Page 13 of Savage Mates (Ruthless Instinct #2)

Blood.

Had they been involved with the attack the night before?

They weren’t just wild. They were feral. There was something wrong with them, something far more dangerous than a natural predator.

They were frothing at the mouth from being famished.

Sweet Jesus. Had they killed the soldier, mauling his body?

Their eyes were mesmerizing, but not like any other lion I’d ever seen, glowing to the point of appearing like neon. Finally, all three opened their jowls as if in synchronization, exposing their sharp canines.

In all my years, I’d never seen any lion so large, abnormally so. They were at least twice the size of a normal beast.

And there was no doubt who they were hunting.

Me.

They were quiet, yet I felt the hard ticking of their pulse dancing to the same beat as mine.

My actions slow and deliberate, I reached into my bag, searching for my gun.

But one lion seemed to sense what I was doing, as if reading my mind.

Before I could wrap my fingers around the cool steel, the powerful beast lunged for me and I took off running again, unable to keep a single shrill cry from erupting.

Trees slapped at my face and arms, scratching my skin. In pain, I kept running, my heart thudding.

Terror skittered through me.

Why had I been so stupid?

I had to find a way of escaping.

A ridiculous fleeting thought rushed through my mind. The lions. My lions. The ones who I’d sensed being there to protect me.

I called out to them in my mind, screaming silently for their help. Then a bloodcurdling scream erupted, the sound raw and terrified.

Oh, God. This wasn’t good.

This was a nightmare.

The sound of rushing water pounded in my ears the moment I broke through a group of trees, forced to skid to a stop.

No. No. No! A waterfall. A cliff. A sharp drop-off.

I was cornered. There was nowhere to go.

Spinning around, I thrust the machete out in front of me, moving from foot to foot as the beasts approached. Their moves were cautious, calculated. “Get away from me.”

Then anther noise. I was expecting to see more lions from the pride joining them, preparing for a juicy feast. But I was wrong.

So very wrong.

Two men appeared from the shadows. Each was holding an assault rifle, but in their other hand was a whip.

One of them grinning, he swung the whip, the hard snap of his wrist immediately followed by the thin leather tip hitting the ground.

One of the lions threw his massive head over his shoulder, issuing a dangerous growl as a warning.

Dr. Abbott hadn’t lied about how dangerous the mercenaries could be.

Oh, my fucking God. They were controlling the lions, beating them to do their bidding.

“Who the fuck are you?”

Time slowed as the men studied me. One of them made a single sound and the lions became agitated.

There was nowhere to go, no way of escaping.

More noise. Trees rustling.

A single shot and one of the mercenaries went down hard. The lions moved into frenzy, momentarily ignoring me.

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.

“Look out!” I warned, but not the men. The lions.

A single roar of the Cape lion echoed in the trees seconds before they attacked the other two rogue beasts.

And the man.

Exclaiming, I turned away as the lions snarled, roaring and growling as they ripped into flesh and bone. Guttural snarls filled the afternoon sky, mournful sounds that strangely enough enthralled me. Their movements were swift, almost beautiful like a structured dance.

Moving swiftly, I crouched behind a tree, still gasping for air as I watched the dance of death. But I refused to run away.

The terror remained, but I knew in my soul these lions had no intention of hurting me. They would fight to the death if necessary to protect me.

Every animal was gorgeous, their fur shimmering in the sun. White. Blond. Golden. Chestnut. They represented every species. The ground beneath me vibrated as bodies were tossed aside, lifeless eyes staring back at me.

The sound was horrific, but it only lasted minutes.

Then there was utter silence, the forest no longer moving. No longer crying.

Just silence.

My heart continued to thud and for a few seconds I did nothing. I wanted to see and experience them in all their glory. I needed to thank them for saving my life.

Very slowly, I rose to my feet, turning around and bracing myself for the horror. Shadows had formed in the late afternoon sun, the light cascading through the trees creating a shimmer that captured the lions perfectly.

They were absolutely beautiful creatures, more powerful than any other in the kingdom.

The eight beasts were blocking the macabre view, every one of them studying me as they licked their jaws and jowls.

But the three I’d seen before were paying close attention, allowing their heated gazes to fall to my feet. It was as if they were checking to see if I’d been injured. I felt their heated gazes and intense concern deep within my bones.

Half laughing from nervousness, I wanted so much to be able to express my gratitude.

As I’d always done with Simba, I simply talked out loud.

Maybe I was nervous. Maybe I was concerned, but I wasn’t afraid.

Something inside me had always said Simba knew what I was saying and I felt the same right now.

“Thank you. For protecting me last night. And for saving my life. I hope you can understand what I’m saying.

” I continued to laugh nervously. “You can. Can’t you?

You need to know that I won’t hurt you. I’m only here to try and help future lions.

It’s hard to explain.” I’d never felt so awkward around any animal as I did at that moment.

Blubbering wasn’t like me, but around them, electricity kept my mind muddled and my heart racing.

Maybe I was kidding myself that they even thought I was a threat, but I felt much better sharing my thoughts.

There were footsteps as Rory busted through the trees holding his weapon with both hands, pointing the barrel at the lions.

Without thinking, I rushed through the pride, so I was in front facing the soldier, throwing out my arms. “No! These aren’t the same lions who attacked us. They’re my lions. Mine. Don’t you dare try and shoot them.”

My mind raced, thoughts rushing, a rambling series of words that I couldn’t piece together.

But I knew coming here was important.

I also knew Dr. Abbott had been right. Danger was all around me. But not from these beautiful creatures.

Finally, the soldier lowered his weapon, gasping for air. I could tell Rory was severely injured. He fell against a tree, sliding to the ground.

“Fuck. Are you alright?” I gritted out before wiping sweat from my face.

There were so many thoughts racing through my mind, so many questions.

What the hell had been done to the lions?

Once again, Blackwell Industries crowded my mind with endless possibilities.

Yes, I was excited. More than I should be.

Even if what I’d hoped could be true about the existence of hybrid lions, the island was not the ideal location to test the theory.

And what would I hope to accomplish? The thought there could be shifters should be the furthest thing from my mind.

As a scientist, I couldn’t think along those lines.

I’d be a laughingstock if I ever breathed a word to that effect.

However, whatever experiments had been performed on the beasts, their DNA altered.

Plus, a tiny part of me still wanted to believe. The mental battle was gutting me.

“I’ll live, Dr. Radcliff. However, we need to get the fuck out of here. It’s not safe,” Rory spit out and wiped his bloodied face with his sleeve.

No shit.

His disdain for the entire situation continued to piss me off.