to see that the flames had gone out. My clothes were burned away, all but my belt and boots, but my skin looked whole. Except it didn't feel whole. It felt as if I'd been flayed open. Without hope for survival, I screamed and writhed in the dirt, and the burning sensation sank deeper. I prayed for unconsciousness, but my mind stayed aware.
“It's inside me!” I shouted at him, blood spraying from my lips. “Fuck! Kill me now!”
“No!” the Leopard Lord roared.
“Damn you, you freaky-ass motherfucker! Kill me!”
The jewel around the Leopard Lord's neck—the one they called the Leopard Soul—began to glow. Deep blue light shot from the stone and into my chest. I gasped as the light poured through me like water, battling back the acid in my body. My failing organs healed, and the pain receded like the tide. Light boiled in the air around me—light I could see with my eyes closed. Or were they open? I felt as if I were dreaming. Floating in bubbling liquid. The Leopard Lord glowed and became translucent like a ghost. He was so fucking beautiful. That stunning specter smiled softly and touched my face. The face of an angel. The power of a god. He stroked a hand over my chest and then reached inside it. I cried out as his glow became my glow. When he drew back, I knew he had left a piece of himself inside me.
A leopard snarled and growled, but the sound was like coming home. Beasts surrounded me, cawing and roaring as they prowled the darkness formed by the Leopard Lord's light. And then a soft hand touched my cheek—a feminine hand. A gentle touch that brought tears to my eyes. The hand vanished as the light receded into me, leaving my skin gently glowing. I stared up into the most beautiful face I'd ever seen, my heart aching with longing for it. Longing so intense that I shivered. Then I realized it was him. The Leopard Lord. Kardri Vangrarre. And he was staring back at me with the same fierce craving.
“Oh, fuck no,” I growled.
Chapter Two
The Leopard Lord scowled at me. “What did you say?”
“Get off me!” I pushed him away, and he went tumbling onto his ass. I tried to stand up and nearly fell forward on my face. “What the fuck?!” I screamed.
“Slow your breathing. Calm yourself,” the Leopard Lord urged as he jumped up and grabbed my upper arms. “You've just been remade into a faerie. Your body is stronger now. You require less energy to move it.”
I panted, staring at him. Oh, fuck, he was so beautiful, even more beautiful than he'd been before. Why? What was this ache inside me? I felt myself leaning toward him, entranced. His gaze traveled over my face, his hand came up to cup my cheek, and he leaned down to meet me halfway.
Just before we kissed, I jerked back and pointed in his face. “Don't do that!”
“Tristan, you need to calm down,” the Leopard Lord said gently.
“I am calm!” I shouted.
Something screeched overhead—another of those fiery Farungal spells. My lips pulled back from my teeth, and I snarled at it. I fucking snarled!
“Did I just snarl? What the fuck?!” I shouted again. Then I saw my arms; they were glowing. “What the glowing fuck?!” I shook my arms. “Get it off! Get it off me!” I spun, shaking my arms and then my legs.
At the end of my spin, the Leopard Lord was waiting. He smacked me across the face. I flinched and gaped at him.
“Pull yourself together, Captain!” he yelled at me. “I understand that you've just been through an unsettling event, but you're a soldier, and we're under attack. I need you to focus!”
I focused. My breathing slowed. I nodded. “Right. We're under attack.” I looked down and finally noticed that all I had on were my boots and my sword belt—everything else had burned away. “And I'm fucking naked.”
“Here.” The Leopard Lord started tossing me his clothes as he disrobed.
I yanked his pants on, right over my boots, but they were too big. I had to undo my belt and slip it through a few of the pant loops before buckling it again. The pants were baggy, but they covered me and stayed up; that was good enough. I didn't bother with the rest, just ran off toward the lights, remembering how the Leopard Lord had said it was the southern side of camp under attack—the human portion. I