Jaguar’s Claim Excerpt
Jaguar’s Claim, my first release from Ellora’s Cave.
—Under the age of 18? Do not read further and leave this site—
Jaguar’s Claim — Ellora’s Cave, Jaguar’s Claim contains explicit language, graphic sex, hot shifters and BDSM.
A groom in lust, an unwilling bride, one night of dominance both won’t forget.
Tanesha did the sensible thing when her Brazilian family arranged a marriage of convenience to another jaguar shifter. She made a run for it. Now living a cushy life as a call girl in Manhattan, she lost her virginity and her desire to have a lifelong mate in the same second. Up until the crashing stock market robs her of all her savings. Broke, she considers returning to Brazil.
Danilo, bitterly scorned when his virgin bride escaped from under his nose, is none too pleased to hear of her plans to return to Brazil. Gone is his desire to marry, even if a promise given still binds him. Seeking her out, he brings one million dollars, a leather cat-o’-nine whip, and the heated determination to settle a score.
And on her knees—the smacking sound of leather against her bare skin—Tanesha fights against surrendering to the carnal attraction toward the shifter she once scorned.
Prologue
Danilo Tavares paced up and down the rooms in his home, reflecting on how long he’d waited to claim his feline mate. A dozen years. After a decade in the States, he’d flown into Brazil at sunrise this morning. He didn’t care to wait a single minute longer. He’d never had a trace of doubt that she was the one for him, even if their families had arranged their joining.
Wondering what took so long, he stopped in front of the window. Nothing but lush green met his eyes—and an entirely da Silva-free driveway. It shouldn’t take longer than an hour to drive her to his house. She was more than an hour late. With each passing second, his instinct told him something was wrong. He retreated from the window, blaming his nervousness on wedding jitters.
He had no reason to be tense. Someone had told him she still wore the pendant he’d made for her years ago. He’d been just a kid when he bought a piece of raw, pure black onyx from a jungle witch. He’d started to carve the stone, and had cut himself, bled, and cursed for days, but he’d never given up until a small black jaguar emerged out of the onyx.
He hadn’t been allowed to give his gift to her personally. But as if there was a bond between them, he’d known the moment it touched her skin. He couldn’t wait to see the pendant resting between her naked breasts.
He drew in a deep breath, imagining how they would get to know each other. As a virgin, she wouldn’t be experienced. He’d woo her gently. It wouldn’t be easy restraining himself, yet he would insist on pleasuring her. Using only his hands and tongue, he’d make her wet with lust. He wanted to feel her heartbeat, breathe in her scent, and hear her screams of satisfaction.
Only when she asked—no, begged—him to join her, only then would he thrust into her and make her truly his. Given time, they would explore darker pleasures.
He jumped slightly when the door opened. Instead of his future mate, her grandmother strode into the room.
“Well,” Danilo said, “where is she?”
“We’ve searched everywhere. She’s gone.”
“What do you mean with gone?”
“Her younger sister confirmed it. She ran for it. I fear she won’t come back.”
“She ran away from me?” His entire body went cold as he realized the full meaning. His love, his mate, had rejected him. His instinct urged him to shift and hunt her down. Hunt her down and claim her against her will. “Tanesha,” he whispered, sadness battling with his thirst for revenge. If he ever found her, he wouldn’t be gentle.
