Johanna Rae (Author)

Here is an excerpt from The Mercenary:

The leopard continued to advance, taking his time. About an arm’s length away he stopped, sniffing the air between them. Lying down in front of Jodie, he never broke eye contact and she was too damned afraid to. When she refused to move a muscle the leopard slowly inched closer, keeping his pale furred form low to the ground. He appeared to be gauging her level of fear.

His paw touched the tip of Jodie’s shoe and she startled. The leopard shuffled backward with alarming speed, dragging himself up into a sitting position. Barely daring to breathe, she squeezed her eyes shut and counted to ten under her breath. It’s going to be okay. I’ve just been working too hard, my brain has gone a little crazy, and none of this is real.

Jodie opened her eyes and stared directly into the gaze of the leopard. The majestic animal sat very calmly at a respectable distance. It watched her with intelligence, never missing a single tiny movement. It’s waiting for something, she thought. Jodie felt drawn to the animal, and she couldn’t understand it. I should be paralyzed with fear, but I want to touch him. Why on earth do I want to touch him?