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Shit, Lucia could be anywhere by now.
A stiff breeze sailed over him, bringing with it the rank odor of blood and the
stronger scent of Lucia.
Sam took off running. A hump on the ground came into view and his heartbeat
picked up speed. Was that Lucia down there? He couldn t tell, couldn t make out
anything except that it was a person. He retracted his lips and snarled. Cold air filled
his mouth as he opened it to release a feral yowl. He narrowed his eyes long dark hair
spilled over the ground, obscuring the face. Slowing, Sam caught his breath and
prepared himself.
If it s her, if the vision was wrong and she s&
Inhaling through his nose, he padded closer, spotting a man s gray suit. Relief
spread through Sam, weakening his legs, and he forced himself to investigate further.
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Black Cougar Curse
He still had to find Lucia. Sam nosed the hair away from the man s face. Deep gouges
marred the Indian s cheek, congealed blood dried there. An exposed, bloody hole gaped
at his throat, and blood soaked his white shirt.
He looked up. Lucia s clothes lay in a heap a few feet from the Indian.
Lucia had shifted and he hadn t been there to help her through it.
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Tess MacKall & Natalie Dae
Chapter Eleven
Lucia had turned and fled as fast as her painful leg allowed, her recollection of the
route to the waterfall coming sharp and certain. Her instincts screamed that only Sam
was important now him and their survival and she rushed on, teeth gritted against
the pain. At the waterfall, she limped behind the watery curtain, entering the cool cave,
relief loosening her limbs. Curled in the spot where the fire had burned so long ago
when Indulala brought Sam to this very place, Lucia licked her leg wound. Luckily the
bullet had only grazed her, but shit, it hurt like hell. Finished cleaning, she flopped onto
her side and closed her eyes, planning to rest for a short while before going back out in
search of Sam if he didn t arrive soon.
What if he didn t come? What if she couldn t find him?
I can t think about that now. I ve got to remain positive.
With a whoosh, her soul lifted and she stared at herself below on the cave floor, her
fur ruffling, skin undulating over muscles and bones. Her teeth slid upward and her
lips pulled back. She noted their familiar human shape and felt every hair slip back into
its follicle. Soft stinging pains rippled into her paws as they changed into hands and
feet. As though she had never been a cougar, her female form appeared, her calf stained
with a fresh streak of blood. Her spirit plummeted, diving back into her body, and she
opened her eyes as the full extent of her human self settled back into place.
I killed two men, I killed two men, I killed two men&
A lump formed in her throat and she swallowed, bringing her knees up to her chest
and clasping them tight. Stones on the cave floor dug into her skin but Lucia ignored
the bite, her mind too full of what she had done. Traces of her cougar remained,
whispering that she had done what she had to do. Live or die, those were her options,
and whether she had been human or not at the time, the fight for survival would have
ended with the same results.
She closed her eyes again, tears stinging, and gave in to the rising emotions.
Sobbing, she released the tension and guilt, promising herself this small moment of self-
indulgence before rising and leaving the cave to find Sam. She wavered between the
two options. If she left here and Sam came to find her gone& But if he needed her&
Another question came, one that shocked her upright and sent her giddy. What if there
are more men out there in search of the cougar? In search of us?
She cursed and sobbed harder, the decision too hard to make right now. Weary, she
remained still, telling herself this small respite was what she needed in order to give her
strength should she need to go out and search.
* * * * *
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Black Cougar Curse
Sam pounded toward the waterfall, the scent of the liquid curtain growing stronger
by the second. He prayed Lucia would be there, that she wasn t hurt someplace he
couldn t find her.
But I will find her. Even if takes me days, I swear I ll find her.
He ran through the forest, twigs crackling under his huge paws, rapid-fire breaths
shunting out of him. Breaking through the tree line, he stared at the rugged, jutting rock
ahead, the whoosh of pouring water hitting the pool below it thundering in his ears. His
senses were so keen the sound pained him and he shook his head to release the
pressure building inside his skull. Rounding the base of the rock, he sped through the
archway in the stone, the gush of water gaining volume. The short, narrow tunnel
closed in on him and he ran faster, wanting to be out of the stone confines. He burst out
of the rock and slowed, not wanting to slip on the pool s edge and tumble into the
water. He didn t have any time to waste. Sam strode behind the waterfall and sniffed,
barely picking up Lucia s scent, the water s aroma too strong and overpowering. He
thought of her not being inside the cave and his heartbeat quickened with alarm.
What if someone else was in on the cougar deal? What if they had taken Lucia after she d
shifted and harmed the man I found dead at the cabin? A tranquilizer dart would have taken her
down, no problem.
He stepped into the cave, seeing nothing but blackness. His stomach lurched and he
cursed in his mind, hoping to keep the shift at bay. He couldn t switch back now. Not if
Lucia wasn t here. He needed his cougar form to run faster, to use the cat s extra- [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]