Read Warriors of Poseidon 02.5 - Shifter's Lady for Free Online Page A

only met Ethan today, and—”
    He smiled at her and shook his head. “Wrong answer,” he said, almost patronizingly.
    Then he pulled out the knife.
     
    Ethan ran into the trees, following the strong scent of panther. More than one—some were shape-shifters. Maybe he‟d finally catch them. He leaped into the air and shifted, landing on the ground on powerfully muscled panther legs. The scent immediately intensified, since his animal senses were far superior to his human ones. There were many of them, and they‟d been congregating in this area recently. The scent was different from that of his own pride, but familiar.
     
    Maddeningly familiar. He stalked around the area, head down, trying to make sense of the myriad individual scents, when he heard a female scream from the direction he‟d left Marie in the car.
     
    Marie.
     
    Shifter’s Lady – Warriors of Poseidon 2.5

Page 36 of 84
    He snarled and raced back toward the car, feral thoughts of ripping his prey into shreds whirling in his mind. Rage nearly blinded him as he crashed through the brush with no thought of stealth.
     
    If they‟d hurt her, they would die.
     
    He whipped through brush and bounded around trees faster than he‟d ever moved before, heedless of the branches and thorns slicing grooves in his side through his thick fur. Throwing caution aside, he leapt through the grasses bordering the road and landed in front of the car, scanning the area as he did.
     
    There were four of them. Three surrounded the car, while the fourth held Marie with an arm banded around her waist. He had a knife to her throat.
     
    He had a knife to her throat.
     
    Ethan screamed with primal fury, his panther nearly insane with a murderous rage. But he stopped where he was when the bastard pressed the tip of the knife into Marie‟s tender flesh. Blood trickled down her neck, and Ethan swore he would exact vengeance upon them for every drop of it.
     
    Every single drop.
     
    The man holding her stared at Ethan and smiled. “Stay right where you are, Ethan. You wouldn‟t want my knife hand to get slippery and press harder into her neck, would you?”
    Ethan snarled again but held his position. He was fast, but not fast enough to get to them before that knife would slice through Marie‟s carotid artery. She stared at him, fear and helpless anger on her face, and he wanted to kill them all for causing it. His panther wanted to rip their heads from their bodies and eat their hearts.
     
    But then Marie would look at him with that same terrified expression.
    Shifter’s Lady – Warriors of Poseidon 2.5

Page 37 of 84
    He shunted the thought to the side. Focus. Get her to safety and then worry about the rest.
     
    The man nodded. “Good boy. And I know it‟s you, so why don‟t we dispense with the bullshit and you shift back into your human shape, Ethan. We have a little business to discuss.”
     
    Ethan knew that what little advantage he held in panther form was destroyed by the point of that knife against Marie‟s neck. He instantly shimmered into the shape change and stood before them, fully dressed, in his human form seconds later.
     
    The man whistled. “Very nice. Fallon told me you were the fastest at the change of any shape-shifter she‟d ever met. Even faster than me, I‟ll give you that. But not by much.”
     
    The connection clicked in Ethan‟s mind. “Fallon. That‟s why your scents are so familiar.
    You‟re Fallon‟s pride-brothers.”
     
    “Ding, ding, ding. Two points for the former alpha of the Big Cypress pride. I‟m Travis, and I owe you blood feud for allowing Fallon to die,” Travis snarled.
     
    Ethan inclined his head. “It is your right. She was under my protection when she died at the vampire‟s hand, and I take full responsibility. But this woman has nothing to do with any of it. She is merely a visitor who arrived today.”
     
    The three men surrounding the car had been edging their way toward Travis and now stood fanned