Page 56 of Savage Mates
Fuck. My cock ached. What the hell kind of mind control did the woman have over me? Over us?
Both lions remained quiet until finally Thor walked closer, his expression pensive. “You know we are connected through whatever being entered us. But denying what you the two of feel isn’t going to help you rid yourself of anger and doubt. She is our mate. Human or not. That cub in the last cabin is proof it’s possible.”
He was right, but only to a point. We were lions, the DNA stronger than our human side. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking. “I’m going for a walk.”
“Why don’t you find our mate while you’re out there. While she will need to return to the others, we need to discover what she knows and her intended plans,” Titus said in an untypical demanding voice.
We were all agitated. The food supply on this island was limited and we certainly weren’t going to kill and eat the mutant lions. And fish were out of the question. At some point, we would starve to death if we remained on the island. We couldn’t trust whatever had been done to the mutants wouldn’t be transferred.
I didn’t bother dressing. At some point, I would shift again, hunting the jungle for dangers.
And answers.
There were still mutated lions with the marauders. At some point, I had a feeling they’d all be released, unable to sink their teeth into the men who’d abused them, so they’d turn on us. We’d vowed to protect our little pride with our lives and we intended on honoring that pledge.
As I moved to the edge of the camp, a scent caught my attention. Sweet. Sultry. All consuming.
My skin prickled and when I held out my arms, I could see my blood pulsing rapidly in the veins on my arms. Hissing, I also was forced to endure my cock becoming stiff as a board. What I was feeling was ridiculous, yet the draw to her scent and to the woman was powerful.
What few humans truly understood was how much power was in our ability to smell. The range was long, much more so now than before. With the wind carrying her fragrance through the dense foliage, it was as if the little human was standing right beside me.
Still grumbling, I headed into the jungle, the small pathway wide enough that it had drawn her attention. She certainly wasn’t stupid. She knew the risks of the island. She was completely aware there were other mutations of nature roaming the land. That meant her determination to venture off, and not in the direction of the military compound, was based on fact finding or simply being irresponsible.
I moved my way through the foliage and it didn’t take me long to find her.
A location that allowed me some peace and privacy, protected on one side by our camp’s establishment and security measures while the other three were based on sheer elevations and treacherous terrains.
Including drop-offs that would mean certain death.
The sound of rushing water captured my attention as I slowed my pace, finally moving through the thick vines and brush until I was able to capture a glimpse of her.
She was like magic, a beautiful painting. She’d found the waterfall, as drawn to the crystalline turquoise waters as I’d been the first time. She was sitting on the only shallow set of rocks, peering at the cascading waterfall. From where I was standing, I could see the shimmer of beads of water dancing across her skin.
Her features were strong, a chiseled jaw and a cute nose, her high forehead lightly covered in thin bangs. I’d certainly learned quickly to appreciate a woman’s body. Rounded and voluptuous with breasts that had fit perfectly in my large, human hands.
She was exquisite.
She stood seconds later, yanking off her clothes. The redness on her bottom drew my attention. So much of me wanted to mark her in a completely different way. As mine. As my mate. Fuck. I couldn’t believe I was thinking that way.
As if embarrassed, she glanced over her shoulder and directly toward the spot where I was hiding. Watching.
Hungering.
Whether or not she knew that I was close I couldn’t be certain. If she did, her actions were taunting me.
Or perhaps inviting me, a predator.
When I moved, rustling the leaves on the foliage, she stiffened. “I know you’re there. I can feel you. Why don’t you come out of hiding?” The little human didn’t bother looking in my direction. She simply slipped into the water.
A long, anguished breath left my lungs and I shoved my way from the jungle, taking slow steps toward her.
She swam a distance before popping to the surface, tossing her head back. The effect was stunning with her long, wet hair shimmering from the filtered morning sun, the powerful waterfall in the background.
I moved to the spot where she’d been standing, peering at her while filling my lungs with her sweet scent.
She remained aroused, the fragrance undeniable even though she remained mostly submerged.
Seconds later, she turned around to face me, paddling close yet keeping her distance.
