I'm sorry for not posting sooner. I was in an accident and once I got out of the hospital, I had school and some therapy that I had to do. I'm hoping to get back on track, but I can't promise much of anything.

Also, I'd like to thank the following people that have alerted/favorited/reviewed for this story! You all mean the world to me and the continuation of this story. (:
0athk33p3r and 0b1ivi0n, AutumnVonBach, InuLovex, wannachan, Fuzzy Pillows, TheFrozenSky'0103, Melody1200, angelthatfell, SesshiraRayu, Nikina, rachil, it0takes0skills0to0be0me, AlphaSigma, angelic-goddess101, hirome hanajioku, killylikesWhitlock, Rainfire of Riverclan, sakun93, Selene-of-the-Moon2, stealtagracia, Broken'nLostDeity, chichu-chan, , FoxBlood, kratos32536, nagozualdean, shelbs89, and talkstoangels77.

Disclaimer: I do not own Beast Master.

Chapter Three

All's fair in love and war.

It had been a week since Yuiko had brought the broken man into her home. The quiet of that time made her wonder if he was really out there or if she had dreamed it all up. The only evidence that he had left was the memory she had of him, of the words he'd spoken without hesitation.

"I'm taking you with me."

No. No, that couldn't have been real. Still, she paid closer attention than ever before to the men that her father spent his time with. She tried to figure out which one it was, who could possibly be involved with Breeds. Unfortunately, they could all be suspects; her father liked to spend time with his fellow veterinarians. And wouldn't it be so convenient for people that make their living helping animals to be hunting Breeds?

Little things were starting to catch her attention more and more. Shadows in trees, footsteps on the streets, the wind beating against the window; these all made her back straighten, fear forcing adrenaline into her system at full power. But she felt almost...sad when she realized that it wasn't him.

What was wrong with her? He was going to try to force her to go with him. He acted as if he had the right to claim her as his when, truly, he didn't. What was she supposed to do? Just sit there and wait for him to come around? Did he really expect her to let him do all these things to her?

Still, his words rang through her head, bouncing off to echo in her skull. She couldn't quite wrap her mind around the fact that someone calling themselves a Breed had actually announced that she was his. Was she in a romance novel or a drama? There was just no way that it could be true. No way...

However, exactly one week after he'd given her his promise that she would be going with him, Yuiko began feeling eyes on her. Everywhere she went, she knew that someone was watching, keeping tabs on her. She'd almost convinced herself that it was all in her head, that there was no way he could possibly know where she was at all times of the day. But even her inner voice was shaking as she tried to keep calm.

Finally, near dusk, she was on her way home. She had told herself an infinite amount of times that she had nothing to be scared of, that soon she would be home and back in her own bed. After locking the door, she would check all the windows, make sure they were locked up tight, then sit downstairs to play poker with her father and his friends.

A now-familiar tingle shot through her back and she knew whatever tracker she'd lost was now back on her trail. But it was different than before; perhaps one of those "friends" Leo had talked about was now following her? What had he told her to say if they approached her?

"Tell them Leo Aoi said this house is off limits."

The certainty that had been in his voice that night made her wonder if he was the leader, as if his word were law. Could there be a king of a bunch of animals? Or were they more human than he had let on?

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her arm roughly, tugging her back precious feet from her front door. "Don't scream, kitten," the unfamiliar voice rumbled into her ear. "Leo would be pretty pissed at me if I had to knock you out." He pulled her into the shadows of the bushes that lined the sidewalk, making them crouch low to avoid detection. "Don't worry, either. If Leo says you're off limits, then we won't do nothin' to you. We don't like to piss off The Leopard."

She was frozen, unable to really hear what he was saying even as he started pulling her into the alley behind her house. No one could see well back there at night; all the streetlamps lining the dirt avenue had been going out recently, which made her abruptly wonder if that was Leo's doing. It made anger broil in her blood, kicking up her adrenaline and strength to Herculean heights.

With a snarl, she grabbed the man's—Breed's—hand clutching her with her free one, using all her power to throw him off kilter. Shocked, he hit the ground just in front of her, but his hold never broke; she crashed to the ground with him. Hissing, she raked her sharp fingernails down his face and dug her teeth tightly into the tendons of his wrist. This had to make him let go. There was no way someone could withstand the pain that would no doubt erupt from the points where her teeth were about to tear through.

To her surprise, he didn't let go. Instead, he easily disengaged her teeth from him and tossed her over one shoulder. She could feel him shaking out his wrist as he walked. Hearing him mutter to himself about Leo and his taste in women, Yuiko fought valiantly to get him to release her, wiggling and kicking with all her power until he threw her into the back of a car.

Struggling with the doorhandle, she realized too late that there were child locks on the back doors. When she would have dove into the front seat, he was already in and starting the car.

Glancing back at her with a smug smirk, he murmured, "I'd hold on if I were you. I'm not much of a fan of the speed limit." With that, he stomped on the accelerator, flinging them out onto the street, horns blaring as they cut off several cars.

Yuiko breathed heavily in the backseat, terrified to say the least. She knew better than to try to jump out of a moving vehicle and she wasn't so stupid as to think that he would take a way that she would remember. The only thing that calmed her was the need to find out as much as possible about what was going on. "What are you guys going to do with me?" she asked with surprising strength. Leaning forward in her seat so her face was next to his, she snarled, "I'm telling you right now, my father doesn't have much money. A ransom isn't going to be coming to you." Lie. Her father was one of the wealthiest veterinarians in the city. And since they rarely splurged on anything, they had quite the nest egg saved up for a rainy day.

The big, dark man chuckled at her. "Leo said he already told you all about this. About us." He looked over his shoulder at her again, a charming smile present on handsome features. "You're his, so he's bringin' you back to the shelter we've created. Otherwise we won't be able to protect you from the Councilmen." His face was deadly serious as he turned his attention back to the road. "Especially that one in your house."

She wanted to demand who he was talking about, why he spoke like he knew all of her father's friends. All the same men were there as when she'd brought Leo—the ungrateful bastard—back to her house; it was poker night. She didn't care for this man's involvement anymore than she'd liked Leo's.

Storing as much information on this man as possible for when she had to go to court and ID him, she took in every physical thing about him. His broad shoulders were relaxed as if he didn't have a worry in the world. Dark brown eyes sparkled with mischief, though there was something much fiercer behind them. Cleanly cut and styled red-black hair and elegantly hanging clothes gave him the look of a manager rather than a recon agent. Large hands held the wheel with ease with barely a flex of heavily-muscled arms to make it do his bidding. His face was a marvel in itself, handsome while at the same time masking a beast. Pale white skin was brought out by full lips and a nose that had been broken at least once before. His eyes were exotic, just barely curved and slanted.

Sitting back, Yuiko kept a close eye on him. "So you just assume that I'll go along with all of this? I want nothing to do with Leo or any of you people!" Knowing she would look like a pouting child, she crossed her arms and stared morosely out the car window—which was heavily tinted, probably illegally so—waiting for his response.

For a long time, he said nothing. Neither seemed to even be breathing as the car wound around bends, sending them deeper into the thick forest. The trees became little more than a blur as he pushed the car even faster, easily cutting through even when the dirt road came to a stop.

Soon, Yuiko lost track of where they were. Fear strangled her, made her arms drop to her sides so her hands could twitch nervously. Such a delayed reaction, she knew, was normal; the reality of her situation was just hitting her. But she couldn't help wishing that she had fought harder, screamed to get her father and his friends outside. Who knew if she would come out of this alive? Even Leo couldn't protect her from everything, could he?

Why are you hoping to rely on him? He's the one who put you in this position in the first place!

"Dear God," her kidnapper breathed as the car came to a halt. He spun around to glare at her, though it lacked any real viciousness. "Your fear is raping my nose right now!" His voice was dead serious and partially angry. He was mad that she was scared?

Maybe he shouldn't have taken her from her home then, hmm?

"What do you expect?" she shouted, annoyance covering fear easily. "I got attacked in front of my house, dragged into a car, and brought somewhere I can't find my way back from! Am I supposed to just sit here and take it? No!" She lunged forward to slap the silly smirk off his face. "I'm going to kick your ass, then take this car for myself! Let me out so I can hurt you!"

She didn't care for his laughing at her. His chuckles were even more infuriating than she had ever thought possible. Oh, to wipe that look off his face...

"Leo would choose someone like you for a mate. Jesus Christ, you're a vicious little thing," he laughed. Eyes twinkling, he added, "I'm your guard, by the way. When Leo isn't around, you come to me. Understood?"

Again he gave her that infuriating grin, the one that made her want to punch something. She hated people who would grin like that. "Oh, well, Mr. Bodyguard—"

"Oleksandr. My name is Nikolai Oleksandr."

A twitch came to her eyebrow as she forced herself to remain calm. "—Mr. Oleksandr, then. You have to do as I say, right?" When he opened his mouth to refute such a claim, she held up one hand. "Ah, ah, ah! Leo's mate"—she cringed at the word—"is talking! You realize that if you don't do as I say, I'll be reporting to Leo, yes?" He nodded, watching her warily as if she were a snake coiled to attack. "Good. Well, I want you to take me home immediately. I have no intention of staying here as a prisoner. Tell Leo that, if he wants to have me, he'll have to court me the old fashioned way." She held out her hand. "Now, keys please before you leave the car."

Just as Oleksandr's eyes darted to the window, Yuiko's door flew open and a long-fingered hand was suddenly wrapped around her arm, pulling her from the car. Before she knew what was happening, Leo had wrapped her up in his arms, pulling her against his chest to better sniff her hair.

"Yuiko's smell is nice," he breathed into her scalp, bringing a bright flush to her face. Without looking up, he spoke to Oleksandr, a hard tone that spoke volumes of his stature within the Breeds. "You can go in now. I need to talk with her alone."

Eyes widening, Yuiko wanted nothing more than to tell Oleksandr to stay, frightened at the possibility of being alone with Leo. She wasn't afraid of him, that much she was certain; but now that she was in the midst of seeing him, she was afraid that she might get carried away.

And what woman wouldn't? Though he was a scary looking individual, he was treating her like porcelain: touch gently so as not to break. And he wasn't bad to look at! Sure, the last time she'd seen him, he'd been practically covered in blood that could only do so much to mask his scars. But his face was boyish, alight with youthful splendor. Though he'd described to her some of the terrors he and his brethren had gone through, there was still a light of hope in his eyes, reflecting brightly wherever he looked. Instead of cynicism, he took the world in through visions of a happy future.

"L-let go of me," she mumbled, even as her arms twitched to go around him as well. She had to keep her head; if she didn't, she'd never get away.

Slowly, Leo pulled away with arms still around her, keeping a trained eye on her face. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that he could read her like a book even when some of her closest friends couldn't do so. There was a connection between them that worried her and yet made her ache to explore it. Had anyone ever really taken the time to get to know her on such a level?

He frowned a bit at her then. "You're mad at me." His words were simple, crisp. No questions, no hesitation, just fact. "I told you I was going to take you with me."

That stirred up her annoyance. Did he really think that just saying so would make it all better? Seriously, hadn't he ever dated a woman before?

Of course, she immediately berated herself for that. He'd been raised in a lab; how would he know proper courting routine? If he'd really been through all that he said he was...he probably didn't even realize that he had just trounced over several different laws. Or he really just didn't care.

Which still wasn't going to work for her.

Her hands flew to his shoulders, thrusting him away as she tried to stay in control of herself and strong. "I don't even know you! Yet you expect me to just sit here and let you do whatever you like with me? Why couldn't you just leave me alone?" Until that moment, she hadn't looked him in the eye. She'd kept her gaze carefully focused just over his shoulder. Now, however, she couldn't stop herself from peeking up at him from beneath blonde bangs.

His face had become childlike, pained as if he had lost his favorite toy. Black eyes were filled with sadness, an unspoken message clear in them: he had thought she would be the one to understand him. Still, he didn't say anything as he let his arms fall to his side.

Unable to let him suffer, Yuiko breathed, "Leo, I'm sor—"

"Leo!"

His head swung away from her at that, his body instantly alert and on guard. Though she had obviously hurt him, he twisted his body to block hers, ready to take a blow that might be intended for her.

Suddenly, he relaxed, though not fully. Another man she had never met—tall and blonde—was jogging towards them, a large smile on his face and stars in his eyes. He was watching Leo like he was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen in his life.

"Leo, you need to get back inside the shelter. If they were to find you..." The man caught sight of Yuiko finally, glancing back to Leo hurriedly with tears in the corners of his eyes. "Is this...her?" A quick nod from Leo had the man straightening, looking at her with a certain amount of disinterest. "Then you are Yuiko Kubozuka. I am Kyle Tokizaburou-Rosenburg. I am human and have been taking care of Leo Aoi since he first escaped from his lab."

Yuiko was shocked and appalled at the rude behavior. She had guessed that Leo told everyone that they were to be on their best behavior with her, but this man obviously didn't care. And Leo didn't jump to swoop in either. Perhaps there was something going on that she didn't entirely understand with Mr. Tokizaburou-Roseburg.

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, Leo led Yuiko inside, speaking quietly under his breath to her. "Don't mind Toki," he murmured, keeping his eyes on said man's back. "He just doesn't agree with bringing you here under these circumstances."

"Oh, weird. Someone who doesn't want to be an accessory to kidnapping? Who could ever not like that?" She tried to duck out from under his hold, but he held tight, smiling at her like a child that was winning a game. My life is not some game, Leo. I was living it just fine until you showed up.

She didn't have the strength to lie, though. His smile was doing strange things to her stomach, making it light. Were these those butterflies all her married friends talked about? They saw their husbands and immediately came the batting of wings against their innards. Did she even like this feeling?

No. She wasn't falling for Leo Aoi, "The Leopard". She was just terrified because of the situation she was in. Yeah. That was it. Once she was able to run, she would. And she'd go far from here, where he would never find her.

Stepping into the cave was almost like stepping into the middle of a Congressional meeting. All eyes immediately turned on her—well, and Leo—as he led her confidently through the parted group. She had to wonder what kind of a position he held within their ranks, why they all stared in awe and respect as they passed. Her heart was beating a mile per second in her chest and all she could think about was what would happen if she made one wrong move.

The cave had been renovated within, though. Instead of being jagged rock everywhere, they'd made a makeshift house within. She was sure that the tunnels would lead to separate rooms. There could be countless within this structure, making it almost impossible for someone unfamiliar with it to find their way in or out.

And, once again, she was terrified.

Leo's gait slowed, then stopped altogether as he turned them to face the rest of the room. There were at least two dozen Breeds, male and female, watching her with rapt gaze. Looking up at the man by her side, she wanted to ask why they were staring.

"The Leopard has chosen a human female for his mate? She is quite stunning, for a human at least," one voice—feminine—whispered.

"We need a human Alpha. She will help to protect us."

"We will protect her, as well."

Alpha? Is Leo the Breed leader? Yuiko couldn't even wrap her mind around the idea. He had to be one of the youngest ones in the cave; they followed him blindly? They looked to him for leadership? And why were they calling her his mate?

"Yuiko," he murmured against her ear, making her jump. "I'll explain everything when we have time alone. We have to get you acquainted with everyone first."

She was going to fall, she knew. She didn't expect to faint on the way down, however.

I hope you all liked this chapter! I know it's been awhile since I last updated anything, but I was in an accident and just got caught up with my classes. I can't promise to update as regularly as I once did, but I'm trying!