outpaced him by a fairly great distance. But wolves
were fast, too, and these were his woods. He’d be caught
up soon enough. She just hoped she found this jaguar first
because he was going to pay.
About two miles into her trek, she slowed and took to the
trees. There were clusters of very old white-bark pines—so
they were big enough to support her feline body—and she
used the branches as springboards to jump from tree to
tree until the sound of male voices made her slow even
more.
Crouching on an elongated branch, she used the leaves
and branches as camouflage and crept closer to the edge
until she had a perfect shot of a naked man—she guessed
the jaguar in human form—talking to what appeared to be
two male vampires. Or she guessed they were vamps.
Their skin was pale and there was something about their
scent that always gave vampires away. It was like an inborn
thing. Vampires and shifters were natural-born enemies so
they just sensed predators.
Unfortunately it meant they might be able to sense her but
with the other jaguar’s scent covering the area and
because she was downwind, she figured she’d be able to
blend in for the moment.
“I’m tired of waiting for them to kil each other off,” one of
the vampires said. He wore a long, black trench coat that
felt so clichéd for his kind, she would have rol ed her eyes
had she been in human form.
“We need to be patient,” the other vamp said. This one
wore a bomber jacket.
The naked man with bronze skin and dark hair shrugged,
completely unconcerned about his nudity or the cold in the
air. Yeah, definitely a jaguar. No human could stand this
weather naked. “As long as you keep paying me, I don’t
care what you want me to do. I spotted a wolf cub earlier,
but the little thing disappeared before I could kil it.”
Kill a cub? Gabriela’s claws automatical y unsheathed,
slicing into the branch. Thankful y they didn’t hear her.
“What took you so long getting here?” bomber jacket
asked.
The naked man shrugged. “I took a long detour, wanted
to make sure I hadn’t been seen or fol owed. I’l go back to
that location tomorrow, see if I spot another cub.”
Trench coat nodded. “It wil incite the wolves into kil ing
the jaguars. And while their attention is on them, we wil
start picking off the wolves.”
Pausing, the naked man glanced around, his gaze
skirting right over her hiding place in the trees before he
focused on the vamps. For a moment she worried he’d
seen or scented her, but he continued speaking. “If that
abandoned mine is as rich as you say, I stil get my cut.”
The vampires exchanged an annoyed look, then bomber
jacket nodded. “Five percent of al our findings.”
This was about money? Gabriela wasn’t even that
surprised. Some people were just greedy and vampires
who had been that way as humans were often worse when
they became members of the undead. Clearly the jaguar
shifter was just as greedy. He definitely wasn’t from this
area and she guessed he was likely a loner the vamps had
recruited from God only knew where considering the shifter
was actual y working with them. As a cub Gabriela had
played in the old mine and she and Owen had found plenty
of gold nuggets and layers of gold dust, but no one messed
with that thing anymore. It was too dangerous.
Slowly, she crept backward, careful of her steps, but
when the wind suddenly shifted, the jaguar sniffed and
looked in her general direction. Well, crap.
He broke away from the two vampires who were stil
standing there. She guessed they couldn’t pick out her
scent from the male’s because they looked confused.
When bomber jacket asked the jaguar what he was doing,
the male just growled a nonresponse and continued
walking in her direction.
She might not have been able to take him in her human
form but as a jaguar, she could fight. And she planned to do
just that. Knowing she wouldn’t be able to hide much
were fast, too, and these were his woods. He’d be caught
up soon enough. She just hoped she found this jaguar first
because he was going to pay.
About two miles into her trek, she slowed and took to the
trees. There were clusters of very old white-bark pines—so
they were big enough to support her feline body—and she
used the branches as springboards to jump from tree to
tree until the sound of male voices made her slow even
more.
Crouching on an elongated branch, she used the leaves
and branches as camouflage and crept closer to the edge
until she had a perfect shot of a naked man—she guessed
the jaguar in human form—talking to what appeared to be
two male vampires. Or she guessed they were vamps.
Their skin was pale and there was something about their
scent that always gave vampires away. It was like an inborn
thing. Vampires and shifters were natural-born enemies so
they just sensed predators.
Unfortunately it meant they might be able to sense her but
with the other jaguar’s scent covering the area and
because she was downwind, she figured she’d be able to
blend in for the moment.
“I’m tired of waiting for them to kil each other off,” one of
the vampires said. He wore a long, black trench coat that
felt so clichéd for his kind, she would have rol ed her eyes
had she been in human form.
“We need to be patient,” the other vamp said. This one
wore a bomber jacket.
The naked man with bronze skin and dark hair shrugged,
completely unconcerned about his nudity or the cold in the
air. Yeah, definitely a jaguar. No human could stand this
weather naked. “As long as you keep paying me, I don’t
care what you want me to do. I spotted a wolf cub earlier,
but the little thing disappeared before I could kil it.”
Kill a cub? Gabriela’s claws automatical y unsheathed,
slicing into the branch. Thankful y they didn’t hear her.
“What took you so long getting here?” bomber jacket
asked.
The naked man shrugged. “I took a long detour, wanted
to make sure I hadn’t been seen or fol owed. I’l go back to
that location tomorrow, see if I spot another cub.”
Trench coat nodded. “It wil incite the wolves into kil ing
the jaguars. And while their attention is on them, we wil
start picking off the wolves.”
Pausing, the naked man glanced around, his gaze
skirting right over her hiding place in the trees before he
focused on the vamps. For a moment she worried he’d
seen or scented her, but he continued speaking. “If that
abandoned mine is as rich as you say, I stil get my cut.”
The vampires exchanged an annoyed look, then bomber
jacket nodded. “Five percent of al our findings.”
This was about money? Gabriela wasn’t even that
surprised. Some people were just greedy and vampires
who had been that way as humans were often worse when
they became members of the undead. Clearly the jaguar
shifter was just as greedy. He definitely wasn’t from this
area and she guessed he was likely a loner the vamps had
recruited from God only knew where considering the shifter
was actual y working with them. As a cub Gabriela had
played in the old mine and she and Owen had found plenty
of gold nuggets and layers of gold dust, but no one messed
with that thing anymore. It was too dangerous.
Slowly, she crept backward, careful of her steps, but
when the wind suddenly shifted, the jaguar sniffed and
looked in her general direction. Well, crap.
He broke away from the two vampires who were stil
standing there. She guessed they couldn’t pick out her
scent from the male’s because they looked confused.
When bomber jacket asked the jaguar what he was doing,
the male just growled a nonresponse and continued
walking in her direction.
She might not have been able to take him in her human
form but as a jaguar, she could fight. And she planned to do
just that. Knowing she wouldn’t be able to hide much
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