Read Hunting the Jackal for Free Online

Rashon said in that tone of voice that always tightened Kurik’s balls. “We only bite if you want us to.”
    “Ah.” Amarie’s lips parted on a soft sigh that tightened his body with need. Rashon leaned forward, ready to kiss her.
    Her stomach growled.
    All three laughed as the heady sensual bubble burst. “Apparently dinner needs to happen first,” she said and then sliced into her steak.
    The happy, hungry sounds she made as she dug in were an exquisite torture. One of the reasons he loved to cook for them was to see their enjoyment of his tangible need to take care of them. Now he wanted to push every single dish and candelabra off the table so that he could make a buffet of Amarie’s bountiful delights. A quick glance at Rashon proved that his mate was in the same needy state.
    “Distract us so we can actually make it through dinner,” Kurik ordered. “How did the meeting go with our ladies and the priestess?”
    “Better than everyone expected, I think.” She paused to savor a bite of potato. “I mean there was a little tension—some of the ladies apparently held out hope that Markus would take at least one of them to his bed, if not as his mate—but none of them could deny that her magical power is a perfect fit for his. And they know how she defended us against her own kin. Once our beta accepted her, the rest of the ladies followed suit.”
    Kurik relaxed. The beta could have made things difficult for Tia. No doubt the fact that she was already bonded to two males made accepting the priestess easier.
    Amarie took a deep sip of her wine. “Actually, most of them were more interested in the news that a delegation of Isis witches is coming here. Tia seemed to think that there’s a good chance some of the younger ones will want to try to find mates in our clan.”
    Rashon dropped his fork with a low whistle. “How did that go over?”
    “It wasn’t reality show bad, but it was close.” Amarie shrugged, her mood suddenly subdued. “Some are afraid of losing their partners. Some are relieved that our unattached males will have a chance to mate. And others wonder if the offspring of such matings will still be jackals.”
    “It’s a legitimate concern,” Kurik said, pushing his plate aside, wondering at the heaviness that filled her tone.
    Amarie nodded. “Tia said as much. Then she reminded us that high priestess Aya is the daughter of a jackal and a Daughter of Isis. Two of Aya’s sisters were jackals. They seemed to accept that, and the last few doubters realized that meant Tia was the great-granddaughter of Sekhanu the great, the founder of our clan. There were no complaints after that. Still, it’ll be interesting to see what happens when the Daughters of Isis arrive.”
    “What’s wrong? “ Kurik asked. “Does the thought of the priestesses coming here bother you?”
    “No. I think having them here will benefit the clan, especially if they want mates.”
    “Then what is it?” Rashon prodded, his tone gentle.
    She toyed with her wineglass.. “Maybe we should hold off on this whole intimacy thing.”
    Rashon straightened. “Why?”
    “Two reasons. One, we’re Tia’s personal guards now. We work pretty well together because we get along well the way things are. Adding sex to it could only complicate things, and complications could have a negative impact on the way we do our jobs. “
    “Rashon and I are mates,” Kurik reminded her. “Are you saying that Markus shouldn’t have assigned us to protect the Anput?”
    Her eyes widened. “I would never question the clan leader’s decisions.”
    “Good. So what’s the second reason?”
    “The Daughters of Isis are coming.” She glanced at them from beneath her lashes. “If you’d rather meet them first before you decide, I won’t mind.”
    Liar. Kurik hid a grin. She’d mind all right. “Are you sure?”
    “No,” she admitted. “I’d mind. A heck of a lot. I’d try hard not to sour diplomatic relations by biting any