Page 8 of Savage Mates (Ruthless Instinct #2)

“Brace for impact,” I said absently and dropped my head into my arms, interlocking my fingers behind my head. The vibrations continued to be horrific, jarring in a way that left me feeling woozy.

The second the wheels hit the ground, the plane jerked again as the pilot threw back the throttle. More rattling.

Squeals.

The plane wasn’t slowing quickly.

Trees flying by the window.

And just up ahead? The edge and a steep drop-off.

Oh, shit. Oh… Shit.

Another bag came flying down the aisle, stopping next to my seat.

It was one of the duffle bags held by the research assistants.

Looking up, I was certain Rory was about to unfasten his seatbelt so he could grab it.

The other assistant, Kyle, pushed his hand against Rory’s arm. Now both men were staring at me.

With one additional lurch, the plane came to a hard stop.

A whirring sound continued for several seconds until the engine was shut down.

After a few seconds, I threw my head back, half laughing as I took several gulping breaths.

“Jesus Christ,” Peter muttered.

“I think I just lost several years of my life,” Carrie managed to say, her voice trembling.

My legs were trembling as well. A few seconds later, the pilot appeared. “We’re down, but damaged.”

“What’s wrong with the plane?” Kyle Singleton asked. The man was tall and extremely muscular with short-cropped hair.

“Lightning took out the electricity and one engine. It’s okay. If we need to, we’ll call for a backup plane. But we’re safe.”

“Woo hoo!” Carrie said while applauding.

There was something ominous about being stranded on an island with no quick and easy way of leaving. My hand shaky, I unfasted my seatbelt, my curiosity getting the better of me. I lunged for the bag, able to snag the straps before Rory could make his way toward me.

The zipper was partially undone, allowing me to see the contents inside.

Weapons.

A ton of them.

A cold shiver danced down my spine, but I didn’t have time to fully react before Rory yanked it from my hand.

“I’ve got that, Dr. Radcliff.”

“Why do we need weapons, Rory?” I demanded, trying to keep my voice down. There was no sense in upsetting Carrie and Peter.

He leaned forward as if what he was about to tell me was intimate. “Come on, Doctor. There are wild animals on this island who wouldn’t have a problem eating you alive. But don’t worry. I will protect you.”

Laughing, he backed away.

“Asshole,” I whispered.

What the hell had I gotten myself into?

The compound was surprising. Not necessarily in a good way. While there was electricity and running water, some furniture remaining from when the Philippine military had abandoned their mission, the disarray suggested the buildings had been picked through.

Not exactly ransacked, but some items had been carefully selected. For use by whom?

My mind tripped to the more dangerous possibilities. What if the lions were even more intelligent and after shifting had… Nope. I wasn’t going to entertain the thought.

It was entirely possible given the size of the island there were other inhabitants as well.

Should I be even more terrified? Maybe that was the real reason for the duffle full of weapons.

I’d forgone mentioning my find to my assistants, but even after unloading and securing sleeping quarters in the main building, I remained unnerved about what I hadn’t been told.

One of the stranger aspects was that it appeared as if the facility had been abandoned quickly.

There were still some clothes, and papers in files.

Even a few pictures on the walls. Maybe they’d left because of extreme weather only to have the government decide the area was too risky for continued operations.

Whatever the case, being in the compound felt odd, as if we weren’t supposed to be here.

There were five buildings in the compound of varying sizes, one of them a bathhouse. One side for the women. One for the men. There were residential quarters complete with cots. Along with the sleeping bags we’d brought, we’d be comfortable enough.

And away from the extreme humidity and mosquitos the size of elephants.

The kitchen was in working order, complete with ovens and even a walk-in freezer and two commercial-sized refrigerators.

There was also a dining/recreational area with a ping-pong table.

Off to the side was a medical facility, which still had some adequate items that could be used including stainless tables and implements, and a cabinet full of bandages and splints.

There were even items that would help with blood tests and taking sample DNA.

As if left for us to use. With the sinks and heavy electricity, the room would be decent enough to run some basic tests.

Red flags remained in the back of my mind. Who would just leave the building unattended for this length of time?

I’d briefly seen a communications room, complete with monitors, but had been told the system wasn’t working. Hopefully, we wouldn’t need to worry about security.

There was also a building off to the side that appeared padlocked. I honestly didn’t want to think about who or what the military had housed inside. The way the facility had been left gave me the creeps.

After getting settled in my tiny quarters, I grabbed my bottle of water and ventured outside.

The pilot and co-pilot were already working on seeing if they could make repairs to the plane aided by a work light found in one of the buildings.

From what I’d heard, they’d made a call for backup in assisting with repairs.

Since the pilots weren’t scheduled to remain with us, at some point they would leave us on the island.

I’d been impressed after a couple of the crates had been opened. Seeing the topnotch laboratory equipment made the project seem real. Tomorrow would be an exciting day of putting everything together.

Then we could find the lions using the coordinates plotted from the aerials Finn had sent. Their location was only a few miles away. Hopefully, they were still in the area. What we didn’t have was a vehicle, but we’d come prepared to hike.

“What do you think?” Carrie asked as she approached, coming from the bathhouse. She had a towel over her shoulder, and in the compound light, I could tell she was over the ordeal in the plane.

“I think it’s workable.”

“You still don’t sound enthused. You worked hard for this.

From what I can tell, you have everything you need to have your picture on the cover of Scientific American magazine.

Imagine the men who’ll be crawling all over you.

You’ll have carte blanche at any five-star restaurant you walk into. You’ll be a celebrity.”

Snorting, it took me a few seconds to realize she was serious. “I adore you, Carrie, but I hardly think having my picture on any scientific magazine is going to heighten my celebrity status. And forget about men. I don’t need them.”

“You never know.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Did you notice there are a few padlocked doors?”

“Yes, I did.” That bothered me, but this was a former military establishment. “We have all the space we need.”

“You’re right. Those two assistants just seem cagey to me.” She laughed. “Dark island. Wild storm. And exhaustion. My mind works overtime. You work too hard, boss. You need to have a little fun in your life.”

“What’s not fun about this?” We both laughed and I squeezed her arm. “Get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us.” Red flags were popping up in my mind, one after another.

“An exciting day,” she corrected. “Don’t get lost in the jungle looking for your hot lions.”

“Very funny.” I continued laughing as she walked away.

She was right in that I had very little fun in my life.

Not because I didn’t have friends, but because I loved every nuance of what I did.

Nodding as if to myself, I glanced at the jungle surrounding the property.

An area had been carved out near the ocean to build the facility, but a thick jungle surrounded the compound, which was a decent backdrop as well as a natural method of security.

While I was tired, the continuous pinpricks from adrenaline kept me from wanting to try to get any rest.

Who was I kidding? The excitement of maybe seeing the lions in their full majestic regalia was incredible. I was nervous, my pulse racing even now. I could almost feel them as if they were right there watching me, waiting for me.

Their mate.

I took a sip of water, trying to keep from laughing at myself. My thoughts were ridiculous.

Yet the truth was my skin prickled from a level of electricity I wasn’t used to experiencing. Since adulthood, the electric vibrations had only occurred when I’d met Simba. Our connection was as strong as any I’d experienced as a child. Now I was tingling all over, my heart pounding in my ears.

A light breeze rustled the trees, bringing several scents across my nose. The ocean water. Night-blooming flowers.

And something else.

Something earthy. Musky.

Sexy…

I inched closer, trying to ascertain the reason.

Then I heard something, a slight rustle that wasn’t caused by the wind. The sensations I’d felt before increased and every inch of me was jolted by a searing flash of current.

Moving even closer, I searched the woods, scanning the area right in front of my eyes.

I could feel them. I could sense them.

They were here.

Lions.

Everything was swept into a vacuum until there was nothing but thoughts of getting to them. Seeing them.

Touching them.

Just before I made the unconscious decision to walk into the jungle, another rustling sound drew my attention.

The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, every nerve ending on fire and suddenly, the unmistakable understanding someone was watching came over me.

While the feeling was oppressive, a rush of desire outweighed all sense of fear.

Suddenly, it was difficult to breathe and the jungle was still.

Not a single noise.

No birds.

No night creatures.

Nothing.

But I knew they were there.

Watching.

Waiting.

Hungering.

Very slowly, I turned my head.

To peer into the glowing eyes of three giant lions.

One white. One golden with a black mane. And one that shouldn’t exist but did.

A magnificent Cape lion, blond with a deep copper mane, standing off to the side with sheer hunger in his amber eyes.