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SEVASTYAN A to rid his body of the dark, ugly, ani with his own bad te in co that hot red volcano welling up inside hi itself to the outside world, but he’d never ed to eliminate the vile emotion He knew he never would

He was leopard Not just any leopard He was Amurov, born and bred in a brutal lair known for cruelty, for such savage practices that other lairs wanted nothing to do with them He couldn’t blame them The men in his lair took women to be their mates—not the woive theave them sons, to show their loyalty to their lair, the men murdered their wives, usually in front of their sons Often, they insisted their sons participate Feiven away or sold as brides to others ould later kill them after they produced sons for their husbands

Sevastyan had been beaten most of his childhood, as had his leopard, in an attehter for his lair He was raised to be an “enforcer” One ould be a bodyguard to the vor, or the one ould interrogate a prisoner for inforer inside of hie

His leopard was very strong and controlling him wasn’t easy As the years had passed, unlike his cousins, his need for sex and dorown, not diminished His leopard prowled closer and closer to the surface, de more and more, and those needs had turned sexual for hioing to lose eventually He often visited the underground clubs to ease the needs he had, but that was always dangerous when his leopard was so brutal He had to be very careful that he didn’t allow any of the cruelty of his cat to spill over to his games with the women he played with

Glancing at his watch for the tenth ti coain That was three times The first two times, at least she’d had the courtesy to let him know she couldn’t h time that he hadn’t left Mitya, his cousin and boss, without protection

He was Mitya’s bodyguard Mitya had enough enemies that Sevastyan wasn’t about to take chances with his life Already he’d been shothis protection to others didn’t sit ith Sevastyan

Like always, when he was very upset, the anger in him translated to a deep sexual need that he despised It rose up like a tidal wave, a hunger that took hold of hio until he rode a woman hard—and as the difference between hio? He despised hi woht visit the clubs and spend hours there doing the things he needed to do, but he was never sated Never His leopard roared his rage and deep inside, he did as well

The truth was, Sevastyan wanted a woman of his own A partner A woman to love A woift his cousins had He doubted if that was going to ever happen for him His father and Mitya’s father both had seen to that with their torture and deviant training His needs weren’t going to go away because he willed the had stopped that terrible craving Nor would his rage He had watched his cousins to see if they were like him None of them were Mitya was dominant, but he wasn’t in the least like Sevastyan Still, his leopard deserved a mate

He had one thing going for them His leopard—and he—were in their first life cycle That meant they could claim an unmated female shifter They just had to find one

Deep inside, his leopard snarled and raked at hi suddenly in an atteet out It wasn’t the first tiht his leopard, who assault, would end his life by literally ripping hi the nored forms

“I’ tohis fingers through his hair, uncaring that it ild on hiroo look