Gedeon’s hand dropped to Meiling’s shoulder and then curved around her neck. “Of course, Jake. We should be good, but truthfully, her little female is unpredictable.”
Jake didn’t smile. His eyes were glacier cold as he turned his full attention on Meiling. “I understand this is your female’s first life cycle. She must be very frightened and uncertain of what is happening to her. You must be as well. The heat can be brutal and very violent.”
Here it comes.
There was an edge to Gedeon’s voice. Although he remained perfectly at ease on the outside, she felt the tension in him coiling like a snake ready to strike. Along with that came a tendril of something else. It felt like a stream of energy, white-hot and frightening in its intensity. That energy began to wrap itself around the ever-present rage coiling inside Gedeon, so ready to strike out at his enemies.
No one is going to take me away from you, Gedeon. We belong. Sometimes, like now, her love for him was so strong the emotion felt overwhelming.
I was born for one thing. One fucking thing, Meiling. I was born to be your man. To stand with you as a partner. In front of you as a shield. Behind you to guard your back. I feel you in my soul. I know you’re there. You are the only thing that makes sense of why I’m alive. I don’t care how many shifters he’s got between us and freedom, he’s not taking you away from me.
Meiling suddenly didn’t care at all about her role as the submissive little girlfriend too frightened by the circumstances of her female leopard going into heat. She dropped her hand onto Gedeon’s thigh and sat up a little straighter, tilting her chin and looking Jake right in his piercing, golden eyes. Waiting. Studying him. Woman and leopard both.
Jake looked a little startled, but he continued. “In the first life cycle, as the female emerges, there are times in the heat of the moment that she accepts a male who is not her true mate. I want to verify that you are comfortable with the man you have chosen, and your leopard is comfortable with the male she has chosen. If not, say so now and we’ll help you.”
There wasn’t a doubt in Meiling’s mind that Jake Bannaconni meant every word he said. He sat across from Gedeon, a man known to be dangerous, fast and without mercy and not only threatened to take his woman from him but stated that he would. That took courage and resolve. It also earned him respect, as far as Meiling went.
“Thank you for caring enough about women to worry, Mr. Bannaconni,” she said. She always spoke in a low voice. That was her nature. But she kept her tone very firm. “Gedeon was my choice before I knew about my female. He was my choice when she was rising and I was a mess. His leopard is my female’s choice absolutely. She wouldn’t want any other. I have no idea if I influenced that because I’m so in love with Gedeon. That’s a possibility. I had no way of manipulating his leopard, but if I could have, I would have. His choice was my female.”
If Jake could hear truth, her tone had to have rung with it, because every word she uttered was the raw, honest truth. Gedeon was her choice. There was no other man and there wouldn’t be. She hadn’t looked away from Jake’s golden eyes. Those eyes were going green. Little green flecks had shaded the gold and were now taking over.
“I had to ask. To be sure. Someone has to protect you. You picked a pretty tough man. Gedeon, you’re a lucky man. I don’t know how men like us manage to be gifted with a miracle, but we have been. I treasure mine, and looking at you, I can see you feel the same way. I know I don’t deserve Emma, but I do my damnedest to keep her safe and happy.”
Meiling liked that Jake had put himself in the same category as Gedeon. “I’m very happy. Thank you for caring. We brought you a file we prepared. We didn’t put anything online because Guy Hawkins has enough money to hire the best hackers and we don’t want him to have access to anything in our investigation we don’t fabricate or approve for him. He also has a very dangerous man shadowing us.”
Jake cocked his head to one side as he studied both of them with his unusual eyes.
Gedeon didn’t seem to be in the least affected by that penetrating stare. He held out the folder to Jake. “This is part of what we’ve uncovered and our best conclusion. If you don’t agree with us, we’ll walk out and head into San Antonio for more footwork. If you do agree, we’ll take it from there and show you what else we’re contending with.”