Taken By Lust Read Free

just short of one. He scented the air again, smelling his mate as far as the street and then losing her trail. She had gotten into a car. No matter, he’d find her soon enough.
    As his Ferrari FF pulled up to the curb he was already pulling out his phone. Leopards may be solitary animals in the wild, but shifters were not. It was one of the reasons that he’d purchased the FF. It was rare in the world of sports cars to have one that was a four seater whose back seats could fold down to produce more trunk space, but he’d acquired one. When he had to administer medical aid to his leap, the pack of leopards Pietr belonged to, he had a vehicle that could transport them, and get them anywhere, fast. He slid into the driver’s seat and quickly dialed Cirro’s number.
    “Cirro,” his friend said after just one ring.
    “Cirro, I need you to do something for me,” Pietr said without preamble. Cirro was the leap’s resident security personnel, hacker, weapons expert, and Pietr’s best friend. Sometimes it paid to be connected.
    “The last time I helped you they threatened to suspend me for a month without pay,” Cirro groaned.
    “Then they realized they didn’t know who would protect the Vasilias and his Vasiliassa , and they decided just to frown really hard at you.”
    “Pietr, I think it was more that you are his brother and Vita , than because of who I am. Being second-in-command has its perks.”
    “Yes, but being my second and Asfaleia protects you enough.”
    “You’ve sweet talked me enough, Pietr. Who do you want me to find?”
    “You know me so well my friend. I need you to reverse look-up a number.”
    “Is this person dangerous?” Cirro asked and Pietr could hear the change in his friend’s voice as if a switch had been thrown. He was no longer smiling and Pietr could almost see his blue eyes going glacier in his tanned face. When he heard noise on the other end of the phone he knew his friend had run his hand through his short tawny locks, a nervous habit he had since they were kids. Cirro was a good Asfaleia, or protector, of their leap.
    “It is my mate, Cirro.”
    “Your mate? You’re shitting me?”
    “I wouldn’t play about this. I think she fears the bond. She felt it but she ran.”
    “Human then,” Cirro commented.
    “It seems to be an ongoing phenomenon.”
    “There aren’t many female leopards being born. At this rate we’ll have more human mates than anything. Unless we okay it for humans to be changed we won’t have many pureblood children in the future.”
    “Humans can die during the change. You know that, Cirro.”
    “Can you deal with the idea that you will only have your mate for the remainder of her natural life? That she will sicken and die as you live on without her for centuries?”
    Pietr sighed, he didn’t want to think about that. Turning a human was anathema to his kind. To do so carried a death sentence with no questions asked. Of course he didn’t want to see his mate die. It would kill something in him to see it, but his mate was human. His brother Laius was the wereleopard king and Pietr was his second. He could not break those laws even if he wished it, though he didn’t. It wasn’t something he could think about. He would simply cross that bridge when he got there.
    “Cirro, Cirro, Cirro. Only you could attempt to ruin the greatest night of my century-long life. Who knows, by time she is ready to go it just may be my time.”
    “I am sorry my friend, but I deal in reality. We both know that you are Vasilias material if you wanted to be. You will live many years yet.”
    “Cirro, get me the damn address before I lose my temper.”
    “I have it already. Just wanted to get that out.” Cirro gave him the address attached to the number. Pietr didn’t say anything as he hung up.
    Cirro had made his point. It was a valid one, but Pietr didn’t want to think of the end before they’d even had a chance to live. That was Cirro’s cross to deal with.