Page 18 of Savage Mates (Ruthless Instinct #2)

I slowly glanced at Zeus. While I shouldn’t believe him at all, a little tick inside my head told me I could.

Maybe.

“You’re crazy,” I bit back.

“Are we?” Thor asked, his features hardening. “If so, why are you wondering if you were brought to this island under false pretenses?”

Shit. Shit. Shit. It was as if he could read my mind. Swallowing, I licked my lips while they were watching me intently. This wasn’t good. I needed to find a way out of here. This time, Titus laughed, his eyebrows lifted as if daring me to try.

My pulse quickened and I refused to accept what the irrational part of my brain was thinking. “Now, I’m going to walk out of here and you’re not going to follow me. If you try, I’ll shoot you. All of you.”

Yeah, right, Lauren. They’ll just allow you to walk out of here.

What if I did shoot one of them? What then? I could easily do it. I had the skill, but there were so many of them. Even my quick reflexes wouldn’t be enough to protect me.

When they didn’t say anything or make a move, I sidestepped toward the jungle. I had just enough light I might be able to make it back to our camp before dark.

I should have known better than to underestimate their abilities.

Within a flash, Thor crossed the distance, instantly wrapping one hand around the barrel of my weapon. And what did he do? Did he rip it from my hand using his brute strength? Not even close.

He pointed the barrel at his chest, placing his other hand over mine near the trigger.

“Pull the trigger, Lauren.”

“What?” He hadn’t really just commanded me to do that. Had he?

“Do it!”

The entire group of men crept closer until I felt a hint of suffocation. “No, I’m not going to shoot you. Not unless you give me a reason and then I assure you I will.”

“That’s what you want to do. That’s what you were thinking about doing. Don’t lie to me, little human.”

He pressed his finger on mine, pushing with just enough force I was uncomfortable. “This is crazy. Let go. Just… let go.”

His eyes were pinned on mine, piercing in a way that kept me mesmerized. I could swear they were glowing.

Like a lion’s eyes.

No, Lauren. Stop it. That’s not possible.

He pushed harder.

His scent hit me. Hard.

The fragrance cut through the damp stench of the jungle, something dark and musky, woodsy and earthly.

And decidedly all male.

Knots formed in my stomach as another series of sensations vibrated all the way to my toes. A moment of feeling in a vacuum just like what had occurred when they’d attacked the rogue lions happened. Only this time everything was much stronger.

What was going on?

Beads of perspiration dripped down both sides of my face, several tickling my lips, which I licked off. This was like some sick game of Russian roulette that I wanted no part of. I’d never killed anyone and he was daring me, pushing me to do so. What the hell was wrong with him?

Very slowly a smile crossed his face as we continued this power struggle. I was shaking, horrified, so tense I could barely breathe.

Then he did the unthinkable.

He pressed down harder.

The moment I felt the reflex, preparing for the slight recoil, I shrieked. As the gun went off, his hand slipped free.

As if in slow motion, I allowed the gun to fall to the ground. In a reaction I’d question later, I backed away, more horrified than from anything I’d ever done.

Oh, my God. Oh, my… God.

As the terror and realization sank in, I reacted as if on instinct.

I turned away.

And then I ran.

Were they chasing me?

Would they catch me?

I experienced a rumble beneath my feet and maybe I was crazy, but it was low growls like several… lions would make.

As I sprinted toward the trees, I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. Had I killed him? Was he lying dead in a pool of blood all because I’d threatened him and he’d called my bluff? My emotions were high, my mind spinning, and right now, all I could do was find a way to escape.

My feet pounded against the ground and it felt as if I was getting nowhere even though the trees were flying by. Thick foliage was everywhere, a strange hum vibrating in my ears.

Slithering sounds.

Snapping sounds.

A low growl.

When I heard a slight hiss, I stopped running altogether, trying not to panic. It was becoming useless. I was utterly terrified.

Yet they weren’t following me. There was nothing but eerie shadows and creepy sensations. I rubbed my arms as I tried to catch my breath.

Run, girl. Don’t stop. Just keep running.

I nodded as if answering the voice inside my head, backing away by several steps then turning, bolting.

Straight into the arms of one huge man.

Thor.

For a few seconds his eyes changed, becoming more luminous as if he was surrendering to… his lion.

His scent was even more powerful than before. I suddenly felt a blanket of arousal so intense, the air around us crackled. Not just from electricity, but from something much more primal. As if I was feeling everything he was. When he gripped my arm, my legs began to shake.

The heat was oppressive.

The desire was uncontrollable, my skin prickling, my pussy throbbing.

The need I’d felt before was entirely different, much stronger until I clenched my core while trying to catch my breath.

Lights flashed, my ears ringing.

Zeus and Titus were right there, touching me.

Awakening my senses.

I could feel a tether, not just a connection, a strong pull that dragged me from the reality of my world into something else altogether.

This wasn’t normal.

This wasn’t possible.

A twisted knot took the place of where my stomach should be, tightening to the point I had difficulty breathing. Images rushed through my mind, several from the dream I’d had days before.

Just as I sensed something happening between us.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

There was no amount of control left.

“What did I tell you about trying to escape, little human?” Thor asked as he lowered his head, sliding his finger under my chin and lifting it. “Now you’re going to pay the price for disobeying us.”

There was no chance of responding. I was suddenly tossed over his shoulder. He took long strides, moving through the jungle as if he owned the island.

As if they owned the island.

My thoughts were a rambling mess, but I knew instinctively the three of them were in charge. Of an army?

Or of a pride?

No, oh, hell no. I wasn’t going down that path. It was crazy. I was crazy.

The drug. That was it.

Yet being lightheaded around them had nothing to do with my condition and everything to do with their powerful prowess. Their scents. Their glorious bodies.

The air around us was thick, their combined scents swirling until I was filled with nothing but a sheer moment of utter intoxication. When he lowered his head another few inches, I pressed my hand against his chest and almost instantly, white-hot heat seared the tips of my fingers.

He strode into camp a little while later and that’s when I decided to pummel my hands against his back.

He didn’t budge. It was as if the man could feel no pain.

I lifted my head, scanning the camp, searching for anyone that could help me.

That’s when I saw something that let me know in no uncertain terms I was fucking losing my mind.

A naked man holding a cat. No… Not a cat. A cub. A lion cub.

I squeezed my eyes shut, taking gasping breaths while Zeus and Titus chuckled, the tone dark, a whisper of what was to come.

A door was kicked open and suddenly, I was dropped to my feet. Thor wasn’t very happy with me.

As if I cared.

After he slammed the door shut, I pushed hard against his chest, breaking the connection.

Thor stared down at me with sheer amusement. Then he wrapped one hand around my arm, the other around my throat as the other two surrounded me.

“Let go of me,” I insisted. His gaze was heavy, smoldering as he studied me. I didn’t need to be able to read his mind to capture his thoughts.

Or his raging desires.

He wanted me.

All of me.

And as crazy as it sounded, I wanted the same.

“Mmm… That’s just not going to happen.” He brushed his lips across mine, his chest rising and falling as he provided a single yet distinct sound.

A deep, resonating growl. However, it didn’t frighten me, instead adding another layer of longing.

“Why?”

“Why?” he repeated with a dark chuckle as he cupped both sides of my face. “Because we own you, little human. You’re our mate.”