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tentatively, but soon his tongue moved over every fold and pushed deeply into her
passage, soothing and healing her. Rather than arousing, his touch was comforting, so
she submitted and let him work.
 Was that so bad?
Her lids flew open and she found Kage, in human form, kneeling on the seat
between her legs.  I didn t sense you morph.
 I can be subtle, most of the time.
 What made you go wolf in the first place?
 I m not sure. I haven t lost control like that in years. He shook his head.  More
like decades. I suspect it s all part of the same problem. Whatever is affecting us must
have triggered my shift. Your scent, and your taste, soothed me as much as my mouth
soothed you. He found his jeans and pulled them on.  This is not what I had in mind
when I pulled the truck over.
 I m sorry, she said with an unapologetic smile.  Was I supposed to squirm and
cry and beg for mercy?
He chuckled and reached for his shirt.  I ve never been one for crying, but we ll
see if I can make you squirm and beg for mercy once we reach Milo s farm.
Chapter Four
Angry voices drew Dyauna s attention away from the knife she was sharpening.
She shoved the blade back into the sheath strapped to her thigh and tossed the
whetstone onto the table. Hustling across the cottage, she opened the front door and
gazed across the sunny front yard.
On the other side of the low picket fence -- thank the gods it wasn t white --
Maddox stood with two of his sentinels, arguing with a wiry man she didn t recognize.
She sniffed the air and automatically reached for her knife. Guns might be forbidden in
the feline village, but she refused to walk around unarmed.
If this was village business, there was no reason for her to be involved.
Maintaining consensus among the joint council ministers was exasperating enough. She
had no desire to poke her nose into pride disputes.
But why were the sentinels here?
Suddenly Maddox lunged for the stranger with an infuriated roar. Dyauna leapt
off the porch and hurtled the picket fence. Maddox was the most even-tempered person
she d ever met. Few things had the power to rile him.
To her astonishment, the sentinels grabbed his arms and dragged him off the
cowering stranger.  What the fuck is going on? She hadn t intentionally drawn her
knife, but it fit comfortably in her hand.
 They have Jizette. The anguish in her mate s tone clawed at Dyauna s heart.
Maddox had raised his sister. He was extremely protective of her.
 Who has her? Why was she taken?
The stranger remained on his knees, head bowed, trembling. Without lifting his
head, he proffered some sort of message. She snatched the folded paper from his hand
and read the provoking words.
Aubrey Ross Alpha Colony: Unwanted Desire 44
 This makes no sense. She looked at Maddox, easily understanding his
outburst. No one threatened a Barbary pride lion, much less one of his kin.  Even if a
lion did what this claims -- which I find hard to believe -- no one in Barbary pride is
stupid enough to leave the body where it will be found.
Maddox pulled her into his arms for a quick hug.  I can always count on you to
boil things down to brutal logic.
 This mutt claims Jizette herself verified the scent of two Barbary males on the
victim s body, one of the sentinel s reminded him.
Dyauna eased away from Maddox and positioned herself so she could see the
others.  Ever heard of a condom? It s not that hard to plant evidence. Most men can be
led around by their cocks if a pretty woman is involved.
Maddox nodded, purging his anxiety with a deep breath.  Ask around. See if
anyone will admit to an unusual indiscretion. I ll double the teams searching the
mountains.
 You think Izak set this up? Dyauna s suspicions had been headed that way;
Maddox just got there faster.
 He failed to spark hostilities between your people and mine, so he put a new
twist on his old strategy.
She didn t ask about Jizette. Maddox was well aware that his sister was in danger
every minute he delayed. Finding Izak was the wisest course, the only viable option. If
they launched an offensive against the dogs, Jizette s captors would simply kill her.
Even so, the woman in Dyauna understood what it was like to be utterly
helpless. And she was tormented by the possibilities.
* * *
A thin, black man rushed out of the side door of a large farmhouse and met their
truck as Kage pulled into the wide, graveled lot between the house and the barn.
 About time you got here! He pulled open Kage s door and started to say
something else when he spotted Jizette.  And who do we have here? I didn t know you
were bringing a guest.
Aubrey Ross Alpha Colony: Unwanted Desire 45
 Jizette, this is Milo. Kage leaned back so she could shake their host s hand.
 Welcome to the freak show, milady. Any friend of Kage s is a friend of mine.
Freak show? She mouthed the words to Kage as Milo walked around to her side of
the truck.
 After he s shown you around, it will all make sense, Kage promised.
Milo opened her door and led them into the house. They paused in a cozy, eat-in
kitchen and he asked them if they needed one room or two.
Kage looked at her and smiled.  One is fine with me, but it s up to the lady.
 Two rooms would be a waste. We ll end up in the same bed and you know it.
Milo chuckled and slapped Kage on the back.  Lucky man. Now, let s get the
pleasantries out of the way before we get down to business. Are either of you hungry or
thirsty?
They both shook their heads; then Kage said,  Jizette could use a change of
clothes, if you can scrounge together something in her size.
 I ll see what I can do.
 This is fine for tonight, she told them.  But I d appreciate whatever you can
find for tomorrow.
Milo s dark gaze settled on her face and narrowed with speculation.  At the risk
of being rude, what species are you?
She glanced at Kage, unsure how much this  farmer knew about what went on
inside the walls of Alpha Colony.
 She s Barbary pride, Kage answered for her.  Maddox s sister to be exact.
 You know my brother? Apparently Milo knew a great deal about DOMA s
favorite petting zoo. Kage had managed to avoid discussing his reason for visiting the
farm. He d told her he had something Milo needed, and neatly sidestepped the details.
Milo smiled.  We know some of the same people and have some common
enemies. Most notably DOMA, of course.
 Why is a farmer at odds with the Department of Morphological Affairs?
Aubrey Ross Alpha Colony: Unwanted Desire 46 [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]