Page 17 of Savage Mates (Ruthless Instinct #2)

Lauren

Gorgeous. Sexy. Men.

All standing staring at me, but there was more.

They were… hungry. Unless my eyes were deceiving me, they were fully erect.

Holy shit. Blinking furiously, my nerves kicked into overdrive.

They were huge brutes of men, muscular in all the right places and I could almost feel their heated breath tickling my skin.

Enough so prickles lifted across my arms and legs.

Wait a minute. Were they part of the mercenary team?

If so, why was my mouth watering, my nipples aching?

The drug. My reaction had to be because of the drug I’d been given, which I knew had occurred.

Some bastard had drugged me. I was still woozy, my mind fuzzy enough that processing what I was seeing remained difficult.

Voices still clawed at my mind, muted visions that I couldn’t understand.

Sounds that could only be described as horrific. Growls. Snarls.

Roars.

Lions.

Like the night before.

“Who are you?” I demanded, still struggling with the light fog I’d awakened to. I tried to act as if their appearance didn’t bother me in the least when my legs were shaking.

Every muscle in my body ached and from what I could remember, I’d been shot with something. Likely a dart, a sedative used. Until this moment, I hadn’t been certain by whom.

Now I knew the men standing in front of me were to blame.

Only even as I kept the weapon pointed at them, I sensed something unfurling deep inside of me.

As if all my beliefs were about to be torched.

Maybe it was the drug I’d been given, a portion still remaining active in my body.

I knew enough about incapacitating drugs to realize while foggy, I wasn’t as affected as I should be.

I took a deep breath. You could hear a pin drop, the silence was so oppressive.

Then the rapid thudding of my heart assaulted my eardrums. This was crazy. What was I doing holding a weapon on three… gorgeous men?

Just find a way to get away.

Right. As if that was possible.

Perhaps I still felt some sense of wishful thinking, but at this point, my hopes didn’t matter. Only protecting myself did.

I was shaking all over from a rush of adrenaline.

A crackling of electricity.

Strong, powerful, and relentless.

While there were three huge men standing in front of me, I was vaguely aware of others, a few trying to remain in the shadows of the waning light. But they were all watching me. My breath hitched and I licked my dry lips, trying to figure out how the hell to get myself out of this.

“Answer my question. Who are you? Why are you trying to kill the lions?”

When not one of the three bothered to answer my question, I stuck the gun out as far as my arms would allow.

I detected amusement, not intimidation.

Their arrogance annoyed me, but I was momentarily struck by their beauty. And yes, they were truly beautiful specimens of men, completely unlike the thugs I’d seen in the jungle.

The one on the left, the blond brute was striking with his almost white hair, and carved muscles that left nothing to the imagination.

His eyes were absolutely mesmerizing, a luminous blue that didn’t occur in nature.

Deep and soulful, they created an air of authority.

I allowed myself a quick gaze down the length of him, which seemed to amuse him even more.

His six-pack abs gave way to a deep V leading to strong, thick thighs and…

My God. He was completely naked, his cock thick, long, and throbbing.

Even though I shifted my gaze away, my shocked, sinful look had caught his attention and he chuckled.

Snarling, I threw my gaze to the one in the center with thick, curly black hair that extended past his shoulders, his skin the color of burnished gold.

He had a scar on his face from his eye to his jaw, just deep enough to catch my attention, but taking nothing away from his gorgeous face or eerie yellowish green eyes that captured my attention.

Just like the blond, he was picture-perfect, an athlete’s body with chiseled features and long legs. And yes, my eyes darted to his cock, so thick for a split second, the naughty side of me wondered how the appendage would fit.

Shit. I was losing it.

The last man had an air of dominance, someone who could walk into a room and take it over without opening his mouth.

His copper hair was a shade darker than mine.

Even with the waning sun, the shimmer of light reflected off his long strands.

His eyes weren’t natural, a rich amber color that reminded me of a fine whiskey.

He was the only one wearing pants, but the thick bulge between his legs left little to my imagination. He was rock-hard solid.

The way they stood, the heat erupting from their bodies gave them a primal feel.

As if they were predators.

The thought momentarily attacked my mind.

Almost white hair like a Sri Lanka lion.

Dark hair like the mane on a Congo lion.

Copper hair befitting an extinct Cape lion.

Oh, my sweet lord. Was I seriously thinking that way?

“I could ask you the same thing, little human.”

At first, I wasn’t certain who’d spoken. Then I realized it was the one with a copper mane. No, copper hair. I had to still be under the effects of the drug. His question incensed me. “I’m not some mercenary trying to round up and kill the lions or using whips on others. You are.”

The three of them looked at each other. Just like the lions had done.

“That’s not happening,” the blond said casually, his eyes lighting up.

“Who are you? I won’t ask you again.” I jutted the weapon out, but I could sense they weren’t deterred by my actions.

The other men in the camp were hovering in close proximity, curious as to who this crazy girl was.

How had I gotten to this camp? I glanced around quickly, noticing there were several cabins like the one I’d awakened in.

I’d been lying in a bed, covered by a blanket and almost instantly, I’d noticed my bag had been placed on the floor beside me.

If they’d meant to kill me, why hadn’t they?

“We weren’t intending on killing you, little human.” Had the dark-haired guy just read my mind? “If we had, you’d be dead.”

Get a grip, Lauren. Think clearly. Mind reading isn’t possible.

Only I knew there were people who possessed the gift. Hell, my mother had. She’d even been tested because she knew exactly what people were thinking. Maybe her gift had passed down to me.

Jesus. My mind was all over the place.

“What is your name, little human?” the whiskey-haired man asked.

“I asked you first.” Great, Lauren. Now you sound like a child.

The blond smiled and lowered his gaze ever so slowly and when he did, I could swear he was undressing me with his eyes.

My skin prickled from the thought and from the lurid images running back and forth in my brain.

“You should learn manners, little human.”

Why the hell did the one wearing pants continue to call me a little human? I threw the other men a look, trying to shake off the electric sensations from being around them. Even my pulse had increased since walking out the cabin door and seeing them.

“Don’t worry, Thor. She’s just being a brat.”

As soon as the dark-haired god made the statement, I glared at him. At least I had one name. “Thor? Fascinating name.”

The blond sighed. “That’s Zeus and I’m Titus. Still fascinated, little human?”

I don’t know why I was taken aback by their names, but they seemed odd. I mean they were perfect for three ruggedly handsome beasts of men, but odd. Also, the fact they continued to call me a little human hadn’t gone unnoticed. What if shifters did exist?

I bit my lower lip, fearful I’d vocally express my thoughts.

“Your name?” This time, Thor demanded, his eyes narrowing.

“Why should I tell you?”

He took a step closer and I lifted my weapon by a few inches until the barrel was pointed right between his luminous eyes.

“Because you will tell us everything we want to know.” His deep voice penetrated the darkest parts of me, exposing twisted cravings that had no place here.

At that point, I knew I was at a distinct disadvantage. What could I do? I counted nine of them and one of me.

“Talk,” Zeus snarled.

“Lauren. Dr. Lauren Radcliff.”

Thor smiled. “See? That wasn’t so difficult.”

“A medical doctor,” Zeus said, but I sensed he was baiting me.

“A veterinarian and scientist.” Suddenly, the scar on my arm ached, the old injury throbbing.

“Why are you here?” Titus took a step closer. As soon as he did, I took one myself, pointing the barrel of the gun directly at him.

“Don’t come any closer. I know how to use this.” The second I glanced toward the woods on my right, Thor laughed.

“Don’t try and escape, little human. You won’t like what happens if you do.”

“You know my name, so use it.”

When the three looked at each other again, I had another uncanny moment in which my instinct screamed they were communicating. The possible reason behind the thought defied all rationality.

Anyone else in this position would be terrified and rightfully so, but between the rush of improbable thoughts and the jolts of inexplicable current, I was more intrigued than anything.

Besides, panic wouldn’t do me any favors. At this point, it could get me killed. Just like… “What did you do to Rory? Did you kill him? Did you?”

Okay, so panic was starting to creep in just a teensy bit as the kiss of reality began to settle in. I was far away from the makeshift laboratory and even if the others were beginning to wonder where we’d gone, they certainly wouldn’t come out at night to search for us.

Lions were excellent nighttime hunters given their keen eyesight.

Sighing, Thor moved closer, holding up his arms when I pointed the barrel at his chest. “We did what was necessary to keep you safe.”

Safe. Was he kidding me? It took a few seconds for the news to settle. Another cold chill drifted down my spine from his casual admittance. “You did kill him. Why?”

“Because he was the one who shot you with a dart gun.”