She stretched forward, the tip of her nose only a few inches away from the center of my palm. And then, hair still standing on end, she bumped me, sucking in several half-breaths. Tasting my scent.
The lion’s ki blossomed in my mind. A link burning through me as I gasped. Ferocious. Savage. Protective. Patient.
A perfect huntress.
The underbrush crackled and popped as Josh came barreling back into the clearing. “What the fuck are you doin’, Mila! Get back!”
In a split second, the lion’s pupils narrowed to tiny dots, and acting on pure, unfiltered instinct, she took a swipe. I twisted, managing to dodge a killing blow, but did not escape unscathed. Four long, hooked claws raked down the right side of my ribs, leaving a trail of fire and ripped clothing in their wake.
In spite of the pain, I did not falter—I seized her ki and burrowed beneath her skin. Tying us together. Driving her back, I slipped past the instinct that demanded my immediate death and begged for calm.
“I-It’s okay, Mum. It’s okay. See to your babies, pretty girl. That’s it. They need you. G-Go to them.”
She hissed, long and low, pinpricks focused on Josh, but with one final push, disappeared into the dark with an irate flick of her tail.
I staggered back, hands pressed to the gore pouring over my hip.
“Gods, Mila. Have you lost your damned mind, lass?” He rushed to my side, reaching for me. “Are you alright? I’ve never seen anything half as reckless asyouin that moment, girl.” And then, features pinched tight with concern, Josh pressed his lips to mine.
The wrong lips.
“What iswrongwith you?” I wrenched free of his hands with a snarl, staggering as a fresh wave of warmth slid down my hip. “Kissing me as if you aren’t responsible for nearly getting me killed!”
“I—” His eyes bulged. “I almost got you killed? How about the great fucking mountain lion you decided to take as a wee, vicious pet?”
“Just—” I hissed, baring my teeth. “Just shut up for a minute.”
With a curse, he dropped to a knee, swept his arm behind my legs, and hefted me off my feet. “Gods above, lass. Protecting you is takin’ years off my life.”
I thumbed the brand instead of snapping at him. Instead of sinking my teeth into the soft bit above his collarbone and bleeding his ki dry. He’d earned no less, the bloody idiot—
“Mila!” Belle pressed both hands to her lips. “Goddess, sister. Let me see.”
“Great stinkin’ beast took a piece of her. I’ll see about setting a trap to catch th’savage—”
I bared my teeth. “You’ll do no such thing!”
“I’ll not have that beast attacking us when our backs are turned.”
I pushed away from his chest, landing hard on the balls of my feet. “I saidno, Josh. You’ll not lay a hand on her or her young.”
“Mila, it took a swipe at you, and if I hadna come along she would have done much more.”
“This isyourfault! I wasn’t in any danger untilyoushowed up.Youstartled her!” I grimaced, trying to staunch the flow of blood. “If you’d done as I said and stayed back, everything would—gah. Get away from me, you fool,” I gasped, unable to mend rent flesh in front of the others. Forced to suffer the pain until I could deal with it in seclusion. “It hurts.”
Belle rushed ahead of us, snatching the Dosmui Circlets from Ancaster as she went. “It’s alright, Mila. I’ve got you.”
Black stars glittered at the edge of my vision but my lips twitched. This pain was an easy price to pay for the link I now shared with the lion—a link bolstered by each passing beat of the Grandmother’s new heart.
Such a magnificent creature. A perfect huntress.
Priestess ki surged through my veins, staunching the flow of blood from the lacerations now marking the right side of my torso, but my attention had begun to wander.
I was with the lion as she settled down with her kittens. Safe, warm, and content.
Chapter 21
We’d made it.
