Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Triumph and despair mixed again. She didn’t want to kill anyone. That wasn’t in her nature, even though she’d learned sometimes it was the only thing to do that stopped monsters. She had to shoot him while she had the chance, and the next target would be Joshua, not Gray.
Movement caught her eye, and Joshua stood in front of them. He was naked. Totally naked, every muscle on display. His genitals were heavy and impressive. Blood streaked his thigh, chest and face. Blood dripped but he did nothing to stop it.
“Sonia, baby, you didn’t give me a chance to explain everything. I asked you to hear me out. You don’t want to shoot Kai. He had nothing to do with what’s true between the two of us. Point the gun at me if that makes you feel safe, and we’ll talk.”
If she did, she’d lose all advantage and she knew it. Still, his voice was so powerful that before she could think it through, she’d started to turn the weapon away from the huge male. Something hit her arm from behind, dragging it at an odd angle, wrenching it. The gun was yanked from her hand, leaving her defenseless. There was no way out and these leopards weren’t killing Gatita; she was going to force them to kill her.
She tried to take control and her leopard fought her for supremacy. She detested Joshua in that moment. He’d deliberately distracted her, coming close while naked. Exposing himself in his most vulnerable form in order to give his men a chance at stripping the gun from her.
Gatita, let me shift.
No, I won’t let them kill you. The cat had her most stubborn tone, the one that told Sonia all the best commanding and pitiful whining wouldn’t budge her. She shifted her arm and hand back, leaving the playing field to the little cat.
Kai and Gray slowly let Gatita up, but stayed close, boxing her in to keep her from having room to attack. She snarled at Joshua as she came to her feet, but made no move toward him. What would be the point? She had to conserve energy.
“Sonia, you can’t win. There are seven of us and one of you. You don’t want your cat torn to shreds. Head back to the house with us and don’t do anything crazy. I know you’re scared, but there’s no need to be. I’d protect you with my life. We can’t stay here and talk. There’s a hunter just across the river and he isn’t local. I’m asking you to think about what that could mean and do the right thing, just come with us quietly.”
So many scenarios ran through her head. She didn’t have a gun, but she could make him kill her right there. If they took her back to his house she would have a very small chance that she could escape again, but if she couldn’t escape he’d turn her over to Nikita, and she didn’t want to be tortured. Nikita wasn’t going to just kill her outright. Still, going to his house might be better than getting torn to shreds.
Gatita snarled, showing her teeth. She slapped her paw at the ground, sending a long trail of leaves into the air to show her displeasure.
“Boss, back away. They aren’t going to let her move until you get to safety,” Evan said.
Sonia shifted her gaze to him. The man had partially shifted so he could speak. She had thought him a friend as well. She’d worked around these men. They’d meant something to her. She waited while Joshua studied her little female.
“I would never hurt you, Sonia. Not. Ever. I can understand why you think I might have sold you out. I can understand why you think I’ve betrayed you. Think about this rationally. Right now, you’re in fight-or-flight mode. You aren’t thinking. You have to know what we have between us is real. All the same, even knowing how fucked up your thinking is, it’s still fucking insulting.” He turned his back on her and shifted as he walked away.
She felt small. He made her feel that way. In front of his men, he’d reduced her to the aggressor with him as the victim. He’d even looked and sounded hurt. She didn’t want to think about the honesty she heard in his voice. He’d sounded honest when he’d told her he loved her – but then so had Sasha. What explanation was there for that?
Is it possible you can’t tell a lie from the truth, Gatita? She relied heavily on her leopard’s senses.
I am very confused. Shadow says I am his mate and cannot leave him. His male thinks the same of you. He seems sincere, although he is very, very angry with me for hurting Joshua.
Gatita was slow in starting. She stood without moving, just staring at Joshua’s big male as if he might have all the answers. That made Sonia uneasy. If Joshua could get his male to convince her female he intended them no harm, he’d be able to do almost anything.