Page 17 of Savage Mates

Red flags remained in the back of my mind. Who would just leave the building unattended for this length of time?

I’d briefly seen a communications room, complete with monitors, but had been told the system wasn’t working. Hopefully, we wouldn’t need to worry about security.

There was also a building off to the side that appeared padlocked. I honestly didn’t want to think about who or what the military had housed inside. The way the facility had been left gave me the creeps.

After getting settled in my tiny quarters, I grabbed my bottle of water and ventured outside. The pilot and co-pilot were already working on seeing if they could make repairs to the plane aided by a work light found in one of the buildings. From what I’d heard, they’d made a call for backup in assisting with repairs.Since the pilots weren’t scheduled to remain with us, at some point they would leave us on the island.

I’d been impressed after a couple of the crates had been opened. Seeing the topnotch laboratory equipment made the project seem real. Tomorrow would be an exciting day of putting everything together.

Then we could find the lions using the coordinates plotted from the aerials Finn had sent. Their location was only a few miles away. Hopefully, they were still in the area. What we didn’t have was a vehicle, but we’d come prepared to hike.

“What do you think?” Carrie asked as she approached, coming from the bathhouse. She had a towel over her shoulder, and in the compound light, I could tell she was over the ordeal in the plane.

“I think it’s workable.”

“You still don’t sound enthused. You worked hard for this. From what I can tell, you have everything you need to have your picture on the cover ofScientific Americanmagazine. Imagine the men who’ll be crawling all over you. You’ll have carte blanche at any five-star restaurant you walk into. You’ll be a celebrity.”

Snorting, it took me a few seconds to realize she was serious. “I adore you, Carrie, but I hardly think having my picture on any scientific magazine is going to heighten my celebrity status. And forget about men. I don’t need them.”

“You never know.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Did you notice there are a few padlocked doors?”

“Yes, I did.” That bothered me, but this was a former military establishment. “We have all the space we need.”

“You’re right. Those two assistants just seem cagey to me.” She laughed. “Dark island. Wild storm. And exhaustion. My mind works overtime. You work too hard, boss. You need to have a little fun in your life.”

“What’s not fun about this?” We both laughed and I squeezed her arm. “Get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us.” Red flags were popping up in my mind, one after another.

“An exciting day,” she corrected. “Don’t get lost in the jungle looking for your hot lions.”

“Very funny.” I continued laughing as she walked away. She was right in that I had very little fun in my life. Not because I didn’t have friends, but because I loved every nuance of what I did. Nodding as if to myself, I glanced at the jungle surrounding the property. An area had been carved out near the ocean to build the facility, but a thick jungle surrounded the compound, which was a decent backdrop as well as a natural method of security.

While I was tired, the continuous pinpricks from adrenaline kept me from wanting to try to get any rest.

Who was I kidding? The excitement of maybe seeing the lions in their full majestic regalia was incredible. I was nervous, my pulse racing even now. I could almost feel them as if they were right there watching me, waiting for me.

Their mate.

I took a sip of water, trying to keep from laughing at myself. My thoughts were ridiculous.

Yet the truth was my skin prickled from a level of electricity I wasn’t used to experiencing. Since adulthood, the electric vibrations had only occurred when I’d met Simba. Ourconnection was as strong as any I’d experienced as a child. Now I was tingling all over, my heart pounding in my ears.

A light breeze rustled the trees, bringing several scents across my nose. The ocean water. Night-blooming flowers.

And something else.

Something earthy. Musky.

Sexy…

I inched closer, trying to ascertain the reason.

Then I heard something, a slight rustle that wasn’t caused by the wind. The sensations I’d felt before increased and every inch of me was jolted by a searing flash of current.

Moving even closer, I searched the woods, scanning the area right in front of my eyes.

I could feel them. I could sense them.

They were here.