Using pure stealth, his male ascended to the overlaying branches that formed a labyrinth in the canopy. His male knew every branch of every tree and exactly what branch could hold when it came to weight. He began his stalk through the trees, toward the leopard Paolo had brought with him. The trees reeked of their scents. They were male and they clearly wanted to claim territory, especially with a female in the area. Both had marked the tree trunks. The scent of Paolo enraged his male.
The large cat moved above his prey, the shifter Paolo had brought with him, looking down at the tawny cat, grateful for the stillness so the male hadn't scented him yet. His attention was fixed in the direction where Siena's little female was nestled in the deep grass. Elijah spared a moment to look that way. He couldn't spot her and his whiskers, eyes and nose picked up no movement or scent, so the male must have heard her.
He kept his gaze trained on the site where he knew he'd left her, worried now. If this strange male had spotted her, it was possible Paolo had as well. A few moments later, the sound came to him. He didn't see her, but he heard the slide of a body moving in the grass, moving away from the grove, back toward the house. Siena hadn't even given him a full half hour before she was on the move.
He knew if he heard that slide of fur in the grass, the other two males, already on alert, would hear as well. His large male launched himself, going for the kill, landing on the lighter-colored cat, teeth sinking deep, claws digging into the sides to ride him down as the branch broke.
They hit the ground hard, Elijah's leopard driving the other one so deep into the ground one leg snapped and the shifter's back broke. Elijah leapt off him, not taking the time to deliver the killing bite, which would have been merciful. Elijah didn't have mercy in him. He had fury. Absolute fury. Paolo Riso was about to pay for his multiple crimes against Elijah's woman. The beating. The mauling. Every broken rib. Every laceration and scratch. Every scar on her body. Every moment of her terror. Elijah planned to retaliate tenfold.
He dropped the screaming cat just as Paolo's large male, with a dark, almost charcoal coat and even darker rosettes, leapt from the tree he'd been in and landed a few feet away. Instantly he attacked, rushing Elijah's leopard. Elijah turned to meet him, running at him, gaining momentum. He'd learned speed in the rain forest. He'd learned how to utilize his flexible spine and how best to protect his body while tearing apart his opponent. He didn't plan to simply kill Paolo. He didn't want a clean kill. He wanted him to feel everything Siena had felt, including helpless terror.
At the last second before the two male leopards came together, he swerved, sliding past the other cat, raking a deep wound with his claw from shoulder, across the length of the heaving side to his opponent's tail. He made certain the claws went deep, well beyond the loose skin, almost to the bone. He dug out four furrows of flesh, fur and sinew. Two steps and he spun, raking the face of the cat, from the top of his head, down across his eyes to his nose. That fast his male sprang away a second time.
He leapt over Paolo's cat, striking with his back claws to rip open the back. In the course of less than a minute, he had already marked and injured Paolo's male in three places. Elijah was relentless, not giving the other male any time to gather himself. He struck over and over, fast attacks, rip-and-tear tactics, never going in for the kill, but shredding fur to get to the muscle. Tearing chunks of muscle to get to the bone.
There was nothing so painful as a claw digging into a bone and ripping at it. Or teeth settling around it and crunching down with powerful jaws. Elijah kept at the other cat, delivering a brutal, savage punishment until the eyes of the other male went from dominant, aggressive and confident to scared and then to sheer terror. The bloody leopard tried to run, whirling away from the heavy cat that was slowly ripping his body to pieces. Elijah was faster, hitting him hard from behind, using his entire weight and momentum to knock Paolo off his feet. He heard the crack as the back leg shattered and Paolo screamed.
Instantly Elijah hit him again on the side with his heavier weight. Breaking ribs. He leapt over the cat as the leopard tried to drag himself into a protective ball. He paced away from Paolo, snarling, fury riding him. A killing fury that took over. He saw her body, ripped and bloody as the cat mauled her, and Elijah rushed his fallen opponent again, crashing into his other side, breaking those ribs.
It took some time to come down from the killing madness. By that time he'd delivered the suffocating bite to both cats there was little left of Paolo's body that wasn't torn apart. His male still refused to back away from the dead leopard, despising his enemy, an enemy that would torture, beat and maul a woman.
His leopard heard the approach of two more males and whirled to face them, snarling, bloody from the minor lacerations Paolo's cat had managed to inflict during the mostly one-sided fight. Although he recognized both Drake and Tomas, he avoided them, unable to get near either one in his present state. They could deal with the bodies. He had something more to do.
His leopard took off running, his fury rebuilding with every step. He knew why Drake and Tomas were there. Siena had gotten them. She'd disobeyed him as usual, and she'd run for aid. He was going to kill her. Beat her. Spank her. Well. Not spanking. That hadn't worked out in his favor. But something.
Did the woman not know the meaning of stay put? How fucking hard was it to do that? He knew exactly what she was going to say, the excuse she would use. Drake and Tomas showing up to help him. He didn't need help. He didn't want help. He wanted to rip that fucking bastard Paolo from one end to the other. Shred him. Make him feel what Siena had felt. He didn't need help with that. At. All.
She was on the bedroom patio, pacing. His male both caught sight of her as well as scented her. In the dark, she looked ethereal, beautiful, her long hair up in that messy knot thing she did on her head to try to keep all that silk contained. She had pulled on one of her camisoles and the little shorts that went with it. They hugged her hips and accentuated her tucked-in waist. He could see the thickness forming and the cute little pooch at her stomach.
She drew in her breath sharply when the leopard vaulted over the low wall to land, already shifting right in front of her. Before she could say a word, he tagged her hand and dragged her back into the house. He didn't care that he was naked, bloody and sweaty. Neither did she. She didn't try to pull away, instead, the moment they were in the bedroom, she flung herself in front of him, her arms going around his neck, jerked his head down to hers, her mouth on his, tongue sliding in to kiss him. Wild. Wet. Hot.
He was angry. Furious. Leopard furious. But it didn't matter. It never did when the heat flared and the burn started. His kiss was angry. Ferocious. He took her mouth. Hard. Wet. Hot. More than wild. He bit her lower lip. She gasped. He took her mouth again. Her taste drove him crazy with need. Her sweetness was tinged with fear. With love. With hunger. With that wild he loved so much.
He was already naked, and he stripped her, lifting her, dragging first one leg and then the other around his hips while he kissed her, walking them right into the bathroom where the large shower waited. She didn't seem to notice they were moving. With the roped muscles of his kind, it was nothing to carry her, and he turned on the water, testing it with one hand, all the while kissing her. Feeding her hunger. Feeling her desperation. Feeding his own fierce temper with that building burn.
Water poured down over them, soothing some of the deeper scratches on him, so that blood and sweat ran in rivulets down his back and chest. All the while he kept his mouth on hers, kissing her. Biting at her lips, her chin, that sensitive soft spot he loved so much between her neck and shoulder.
She squirmed, her hips bucking against him, trying to impale herself on his hard-as-hell cock, but he held her just out of reach, allowing the flared head to penetrate, but using his strength to keep her from sliding over him with her slick, hot heat.
"Elijah," she protested. Panting. Needing.
"You disobey me, baby?" he demanded, his mouth at her shoulder. Teeth biting down in
warning. She went still. He caught her messy knot and yanked her head back, forcing her eyes to meet his. "You disobey me? I gave you orders." His teeth bit down again, this time a little harder. More leopard. He kept his eyes on hers. Letting her see his leopard's fury. The man's temper. "Orders that would keep you safe."
She swallowed and stayed very still, pressed up against him, her heart beating fast and loud enough that he heard it.
"Fucking answer me, Siena."
She bit her lip, nodding. "I was scared for you," she whispered. "Elijah, I smelled the other male and I knew there were two of them."
"I told you no matter what to stay put. What part of that did you not understand?"
His fingers left her hair and went to her hips, both hands there now, and he slammed her down hard, right over him. Deep. Hot. Burning hot. Scorching hot, to match the fury of his temper.
She gasped. Her muscles were incredibly tight around him, that silken fist clasping him hard, reluctantly giving way to his violent invasion. She tried to move, but he held her there. His prisoner. His captive. His woman who didn't know how to do anything she was told.
"What fucking part of that did you not understand?"
"I was afraid for you," she reiterated, when she could get her breath. "Elijah, I knew I couldn't help you. I thought if I got Drake . . ."
"No, baby, you didn't think. I left you there safe. The moment you moved they heard you. They knew you were there. If things hadn't have gone right, if I hadn't incapacitated the first one before Paolo even knew I was there, he would have been on you. I had to worry about you instead of concentrating on killing that fucker."
He lifted her, feeling that tight burn all along his shaft, that squeeze of her muscles, the intensity of the friction. Beautiful. Beautiful even in his fury. His eyes blazed into hers and he saw that change. The shift. She had known he would be angry. She knew. She still had gone for help, risking his wrath because she'd been afraid for him. Taking care of him. It was the absolute wrong thing to do, but she'd done it for him.
Her eyes filled with tears, accenting the brilliant green emerald. Her lashes looked like the feathery ends were dripping diamonds. He leaned forward and lapped at the wet there, taking her tears into his mouth. Tasting them. Tasting her.
"I love you, baby," he said, kissing his way down to her mouth. "But I swear, if you don't listen when I tell you something that important, I'm going to have to find a way to make you listen." He was dead serious. He didn't want to hurt her, and he'd always make certain she knew he loved her, but he wasn't living through that nightmare again. "I swear to you, Siena, and you'd better fucking believe me. I will find a way to punish you that you aren't going to like if you ever put me in that position again. Am I clear enough? Do you get me?"
She nodded, put her head on his shoulder and tightened her arms around his neck.
"Give me your word, not that nod. This is important, Siena. I have to know when it comes to your safety, you'll do what I tell you."
"I will," she murmured. Her voice hitched. "I swear, Elijah, I'll do better."
"Fucking don't cry. Mi amorcito, you can't cry anymore."
"I'm pregnant, Elijah," she whispered against his skin. The feel of her lips was exquisite. "That means I'm emotional. I'm going to cry."
He began to move, as desperate as she was for the contact, maybe more so. Needing the burn, feeding her hunger as well as his own. But really, it was that connection he needed. To be inside her. Surrounded by her fire. To feel her body, real, alive, soft and all his, right at that moment.
"You scared me, mi vida," he admitted. "It isn't a good idea to scare me."
"I'm getting that," she whispered, and threw her head back. Turned her face up to the rain shower so the water fell soft over her. Over both of them. She rose up and came down hard, while he surged up to meet her.
He lost himself in her. Taking her over and over while she rode him. Wild. Driving her up twice. He wanted more from her. "Slide your hand down, baby. Use your finger. I want you to give it to me again, this time with me."
He felt the movement. Her palm slid down his chest. Lower. Between them. He loved that. He felt her fingers as he slammed home and then her breathing changed yet again. Giving him what he wanted like she always did. Her body convulsed around his, gripping him hard, milking him. Taking him over the edge. He held her a long while with the water washing him clean and then he set her feet on the tiles.
She kissed her way down his chest to his belly. He knotted her wet hair in his fist, used his hand to urge her down to her knees. Right there in the shower she loved on him. With her hands. With her mouth. With the water falling like rain all around her. Everything in him settled, and love rose strong. Intense. Far more intense than his leopard's temper. He knew she would always do this to him. Settle him down when he wanted to wring her neck. The funny thing was--he didn't mind in the least.
*
"MOST triplets are formed when three separate eggs are fertilized. Meaning they're fraternal. It isn't uncommon for one egg to split giving identical twins and a second egg to give a third baby," Doc explained.
Elijah waited. Doc hadn't gotten to the point. Not at all. Siena, tummy still exposed, lying on the exam table, the machine next to them, didn't move at all. She was tense. More upset than he'd realized. Scared. He moved a little closer to her protectively.
"It is extremely rare, even in shifters, for a monozygotic event. A single egg splits three ways, or two ways and then one of those splits again."
"You're giving me nothing, Doc," Elijah said impatiently.
Siena squeezed his hand, and he looked at her. Her face was very still, and he could swear she was holding her breath.
"Siena." Doc looked straight at her. "There is one placenta and three babies. The babies will be identical and they'll all be the same sex."
Elijah's breath left his lungs in a rush. Not girls. Three girls looking like their mother would send him over the edge. He'd have to hire a fucking army to keep every male away from them.
"And the risks to Siena?" Elijah said.
Doc again looked at Siena. "Any time you have a multiple-birth pregnancy, the risks go up. With a monozygotic pregnancy, because you have a shared placenta, the risk is greater to the babies as well as to you. You can develop preeclampsia, which is a pregnancy-induced hypertension. Before Elijah panics, and I will admit that a good third of mothers carrying multiples develop this, they now have discovered that two proteins in the placenta may be the cause. We'll be able to test you and know right away if you're at risk for this and we'll be able to treat you if you are."
Elijah wrapped his hand around Siena's wrist, shackling it with his fingers while he stared down at her tummy where Doc's assistant had smeared some goo before doing the ultrasound. To keep his children, he could live with that. If Doc said he could deal with it, Elijah would believe him.
He bent his head and skimmed his mouth over hers. "We've got this, baby," he said softly. "Yeah?"
She smiled up at him. "Yeah." But it was forced. She was definitely afraid.
"Any multiple birth is at risk for preterm labor," Doc went on. "I'm sure both of you are aware of that fact, so we'll take every precaution that you hang in there as long as possible to give them the best start. You have to maintain a very healthy pregnancy and follow orders. I'll want to see you frequently."
Elijah was the one who nodded. Siena looked even more worried, and he didn't want her worried. He tightened his hold around her wrist. "Mi vida," he said softly, and waited for her to look at him.
"No risky behavior, Siena, like scuba diving. Run it by me before you decide to do anything like that. You can swim, but you take it easy. Eat. Don't try to maintain your girlish figure by skipping meals. You're eating for all four of you, and you take your prenatals. Choose your food wisely because you also don't want to overindulge. Fruits and vegetables. I'll get you a list, Elijah."
Siena scowled at him, but Doc just winked.
"
Drink water and stay hydrated. All the time. Of course no alcohol." Again he turned to Elijah. "When I say she needs to stay hydrated, I mean she should have water with her all the time."
"Got it," Elijah said, happy he was going to be able to oversee the pregnancy. He'd make certain she ate what she was supposed to, drank her water and took her vitamins. He could definitely do that.
Siena groaned. "Do not put him in charge, Doc. You have no idea what he's going to be like."
Doc grinned at her. "Sure I do. I'm leopard, Siena. That man is going to get you through this pregnancy, and you'll be healthy and deliver three healthy babies."
She rolled her eyes but smiled up at Elijah, shaking her head a little to let him know it wasn't going to be all his way. Elijah knew better. It was going to be all his way. She was going to follow Doc's advice to the letter because, in spite of her smiles and eye rolling, he could see she was scared. Not for herself, but for her babies.
"Don't get overtired. She needs to rest, Elijah. A lot. And no hot tub. If she takes a bath, the water shouldn't be really hot. Also, calm the leopard sex down. You can have sex, but not too rough. Also, Elijah, no more shifting for her. Your male is going to have to be understanding and just stay close to her."
"He won't like it," Elijah said, and then wished he hadn't. Siena's gazed jumped to his face and then she looked away from him.
"He doesn't have a choice. You make that clear. Take him out and run him until he's exhausted, but Siena can't shift anymore. Not with three babies in her. It's too strenuous, not to mention, your male's going to want rough sex and then you two will."
"No problem, Doc," Elijah said.
"Why are you talking to him when you started out talking to me?" Siena demanded. "I need a towel to wipe this gunk off my belly." She was blushing, clearly uncomfortable with discussing rough sex of any kind, leopard, shifter or human--her gaze had stopped meeting Elijah's completely.
Doc handed her a small towel. He didn't look in the least remorseful. "Because I know Elijah will keep his eye on you and won't let you skip meals, eat the wrong foods, forget to drink water or rest. You'll have a tendency to want to overdo it, and he's not going to allow that. Also, he's going to know all the signs of preterm labor and you aren't to ignore any of them."