Odin (Alien Adoption Agency #5) - Tasha Black Page 0,39

had been here before - lying in ambush, surprised by the enemy, cut off from his men…

Please don’t let me fail again, he begged all the gods he could name, and some that he couldn’t. Please let me reach them in time.

33

Liberty

Liberty ran with one hand wrapped around Colton’s sling and the other grasping Cora’s hand - the tiny screen hovering over her bracelet the only light in the darkened forest, and the only reason they could see where they were going.

They were making a ton of noise, crashing through the undergrowth and snapping sticks under their feet. But they were moving as quickly as they could, and that felt like the most important thing right now.

She wasn’t entirely sure what had spooked Odin, but the expression of horror on his handsome face had been enough for her to obey his command, even if she didn’t understand it.

“You guys weren’t really on a date night camp out, were you?” Cora whispered. “Is this some kind of game?”

“We were trying to catch the rustlers who have been stealing our sheep,” Liberty confessed, panting.

“Seems like that’s a job for the marshals,” Cora said. “You’re not trained for apprehending criminals.”

“Yeah, hindsight is twenty-twenty,” Liberty agreed.

“But why are they chasing us?” Cora asked. “Rustlers don’t like being seen, as a rule.”

“Maybe they think we already saw them,” Liberty realized out loud. “Less talking, more running.”

Maybe Cora was right. Maybe Odin had told them to run without really believing the rustlers would follow.

Maybe they would be just fine.

But then moment the thought was formed, she could hear footsteps behind them.

She yanked Cora’s hand, pulling them hard to the left and hoping their pursuer wouldn’t notice they had changed directions.

But the footsteps only grew closer.

“Turn off the screen on my bracelet,” she hissed to Cora.

“But we won’t be able to see,” Cora gasped back.

“And he won’t be able to see us,” Liberty said. If there was a chance the man was following the light rather than the sound, they had to try.

Cora turned off the screen, plunging them into total darkness.

Liberty turned again and sprinted forward. Her cloak almost immediately caught on a branch.

She stumbled, desperate not to fall with the baby on her chest.

A big hand closed around her shoulder and wrenched her painfully backward.

Cora’s hand slipped from hers.

“Take Colton,” Liberty cried.

But before the brave babysitter could recover her charge, an earsplitting roar pierced the silence of the forest.

“Odin,” Liberty murmured.

The hand around her shoulder released instantly and she fell on her bottom on the ground.

“Holy crap,” Cora yelled.

Liberty scrambled to her feet and frantically checked the baby.

True to form, her little dormouse hadn’t even woken up.

She glanced up, expecting to see Odin in dragon form. She had always wanted to see him that way.

But it wasn’t Odin.

Cora was brandishing a flashlight. In its beam, Liberty could see a massive cat chasing the man who had grabbed her. The sleek, beautiful creature was moving fast, pursuing the villain deep into the forest.

“That… that was a jaguarootte,” Cora yelled, turning back to Liberty. “Did you see that? A freaking jaguarootte just saved your life!”

“I think I might know that particular jaguarootte,” Liberty said. “Shine your flashlight this way.”

Cora did as she was told, revealing the den Liberty and Odin had found earlier.

Tiny beady-eyed balls of fluff looked back out at them.

“Babies,” Cora breathed.

If Liberty had saved the jaguarootte and her babies from Odin, the big cat had certainly paid her back in kind.

Suddenly, the woods were alive with the sound of something else approaching.

No, not something. Many somethings…

“Cora,” Liberty whispered, he voice shaky from the rush of adrenaline coursing through her.

“I know,” Cora replied. “Run.”

34

Odin

Odin heard the menacing roar of the jaguarootte, and his heart sank.

Abandoning any pretense at staying quiet, he let loose, dashing through the dense foliage as fast as his legs would carry him.

A decidedly masculine yelp of terror cut through the night air followed by another furious roar from the big cat.

Odin felt a slight relief, but continued to pound through the trees.

There was light up ahead, faint but the dragon latched onto it easily, since his mate’s scent was near it. The scent of several others was mingled in, which made him worried.

He emerged from the trees to find Liberty, Colton and Cora standing in the center of the clearing, with the men surrounding them.

He had been wrong about these men being rough cattle rustlers.

There was something about them that felt more organized, more dangerous. For one thing, they were dressed