motherfucker in there to get those women out safely.”
When all the men nodded, Eli knocked on the back door of the truck and Nivea immediately came out.
“Let’s go!” she said, moving quickly between all of the guys and heading up the small incline to the house.
* * *
“The rogue scent is stronger here,” Ezra said, looking up at the deck that covered the entire length of the back of the house.
“We’ll go in the front and handle the hybrids,” Aidan announced.
The brothers ran around the other side of the house while Eli, Ezra, and Nivea stayed in the back.
“They aren’t expecting us, not this soon anyway. We’ll get in and get out,” Eli announced. “Stay close to me.”
The latter was directed to Nivea who didn’t spare him a glance of agreement, making Eli think she didn’t plan to do what he asked. No matter, Ezra was right behind Nivea, nodding to Eli. So the shifter took that as his cue. Lifting one arm up, he let the claws that had just extended dig into the house’s siding. He did the same with the other arm and was soon scaling the side of the house, heading for the windows where lights were on. When he was at the top he hurled himself through the window, landing on his feet in the middle of an empty bedroom.
“They’ve been in here,” he said, looking around and inhaling deeply.
“This way,” Nivea yelled from where she stood already at the door and disappearing down a hallway.
Ezra shook his head as he moved past Eli. “Yeah, that’s all on you, bro.”
Eli frowned and followed them out. As he entered the hallway, he came to a stop right behind his brother. Standing just a few feet away, blocking any further access into the house, was a white Bengal tiger, teeth bared and ready to attack.
Ezra looked back over his shoulder at Eli. “Just like old times, huh?”
Eli shrugged. “We kicked their asses back then, we’ll just have to do it again.”
With that, both jaguars shifted and battled the Lormenian just as they had been taught in the Sierra Leone rain forest.
* * *
Nivea heard the growling and knew there was a battle going on behind her. With her heart pounding, she stood, conflicted for about two seconds before deciding that she needed to find her sisters and her mother. Eli and Ezra were well-trained. They could handle themselves until she was able to get back to help them. First and foremost, she needed to get to her family because none of them had been trained to fight rogues—or any other entity, for that matter.
As she followed their familiar scent, Nivea absolutely hated her father for denying all of them their heritage. Her sisters could shift and so could her mother but none of them had been taught any of the survival skills they needed to defend themselves against rogues or those damned hybrids. They’d act on instinct, Nivea hoped, and would at least shift into their cat form, but then what?
She ran, almost hopping down the steps to get to the room where she suspected they were. Their scent was too potent for them to be locked away, they were out in the open, right down this way. Moving through the downstairs of the large house, she came to a stop in the living room where four of the biggest, ugliest beasts she’d ever seen circled around her sisters and her mother.
“Whoa.” Caleb extended an arm that landed right at Nivea’s neck, blocking her from going any farther. “Stand back,” he told her. “We got this.”
Nivea swiped his arm out of her way. “This is my family, I’ve got this!” she yelled at him.
“Nivea!” Amina called to her. “Thank god you came!”
She couldn’t see Amina’s face, only heard her voice and saw between the gaps of the hybrid bodies that she was tied together with Serene and their mother. Without hesitation Nivea charged forward only to be lifted off the ground and turned away. As she cursed Caleb for interfering again, the hybrids moved.
Each of them came forward, as if a switch
When all the men nodded, Eli knocked on the back door of the truck and Nivea immediately came out.
“Let’s go!” she said, moving quickly between all of the guys and heading up the small incline to the house.
* * *
“The rogue scent is stronger here,” Ezra said, looking up at the deck that covered the entire length of the back of the house.
“We’ll go in the front and handle the hybrids,” Aidan announced.
The brothers ran around the other side of the house while Eli, Ezra, and Nivea stayed in the back.
“They aren’t expecting us, not this soon anyway. We’ll get in and get out,” Eli announced. “Stay close to me.”
The latter was directed to Nivea who didn’t spare him a glance of agreement, making Eli think she didn’t plan to do what he asked. No matter, Ezra was right behind Nivea, nodding to Eli. So the shifter took that as his cue. Lifting one arm up, he let the claws that had just extended dig into the house’s siding. He did the same with the other arm and was soon scaling the side of the house, heading for the windows where lights were on. When he was at the top he hurled himself through the window, landing on his feet in the middle of an empty bedroom.
“They’ve been in here,” he said, looking around and inhaling deeply.
“This way,” Nivea yelled from where she stood already at the door and disappearing down a hallway.
Ezra shook his head as he moved past Eli. “Yeah, that’s all on you, bro.”
Eli frowned and followed them out. As he entered the hallway, he came to a stop right behind his brother. Standing just a few feet away, blocking any further access into the house, was a white Bengal tiger, teeth bared and ready to attack.
Ezra looked back over his shoulder at Eli. “Just like old times, huh?”
Eli shrugged. “We kicked their asses back then, we’ll just have to do it again.”
With that, both jaguars shifted and battled the Lormenian just as they had been taught in the Sierra Leone rain forest.
* * *
Nivea heard the growling and knew there was a battle going on behind her. With her heart pounding, she stood, conflicted for about two seconds before deciding that she needed to find her sisters and her mother. Eli and Ezra were well-trained. They could handle themselves until she was able to get back to help them. First and foremost, she needed to get to her family because none of them had been trained to fight rogues—or any other entity, for that matter.
As she followed their familiar scent, Nivea absolutely hated her father for denying all of them their heritage. Her sisters could shift and so could her mother but none of them had been taught any of the survival skills they needed to defend themselves against rogues or those damned hybrids. They’d act on instinct, Nivea hoped, and would at least shift into their cat form, but then what?
She ran, almost hopping down the steps to get to the room where she suspected they were. Their scent was too potent for them to be locked away, they were out in the open, right down this way. Moving through the downstairs of the large house, she came to a stop in the living room where four of the biggest, ugliest beasts she’d ever seen circled around her sisters and her mother.
“Whoa.” Caleb extended an arm that landed right at Nivea’s neck, blocking her from going any farther. “Stand back,” he told her. “We got this.”
Nivea swiped his arm out of her way. “This is my family, I’ve got this!” she yelled at him.
“Nivea!” Amina called to her. “Thank god you came!”
She couldn’t see Amina’s face, only heard her voice and saw between the gaps of the hybrid bodies that she was tied together with Serene and their mother. Without hesitation Nivea charged forward only to be lifted off the ground and turned away. As she cursed Caleb for interfering again, the hybrids moved.
Each of them came forward, as if a switch
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