Page 116 of Savage Mates

Her entire body was quivering, humming as if energized by jolts of electricity.

At first, the mutants couldn’t care less. I could sense their eagerness to rip her apart. But slowly, one of the lions ceased snarling. He stopped moving altogether, taking a few seconds to study her.

We were all tense, trying to maintain control while our instincts screamed this was a mistake.

Yet she persisted, her breathing relaxed, her slight movements non-threatening.

This lion was obviously the one in charge. He moved closer, pushing his way past the others. When one tried to challenge him, he roared and grabbed the lion by the throat.

We tensed, our muscles tightening. If he lost control and killed one of his own, a melee would ensue.

To our surprise, he merely held the lion in his jaw until the other beast surrendered, allowing his body to go limp.

“I’ll be damned,”Zeus muttered.

“She’s more powerful than we believed,”Thor chortled.

I dared take a step closer, my heart still thudding in my chest.

The powerful mutant dropped the other, advancing to the very edge of the cage. When she took a step forward, I almost lunged, only stopped by Thor’s insistence I not.

Not even tentative in her actions, she reached out, sliding her hand through the bars. I think we were all holding our breath when she dared touch him, stroking his muzzle.

“There,” she said out loud. “They understand. You can free them now. Just be careful. They’re in great pain.”

“What the fuck?”Alexander hissed.

“Do you believe this shit?”Gabriel pushed.

A few seconds passed until I moved beside her, studying the mutants who were much calmer.“She’s right. Free them.”

And so, we did.

There was no fighting, no attacks by the mutants. They’d been given instructions to flee and find safety. One by one they passed, but none before giving her the respect she deserved.

Only when they disappeared into the jungle were we able to breathe a sigh of relief.

It was if we’d been in a bubble, ignoring the worsening weather conditions. Now trees fell all around us, debris from the earlier fire tossing chunks of wood and pieces of metal over us like a rain shower.

Our little mate took several deep breaths, but I sensed she was in imminent danger. Lunging forward, I grabbed her around the neck, running away from where she was standing.

And seconds before a large tree crashed to the ground with a horrific thud.

“Oh, my God,” she whispered, her chest heaving as a rush of adrenaline and fear mixed, creating a caustic pool of vibrations.

“We need to get out of here,”Thor roared.

“To the caves.”Zeus nodded to the others.

She struggled to stand, gasping for air.

“Run!”

The single screamed word faded quickly, drowned out by the incessant howling wind. She bolted through the trees with us following, trying to keep her protected. She still had her flashlight, yet the beam did almost nothing for her against the darkness and shadows as we moved through the jungle.

I sensed her utter terror, but also elation. She was thrilled she’d managed to connect with the mutants.

Sheets of rain pelted every inch of our bodies.