Page 7 of Savage Mates (Ruthless Instinct #2)

Lauren

“You, our mate.”

The gruff, possessive statement lingered in my mind almost three days after I’d had the dream.

I could still see their faces in my mind. Three handsome, perfectly carved faces that had seemed so real. Even now, my body ached from the intense fantasy.

“This is so exciting.” Carrie was as exuberant as I’d ever seen her. Even after the already long flight, she was wide awake, eager to spend time on a desolate island. What little information I’d been provided was enough to entice while also keeping me on edge.

We’d had less than forty-eight hours to pack, say our goodbyes, and shut down our lives for four weeks.

Four weeks of intense research hoping for new discoveries.

To prove I was right about the Cape lion. However, my personal goals had changed after what Pamela had told me. I’d had just enough time with preparing for the trip to delve as far into the work performed by Blackwell Industries as I could find.

Their work had been considered top secret, most files still being held by the judicial system. Between the arrests made of prominent men and women in the scientific industry, and the company formally going into bankruptcy, details of the project itself had taken a backburner in reporters’ minds.

That didn’t mean several articles hadn’t been fascinating, speculation about what had gone on in the dark laboratories reading like a horror novel complete with suggestions that Dr. Blackwell was a vampire who’d disappeared.

The fact that his body had never been found led credence to the outlandish claims. But the stories were made for selling magazines and newspapers.

Shifters. A few reporters had kept the lore alive, sparking rumors of sightings of manlike beasts across the globe.

I’d even pulled out my old paper for the hell of it, surprised how in depth I’d gone with my personal and scientific speculations. I was honestly lucky I hadn’t been run out of town with my outlandish thoughts.

After everything I’d read and heard, I had other thoughts about the project in mind, wishes and desires that made no sense to the scientist I’d become. Yet the woman who continued to think about her very lurid dream was eager to spend time with huge predators who could consider her food.

I glanced out the window of the well-equipped cargo plane into the waning afternoon light. The sky was gray, dark clouds building. We’d had minimal turbulence during the twenty-plus-hour flight, touching down once for fuel.

The accommodations inside the plane were much better than I’d suspected, half the newer cargo plane decked out like what would be found in first class.

We’d had food, beverages, even alcohol and the seats were buttery soft leather.

What was slightly troubling were the crates sectioned off at the back of the plane.

The fact Dr. Zimmerman hadn’t divulged a full list of the research equipment accompanying us hadn’t soothed the heavy anxiety I’d felt since takeoff.

He’d simply patted me on the shoulder, telling me I’d have everything I needed for research and examinations of the subjects.

A portable laboratory, he’d called the contents, assuring me that most items were based on the list of needs I’d provided him with.

What troubled me more than anything was that in order to examine the lions, they’d need to be drugged.

A list of appropriate sedatives had been provided, but unfortunately, I hadn’t been the one to check the supplies before they’d been loaded.

I’d need to trust Dr. Zimmerman had honored my requests and that didn’t sit well with me. I couldn’t help but continue to chastise myself for making such an impetuous decision. It would seem my exuberance had gotten the better of me.

“What’s wrong?” Peter Sampson was another research assistant. Eager and perceptive, he’d brought fresh energy even when I’d been so exhausted three cups of coffee hadn’t kept me energized.

“I don’t know. I don’t like those guys.” While my voice was low, the roar of the engines barely allowing for a normal conversation, one of the two supposed assistants had his eyes pinned on my face.

Peter followed my line of sight to the four men crowded together several seats away. Two scientists from Dr. Zimmerman’s team and two research assistants, although only two of the men spoke my language, the other passengers remaining quiet.

Yet I’d felt their heated gazes more than once.

“I talked to Dr. Douglas for a little while. He seems cool,” Peter countered. “What don’t you like about them?”

“I don’t know. I don’t like their vibes,” I answered, allowing my gaze to fall to one of two huge duffle bags the assistants had been determined to keep with them.

Something was off and I didn’t like being in a souped-up tin can on my way to a mostly deserted island with people I wasn’t certain I could trust.

“I think we’re all just a little bit nervous from the possibilities. I can’t wait to see the lions.” While both Peter and Carrie had worked with me at the veterinary clinic, I knew a refresher in the potential dangers would be necessary. Eagerness could get someone severely injured or killed.

Plus, if there was any chance these lions had been used in Blackwell’s experiments, their behaviors could have been altered to the point I couldn’t control them. Certainly not in the way I was known for doing. The last thing I would do was place them in harm’s way.

“Just remember, we need to be extremely cautious. They aren’t part of our control group. I want both of you to remain close to the laboratory.”

He laughed. “I know they’re wild animals, Dr. Radcliff. You don’t need to worry. You’re the maestro when it comes to predatory beasts. You’re like a horse whisperer, only you’re able to control every animal you work with.”

“Ha.” At least I could laugh, although my love of animals was something every species seemed to understand. But if their DNA had been altered even a little, would my gift still hold true?

Thump.

The strange noise was followed by the plane lurching then dropping by several hundred feet.

Carrie yelped, her fingers white knuckled as she gripped the arms of the seat.

“Just turbulence,” I called out, trying to soothe her, but the series of lightning flashes out the window meant we’d flown right into a horrific thunderstorm.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the pilot called over the intercom. “We are experiencing some heavy turbulence. Please remain in your seats as we try and navigate around the storm. We are close to our destination so bear with us. We’ll get you there safely.”

“Just try and relax,” Peter said, trying to console Carrie.

I closed my eyes as the turbulence grew worse, shaking the plane to the point something fell from one of the compartments, rolling sideways between the seats.

The way the plane was vibrating was terrifying. I glanced out the window at the lightning crisscrossing the sky. Suddenly, there was another loud popping sound as well as a bright flash.

“What the hell is that?” Carrie was panicking, her entire body shaking as she leaned across Peter to see better out the window.

“That was lightning hitting the engine,” he answered. While his face was white as a sheet, he was doing a good job of keeping the tone of his voice calm.

Meanwhile, my stomach was doing flip-flops.

Another quick descent was following by strange whirring sound.

“What is happening?” Carrie moaned.

“Everyone just stay calm. They are highly skilled pilots.” Dr. Abbott was my age, pleasant enough and his credentials were through the roof.

Yet as with the others, I was leery of him and there was absolutely no reason why.

“Okay, ladies and gentlemen, I’m not going to lie to you. I’m going to try and land this plane. We lost an engine and we’ll come in hard, but we should be fine. Just prepare yourselves for a rough landing.”

Hard.

I’d seen a couple of pictures of the facility where we were headed, which was located on a wooded incline.

While the surface had been cleared allowing for the military buildings to be above sea level, the landing strip had appeared short.

Any miscalculation and we’d take a nosedive into the ocean or the dense jungle.

I only prayed Dr. Abbott was right and they’d landed in a violent storm.

The plane continued to rock, the storm as intense as any I’d ever experienced. Another bag fell from the overhead bin, tumbling toward us. It felt as if we were going faster even as the plane’s nose took a sharp dive.

Another crack of lightning hit. This time, we were pitched into utter darkness.

“Fuck,” I hissed under my breath. Now I had a death grip on the armrests. Flashes of light continued outside the window for what felt like a lifetime.

Suddenly, we were free from the storm and a slight orange glow appeared outside the window from the setting sun.

“Look. Sunlight!” Carrie pointed.

“Don’t get too excited,” Peter said under his breath. “The plane still needs to touch down and the engines stopped.”

I shot him a look, hoping he got the message. The last thing we needed was for anyone to become hysterical.

Another thump pushed a scream from her mouth.

“It’s okay,” I said forcefully. “It’s just the landing gear dropping.” Leaning over, I peered out the window at the ocean. Shit. The surface was close and we weren’t slowing down very much.

Suddenly, as if on my command, the pilot pulled the throttle and we all heard the remaining engine powering down. A few seconds later, I was able to see land. I knew just enough about planes from my father that I realized we weren’t out of the woods yet.

We were definitely coming in for a landing. Too fast. Too hard. Jesus Christ. I could see the end of the runway from where I was seated. The pilot wasn’t going to make it.

My life flashed in front of me, images of my parents and Jonas, my childhood lion friend, and Simba. And my classroom and… No, we were going to make it.