Savage Nature - Christine Feehan [79]
Saria rolled her eyes. “Great. You can smell me throughout the swamp. Just what I wanted to know.” She moved a little closer to Drake as if for protection. He could see the subtle movement was subconscious.
“Sorry, ma’am,” Joshua apologized. “Your leopard is rather alluring.”
Drake’s leopard clawed so hard, his muscles contorted and his jaw hurt. He felt the change sliding over him almost too fast to comprehend. His vision banded and he just happened to glance toward the two injured men. Armande’s eyes met his. The man stared back at him with despair and something else—something indefinable. The strange look steadied Drake as nothing else could have. It was if the two fallen shifters knew something the rest of them didn’t and were waiting for a catastrophe to happen.
He risked a glance at Remy and saw he was battling as well. “I think it’s this marsh.” He spoke loud enough for his voice to carry to the wounded shifters, watching them from the corner of his eye. Both looked uneasy, but they were as troubled as the rest of them.
Remy frowned but signaled to his brothers to work at controlling their leopards. “Perhaps we should all leave this place immediately.”
Drake glanced at Saria. “What about you, honey? Is she quiet, or giving you fits?”
“She’s extremely quiet. In fact, if it wasn’t for all of you talking about pheromones, I might not even know she exists.” Her gaze slid away from his, and for the first time, he knew she lied to him. Her leopard was reacting, but she didn’t want to admit it.
“Remy, I want my men out of here. Evan is having great difficulty with his leopard.”
“I am as well,” Lojos admitted.
“Same here, Remy,” Gage said. “If I don’ shift soon, he’s goin’ to tear me up inside.”
Remy looked to his other two brothers. Mahieu and Dash both nodded their agreement. “Elie, the boys are goin’ to help you move those two. If you have a painkiller, give it to them.” He glared down at the two wounded shifters. “We’re goin’ to pack you out of here, but all of us are havin’ trouble with our leopards. Shut the hell up and stay that way. Neither of you had better give a reason to killecause it isn’t too late dump your sorry asses in the swamp.”
Gage and Lojos immediately went to help Elie get the wounded men on their feet. There was a lot of hushed cursing, but neither of the punished shifters was stupid enough to protest. They began walking back toward the dock where the Boudreaux brothers had left their high-powered boat, picking their way carefully around all the hazards.
Remy and Mahieu remained behind. They waited until the others were completely swallowed up by the brush before they approached Drake and his team members.
“Boss, do you need us here?” Evan signed.
Drake shook his head. “I’ll meet you all back at the inn.”
Joshua sent a hard look toward Remy and Mahieu, but he followed Jerico and Evan after the others.
“I’m Remy Boudreaux, Saria’s oldest brother. This is Mahieu,” Remy held out his hand.
Drake took it. “Drake Donovan. Jake Bannaconni sent me to check into some things for him. I hired Saria to guide me in the swamp and things just got out of hand fast.”
Remy nodded slowly. “I can see how it could happen, and if you’re her choice, we’ll stand with you. We need new blood here. Our lair has dwindled down to nothing. Most of us have no choice.”
“You might consider heading into the rain forest and seeing if you can find a mate,” Drake said. “Although I’m fairly certain you’ve already done that.”
Remy shrugged his shoulders. “I tried. I’m sendin’ my brothers as soon as things settle down here. We didn’ believe Saria had a leopard.”
Drake opened his mouth to snap a reply. As far as he was concerned, that was no reason to neglect their little sister, but he didn’t know all the circumstances and he honestly couldn’t be certain if his leopard was driving his wrath at Saria’s brothers.
“I do have one,” Saria said unexpectedly, her eyes shining.
Drake wanted to smile. He slipped his arm around her shoulders and brought her close to him. “Yes you do.”