Shift by Raine Thomas Page B

when approaching the female. Although the panthers were all tame by their standards, an animal was an animal. No sense risking a claw swipe or bite.
    “Cleo,” Quincy said. He had to repeat her name several times before she opened her eyes and yawned. Her wide mouth revealed sharp, yellow teeth. “I need you to take me to Domino and Sophia.”
    The panthers born of the bloodline leading back to Olivia’s panther friend, Aurora, and her mate, Titan, all possessed a heightened level of intelligence. He knew Cleo, as one of their grand-cubs, understood him.
    “Please. It’s very important,” he said, allowing his concern to filter through his tone. “Sophia’s upset and I need to speak with her.”
    Cleo rose and stretched, then scented the air and the ground. Within a minute, they were off and running.
    Quincy wished he could fly to Sophia. The thick trees wouldn’t allow for an extension of wings, but even more importantly, the heavy enchantments in place around the homeland—necessary to contain the unpredictable powers of the Kynzesti—also prevented it. So he kept up with Cleo as best he could, ignoring the burning of his lungs and the sheen of perspiration that formed as they progressed.
    The sun was low in the sky before they reached a small clearing. He heard the sound of movement before he saw them. Taking a few seconds to catch his breath and center himself, Quincy wondered what to say. He knew Sophia would be furious and upset.
    Finally, he decided he would say whatever he thought would help get her through this. If she decided to lash out at him, well, it wouldn’t be the first time. He could handle it.
    Cleo hurried straight into the clearing, so Quincy now followed her. When he got within sight of the three cats, he blinked in confusion. They were all rolling around among a clump of rather matted-looking plants. Sophia was stretched almost her full length on a bed of the crushed greenery.
    “Sophia?”
    She rolled slumberously and looked up at him. Her deep blue-green eyes stood out against her blonde fur, making his breath catch. Even in this form she was spectacular.
    Then she started to rise. Her sleek grace and controlled power was apparent in every movement. Much to his surprise, however, she didn’t just rise up on all four paws. Instead, she dissolved the shift.
    He felt his jaw slacken. His pulse thundered in his ears. With the last rays of golden sunlight dappling her naked skin, she looked every bit like a goddess from human mythology.
    “Hello, Quincy,” she said. “I wondered if you’d come.”

Chapter 13
     
     
    “Sophia.”
    That was all Quincy managed. He couldn’t command his limbs to move. His eyes were so focused on her in all of her magnificence that he hadn’t blinked in over a minute. When she approached, he had the insane urge to run. This was way too much temptation for him.
    And it was so far outside of Sophia’s usual behavior that he thought she must be possessed.
    “You’ll have to forgive me, Quincy,” she said as she reached for her panties. They practically fell out of his loosened grip and he had to adjust his hold on the rest of her clothes. “I believe whatever plant that Domino introduced me to affects cats in an unusual way. It’s lingering even after my shift.”
    Her words finally eased him from the spell she had cast. Deliberately not focusing on her body as she began to dress herself, he looked into her eyes. They were glassy. Her cheeks were flushed. She had to hold onto his arm as she put her panties on, telling him her balance was at least somewhat compromised. Then she giggled, the sound definitely unnatural for her.
    “You’re drugged,” he said in disbelief.
    “I am?” she asked, her face transforming into a smile. “How lovely.”
    He looked more closely at the plants. “That’s nepeta cataria —catnip. It affects some cats like a drug might affect a human.”
    She took her bra from him with a sound of acknowledgement, apparently