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.”
“You’re glad to see us,” Gorya said.
“Very glad and grateful,” Connor said. “When we clear this lair of the depraved shifters, Drake has convinced me to step up and fill the vacancy so no one else does. It isn’t something I aspire to. I’m no leader. I like my freedom, and as far as I can tell, anyone ruling a lair has a yoke around their neck.”
Fyodor and Mitya laughed. “You’ve got that right,” Fyodor agreed. “Worst damn thing Drake could have asked. I should have shot the bastard instead of agreeing.”
•••
TheJaoa home was a sprawling two-story mansion built inside what could only have been designed to be a fortress. There were high walls surrounding the estate. Roped vines covered the walls. There were two sets of patrolling guards around the outside and two more inside. Gorya noted cameras in various locations.
The moment the heavy iron gates swung closed, trapping them inside, he knew his people would dispose of the patrolling guards outside the estate. Their army wasalready on the move, quietly going through the rainforest, taking down targets and disposing of the bodies. Jaoa was soon to be without his personal army.
The private airstrip where prisoners were brought in and out had already been destroyed, and at that very moment their fighters were engaged with Jaoa’s shifters at the mouth of the river. They’d already recovered every victim locked in the various holding areas Jaoa had near the airstrip and river. They also had attacked the school and rescued the children there. Jaoa was unaware, but he had few resources left who could come to his aid.
A pretty but downtrodden woman opened the door for them and beckoned them into the cool interior of the house. The foyer was large with a high ceiling. Fans with wide paddles turned above their heads. The woman led the way into a very large rectangular room filled with plants and low rattan furniture. Windows allowed light to stream into the room during the day, but thin lacy curtains filtered out the brightness.
The sun had set, streaking the night sky in deep purple across the growing darkness. The colors against the vivid greens of trees and plants outside the windows cast an eerie effect onto the walls of the room through the lace. Carolina was seated in one of the few high-backed chairs, facing away from the ferns, looking as if she were sitting on a throne. Jaoa came forward to greet Connor and then each of the Amurov cousins. Gorya couldn’t help noting that his gaze continually slid to Maya, just as Connor had predicted.
With Gorya and his cousins had come their security force. It would have been suspicious for men of their stature not to bring them. Gedeon, Rodion and Matvei were with Gorya. Timur and Sevastyan accompanied Mitya and Fyodor along with three of their top people, including Jeremiah. They moved soundlessly across the room, facing Jaoa’s bodyguards.
“Gentlemen, it’s such a pleasure to meet you. When Connor reached out and said you would be traveling this way, I had hoped you might come to see Carolina and me.” Jaoa waved them toward the low-slung couches.
Gorya deliberately took the one directly in front of Jaoa’s chair and in Carolina’s line of vision. The tension in the room increased dramatically.
She despises Maya,Wraith reported.Her leopard is going wild.
