Total pages in book: 152
Estimated words: 139934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 700(@200wpm)___ 560(@250wpm)___ 466(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 700(@200wpm)___ 560(@250wpm)___ 466(@300wpm)
“Trust Lazar to get the most use and the most money out of one of our women. Someone needs to put that man out of his misery. Hopefully, it will be one of us,” Fyodor said. “I used to think he was invincible.”
“Maybe not invincible, but he sure as hell made a pact with the devil.”
“How did Ashe end up here in the States?”
“Her parents fell in love and her dad was rich enough to get them out.” Timur told Fyodor about Ashe’s parents being true mates, falling in love and escaping their mutual lairs.
“You’d think Lazar would try to acquire Ashe to take her mother’s place as a breeder in the lair,” Fyodor said. “Why send a hit squad? The first few men were here to kill her. Lazar sent a bigger crew after us later, right?”
Timur nodded, shoved his hands in his pockets and went to the window to look out. He loved the night. Everything about it. That stemmed from all the times he’d crawled away from his father, broken and bruised, into the sanctuary of the darkness.
“From what I’ve gathered, Lazar and old man Mostafa had a falling-out. Mostafa had changed his mind when he heard his son was dead and wanted his granddaughter alive. Lazar got pissed and decided Mostafa wasn’t getting his hands on Ashe. Lazar would kill her first, or if he could kidnap her, treat her to the same fate he’d had in mind for her mother.”
“Evangeline’s pregnant, and there’s a part of me that worries what I’m passing down to our children. Our father. Sevastyan’s father. Rolan and Lazar. Our grandfather. Where does it end?”
“I don’t know,” Timur said. “Christophe was just saying the same thing to me. His grandfather was, father and uncle are, cruel and vicious. Of course, we have to worry that one of our children could turn out the same way, or that we could somehow become like them.”
“I haven’t talked to Evangeline about it, but I know there’s a part of her that’s worried as well.” Fyodor rubbed his temples as if he was getting a headache.
“Every single shifter, male or female, who has gone mad and turned into a vicious killer has refused to be with their true mate. They don’t take care of their leopards. They deprive them and hunt with them. They allow them to crave human blood. If you mistreat your cat, eventually, you’ll feel the effects.”
Fyodor sighed. “I know that firsthand. My leopard is still fierce and always out for blood. Evangeline has tempered him. She quiets him and if I give him a chance to run with his mate nightly, he’s much more content. I don’t feel the effects of his bad temper nearly as much as I used to. In fact, now that I’m really thinking about it, the difference is night and day. I had to install steel bars on the doors and windows to keep him from escaping while I slept. That’s how vicious he was. I’ve never once worried since I’ve been with Evangeline.”
“It’s strange how Evangeline and Ashe both are some kind of leopard whisperer. I’ve been around the wives of the others and my leopard still raged. When I first met Evangeline, I was shocked that he settled when he was close to her. Mitya and Sevastyan and Gorya all said theirs did as well. Now if they’re close to Ashe, that happens. Don’t you think it’s strange that we’re brothers and our women both have some trait that calms other leopards?”
“We’re both lucky bastards,” Fyodor agreed. “My leopard still gives me hell when Evangeline isn’t around.”
Temnyy had been nearly uncontrollable at times, raking and clawing for freedom, demanding blood. Raging against every human Timur came into contact with. He understood exactly what his brother meant. Now that he had Ashe, his leopard was much more amenable. Of course, he’d been out running with Godiva every night and having sex. That had tired him out and put him in a far better mood, but if they were away from their females too long, Temnyy was back to his storming, wild ways.
“My leopard is much happier with Ashe in our lives.” Why was it so much easier to reference his cat rather than just tell his brother that the woman had changed his life forever? He couldn’t imagine what it would be like without her now. He wanted Fyodor to know what Ashe meant to him. Why couldn’t he just say it? That he loved her with every breath he took?
“We’re going to have to come up with a better plan to protect them,” Fyodor said. “I worry that Lazar or Rolan will decide to plant a bomb in the bakery.”
“They won’t,” Timur said, utterly confident. “They both want personal revenge. Hands-on. They’d like to torture us themselves. They won’t come here until they know they’re safe from us. They won’t make a move like that against us. The team was sent to take us prisoner, not kill us. I think the idea was to keep us in this house and then Lazar would arrive and take it over.”