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a hand to her stomach, fear in her eyes.
MaryAnn knew the look was fear of Solange's disappointment in her decision to have a baby, a jaguar child with nearly pure blood. Solange had seen too many horrifying events to ever be able to look at the jaguar-men without prejudice, and Jasmine knew it. Still, she'd been strong enough to make her own decision, and that was a good sign.
"Of course I do. We can't live in the forest forever, and the jaguar-men know who we are now and are hunting us. I think it's more than time that we got out."
Solange caught Jasmine's arm and gave her a little push. "Get moving now. They're going to break through any second. MaryAnn, go." She glided to the window with purposeful strides, her knife in one hand, a gun in the other.
She turned, swearing. "They're coming. Be ready!"
The front doors burst open and a large frame entered, half-jaguar, half-man, rushing across the cool marble straight toward them. It launched its body into the air, straight at Solange, snarling muzzle filled with wicked-looking teeth, hands curved into razor-sharp claws.
Chapter Ten
Jasmine screamed, and clapped her hand over her mouth to muffle the sound. She stumbled backward, reaching behind her to find the door of the safe room. Solange rushed the jaguar with no hesitation, gun out, firing shots as she ran at him. A second jaguar, the one Jasmine had identified as Sergio, hit Solange from behind, where he'd stalked her, unseen and unheard. He brought her down, slamming her to the floor 'and slapping the gun from her hand. The sound was loud as furniture and lamps crashed on the marble.
They rolled, Solange partially shifting to bring jaguar strength into play, swiping at Sergio with a sharpened claw as he used his size to pin her beneath him. The attack had obviously been orchestrated, their adversaries having studied Solange's abilities. The first jaguar staggered, his sides heaving as blood dripped steadily from the two bullet wounds. He went straight for Solange to aid Sergio in restraining her. MaryAnn blasted him with the pepper spray, using short bursts, hitting him in the eyes, mouth and nose repeatedly. Jasmine followed her into the fray, slamming a lamp against his head and driving him backward.
The first jaguar-man fell hard, landing between MaryAnn and Solange. He pawed at his face, howling, rolling back and forth and leaving blood smears on the marble.
Solange punched Sergio's throat, hitting hard, using her body weight as well as her cat's strength. She raked up his muzzle and tore at his belly. His cat's weight crushed down on her, and his teeth sank into her throat. She went still beneath him, sides heaving, amber eyes defiant, her body rigid and tense.
Jasmine leapt across the room after the gun where it had skittered across the floor. Before Jasmine could scoop it up, the mage was there before her, kicking the gun out of reach and shoving her against the wall so hard it knocked the wind out of her.
Jasmine's leap had taken her over the huge males just as another male burst into the room, fully changed, fierce, eyes glittering. He swerved around Jasmine and knocked Sergio off Solange. The two males reared up, slamming together so hard they rocked the walls.
The wounded jaguar roared with rage, swiping at MaryAnn's leg, and she gasped with pain. A claw raked her calf, tearing through her slacks and ripping skin and muscle nearly to the bone. MaryAnn's leg went out from under her and she fell, hitting the marble hard, digging her heels in to push backward in a crablike crawl to try to stay out of reach of those raking claws. Like sharpened spikes, the claws found her ankle and with a victorious roar, the jaguar pulled her to him, his teeth going for her skull. MaryAnn punched the cat's throat, the canister in the fist adding a more solid contact, but the animal continued to drive forward. He erupted into a killing frenzy, whipping claws from side to side as he blindly sought prey. His face was wet with tears, his nose and muzzle streaming, but he was dangerous, whipping around the room hunting for his attacker.
Solange landed on his back, all cat now, wild and furious, teeth clamping down on the broad head, her bite enormously strong. The jaguar forgot all about MaryAnn, rolling in an effort to dislodge Solange.
Mercilessly she raked at the cat's belly while she clamped down with