Read Lure of the Jaguar: Hades' Carnival, Book 7 for Free Online

alcohol.
    There was no doubt in his mind that Hades had sent them, but maybe he was wrong. Maybe they were drug dealers or running moonshine.
    Whoever they were, they’d made the mistake of coming after his woman. Because whether she knew it or not, Toni was his.
    His fear abated slightly when he caught a whiff of Toni’s sweet scent. Even though it was overlaid with the stench of fear, there was no mistaking it was her. She was outside the cabin, hiding among the trees.
    He’d find her as soon as he dealt with these men. He growled and let it build into a fierce yowl.
    One of the men screamed. Another whirled in a circle, and Stavros could see the gun in his hand. His anger turned cold inside him. These men had come to hurt Toni. He couldn’t allow that.
    “What is it?” one man asked.
    “Cougar,” the one with the gun replied.
    “That doesn’t sound like a cougar,” the third man added. “I ain’t stayin’”. With that, the man started to run. The man with the gun calmly turned and shot his companion in the leg. The man fell to the ground and the scent of blood filled the air.
    The man yelled and grabbed his leg. “I’m shot. Why the hell did you do that, Roy? Goddamn, that hurts. I’m bleeding like a stuck pig.”
    “It’s only a flesh wound,” Roy replied, seemingly unconcerned. “And we can’t leave. Not without the woman.”
    “You didn’t have to shoot me.”
    “Shut up, Paul. I could have killed you. You’ll be fine.”
    “The blood will attract the cat,” Paul protested.
    “That’s the idea,” Roy replied. “When it shows itself, I’ll kill it. Then we’ll go get the girl.”
    Stavros watched as the unnamed man went to Paul, stripped off his shirt and wrapped it around the wound. They thought they were the hunters.
    They were mistaken.
    They were now the prey.

Chapter Four
    Toni shivered in spite of the heat. It was a hot Louisiana summer night, but she was chilled to the bone. Her thin cotton T-shirt stuck to her skin with sweat. She wrapped her arms around herself, desperate for some warmth.
    The man with the gun had shot one of his companions. And if he’d shoot his buddy, he’d have no problems killing her. She had to get out of here. But she didn’t know where to go. Here there were three men, at least one of which had a gun. And out there in the bayou were poisonous snakes, gators and a very large predator.
    At this point, Toni figured she’d be safer with the cougar, gators and snakes.
    The air behind her stirred and, before she could move, a hand was slapped over her mouth. She threw her head back against her attacker to try to throw him off while she brought her gun around. The safety was still on and she flicked it off with her thumb. She’d never shot an actual person before—paper targets didn’t count—but she knew she could do it if it meant her survival. She didn’t even get close before her hand was captured in an iron grip.
    “ Shh . You’re safe. It’s me.” His voice was little more than a toneless whisper.
    His voice broke through her terror. Stavros. Somehow he was here with her. All the fight went out of her and she sagged against him like a balloon being deflated. He slowly released her hand but kept his palm over her mouth. After another second, he lowered that hand as well.
    “What are you doing here?” she demanded. She kept her voice pitched low so the men wouldn’t hear her. Toni tried to turn around and face him, but he grabbed her shoulders and applied just enough pressure so she couldn’t move.
    He pushed her down until she was crouched by the base of the tree. “Stay here,” he ordered, not bothering to answer her question.
    She bristled at the command, but before she could tell him she had no intention of staying anywhere he put her, he was gone. She blinked, unable to believe a man as large as Stavros could disappear so easily, blend so quickly with the surrounding night.
    The darkness had thickened in the last while, the slice of