Even at rest, his mind found no peace.

The insatiable hunger that consumed Thayne Christensen's very soul for months while awake now invaded his dreams, burning through his body and blood like a rapid spreading wildfire. The scorching sensation left nothing untouched as the object of his desires materialized before him in all her ethereal splendor.

Miranda Fuller's eyes sparkled when she spotted him before her, the wicked curve of her slender, pink lips devilish enough to set his heart racing. When she took one graceful step forward her fresh scent enveloped him, drowning him in a sea of spring thunderstorms. Two more sexy hip sways and he couldn't swallow past the thick lump lodged in his throat.

She was a vision of beauty, his little Shaman. The slight tint of rose coloring her high cheeks matched her simple silk gown to perfection. Her thick, honey colored hair fell over her shoulders to tickle the tops of firm, round breasts, drawing his gaze to the forbidden feast.

For months he'd been tortured by her exquisite body, aching to run his hands--his mouth--over every inch of splendid bronzed skin. The torture of denying himself such pleasure nearly drove him mad. Her penchant for foregoing undergarments only fueled his thickened desire, keeping him in a constant state of arousal. Yet with the Spirit Hunters readying for an almost certain war, they'd been on mission after mission with no reprieve in sight.

Evidently, his mind sought the satisfaction in the safety of his dreams what he denied his throbbing body while awake. His beast roared in approval.

Miranda took a final step, eliminating the distance between them, surrounding him with her commanding presence. Anticipation clung to the warm air as her delicate fingers ran steady and slow down the length of his bare back, her touch possessive as it curved with greedy ownership over the muscles of his ass.

Thayne shivered, all but dying to submit.

"You can't escape me this time, my jungle warrior."

The mischief in her gaze hit home that instant as Thayne's heart froze in disbelief. Gone was his eagerness to sate his outrageous lust. "What have you done, little minx?"

She laughed at his narrowed gaze, the light tinkling sound increasing his outrage. His scowl deepened knowing his dream was not his own. Had his naughty little Shaman been so distraught by his refusal to claim her that she'd been driven to Spirit Walk into his dreams?

The notion pleased both man and beast far greater than it ever should. It was a warning that his control was precariously thin, and slipping further from his grasp with each passing second her soft, warm body stayed wrapped around his. When she pulled him closer and rubbed her delectable heat against the throbbing head of his shaft he was helpless to his animal nature.

A purr rumbled from deep in his throat, dragging his forbidden passions to the forefront of his mind. Hunger crashed through him, his resistance lost in the turbulent waves. As a Jaguar changeling, he craved touch, excessively so. Fighting the riptide of needs demanding he take what she willingly offered--what he craved--Thayne unlocked himself from her firm grasp.

They were wrong for each other. No matter how completely his animal side believed otherwise.