Page 77 of Savage Mates

“The others need to believe I was injured and drugged but managed to hide and the man with me was shot and killed by the mercenaries. What did you do with the soldier’s body?”

“I assure you it won’t be found.”

“Maybe I don’t want to know. They need to think I have no clue about the experiments. That will buy me some time. So inorder for them to buy the story, I’ll need to look roughed up and terrified. That will only keep their suspicions at bay for so long.”

“Meaning?”

She ran her fingers through her hair, tangling the long strands. Then she headed to the well, pulling up a bucket of water. I watched in fascination as she dipped her hands into the liquid before crouching down in the dirt. She dug her wet fingers into the surface, creating mud.

With a smile, she wiped the mud on her face and arms, the remainder on her clothes. Taking long strides, she started to reach for a fallen branch, but thankfully Zeus snapped his hand around her wrist, wagging a finger on his other hand.

“Not that one, little human. The plant is highly poisonous. You could be dead within an hour. I know what you’re thinking.” He bent down, grabbing another twig. “Use this one, but do so carefully. I wouldn’t want your lovely skin scarred.”

“What are you doing?” I growled.

“You’ll see.” The little human was fearless.

After taking a deep breath, she purposely scratched one arm and her legs. When bubbles of blood formed, she appeared satisfied.

“I think this will do. It has to. Let’s go. If you see anyone from the lab, you need to disappear.” She glanced from one to the other, hoping for some acknowledgement.

She wasn’t given one.

“They won’t believe you. If everything you told us is accurate, they won’t allow you to disappear again.” Zeus was still highly agitated, but he was right.

She nodded. “Unless they think I’m leading them to where you’re staying.”

She was playing a dangerous game. We all were. “We will be watching. We will know if you are in trouble.”

“We can’t let her go,” Titus snarled.

“She’s right. There is no other choice,” I snapped back.

“I’m right here,” she insisted. “I can do this. They won’t kill me. They’ll need me alive and since their initial plans were botched, it will take them time to try to figure out what to do. Plus, they thought it was going to be easy capturing you. I’m certain of it. We still don’t know if the mercenaries are working for them or someone else.”

I took a deep breath, eyeing the area. “Then that’s what we’ll find out.”

When I glanced at Zeus and Titus, they both nodded.

“Don’t put yourselves in that kind of danger,” she told us.

While I did not like being separated from her, there was no other choice. Reaching out, I took her into my arms, pulling her close and cupping both sides of her face. “This will be treacherous.”

“I know that, Thor. I’ll be okay. If I need you, I’ll reach out mentally. Don’t hurt the other lions. They are victims just like you are. Maybe there’s a way they can be helped.”

“As you already told us, that’s not within your expertise.” When her thoughts drifted to whatever was in the hidden crate, the thought was fleeting, as if she wanted to hide what she was thinking. But I captured enough.

She believed the other scientists had brought another portal with them.

That was something I hadn’t considered. The hunger spiked between us, the draw to each other exactly as I’d felt earlier. The moment I crushed my lips over hers, she placed her hands on my chest, the touch even more electrifying.

The way she arched her body into mine was a reminder of how interconnected we already were. Letting her go even for the short term was going to be difficult. I swept my tongue inside, greedily tasting her.

My cock ached, pushed between her legs and she was shivering in my hold. The kiss was powerful, something that I appreciated about my ability to shift.

Titus and Zeus grew restless, Zeus surprising me by pulling her away and into his arms. He’d been just as affected by her presence, his stubbornness finally fading.

I took a step back, sniffing the air to ensure we were still alone.