Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 118860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 594(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 594(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
“You’ll pay for that, you little brat.”
Jasmine took a step toward him. “Don’t you dare hurt her.” This time she didn’t sound in the least pleading. She sounded fierce.
“Stop, Jasmine,” Sarika cautioned, alarm coming through in her voice. It was enough to freeze Sandrine’s mother in place. Sarika had been so concerned that Jasmine would get too close to Rud that she didn’t know if she had successfully projected her voice from the trees opposite her. That would have been a major mistake.
“If you want her, you’ll have to come take her from me,” Rud challenged.
“Don’t move, Jasmine,” Sarika called out, once more throwing her voice from the trees opposite where she was located. “Percy has arrived. He’s a friend and will help you and your daughter. Percy, I’m so thankful you’re here.”
Jasmine’s eyes widened in alarm, and she gave a brief shake to her head. Sarika ignored the warning. She was putting Percy in the position of having to choose, looking like a man who would rescue women from dangerous male shifters or letting her know he was solidly with them. She didn’t doubt for a moment that Percy ran with the two other males and participated in their despicable deeds. She noted Rud sent a secretive, triumphant smirk toward Bacus. That solidified in her mind that Percy was an enemy. The knowledge didn’t deter her. She’d assumed that would be the case just by the way Percy had acted toward her, as if he were entitled to her.
The best way to stall for time was to get them talking. They would believe they could easily handle two adult females and one child. The two men visibly relaxed while Percy tensed.
“Rud and Bacus would never hurt the little girl,” Percy said. He stepped out of the shadows and cast a careful look around. “Come out and we’ll talk this through, Sarika.”
She realized he had deliberately used her name to show the other two shifters that he knew her. He wanted to impress them, but now, as they stared at him, wariness and suspicion crept into their expressions.
“What’s there to talk about? Jasmine needs to take her baby home. Your friend Rud needs to let go of her.” She paused for a short moment and then let out an alarmed gasp that could be heard throughout the trees. “Is he some kind of pedophile? If he is, you know that Luiz will never stop hunting him.”
Jasmine lifted her chin. “The De La Cruz family will never stop hunting any of you, nor will Solange. You’re making tremendous enemies with your behavior, Rud. You know how they all feel about children.”
“A death wish, then,” Sarika said, interjecting, keeping her voice calm and steady. Musing aloud. Stalling. “How sad. Surely, you have things to live for.” This time she poured sympathy into her tone, hoping to throw him off. She didn’t want Rud, or any of them, thinking about how close the sun was to setting.
“Who are you?” Rud’s face darkened at the implication that he was deliberately inviting death. That he couldn’t possibly handle Luiz, his family or a woman named Solange. Rud swung his gaze to Percy. “Who is she?” That was a clear demand. A command to an underling.
Sarika saw Percy wince at that tone. He didn’t like being made to look small in front of the two female shifters.
“She is cousin to Luiz.”
There was silence following that particular revelation. Even Jasmine sent a wary glance around. Apparently, her cousin had somewhat of a reputation. Not only did the men look uneasy, but Jasmine did as well, and the little girl stopped fighting the shifter. Suddenly, it felt very good to have Luiz as a cousin.
“I wasn’t told Luiz had a cousin,” Rud said. “A female at that. Can she shift? With those bloodlines, she should produce shifters. Percy, were you trying to keep this woman for yourself?” Rud’s tone was threatening.
“Percy was trying to help me. We just met,” Sarika said quickly, jumping to the shifter’s defense. “I don’t know my way around the forest as of yet.” She thought it best to look as if she were protecting Percy. He would like that, and Rud would become even more suspicious.
“I am ruler of the jaguars,” Rud announced. “You should have made yourself known to me. Percy should have told me of you immediately and brought you to me.”
She thought it significant that he used the term ruler rather than leader. There was a difference, and Rud didn’t seem to know what it was.
Sarika took a chance of looking around again, doing a quick sweep of her surroundings. To her consternation, Bacus had disappeared. He had shifted back into the shadows, no doubt intent on searching for her exact location. Now she really worried that she had made the one small mistake with her voice when she’d been alarmed on Jasmine’s behalf.