasn’t sure why she asked, recognizing only a burning need to change the subject. “Even in the summer?”

This time, Jack’s grin was completely genuine. “My boss likes fire. He’s a Phoenix-shifter.”

And on that note, he left Ellie with her mouth gaping, as she stared after him.

She gave a little laugh after he’d gone, but it sounded hollow in a room mostly devoid of furniture. If the rest of the house was as empty, where were they going to sleep? The door on the far side of the room revealed only a mattress stacked against one wall. Some folded linens rested on top of it. The small space within was windowless and somehow felt like an oubliette. The last thing she wanted to do was shut herself up in there. The light and heat were in the room she’d just left. She’d pull out the mattress for herself in front of the fire. In leopard form, Jack should be just fine sleeping on the floor.

She snorted. An hour ago, she’d scarcely believed in shifters, and now she was relegating Jack to the floor based on his ability to turn into a large cat. No matter. The mattress would do for her. While Jack was upstairs, she might as well poke around in the kitchen and see if there was anything to eat.

But first, she really needed to get out of her wet clothes. Her teeth chattered and her hands shook, as she tried to undo the buttons on her uniform top. The thought of baring her flesh in front of Jack was mortifying, but she couldn’t stand around in sopping clothes any longer. At least she wouldn’t be embarrassed by ratty underwear. To bolster her confidence before the day’s makeover, she’d put on the pretty pink lingerie set she’d bought once she’d decided to audition for Nightingale. Having something sexy on underneath her uniform had given her the courage to ask for the transformation.

Remembering the items in her pockets, she stopped undressing long enough to dig them out and place them on the mantle. The iPod didn’t seem damaged; she wiped it dry as best she could and set it beside the phone. When her fingers closed on the necklace, she felt a pang of loss. Surely it could be repaired, right? With a sigh, she saw there was no way to fix the broken links. She’d have to replace the chain when she got the chance. When she laid it on the mantel beside the phone, she leaned in toward the flames now dancing brightly in the grate. The heat felt marvelous. It would feel even better if she were naked.

The flames were mesmerizing. She peeled off her clothes, grimacing at the way they clung. She soaked up the heat on her bare skin, sighing with pleasure as she ran a hand down one damp thigh. She undid the barrettes that still held part of her hair back, and carded her fingers through the heavy strands so they could dry.

The sound of footsteps overhead made her open eyes she hadn’t even realized she’d closed. A smile curved on her lips. There was no doubt, no hesitation in her mind. She wanted Jack Ferris and she knew exactly how to get him.