Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 127461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 637(@200wpm)___ 510(@250wpm)___ 425(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 637(@200wpm)___ 510(@250wpm)___ 425(@300wpm)
“Wraith is in distress,” Maya reported, slipping her hand in his as she moved with her usual grace along the narrow trail winding through the trees. “She can’t be expected to hold out much longer, Gorya. What she’s been doing is nearly an impossible feat for any female leopard.”
He glanced down at her bent head. “This isn’t your fault, Maya. We all agreed to putting off the heat as long as possible. We’re nearly finished. Everything is in place. The moment we’ve taken down Jaoa Escabar Velentez and his organization, we’ll give Rogue and Wraith all the freedom they’ll ever want or need. That’s a promise to the three of you.” Gorya was sincere.
I admire and respect you, Wraith. I doubt any other leopard could do what you’ve done.
It is getting very difficult.
Gorya could see the very real distress in the leopard. She was squirming continually. Hot. Burning up in reality. He had to give Maya credit for the fact that she was stoic, not letting on that her leopard clawed and raked to emerge. That burning had to affect Maya as much as it did Wraith, yet she had closed her eyes on the plane and was still, curled up in her chair beside him.
I should have checked in on you. Gorya meant both. Woman and leopard.
The lush vegetation thickened around them. Light streaked in ribbons through the canopy to highlight the ferns, seedlings and saplings on the mushroom-and-debris-covered floor. Millions of insects kept the leaves moving so the ground beneath their feet resembled a living carpet.
What good would it have done for you to know? Wraith asked. You cannot change a leopard’s heat.
You did, he pointed out, exorbitantly pleased that Maya Averina had been chosen by the universe to belong to him. She had given Wraith to Rogue.
We gave Maya to you, Rogue corrected. Everything about him felt smug.
Wraith felt amused. That same almost-little-girlish feeling of feminine laughter that Maya gave to Gorya mind to mind, her leopard did as well. Maya tipped her face up and smiled at him. He leaned down and brushed her lips with his.
“Connor, my woman’s leopard is extremely close to emergence. I’m hoping we can get this done quickly. It could be a matter of urgency. And perhaps a cabin somewhere for the two of us for after? We’ll need privacy.”
Connor Vega had been born and bred in the rainforest of Panama. He had known Drake Donovan for years and reestablished his connections with the tribes that had held his mother in high regard. Vega had met them at the boat that brought the small group of shifters who would go directly to Jaoa Escabar Velentez’s personal estate.
Connor looked civilized in his casual jungle garb, but he didn’t feel that way to Gorya. He felt as wild and feral as the surroundings they were in. He was from a long line of fast, dangerous shifters, and it showed in every line and movement of his body.
“We can provide the cabin for you, no problem. I’ve got your army in place and identified the targets. My men are in place. We just need the signal for a go.” His gaze slid over Maya. “Your woman is going to be a trigger for Jaoa and his wife, Carolina. She has the exact look that sets them off.”
He turned back to the narrow path and continued to walk. While he’d been speaking and looking at them, he hadn’t broken stride or stepped off that tiny trail.
I’ve done quite a lot of research on Jaoa and his wife. I don’t know what he means.
“What do you mean she’ll be a trigger for them?” Gorya asked.
“Her looks,” Connor said without turning around or slowing down. “She looks innocent and pretty, very young. Carolina will hate her on sight. Jaoa will be attracted.”
Connor was silent a moment. Gorya could almost hear the ebb and flow of the sap in the trees and the call of the wildlife to Rogue and Wraith—it was that strong. This was a primitive place and it called to the very nature of every shifter.
“Carolina isn’t Jaoa’s true mate, at least no one thinks she could possibly be.”
“How can that be?” Timur asked. “He keeps her as if she is. He married her. She’s the mother of his children.”
“They’ve been together for years,” Fyodor added.
Connor shrugged casually, rolling his shoulders without turning around even as he led the way through the maze of flower-covered trees. “He likes to have his fun. Carolina is a very jealous woman. She also has a cruel streak. It’s possible Jaoa indulges her cruelty because he feels guilty about cheating on her, but more likely, the steady supply of women he’s able to play with is his reason for trafficking. That and the money. He might spout to others that he does it for the good of the economy, but he’s got more money than he knows what to do with.”