Page 34 of Savage Mates

“She’s in danger,”I gritted out mentally to the others.“Alexander. Head back and guard the camp. Kill at will if necessary. Make sure our injured lion is cared for.”My command to one of the other shifters was exactly what both Zeus and Titus were thinking. There was a new cub who needed to be protected.

Just like the human woman.

At least Torrid would heal from his injuries, one benefit of horrible experiments and alternation to our DNA.

“Yes, sir,”he answered, directing the others to continue the path.

Immediately, I raced toward the trees. There was no time to waste ensuring the others were following. Blood pounded in my veins, rage tearing through me as it had the instant I’d sensed she was in danger.

Charging through the trees, I was determined to protect her.

“Thor.”Zeus’ cry pounded in my head. His irritation at my insistence on discovering who was on the plane the night before had annoyed the hell out of me. We sparred often and hard, even if we’d come to an agreement about the leadership of the pride.

There were three alphas. Three strong lions. Three fucked-up hybrids. We’d endured experiments, caged incarceration, testing, and finally being dumped on this godforsaken island as if we were nothing but trash.

The truth was that humans were afraid of us. They should be. We were still dangerous predators.

Even if they’d turned us into the creatures that they most feared, beasts that gave them nightmares.

Shifters.

What we’d learned during weeks of incarceration was horrific. Another reason we’d been cast aside. Damning details about a scientific project that had changed the face of Earth forever.

Whether the humans knew it or not.

The others in our group had experienced different humans, some ordinary citizens that had been near where the experiments had been conducted. That had allowed us a breadth of knowledge about survival.

But now, we faced additional predators. Potentially including the female who’d captured our attention. What struck me as being so odd was that I’d been able to read her mind the first time we’d seen her. I’d sensed her worry about inhabitants of the island, her reason for being here in the first place.

Performing tests.

She was a scientist. In our eyes, an enemy.

Tests had nearly killed us. Humans had betrayed us, incarcerated us, performed horrific experiments, and many of the wild animals they’d abducted hadn’t survived.

There’d been dumping grounds, the stench lingering long after their bodies had decayed. Secrets kept. Atrocities done. All in the name of science.

Which was why I understood both Zeus and Titus being leery.

Very few humans were aware of the significance of the experiments. Still a group of humans had been sent to eliminate us, men with assault rifles and cages. We’d eliminated several, but others remained.

On this day, they’d set their sights on a vulnerable female.

“We need to protect her,”Titus added. Perhaps he was trying to convince Zeus like he’d done the night before. What surprised me was that either the powerful Congo lion hadn’t sensed the strong connection with the female or was ignoring it.

The woman was even more beautiful in the daylight than seeing her for the first time the night before. A true vision that I hadn’t been prepared for.

“She’s our enemy,”Zeus insisted.“She’s working with two other scientists. You saw the crates of equipment. You know what they intend to do. We leave her. So be it if she becomes lion food.”

“You’re right about the humans she’s with. They are scientists, but not from the laboratory from two years ago. However, the one who’s guarding her is much more dangerous. He’s carrying a weapon,”I stated in confirmation after gathering a pungent hit of the human’s stink. We slowed until we were barely moving forward.“We need to be certain he’s working alone. This could be a trap.”

Zeus threw his head toward me.“Then we kill them and be done with it.”His eagerness to erase the men sent to kill us mirrored my own. Unfortunately, we were a small pride and they’d brought reinforcements. As well as weapons.

They were caught in an unnatural state, their molecular structure altered forever. They were powerful, resilient, and bloodthirsty. Along with the weapons the humans carried, two of our pride had been killed; the reason for our extreme caution.

“There’s something off about the man she’s with. I agree with Zeus. Let’s finish him,”Titus recommended.

“To what end? Then we will be hunted,”I snarled.