A sharp jab in her upper arm—like a hard pinch—woke her in the middle of the night.

“Ouch!” Samantha gasped, her eyes flying open. She’d been sleeping fitfully, having another one of those weird baby dreams, but now she was abruptly and completely awake.

A figure was looming over her in the darkness, holding something long and thin in one hand. Samantha had drawn the drapes to block out the incessant neon glow of the Strip, so all she could see was a shadow. But that shadow looked big.

“Now we’ll see about that pesky latent Gene of yours,” he said in a strangely familiar voice. He ripped the covers off her, leaving her cold and shivering in the bed.

“What? W-who are you?” She wished her voice wouldn’t shake so much. She wanted to run, but she was still disoriented from sleep. She felt frozen in place. “What are you doing in my room? Get away from me!”

“In good time, my dear Dr. Becker.” The shadow—who was obviously male—suddenly began to grow. Sadie gasped as she saw it change shape and get bigger, becoming somehow shaggier around the edges. Its eyes glowed yellow, blazing like two baleful lamps in the darkness.

Suddenly her mind began to make sense of what her eyes were telling her.

An animal! He’s turning into an animal! He’s a Shifter!

She opened her mouth to scream, and then the creature leaped onto the bed with her. Two hard paws landed on her chest, pressing her back against the mattress and knocking the breath out of her lungs. Her scream came out as more of a croak, and then a huge, shaggy head was thrust in her face, and a scent like wet dog almost overwhelmed her.

“No!” Samantha threw up her arms instinctively, trying to shield her face and throat from the huge beast.

It didn’t do any good. A long hairy muzzle with a cold snout shoved its way through the barrier of her arms. There was hot, panting breath against her skin, and then sharp teeth sank into the tender flesh of her neck, just where her shoulder met the column of her throat.

Agony ripped through her, sending bolts of pain through her torn flesh, and Samantha gasped, struggling to fill her lungs so she could scream.

At the same time the beast was mauling her neck, sharp claws ripped at her flesh below. She was only wearing a thin sleep shirt to bed—it was no protection against the predator that was savaging her.

Samantha felt a shriek rise in her throat as her tender inner thighs were torn and scratched ruthlessly, the warm blood trickling down to wet the posh one-thousand-thread-count Egyptian linen sheets.

“No! No!” She bucked and kicked, trying to rid herself of the monster that was trying to eat her alive. Her fingers dug into the shaggy fur at his throat, and she clawed to get free, pushing, fighting, trying to find somewhere vulnerable to grab, trying to do anything to get him off her, to get away.

The thing on top of her growled like an angry dog and lifted its head to snap at her breast. Samantha felt her thin sleep shirt rip and a burning pain around her right nipple. Desperately, she tried to push the hairy muzzle away. She found the edges of its hot mouth, the jagged teeth and horribly strong jaws, and then she was past them and ramming her fingers down its throat.

The beast gagged for a moment, its hot, rancid breath gusting out against her face. Then bit down—hard. Sharp teeth tore into the tender webbing between her thumb and forefinger.

Terror ripped through her, making her cold all over.

My hands! Not my hands! As a surgeon, she had always taken especially good care of her hands. She couldn’t let this monster hurt them—she couldn’t!

Shrieking with rage and pain and fear, she bucked wildly, kicking out. Somehow her feet connected with its hairy, heaving belly and she was able to push it off her, at least a little.

Scrambling to one side, she started to roll away. She could see the beast on the other side of the vast bed, ready to lunge at her again. A weapon! If only she could find a weapon to fight it off! But there was nothing on the bed but the ridiculously puffy goose-down pillows. Samantha grabbed one, trying to shield herself and knowing it would do no good.

“Samantha?”

The sound of her name made her head jerk up. It was Keller, standing in the doorway to her bedroom, his broad shoulders nearly blocking out the dim light of the hallway beyond.

“Keller!” she gasped. “Help!”

The beast on her bed lifted its long muzzle and growled at him, a menacing note that could mean only one thing. This is my prey—leave!

“Get off her, you son of a bitch!” Keller’s own voice was low with possessive rage. He rushed at the bed and tackled the massive beast around the middle, dragging it to the floor.

There was a gasp and a muffled whine, and then the animal was up and bolting through the bedroom door, bushy tail tucked between its legs.

“Come back!” Keller roared at it. He started to chase after it, but Samantha called him back.

“Keller . . .” Her voice was a dying croak in her throat. She could feel the blood running from her neck, soaking through her sleep shirt, coating her thighs. Her right hand felt useless—numb and tingling in a way she was afraid might mean nerve damage. But everything seemed very far away, somehow. Remote . . . distant.

She felt like she was watching a television show that starred a woman who looked like her—exactly like her in fact. But it was only an actor—this wasn’t real. Couldn’t be real. Who went to bed in a fancy, ultraluxurious hotel room and woke up being savaged by a wolf or some kind of dog? Who . . .

“Samantha!” Suddenly Keller was beside her. “Samantha, are you all right? Tell me you’re all right.”

“I . . . I don’t know,” she told him in a voice that sounded oddly detached in her own ears. “Need . . . to assess the damage. Triage . . .”

“Come on.” Slipping his arms underneath her, he lifted her gently and carried her into the bathroom.

The overhead lights flicked on, and Samantha winced, blinking away from the brilliance.

“My God.” Keller’s voice was hoarse and horrified. “You’re covered in blood. What the hell did that Hyena bastard do to you?”

“Tried . . . tried to eat me, I think.” Samantha tried to laugh but the sound came out sounding wrong and distorted somehow. She clamped her lips shut, not wanting to hear that noise again—not coming out of herself.

She still felt cold and detached, distant from her own body as she watched Keller rip away the rest of her nightshirt, trying to see how bad her wounds were. At least no major blood vessels seemed to have been nicked—that was something. But there was still plenty of blood to go around, making it difficult to see exactly how badly she was wounded. It was hard to tell just by feeling—everything seemed to hurt and burn and sting and throb. Everything was bloody and awful.

Keller got her in the shower—it was the kind that rains down from the ceiling, like being caught in your own personal downpour. He came in with her, making sure the water wasn’t too hot or too cold. He was bare-chested and wearing a pair of long satin sleep trousers which were instantly soaked, but he didn’t seem to mind. He was focused wholly on Samantha, which was good—she didn’t feel capable of focusing on herself at the moment. In fact, she kept wanting to drift away, but she knew she couldn’t let herself do that. If she did, she wasn’t sure she would want to come back.

The flow of warmth drenched her, both stinging and soothing at the same time. Samantha bit her lip to keep from screaming when it ran over her torn throat and thighs and stung her injured right nipple, which had a semicircle of teeth marks around it.

At least he didn’t bite it all the way off, she thought and a hysterical bubble of laughter rose in her throat. She swallowed it down with difficulty. She couldn’t let emotion overwhelm her—couldn’t let hysteria take over. She had to assess the damage—had to see how badly she was hurt.

When all the blood was washed away, Keller turned off the shower and blotted her dry very carefully with a puffy white towel. Pink and red blotches covered it like macabre flowers when he was done He was wet himself, his dark brown hair out of its neat club at the back of his neck for once. Damp as it was, it came almost to his shoulders. It looked nice, loose around his face, Samantha noticed in that blank, detached way which seemed to be her new view of the world.

“Come on.” He started to lift her and take her back to the bedroom, but this time she resisted.

“No. No, I need to see.” She pushed out of his arms, stumbling and almost slipping on the damp floor. Somehow she caught her balance and went to stand in front of the full-length mirror that made up the door of the walk-in closet.

Pushing her wet hair out of the way, she saw that her throat wasn’t as bad as she’d thought. There were savage bite marks all over the area where her right shoulder met her neck, but there was no bone showing at least.

Her nipple hurt fiercely, but again, there was nothing that wouldn’t heal—albeit with plenty of unsightly scarring, she was certain. Her legs were raw with long, bloody scratches running from her inner thighs almost down to her knees. Samantha reached down to touch them . . . and saw her hand.

There was a deep bite mark in the webbing between her thumb and pointer finger and a burning numbness in both digits. Samantha tried to wiggle them and saw that only her thumb twitched spasmodically. Her pointer finger just hung limp, refusing to do anything.

“Samantha?” Keller came up behind her, looming like a wet god in the mirror at her back. Poseidon risen from the sea, his broad chest dappled with water droplets and his long hair slicked back.

Any other time Samantha would have thought how perfect he looked—how impossibly gorgeous. Or she might have felt embarrassed to be naked with him. Now all she could think of was her hand.

“Samantha?” he said again, his voice low and worried. “Baby, what is it?”

“Nerve damage,” she said flatly, raising her right hand to let him get a look. “See? I’ll probably never do surgery again.”

Saying the words out loud seemed to break the fragile shell of calm that had settled around her. She let out a sob and hid her face in her left arm, her right one hanging useless by her side. This was all so unreal—like a bad dream! How could her entire life be ripped away from her, ruined in a few short, savage, bloody minutes? How could—

Her thoughts were interrupted by a wet, warm sensation bathing her wounded hand.

“What—?”

Blinking away tears, she looked up to see Keller bent over her hand, licking her torn flesh with long, slow, methodical strokes of his tongue.

“What are you doing?” she demanded, her voice coming out low and choked. “Why are you—?”

Keller ignored her and kept licking. He had a look of intense concentration on his face, and he seemed to be intent on bathing her injuries completely with his tongue.

“Keller—” she began, and then her forefinger twitched. “Oh my God,” she whispered.

Keller seemed to notice the twitch as well. Without saying a word, he sucked her wounded finger between his lips, enveloping it completely in the heat of his mouth.

Samantha gave a surprised gasp as she watched him. Slowly she began to realize that the numbness was leaving her hand. Not only that, but her thumb was moving easily now—essentially doing what she told it to do.

At last Keller released her hand, letting her finger slide from between his lips with a last, sucking kiss that sent shivers through her.

“Try it now,” he said, his voice low and urgent.

Samantha lifted her hand and looked at it, turning it back and forth in the bright overhead glow of the fluorescent lighting.

The first thing she noticed was that the deep, savage bite mark in the webbing between her thumb and finger was now completely gone. In fact, her hand looked as though it had never been hurt at all. And when she tried to move her pointer finger, it actually moved. Not just a twitch either—it moved in the direction she wanted it to.

For all intents and purposes, she appeared to be healed.

She looked at Keller in wonder and sniffed, swiping an arm across her eyes.

“How . . . I don’t understand.”

“Is it better? Completely?” He was still looking at her anxiously, his head bent down toward hers, his broad shoulders bowed with worry.

“I think so.” Lightly, she touched the tip of her finger to her thumb. The feeling in both digits was completely restored—the sensitivity perfect.

“Thank God.” He took her hand again and kissed it this time. “Now we need to see about the rest of you. Come on.”

Scooping her up in his arms, he took her to the bedroom.

“Keller, what are you doing? And how did you do this?” Samantha demanded, waving her hand in front of his face as he set her down.

“I’ll explain in a minute.” He flipped on the lights and surveyed the room grimly.

It looked like a crime scene, Samantha thought with a shiver. Splotches of drying crimson covered the sheets, and the pillows were smeared with gory streaks of ruby red.

“Oh my God,” she whispered as the reality of the attack hit her all over again. “It—he tried to kill me! I—”

“Not in here,” Keller muttered. He went to the closet and pulled out the puffy white complimentary bathrobe—the kind the hotel charges two hundred dollars to your account for if it goes missing. Wrapping it around her shoulders, he lifted Samantha again and carried her through the plush hotel room.

“Wait a minute—where are you taking me?” she asked as he carried her out the front door.

“To my room. For healing and for your own protection. I should have put us in the same room in the first place, but I didn’t think you’d agree to it.”

“I probably wouldn’t have.” Samantha still felt sort of numb and shaky. “I didn’t believe I was really in danger. Was . . . was that thing really a Hyena Shifter?”

“Yes,” he said shortly. He looked at her earnestly as he opened the door of his own room and carried her inside. “I’m so sorry I didn’t get to you earlier, Samantha. I came the minute I heard you scream—”

“You got to me as fast as you could.” She lifted her hand. “And you healed me and saved my career. Although I’m still not sure how.”

“I’ll tell you while I heal the rest of you.” He carried her through his own suite and into a bedroom that was identical to her own—minus the streaks of blood.

“The rest of me?” Samantha asked uncertainly as he set her gently on the side of the bed and sat beside her.

“Yes, baby—those wounds are deep.” He looked at her seriously. “You have to let me tend them.”

“Okay, but you’re still dripping wet,” Samantha pointed out. “Do you want to change first? And maybe you can tell me how the hell you can get results with a few swipes of your tongue that would be impossible for the best hand surgeon in the world.”

“I told you that Cougars have special healing abilities, right?”

Keller went over to an elegant brown-leather case filled with neatly folded clothes and pulled out a pair of blue satin pajama bottoms.

“Well, yes—but I thought you meant you were able to heal yourself.”

“We’re able to heal others too—females our bodies have an interest in.” He gave her a sidelong glance as he slid off his wet sleep trousers, leaving them in a sodden heap on the floor. “Potential mates.”

“Uh . . .” Samantha wasn’t sure what to say to that. She tried hard not to stare at his muscular bare ass as he changed. “But I can’t be a potential mate. I’m not a Juvie.”

“That’s why I wasn’t sure it would work,” Keller admitted. “But I had to try. I think it worked because you have the Shifter Gene. Even though it’s not active, it still makes your body react to mine.”

“Okay.” The idea of her body reacting to his certainly seemed true to Samantha, especially after the way she’d had to talk herself out of sleeping with him earlier that night. “Does that mean you can, uh, heal the rest of me too?” she asked as he pulled on his new sleep bottoms and turned to face her. “Because I have to tell you, I’m in serious pain here.”

That was certainly no lie—now that the hand crisis was over, she was beginning to really feel her other injuries. Her neck and breast and inner thighs stung and burned like someone had poured napalm on her skin.

“I’ll do my best. It’s better to try while the wounds are fresh.” Keller’s expression grew dark. “That’s the only thing keeping me here instead of going out to hunt that bastard down and end him.”

“Don’t go!” The idea of being left alone again when the Hyena Shifter or another like him might show up at any moment sent a cold chill down her spine. “Keller, don’t leave me!” she said urgently.

“Don’t worry, Sammie—I’m not going anywhere.” He dropped to one knee beside her, holding her hands in both of his. “I’m going to stay right here and heal you and protect you,” he murmured, holding her eyes with his own. “I swear it.”

At any other time in her life Samantha might have taken those words as an insult. The idea that she couldn’t protect or take care of herself would have been a slight against her feminist viewpoint and sense of self-identity as a strong, independent woman.

But now she felt gratitude and relief rather than irritation or offense. She couldn’t fight off an attack like the one by the Hyena Shifter with her knowledge of self-defense. The classes she had taken had taught her to defend herself against a man—not a huge wolflike creature. Keller could and would take on such an opponent and win. He would stand between her and the enemy—she felt a deep gratitude for that. A sense of safety that loosened some of the tightness in her chest.

“Keller,” she whispered, but he was already threading his fingers through her hair and bending her neck gently to one side to expose her wounds.

“Just relax,” he murmured, his breath warm against her tender flesh. “Be still and let me heal you, Sammie.”

For the second time he’d called her by her nickname and she didn’t contradict him. For a second Samantha thought she really should say something . . . and then his warm, wet tongue glided over her wounded throat, and the thought left her mind entirely.

It felt good to be healed. Or more specifically, it felt good when Keller healed her. Not just the cessation of pain, which was a big deal in itself. It also felt good to have his big, hard body near hers again, to feel his hands and mouth on her skin.

Oh my God, she thought uneasily. Is this turning me on? It can’t be, can it? Even though he’s healing my throat, the rest of me still really hurts!

But the stinging burning sensation in the other parts of her body seemed less painful than before. Worse than that, Samantha could feel heat and dampness growing between her thighs. There was no doubt about it—with each long, gentle stroke of Keller’s tongue against the sensitive skin of her torn throat, she was getting more and more aroused.

“Keller . . .” she said uncomfortably, squeezing her thighs together even though it hurt to do so. “Keller, I . . .”

“Yes?” He pulled back a little, looking up from his task.

“I . . . um . . .” Samantha didn’t know what to say. “This, uh . . . the way you’re healing me is, uh . . .” She cleared her throat. “It seems to be having some kind of weird effect on me.”

“Oh?” He frowned at her. “What kind of effect?”

Samantha opened her mouth and found she couldn’t tell him—couldn’t explain that having him so close, having his mouth and tongue on her body was making her uncomfortably hot.

“It’s nothing,” she said quickly. “Probably just feels weird because I’ve never been, uh, healed this way before.”

“I’m almost done with your throat,” Keller murmured, frowning. “But this is all so strange. . . .”

“What’s strange?” Samantha asked. “I mean aside from the whole having a crazy Hyena Shifter break in and maul you in the middle of the night thing,” she added dryly.

“I was referring to the fact that the Hyena didn’t try to kill you,” he said.

“What?” Samantha couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Of course he tried to kill me! Just look at me.”

“I am.” Keller shook his head. “And I’m telling you, Samantha, he wasn’t trying to kill you. If he’d wanted to, he could have ripped out your throat—he was certainly close enough. But he only bit your shoulder and the side of your neck—he didn’t go for a killing blow—didn’t even sever any major blood vessels.”

“Ugh . . .” Samantha swallowed hard and heard a dry click when she did. “Talking about how easily that thing could have ripped out my throat isn’t exactly making me feel any better, Keller.”

“I’m sorry.” He looked at her earnestly. “I’m just trying to understand what happened here tonight. The attack in and of itself is strange. Most Hyena collectors don’t maul their targets—in fact, they do their best not to harm them in any way. Injuries hurt the resale value.”

“Collectors?” Her breath caught in her throat as Keller leaned forward and stroked his tongue gently over her throat a few more times.

“Kidnappers,” he said grimly, lifting his head. “They’re always on the lookout for female Shifters of any kind.”

“Even one where the Shifter Gene isn’t activated?” Samantha frowned.

“Apparently,” Keller muttered. “Did he say anything at all? Or was he already Shifted when he attacked you?”

“No, I think he started out human . . .” Samantha frowned. “He might have said something—it’s kind of fuzzy now. Mostly I remember him jumping on top of me and . . .” She shook her head, unable to go on.

“Wish I could have caught him,” Keller growled. “I would’ve gotten some answers out of him before I shredded him . . . slowly.”

There was a cold glint in his pale green eyes that made Samantha shiver again. She was extremely glad that murderous rage wasn’t directed at her. If Keller had caught the Hyena Shifter, she had an idea her bedroom wouldn’t just look like a crime scene—it would be a freaking abattoir.

“So you don’t have any idea what would motivate him to break into my hotel room and . . . and attack me?” she asked.

Keller shook his head. “Unless he thought he could somehow activate your Shifter Gene.”

“By mauling me?” Samantha demanded. “What would give him that idea?”

“There’s an old Hyena legend about a Hyena Shifter who wanted a female but couldn’t have her because she didn’t have the Ya-la—that’s what the Hyenas call the animal spirit—inside her. So the Hyena ripped and tore her flesh to allow the Ya-la to enter her. That way, when she healed, he was able to take her as his mate and impregnate her with his young,” Keller explained.

“Wow, that’s . . . bizarre. And really scary,” Samantha murmured. “And they still do that? Try to activate a female’s Gene that way?”

“They used to, I think, but it was hundreds of years ago,” Keller said. “The ancient one who told me the story said it used to be common practice for Hyenas to kidnap good-looking females and try to turn them into Shifters that way. But that was before the discovery of modern genetics and the understanding of DNA. Now the Hyena collectors just kidnap Shifter females and sell them to interested buyers.”

“Who buys them?” Samantha asked. She really wanted to know, but she had another motive to keep Keller talking, too. The longer he spent speaking to her, the more the unsettling feeling of sexual arousal she’d gotten from him healing her neck faded. And the more it faded, the more in control she felt.

“Who’s unscrupulous enough to buy a kidnapped female and enslave her?” Keller sighed. “Mostly male Shifters, to be honest. Females with the Shifter Gene are getting rarer all the time. Especially since a lot of them choose to settle down early. Once they’re committed to a male who claims them and continues to have sex with them on a regular basis, they won’t Rejuvenate—won’t become Juvies. And if they don’t Rejuvenate—”

“They can’t have Shifter babies,” Samantha finished for him. “And Juvies are the only ones who can pass on the Shifter Gene, right?”

“Well . . .” Keller sighed. “That’s what we used to think. There’s some evidence now that a female with the Shifter Gene can pass it to her offspring, even if her own Gene isn’t activated and she hasn’t been through Rejuvenation.”

“Holy crap,” Samantha whispered. “But that would mean there are a whole lot more Shifters out there than we know.”

“No, not Shifters,” Keller corrected her. “Just people with the Shifter Gene. But if they got it from a mother who had an inactive or latent Gene herself, their own Gene is almost guaranteed never to become active.”

Samantha frowned. “You sound like you’ve done a lot of research on this.”

“I have.” He frowned. “I’ve had one of my biotech labs working on it for years.”

“Why?” Samantha asked. “Just for the sake of knowledge?”

“No.” Keller looked away. “I . . . wanted to find out if it was possible to turn someone without the Gene or with a latent Gene into a Shifter.”

“Who did you want to turn?” she asked softly.

“I would rather not speak of it.” He sighed. “She . . . would not have been interested, even if I could have turned her into one of our kind.”

“I’m sorry,” Samantha said softly.

“Don’t be. It was a long time ago.”

She thought about pointing out that it couldn’t have been that long in the past since he was only twenty-six, but something in the tense set of his shoulders and the tight look on his face made her bite her tongue.

“All right,” she said instead.

“Well . . .” Keller leaned down and gave her throat a long, sucking kiss that sent a shiver of pure desire down Samantha’s spine. “I think this part of you his healed now. I’d better go on while the wounds are still fresh.”

“Oh, um . . .” Samantha wasn’t sure what to say. The next parts of her that needed to be healed were considerably more intimate than just her throat. “Keller . . .” she began uncertainly as he pulled the white bathrobe open to expose her wounded right breast, the nipple ringed in bite marks.

“Are you feeling shy now, Sammie?” he murmured, ducking his head to look her in the eyes. “Is that the problem? Are you nervous about letting me put my mouth on you here?”

Lightly, he traced a ring around the wide pink band of her areola, where most of the bite marks were clustered.

“I . . . no. No, of course not,” Samantha denied, trying to keep her voice even and calm. “I mean . . . I just thought it might . . . make things awkward between us.”

“Why should healing you be awkward?” he asked softly.

“Um . . . no reason, I guess.” There was no way in hell she was going to tell him about the intense feelings of sexual pleasure she got when he healed her. It was too damn embarrassing.

“Good, then there should be no problem with me doing this.”

He slid off the bed to kneel before her on the floor. With Samantha still sitting on the side of the bed, the new position put his mouth at the perfect height to reach her chest. Lifting her wounded breast to his lips, Keller held her eyes with his as he ran the tip of his tongue around the ring of cruel bite marks that encircled her areola and nipple.

Samantha bit back a moan at the sensation that flowed over her. It was a sexual tingling that started in her breast, where he was licking her, and moved through her entire body like a wave. There was no doubt about it this time—letting Keller heal her was definitely turning her on. Despite the fact that her thighs still throbbed with pain, she could feel her pussy getting hot and wet and slippery, getting ready for him. . . .

No! I’m not going to do that, not going to go there. But though she spoke sternly to herself, it was hard to feel certain she wouldn’t give in to the delicious sensations, especially since they kept growing and growing. She shifted uncomfortably, trying to ignore the heat between her thighs.

For what felt like forever, Keller continued to circle her areola with his tongue, never touching her nipple, only concentrating on the bite marks. The jagged wounds were healing with remarkable rapidity. But even though it was magical to watch her flesh knit together as though she’d never been hurt in the first place, Samantha had a hard time concentrating on the sight. That was because Keller’s silver-green gaze was fixed on hers as he licked, his eyes half-lidded with obvious pleasure as he healed her.

After a long time, he pulled away and examined his handiwork.

“Mmm . . . I think you’re almost healed.”

“A-almost?” Samantha whispered. “It looks good to me. What else do you have to do?”

“Healing isn’t an exact science,” Keller murmured. He still held her breast in his hand, cupping the full globe gently but firmly, as though he had every right to touch her body in such an intimate way. Samantha supposed he did have the right—she’d given it to him when she agreed to let him heal her.

“Meaning what?” she asked, trying to keep her tone normal.

“You’re using a combination of biological and mystical forces to knit the skin and flesh together,” Keller lectured softly. “And once a male Cougar heals his female, he has to seal the healing.”

“Seal the healing? What does that mean? How?” Samantha asked.

“Since a component of the healing is mystical, you have to bind the reparative power to your female, usually with a strong physical sensation. Either pleasure or pain.” Keller raised an eyebrow at her. “Which do you prefer?” he growled softly. “Should I bite your nipple, Samantha . . . or suck it?”

Samantha nibbled her lower lip. They were getting into dangerous territory here.

“I don’t understand,” she said at last. “Why didn’t you have to seal the healing of my neck and throat?”

“I did.” He gave her a lazy smile. “Don’t you remember the kiss I gave you when I finished?”

“Oh, right . . .” Samantha remembered the long, sucking kiss that had sent shivers of desire through her entire body. “So . . . just one, uh, kiss? Is that all it takes to seal the healing?” she asked.

“Just one, baby,” he assured her in a soft growl.

God, I shouldn’t let him do this. Or at the very least, she shouldn’t want him to do this. Still, what choice did she have?

“All right,” she whispered. “I’ve had enough biting for one night. So go ahead and . . . and kiss it.” She found she couldn’t quite ask him to suck her nipple, although she knew that was what he intended to do.

“With pleasure.” Keller leaned forward and took her tight peak deep into his hot mouth.

“God!” This time Samantha couldn’t hold back the moan that rose to her lips. The sexual heat of the healing combined with the pleasure of feeling him suck her nipple was almost enough to make her come. “Keller!” she gasped, arching her back involuntarily. “Keller, please!”

He sucked her hard for a time, then eased up a little, allowing his tongue to circle the aching bud, sending shivers of desire through her entire body. Finally he let her nipple slip slowly from between his lips.

“There,” he growled softly. “All healed. See?” He ran one fingertip around her nipple and then pinched the tight peak very lightly between his thumb and finger, sending a spark of sensation straight from her breast to her pussy.

“Keller . . .” Samantha moaned. She pressed her thighs together—then pulled them apart again when the action made the long, deep scratches on her wounded flesh sting fiercely. “Ow!” she gasped.

“Hmm . . . looks like I need to attend to the rest of you,” Keller murmured.

He put his hands on her knees to spread her wide but Samantha resisted, some of her pleasure leaking away in uncertainty.

“Keller, I don’t . . . I’m not . . .” She didn’t know how to say it. Didn’t know how to explain that this particular act wasn’t exactly her cup of tea.

“What’s wrong, Samantha?” He looked up, arching an eyebrow at her. “Don’t you want me to heal you?”

“Well yes, but . . . I don’t . . . don’t usually let anyone go, uh, down there.” She felt foolish saying it like that, saying “down there”—she sounded like an insecure kid, not a grown woman and accomplished surgeon. But still, those were the words that came out as the uncertainty rose inside her.

Keller frowned, as though trying to understand.

“You don’t allow anyone to go down on you, you mean? Don’t let anyone taste you?”

“Well, no.” Samantha could feel her cheeks getting hot.

“But I was only going to heal you,” he pointed out.

“Yes, I know but I thought . . . after what you said about, uh, having to seal the healing and the way you, uh, sucked my breast . . .” She was stuttering and stammering like a fool. “Look, never mind.” She shook her head. “I assumed the wrong thing.”

“No you didn’t,” Keller said, surprising her. “After I heal your thighs, I absolutely need—and want—to kiss your sweet pussy to seal the healing.” His eyes went half-lidded with hunger. “And to taste you as well. I want to do that very much.”

“Well, I don’t want you to,” Samantha said stubbornly. “I don’t like it. It . . . doesn’t do anything for me.”

“Hmm . . .” Keller sat back on his heels and studied her speculatively. “May I ask why you don’t like it?”

“It just doesn’t feel good.” Samantha shrugged, trying not to sound defensive. “I’ve just never been able to get into it.”

“And that is why it doesn’t feel good.” Keller was still giving her that intense look that made her stomach flutter. “You have to relax—to let yourself go and give up control. Therein lies the real problem. Samantha Becker, world-class surgeon, feminist, and highly intelligent woman, never gives up control.” He lifted one eyebrow. “Do you?”

“Why should I?” Samantha demanded. “I like being in control.”

“And usually you are able to be,” Keller said softly. “But sometimes fate intervenes. You couldn’t stop the Hyena Shifter from attacking you, and now, you cannot heal yourself. You need my help—you must give up control, at least for a little while—to me.”

His words, spoken in that deep, soft, masterful voice, made her heart pound wildly.

“But . . . I’m afraid to lose control,” Samantha whispered.

“I know it’s frightening.” He cupped her cheek in one large, warm hand. “But you need to let me heal you while these wounds are still fresh, Sammie.”

“All right.” Samantha took a deep breath. “You can heal me just . . . don’t do anything else.” Keller gave her a long, level look that made her squirm, but she held her ground. “Just healing,” she repeated.

“Very well,” he said at last. “I will only heal you, though I do reserve the right to seal the healing with a single kiss.”

“Okay,” Samantha agreed reluctantly. It seemed to be the best offer she was going to get. And besides, how bad could just a single kiss be? “One kiss,” she said, but Keller didn’t answer. He was already spreading her thighs wide and bending down to heal her.

Samantha bit back a gasp as his hot, wet tongue started at the ticklish inside of her right knee and made a long, sweeping stroke all the way up to her inner thigh. The healing heat, as she was beginning to think of it, started almost at once.

She moaned with mingled shame and pleasure as she felt her pussy getting hot and wet while Keller healed her inner thigh with long, slow, methodical licks. God, this was so embarrassing! Could he tell how hot and wet he was making her? Could he see her pussy getting swollen and ready?

She was almost certain he could. She was afraid to look, but she swore she could feel her juices wetting her pussy lips and overflowing to coat her inner thighs.

Part of her wanted to beg Keller to stop. He was right about her never losing control. And right now, lying back against the mattress with her legs spread and Keller’s broad shoulder splitting her wide, Samantha felt less and less in control—of her fate, of her reactions to the pleasure the big Shifter was building in her, of her emotions. . . . She felt less in control of everything.

But there was another part of her—a small part, but it was growing—that liked the feeling of giving up her all-important control to someone else—to Keller. She liked how big he was—how strong and muscular and completely certain of himself and of what he was doing to her. Even now he was watching her, holding her eyes with his own as he lapped her inner thighs, healing the terrible scratches and gouges the Hyena Shifter had made with his claws, trading excruciating pain for exquisite pleasure.

“Keller . . . ,” she whispered, but it was almost a moan. The pleasure was growing until her pussy throbbed and ached, begging for attention. Her clit felt swollen and sensitive, and when Samantha finally looked down, she saw to her embarrassment that it was peeking out from between her slick folds, showing Keller exactly how much he was affecting her.

At least she’d recently gotten a wax—only a narrow strip of blond curls decorated the top of her mound. So while she felt anxious about how obvious her desire was, at least she didn’t have to worry about the landscaping.

Keller didn’t seem to worry about it either. He just kept licking her, dragging his tongue from the inside of her knee all the way up to the place where her thigh met her body. The inguinal crease, whispered the surgeon part of her brain. But though Samantha had used the landmark often in operations she was performing, she’d never had anyone pay so much personal attention to her own. God, he was driving her crazy.

Finally, when the last of the awful scratches was gone and the skin of her thighs looked smooth and silky once more, he lifted his head.

“You’re healed, baby,” he murmured, stroking one big, warm hand along the top of her right thigh. “But I still need to seal it.”

“I . . . I know.” Samantha bit her lip. “I understand. Just one kiss though, right?”

“Just one.” Keller’s green eyes were lazy with lust. “But I must warn you, it might have to be a rather long kiss.”

“A . . . a long kiss?” Samantha squirmed uncomfortably, wishing she could close her thighs. But Keller was still lodged firmly between them, holding her open, putting her on display.

“Mm-hmm.” He nodded. “The injuries I just healed for you were quite extensive. I’ll have to seal the healing thoroughly to keep them from coming back.”

She didn’t know if she wanted him to kiss her or not at this point. But clearly he was going to do it whether she wanted him to or not—and take his time about it too. She was completely out of control—the big Shifter was in the driver’s seat now.

“All right,” she whispered. “I guess . . . you know best what needs to be . . . to be done.”

“That’s right, Sammie—I do,” he rumbled. “So just relax and let me kiss your sweet pussy—relax and let me make you feel good.”

It occurred to Samantha that earlier he’d said either pain or pleasure would work to seal the healing. Maybe she should have asked him to pinch or bite her thigh instead? But when she thought of the Hyena Shifter’s teeth tearing into her vulnerable flesh she shivered.

No more biting.

Not tonight anyway. And besides, it was too late to ask for pain instead of pleasure—Keller was already using his thumbs to spread her outer pussy lips, a look of pure desire on his face.

“God, your scent is so sweet,” he murmured, looking up at her for a moment. “And your pussy is so beautiful, all open and wet for me.”

Samantha looked down at herself and bit her lip in embarrassment. She certainly was wet. Her earlier thought that her juices were wetting her inner thighs was correct. The dark pink of her inner folds were shiny with her honey and her pussy was swollen with need. As Keller spread her wider to bare her throbbing clit, Samantha didn’t know if she would die of embarrassment or pleasure or a combination of the two.

“Keller,” she moaned, feeling incredibly exposed, incredibly vulnerable.

“Just one long kiss, Sammie. Remember that,” he murmured. Then he ducked his head and placed a soft, open-mouthed kiss over her wet, hot folds.

Samantha moaned as she felt his hot mouth make contact with her sensitive inner pussy. Then he began to kiss her—gently but urgently, just the way he’d kissed her mouth earlier that night.

Though she’d told Keller she didn’t like this act—that she never enjoyed it—he was rapidly making a liar out of her. As the deep, delicious kiss went on, she felt herself getting hotter and hotter, her pussy throbbing under Keller’s seeking mouth. His tongue flickered delicately around her clit but never quite touched it, making her crazy with need. God, was he trying to drive her insane?

“Keller!” she moaned, reaching out to tug restlessly at his hair. “Are . . . are you almost done?”

He looked up for a moment.

“I told you it might be a long kiss, Sammie,” he growled softly. “Besides, do you really want me to stop?”

“Keller . . .” Looking into those silver-green eyes, she found she couldn’t lie. “No,” she whispered. “No, I don’t want you to stop.”

“Good, because I’m just getting started, baby. Now relax and let me eat your pussy,” he ordered.

His deep voice was a low, commanding growl, and somehow Samantha found herself obeying him. Maybe it was the hidden Shifter female inside her reacting to his Alpha dominance, or maybe she just wanted to lose control for once. But for whatever reason, she found herself finally giving up and letting go, allowing her legs to drift even wider apart as Keller leaned forward to taste between her thighs once more.

Keller seemed to sense her submission because he growled approvingly and kissed her again—more urgently this time. Samantha moaned as he took long, hot licks of her inner folds, starting at the bottom of her slit and dragging his hot tongue all the way to the top. Along the way he bathed her throbbing clit, making her jump and gasp at the intense sparks of pleasure that shot through her body.

Oh God, was she really letting him do this? And was she actually enjoying it for once? Samantha had had several lovers in the past who insisted on trying this act. Each one was convinced that he would finally be the one to make her love it, and each one had been wrong. Invariably she closed up mentally and emotionally, unable to let go of her rigid barriers enough to enjoy the intimate act.

But that wasn’t the case with Keller. Somehow, he’d gotten past her barriers before she could even put them up. As he lapped and sucked at her open pussy and teased her sensitive clit with his tongue, Samantha felt herself getting closer and closer to the peak.

“Keller!” she moaned, and somehow found she had buried both hands in his thick, dark brown hair. Really, she shouldn’t pull his hair, but somehow she couldn’t help it. She found herself threading her fingers through it and bucking her hips up shamelessly to meet his hot mouth, giving herself completely to the fire he was building inside her, one lick at a time.

And then Keller changed the game again. Raising his head, he looked Samantha in the eye.

“Get ready, baby,” he told her. “I’m going to slide inside you. Going to fuck your hot little pussy with my fingers and make you come.”

“Oh!” she gasped. He wasn’t asking—he was telling her exactly what was going to happen—exactly what he was going to do. Samantha suddenly felt empty inside and she knew she wanted this—wanted him inside her, even if it was only his fingers.

Holding her eyes with his, Keller sucked his index and middle fingers deep into his mouth, getting them wet. Reaching down, he found the entrance to her channel and slid them home, pressing hard into her tight depths.

“Ahh!” Samantha gasped and pumped her hips. God, how could he do this to her? How could he just stay there watching her with that hungry, predatory look on his face while he fucked her with his fingers until she thought she was going to explode?

“Keller!” She was nearly crying his name now, the pleasure so intense she could barely catch her breath. As he pressed hard into her tight depths, the broad pad of his thumb stroked back and forth over her swollen clit, pushing her pleasure higher and higher. “Keller, please.”

“Come for me, Sammie.” His voice was a low, growling order. “Come for me while I fuck your sweet little pussy with my fingers. Come for me now.”

Again, her body seemed to react to something she couldn’t consciously name. It was as though a part of her, hidden deep inside for years, was peeking out and recognized a part of Keller. The animal part—the Alpha part.

On his command, her pleasure broke, the pleasure rolling over her like a tidal wave that couldn’t be stopped. Crying and moaning and bucking, Samantha gave herself to it completely, admitting the big Shifter’s mastery of her body and his dominance over her in the most primal and sexual way possible. Her back arched, her toes curled and the orgasm rocked her—the deepest and most intense of her life. It was amazing.

“That’s right, baby,” she heard Keller growling as the pleasure went on and on. “God, you look so beautiful when you come . . . when you finally lose control.”

Lose control she did. Samantha thought she had never felt less in control in her life and yet, she’d also never felt so free. At that moment—the moment when she rose high on the crest of pleasure—she felt as though something was taking root in her heart—something that had sprouted there from a seed so small she hadn’t even known Keller had planted it. As the seed grew into a golden vine, she felt it reaching outside herself—reaching for him. And was there something similar in him reaching out for her? Something that wanted to tie them together?

It sounded crazy but it felt incredibly, incontrovertibly right.

Perfect, Samantha thought hazily. Feels so right. Like we’ve always been together . . . or maybe like we were always meant to be together. Like we should never be parted.

The weird thought began to bring her back to reality. What was she thinking? She’d just met Keller a few days ago, and she didn’t even like him. Or she hadn’t until tonight. They barely knew each other.

As the pleasure finally ebbed, she was left feeling breathless and shaky, uncertain if she was the same person she’d been before she’d gone to bed that night. Had the Hyena attack done something to her mind as well as her body? Why was she suddenly having all these forever-and-a-day fantasies about Keller?

It occurred to her suddenly that she was lying spread eagle on the bed, with the white bathrobe open wide to show her naked body. Her naked forty-year-old body, while the man between her thighs was nearly half her age and looked like a Greek god.

God, what was she doing?

“Um. . . .” Insecurity and uncertainty rushed in, and she sat up on her elbows and started to close her thighs.

Keller seemed to understand what she wanted because he withdrew his fingers slowly. Deliberately, he put them in his mouth and sucked them, cleaning all traces of her honey away.

“Delicious,” he murmured. “Knew you would be. So, Sammie, how do you feel about having your pussy tasted now?”

“Keller . . . ,” she began uncomfortably.

“You can call me Liam, if you like, you know,” he murmured, a faint smile flickering around the corners of his sensuous mouth. “I think we’re on a first-name basis by now.”

“I . . . I guess so.” Samantha sat all the way up, closing her thighs tightly. They still tingled where Keller had healed her, but there was no real pain and no scarring either. Somehow he had completely erased the terrible injuries made by the Hyena Shifter. If only he could erase her doubts as well. But instead of fading they were multiplying. What was she doing here with a man so much younger than herself? Where did she expect this night to end?

Keller seemed to sense her unease, because he leaned forward and cupped her cheek.

“Sammie?” he rumbled. “Are you all right?”

“Fine.” But she couldn’t look him in the eyes. She ducked her head, letting her long blond hair hide her face. “Um, thank you for healing me.”

“I’m glad I was able to,” he said seriously. Stroking her hair away from her eyes, he looked at her directly. “I’m glad my Cougar saw you as my mate,” he murmured.

“Your mate?” Samantha’s head flew up and a feeling close to panic swelled inside her. “I don’t . . . I mean . . .”

“Yes, my mate.” He looked at her intensely. “Can’t you feel it? The pull between us? I swear to you, Samantha, I’ve never felt this with any other woman. Not even—” He stopped abruptly. “Not with anyone,” he finished.

“Look, Keller, I appreciate you healing me. And, uh, making me feel so good.” She could feel her cheeks getting hot, but she forced herself to continue. “I mean, that was mind-blowing, it really was, and I don’t want to sound ungrateful . . . although I suppose I do,” she went on, starting to feel miserable. “But, well, I’m sorry, I just don’t do one-night stands.”

“Who said I wanted a one-night stand?” he growled softly. “Didn’t you hear what I said? I want you as my mate, Samantha.”

“Is that some kind of marriage proposal?” Her heart was hammering in her chest—this was all going too fast!

He shrugged, his broad, bare shoulders rolling.

“Call it what you want. I’m saying I want to be with you from now on. If that means marriage, I’m perfectly fine with that.”

“Wow, no commitment issues on your part.” She tried to make it a joke, but her words fell flat. “Keller, this is crazy. I’m way too old for you.”

“That’s bullshit,” he said, frowning. “Age doesn’t matter to me and it shouldn’t to you either.”

“It’s not just about age.” Samantha pulled the white bathrobe tight around herself, clutching it closed at the throat with one hand. “We’re not right for each other. You want a woman who’s Rejuvenating and wants to have babies. I’m not and I don’t.”

At last she seemed to have said something that hit home with him.

“That’s right, I’d forgotten how against having children you are.” There was a faint note of bitterness in his voice. “Although I believe you told me the reason you didn’t want them was because you hadn’t found a man whose children you wanted to have yet.” He cleared his throat. “I guess you still haven’t.”

“Be fair,” pleaded Samantha. “You’re coming on awfully strong, awfully fast. In fact, you’re doing to me exactly what you did to my sister—being all charming one minute and then demanding that I have your baby the next. It’s crazy, Keller!”

“It’s not crazy,” he insisted stubbornly. “I know what I felt between us just now—a connection was forged. And a Cougar always knows his mate. We’re meant to be together, Samantha. I know it, and you would too if you’d allow yourself to be open to it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Samantha insisted, even though part of her did feel a connection—a pull toward the big Shifter. But she told herself she must be imagining it. It was crazy, thinking her body could decide for her who she was supposed to be with.

“Samantha . . . Sammie. . . .” He reached out to her, but she pulled away.

“Even if I did want to have your baby, it wouldn’t matter because it probably wouldn’t have the Shifter Gene, which is what you want, right?” she pointed out desperately. “Or even if it did have the Gene, it would be latent and would never manifest. I mean, come on Keller—be reasonable. You want a Shifter heir to carry on your family name and fortune—I can’t give that to you.”

“You mean you don’t want to give it. Don’t want to be the mother of my children.” There was more than a trace of bitterness in his voice now.

“No, I don’t,” Samantha said flatly. “Because I’ve only known you a few days. And . . . and I don’t want kids. My career is too important to me, and I refuse to be made to feel bad for that.” She lifted her chin, daring him to say something.

Keller opened his mouth for what looked like an angry retort . . . but then shook his head.

“No,” he said, and all the heat had gone out of his voice, leaving it icy cold. “No, of course you shouldn’t feel bad. You’re excellent at what you do—who should know better than me? You should feel no shame about wanting to pursue the path you have chosen in life rather than turning everything upside down just because I asked you to. Just because I . . . because I care for you.”

“Keller . . . ,” she said miserably, but he held up a hand to stop her.

“No. Please don’t say anything else. It’s clear we’re on different paths.”

“But—” Samantha started, and then stopped. What was there to say? It was too late—the damage was done. The fragile bridge of affection that had begun to grow between them had been torched—burned to the ground.

“You should stay here tonight. It’s safer that way,” he said in a cool, businesslike tone—the same tone he’d used back in Cougarville, she remembered, when he’d said he had no love to give to any woman.

“Keller—”

“I’ll take the couch so I can keep a watch on the door in case the Hyena comes back,” he went on relentlessly. “Tomorrow I can shadow you at whatever lectures you plan to attend. Don’t worry—you won’t even know I’m there.”

“No,” she said miserably. “Actually I was thinking . . . thinking of just flying back home to Tampa.”

“Fine.” He gave a short, sharp nod of his head. “Then I’ll have my driver take you to the airport to my personal jet. That way you can be sure no one is following you and you’ll get safely home.”

“But . . . what about you?” Samantha asked desperately. “Where will you go?”

“I don’t think that’s any of your business,” Keller said. “Since we are parting ways. But I’ll probably go tend to my business in New York. I’ve been absent for some time.”

“All right,” Samantha said. “I guess . . . guess I’ll go to bed then.”

“Do that. I’ll have my driver here, ready to take you to the airport as soon as you wake.” He sounded like he couldn’t wait to get rid of her.

“Okay, fine.” Samantha wrapped her robe even more tightly around herself. “But . . . what about my things? They’re still in the other room.”

“Don’t worry—I’ll see to all of that. Good night, Samantha.”

No “Sammie,” no “baby,” just Samantha. For some reason the cold formality of his tone made her want to cry, which in turn made her angry. What he was asking was crazy, wasn’t it? Wanting to get married so she could start having his babies . . . wanting her to give up a career she’d worked so hard for most of her life to stay home barefoot and pregnant . . . That wasn’t her, that wasn’t how she saw herself at all.

So why did she feel so wretched as she watched him leave? Why did tears sting her eyes as the door clicked shut behind him, leaving her in the grand, expensive bedroom all alone?

Samantha didn’t know the answer. And though she lectured herself about being a strong feminist and told herself again and again that Keller was crazy, expecting such a sudden commitment from her, she couldn’t shake the blue mood that had settled on her like a cloud. Though she wanted to be angry at him, all she could feel was sad.

Hating herself for her weakness but unable to help it, she cried herself to sleep.