Page 30 of Savage Mates

Rory appeared from the darkness of the trees, injured, but he was alive.

“Run,” he yelled and pitched his body over fallen debris as the other mercenary managed to get off a shot.

I bolted away, only to realize there was another powerful rumble, this time unmistakable. There were more beasts coming.

Hunting.

Adrenaline surged through me and I told myself to keep running.

One of the creatures appeared and I swung the machete, catching him in the chest. He roared, throwing himself at me. I leapt to the ground. With all four paws off the ground, he pitched himself in the air and off the cliff.

Oh, God.

His sharp cry broke through the jungle. There was no time to see if he was alive nor could I care. Guilt thrummed through me.

Another shot.

Another howl.

This time human.

I was running out of time.

A sudden magnetic pull tugged at my mind. My heart.

My soul.

Vibrations deep and electrified. A presence. No, not just one. More than one.

I tripped again, toppling onto the ground, expecting sheer agony as the lions ripped into my flesh.

That didn’t happen.

A sudden change in the direction of the wind carried a scent that instantly drew my attention. Earthy. Musky. Another strange wave of longing saturated my mind, creating a deep throb in my core.

An eerie sound grabbed my attention, low rumbles that were unmistakable.

A huge group of lions were making themselves known.

Turning over, I scrambled backwards on my hands and feet, shocked at what I was seeing.

Eight of the most incredible specimens of lions I’d ever seen.

While there were variations in their fur, three stood out.

The same lions I’d seen the night before. Only in the sunlight, they were even more beautiful, stunning in their large build and majestic stance. Deep vibrations pounded my core, a strange sense of being as if we were connected. I tried to shake away the feeling, but it remained.

They surrounded me in a large circle. They were protecting me.

Yet there was more.

I could feel it in my bones, in the deep ache that consumed my body.

Desire.

Raw. Unbridled. Uncontrollable desire.

A blip of movement caught my attention as the mercenary appeared, holding the weapon toward the group of lions. His eyes suddenly opened wide, his terror exposed.