“Do tell.”
“Let’s hurry down to the house while everyone’s busy.I’m ready to mark and mate you, Serenade, and make you mine again and again.”
“Lead the way, Alpha.”
By the time they made it down to the house, she was a bundle of sexual energy and ready to tear his clothes off.And hers.
But then he dropped to one knee in the family room and her breath caught in her throat.He lifted a ring from his pocket.It was a beautiful, dark red stone in a yellow gold setting.
“This was my mom’s.It’s a fire opal and it was her favorite stone.When she passed away, she left it to me with a note that I should save it for my soulmate, because there was nothing better than the union of two people who were meant to be together, chosen by fate.The moment I met you, Sera, I knew you were mine.You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I love you from the very bottom of my heart.You’re my soulmate and my alpha female, but I want you to be my wife.Will you marry me?”
Her eyes stung with tears as she first nodded, and then let out a breathy, “Yes!”
He slipped the beautiful ring on her finger and rose to his feet for a kiss that made her jaguar purr and her skin prickle.
“I love you, Sera mine,” he whispered against her lips.
She hooked her fingers into the waistband of his slacks and tugged as she took a step toward the bedroom.
“I love you too, Caesar.Let’s show each other just how much.”
“Again and again,” he said, his voice rumbling with promise and a purr from his lion.
Otto Magnus, jaguar alpha and rightful mate of Serenade Caldwell, crouched near the tall stone walls of the safari park.Beyond the walls were the animal paddocks, which from what he could tell of the drone footage they’d been taking for the last week, were empty when the safari tours didn’t cart humans around to gawk at them.
He had ten males with him.The best fighters from both prowls, the last ones who were truly loyal to him.
Tonight he was going to end things.
He’d planned to attack Friday night, but when they’d headed to the park and scouted the area after the park was closed, they’d discovered the lions were having a damn big party in their paddock.And only a fool would launch an attack when the entire lion pride was hanging out nearby.
And Otto wasnofool.
So they’d left and returned the following night.He didn’t like waiting, but he also didn’t like to fail, and he had no plans to fail in his quest.One way or another, Sera would be his and he would take his rightful place as alpha of the joined prowls, with her by his side.
Or on her knees.
Whatever.
“Ready when you are, Alpha,” Ric murmured beside him.
Otto nodded and looked at his watch.It was nearly eleven p.m., and the security team had passed by a little while ago, and wouldn’t be back around for long enough to allow them to get into the paddock and break into the huge maintenance building.He was certain that the location of the shifters was underneath the park and the maintenance sheds in each paddock were the way down.
Once they were under the park, they’d find Sera and kill Caesar and any who came against them.
The park shifters might have numbers on their side, but jaguars were not afraid to fight dirty.
With a low growl, Otto moved forward, stealthily avoiding the detection of the security systems that included motion detectors and cameras.When he was close enough, he lifted an EMP and looked at the males with him.
“We have ninety seconds.Use the time wisely.”
He pressed the button and a low, almost imperceptible whine filled the air.A pulse rolled outward like a blast of hot air.The lights on the security cameras and those in the park flickered once, twice, then cut out entirely.
“Go, go!”he hissed.They sprinted to the wall.One of the males tossed a hook up and it caught on the top of the wall.The male scaled the wall and laid a thick blanket over the barbed wire, then leaped down into the paddock.In seconds, they were over the wall and into the dark paddock.
They hurried toward the maintenance shed, but Otto stopped when something in the air changed.
Something was wrong.
