Shit.
‘Aisha, run!’ he shouted, reaching for the dagger at his belt.
But there wasn’t enough time to run. She looked behind her as the undergrowth exploded and a leopard sprang from the thicket, a flash of muscle and claws cutting through the air towards her. Aisha fell forwards off the rock in her attempt to get out of its path. Tariq threw his dagger, striking the leopard in the ribs. It tumbled into Aisha, sending her sliding across the dirt. He heard the air leave her lungs.
All four men reached her at the same time, dragging the dying animal off her.
‘Are you hurt?’ Tariq asked, dropping to his knees beside her.
She shook her head. ‘No.’
The colour was gone from her face, so he lifted her limbs, one at a time, just to be sure. Satisfied she wasn’t bleeding, he helped her sit up. ‘You could have been mauled.’
‘I’m fine.’ She averted her gaze as Kaidon cut the leopard’s throat, putting it out of its misery. ‘Did you have to kill her?’
‘It’s kinder than letting her suffer.’ Tariq helped her to her feet but thought she appeared dizzy, so he kept hold of her hand.
Aisha leaned in and whispered, ‘There’s a cub.’
Confused, he looked around. ‘Where?’
‘In a den.’
It took him a moment to realise she hadn’t physically seen the cub but rather had a vision. ‘Your Sight works through animals?’
She looked as baffled as he was. ‘Apparently, yes. It’s never happened before. And we had a lot of animals at the palace—thanks to Yasmin.’
Tariq looked over at the dead leopard, noting the mammary swelling and loose belly. ‘I should have told you to stay close.’
‘I shouldn’t have wandered away.’
Their gazes met briefly.
‘We need to find the cub,’ Aisha said. ‘It can’t be far, and it’ll starve if we don’t help it.’
The vision had clearly drained her of sense. ‘You want to go looking for a leopard cub? After being attacked by a leopard?’
‘Yes.’ She pressed a hand to her chest. ‘The thing is, I told Yasmin I would try to help.’
He stared at her. ‘Help… leopards?’
‘She told me they’re endangered.’
‘Aisha…’ He took a small step back from her. ‘This isn’t some puppy on the street. It’s a wild beast.’
‘Please.’ She took hold of his arm, locking eyes with him. ‘The mother’s dead because of me. Help me find the cub.’
For a long moment, he didn’t speak, just stared back at her, seeing only conviction. Emitting a defeated exhale, he looked over at Kaidon, who was now listening in on their conversation while the other two guards disposed of the corpse.
‘Gods, what have you agreed to now?’ he said.
Tariq muttered a curse. ‘We’re going to take a quick look around for the cub before we leave.’
Aisha let go of his arm. ‘The den can’t be far from here.’
‘Mothers will travel up to six miles from their young in search of food.’ He watched the disappointment play out on her face. ‘That said, I believe the den’s nearby.’
That had her perking up. ‘Why do you say that?’
