dominic and blew him out of the sky.

a second shot sounded and the man on the ground screamed. dominic hit a tree hard and barely managed to land in a crouch on his feet. his entire body burned and he took a moment to assess the damage. solange sprayed the ground in front of him, driving back any attack from the mage brothers.

the cat was out of his sight, but running flat out for solange. dominic had to make the choice between destroying the mages and protecting solange. there really was no choice. he went after the enormous cat. built like a saber-toothed tiger with enormous muscles, the black cat could become an insubstantial shadow and could only be killed when it was in substance form.

as he raced after the cat, dominic took command of the skies. thunder rolled, dark ominous clouds boiled out of nowhere. rain poured down. lightning forked across the sky, building electricity and energy into a frightening mass. lightning bolts slammed the earth over and over, striking all around the yard between the house and shed. one hit the shed and it burst into blackened splinters of wood, spilling the contents into the open.

inside were small cubs in various stages of misery, some half formed, some screaming in pain as their twisted bodies were half solid and half shadow. their pitiful mewling and growls could be heard over the thunder shaking the ground. the uninjured mage raced toward one of the escaping cats, calling out a command. about half-grown, with part of its body transparent and eyes glowing a hot red, the cat whirled around, hissing and spitting, fighting the compulsion to return to the mage.

lightning slammed to earth again, and large, white-hot explosions burst around the mutilated cats, incinerating them so fast they couldn't feel the blast of heat. only the half- grown one remained, cowering, trying to slink away from the mage.

don't kill it! solange sounded shattered. he could hear her weeping deep in her mind. her female jaguar was outraged and struggling to surface. we can save that one, dominic. please. please don't kill it.

dominic kept the bolts of lightning up, driving the mage away from the cat even as he tuned his mind to the cat's. he wasn't at all certain it was a good idea to try to save a mutated cub programmed to go after solange's blood, but he couldn't resist the plea in her voice or the tears in her mind.

run! he commanded the cub. try for the river and i will help you if possible.

the cat, with the added help of dominic, broke free of the mage's restraining spell, spun around and ran into the forest.

solange fired off several rounds as the large black cat tore up the tree trunk, shredding bark as it scrambled to get to her. the thing was heavy, and she climbed higher, into the thinner branches, but they were covered with leaves and dominic lost sight of her. he could see the cat though, a huge animal, the muscles straining as he clawed his way slowly up the tree, his eyes fixed on solange. if dominic blasted the animal, it would take out the tree--and solange--unless his timing was perfect.

the cat shimmered, nearly translucent, and made one huge jump onto the heavier lower branches. his growls rumbled hideous and loud, so that the forest creatures went silent, cowering in dens. even the ever-present very vocal cicadas went silent. the forest seemed to hold its breath as the cat dragged its body up to the next level.

are you ready? dominic asked, his heart in his throat.

was it possible for her to shed her clothes and shift in time if the tree went? he knew she was fast, but . . . he pushed the thought away. he needed a clear strike zone. solange was waiting, intent on getting a clear shot through the dense foliage. she didn't have room to maneuver and her perch was precarious. not only was the limb flimsy, but the weight of the cat sent the tops of the trees swaying.

dominic moved swiftly, trying to cover the distance to catch her if needed, but all of his senses were focused on the cat. the large animal continued to stare straight up at solange, growling and slobbering.

can you reach its mind? solange still sounded calm--much calmer than he felt with the huge animal ripping through the trees to get at his lifemate.

the other cat had been protected by the mage with a strong barrier. dominic pushed hard into this cat's mind. the creature existed for one purpose only--to bring its master solange's blood. the mutated animal's senses were all programmed for one scent, for one person. there would be no stopping it from dragging her from the trees and hauling her to the mage.

he took a breath and narrowed his vision, centering on the space just below solange. it was the only true open space.

be ready, beloved. the cat leapt at her. dominic blasted it, catching it in the air, but the lightning bolt crashed through the huge body, slamming into the tree. the cat disintegrated into ash and the tree toppled with a terrible splintering crash.

solange timed her jump using dominic's mind. she vaulted from the tree as the bolt passed through the cat, leaping out and away from the falling tree. still clutching the rifle in her hands, she made no attempt to shift, simply trusting him to catch her. he managed to get his arms around her as she fell about two-thirds of the way. at no time did he feel panic in her.

but he felt panic-stricken, his heart thundering in his chest as he held her tight enough that she could barely breathe. she didn't try to squirm away, simply allowing him his moment of relief.

he swooped over the ranch. santiago's dead body was still lying on the ground. a blood trail led to where a vehicle had been parked. the silver-eyed mage and his sibling were long gone. dominic changed direction, heading to the river. the smaller cub paced up and down the bank, yowling in distress. he snagged the creature and shoved it into solange's waiting arms.

she caught it below its front legs, holding it out away from her, face out, rocking gently. the cat's head drooped to one side and it fell instantly to sleep.

great. now we have a friendly little kitten. what are we going to do with that? dominic asked in disgust.

solange's soft laughter warmed him as nothing else could. he had the feeling that in their lifetime together, rescuing animals children and possibly adults was going to become commonplace.