Page 4 of Lion's Prize

My mind spun. The only thing in my favor would be to do something they didn’t expect. I was willing to bet my life—literally—that they wouldn’t expect an attack.

Not that I could do much. I’d had self-defense classes after college, but would that help me?

I was about to find out.

I crawled out from underneath the shrubs that kept me hidden, and under the dark of night, I crawled toward Number One, who still looked into the trees. Number Three had his back toward us, and Number Two was digging under a bush that hadn’t been mine.

It was now or never.

At the last moment, I shifted into human form and kicked him between his legs from behind. Since he was naked, his three-piece was perfectly exposed, and he howled in pain, falling to his knees. I grabbed a branch from the ground, barely thinking at all, and hit him over the head. My survival skills had taken over completely.

A sickening crack sounded, and the limp body fell to the ground, blood matting the dark hair.

I stared at the limp body, horrified.

Strong arms wrapped around my body, and I screamed. When a hand covered my mouth, I bit down on to the fingers, and I tasted blood.

“Fuck!” the man cried out, and I figured it was Number Three.

When the panther came up in front of me, he shifted into human form. I tried to shift again, but Number Three grabbed me by the ears when I did and held me kicking and squealing in the air.

I tried to shift, but that just had him holding me by the hair, and that had me naked in their grasp.

No, thank you.

I shifted into a rabbit again. At least, that way, I wasn’t completely vulnerable.

“Well, this is interesting,” he said.

Number Two kneeled in front of his buddy and whistled through his teeth. “He’s dead.”

“You’re kidding me.”

My body ran cold.

“Yeah, who would have thought? Good thing, or he would never have heard the end of it that he was bested by a rabbit.”

They didn’t sound horrified that their friend was dead. I could barely breathe at the news, but they werejokingabout it.

“What do you want to do with her?” Number Two asked, straightening up. He was still naked, and I was disconcerted.

“I think we should take her back with us. The boss is going to want to see this.”

Number Two nodded, and they walked through the trees, falling into step side-by-side, carrying me like some kind of roadkill.

Now what?

2

BRAXTON

Istood in front of the double-volume full-length windows that looked out over the valley with a glass of Bourbon in my hand. I wore only my jeans, the fireplace warming up the great room, and everyone was out doing their thing, just as I’d ordered.

This was the fucking life.

I was removed from the city here, away from all the bullshit that happened there every day, but that didn’t mean I didn’t have a finger on Portland’s pulse at all times.

“Alpha,” Dagger said, coming into the room. His wavy dark hair was a tangled mess, and his broad face serious.

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