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He stiffened as one of the men stood and slinked toward them. Blood dripped down his chin and onto his bare chest, outlining the muscles there and Fox recoiled to see it dripping across the man’s groin.

“I wonder what they taste like,” he said over his shoulder.

“Don’t,” the largest man said from somewhere over the other’s shoulder. “Not until Rom gets a look at them. He’ll decide what they’re most worth.”

“Just a nibble won’t hurt,” he said, running a bloody finger across Fox’s cheek. He smelled metal and felt the wet trail left behind on his skin as the man was jerked back by his friend.

“No.”

The largest man seized the other one by his arm, throwing him a few feet away before he picked up Fox and threw him over his shoulder.

“Grab that one,” he said to this companion who was still standing to the side. “I want to get back before the sun rises.”

He heard Sofia grunt as she was picked up behind him. And then they were running again.

He kept the rope firmly grasped in his hand as they moved and he had to wonder if he was any better off than he’d been before.

He was untied, but he was still in the arms of a man too large and strong to be normal and days away from any part of the rainforest he might know. He twisted around, ignoring the pain as he moved, fighting against the rhythm of the man’s steps. But it was worth it when he managed to catch a glimpse of Sofia a few feet from him, her own head hitting the back of her captor with every step. He saw the concentration in her face and the clench of her teeth.

He gave a groan, relieved when it worked to get her attention. Her own head spun, eyes meeting his. There was no guarantee their respective captors would stay beside each other much longer and he needed to know what the plan was. Her mouth was moving, but he struggled to focus on her enough to understand. His confusion was clear on his face because she continued to mouth, eyes burning with frustration.

Fox was proud the moment he did recognize what she was saying, although she looked like she was ready to kill him for how long it took.

I need a distraction.

He let out a loud groan, and then another when the first did nothing.

“I’m going to puke,” he said, loud and throaty. It wasn’t hard to fake, considering the feeling of nausea crawling up his throat as he spoke. “Please, stop.”

“Shut up!” the man growled.

He gagged, the muscles rippling in his stomach and he felt a little bile coming up.

“Shit!” the man said as some of the liquid dripped from Fox’s mouth and onto his back.

The man threw him off his shoulder and Fox hit the ground, the air knocked from his lungs.

“In the gods’ names, Xanderi, pick him back up,” one of the men said from above him.

“He threw up on me!”

Fox caught his breath from his fall and gave another dramatic groan, barely having to fake the retching.

“Maybe we should just eat him,” one of them said. “He ain’t worth the trouble.”

Fox was quickly regretting his role as a distraction as the man leaned over him, dried blood smeared across his body. But before he could make a move, chaos erupted.

CHAPTERSIXTEEN

SOFIA

The moment she hit the ground, Sofia dropped the ropes around her wrists and moved into a crouch. The man who had been carrying her wasn’t even looking at her, too busy laughing at his companion. They had stolen her bag and bow, but she still had the tiny dagger she’d taken from Emilio. It couldn’t cut through much, but even a shifter’s skin was only so thick.

She sprung forward, using her legs to propel herself up, wrapping her body around the shifter’s. She didn’t have much time if she wanted the element of surprise. So the moment she was on him, she aimed and sliced, pulling the dagger across his throat in one motion, cutting off his laugh with a gurgle.

His body was heavy as it fell, drawing the other two shifters’ attention to where she was standing above his body, blood sprayed across her. They only blinked for a moment, their brains slow to process. They hadn’t expected the sudden shift in the power dynamic. Using their surprise to her advantage, she lunged forward and grabbed her bag where the other man had dropped it in the mud when they’d stopped. She reached into it blindly, ignoring the sharp sting as one of the daggers caught her across the back of her forearm. At least it was sharp.

She snatched it out and turned just in time to see the two men diving toward her. The ground was soft as she fell back, the dagger held between her and the men. The first one that reached her grabbed for the weapon and she pulled back her arm slashing at his hand. She missed, but with her second attempt, the dagger sank into the palm of his hand. He automatically moved to grip his hand and she stabbed again, slicing his other hand. She brought her blade back, ready to strike, but he knocked her arm away with a feral growl, slamming his head into hers. The hit reverberated through her bones and she dropped the dagger with a groan.