Unleashed by the Defender (Brides of the Kindred #25) - Evangeline Anderson Page 0,66

we can’t—”

“I know!” he exclaimed. “I know that—which is why we have to get out of here!”

“You’ll get out when the deed is done—not until,” Lady Bittlebum said coldly. “And don’t forget, I’m recording all of this.”

She made a motion with one hand and the morphid beside her scurried to slam the door. There was a loud click and Imani knew they were locked in.

“Oh no,” she whispered, looking up as the three moons got closer together. Their edges were touching now, forming a kind of triangle in the night sky. The pink moon was at the apex of the triangle with the two blue moons forming the base beneath it.

“Fuck,” J’are muttered hoarsely—he was also staring at the moons. “Blood over Water.”

“What?” Imani stared at him, her heart pounding. “What does that mean?”

“Water above leads only to Love

Water above and below, Claiming in the moons’ glow.

But Blood over water, get ready to flee

If you enter the jungle, it’s Bonded you’ll be.”

J’are sounded like he was quoting some ancient piece of wisdom as he recited the strange poem. Imani felt a chill go down her spine.

“J’are, please—you’re scaring me,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “What does all that mean?”

“It means that Lady Bittlebum is playing the simulation of Bonding Night.” His deep voice was rough. “And I’m afraid when the three moons converge, my feral side will come out and try to Bond you, Imani.”

“But you won’t let that happen, will you? You told me you could control your feral side!” Imani said quickly.

“I’ll try.” He looked up at the sky again, where the three moons were now merging into one. The light they cast was no longer only reddish and bluish, a purplish tingle had entered the mix.

“You’ll try?” Imani whispered. That didn’t sound good to her.

J’are nodded grimly.

“I swear by the Goddess I will. I’ll try with all my might to hold on to my thinking mind.” He looked down at his hands and then back to Imani again. “But I have to tell you, I’ve never heard of a Nightwalker who can hold back his feral side on Bonding Night when the three moons converge.”

“What…what does that mean?” Imani asked, fear skittering down her spine like a cold, skeletal finger.

J’are looked at her again, his pale eyes glowing like lamps in the dimness.

“It means you’d better run,” he growled. “Run and hide like your life depended on it—unless you want to end the night bonded to me forever.”

Thirty-Three

For a moment Imani stood frozen, pinned by that pale green gaze like a deer trapped in the blinding glare of oncoming headlights. Then the paralysis that gripped her broke and she turned and ran—ran as hard as she could into the jungle.

If she hadn’t been so terrified, she would have stopped to marvel at the reality of the scenery around her. The verisimilitude was complete, from the heavy, damp scents of the plants to the humid heat of the jungle at night.

She felt like she was back in her home state of Florida, running through the Everglades at night. Only it wasn’t gators and snakes she had to watch out for now—it was the male she’d been sent to defend.

The one who would track her down and breed her if she couldn’t get away.

No, I can’t let him! I can’t! Imani told herself wildly. It wasn’t that she didn’t want J’are—she found him devastatingly attractive and part of her yearned to give in and give him what they both needed so badly.

But if I do, that means giving up my future! Giving up my family and career—going to a distant planet where I don’t know anyone!

She didn’t want that. She loved Earth and she loved her parents—it would devastate them to lose another child. She didn’t want to be stuck light years away from them—didn’t want to live out the rest of her days on a planet which had been quarantined because of the savagery of its inhabitants!

One of which was chasing her now.

Imani knew he was, because she could hear him crashing through the underbrush, not even trying to be quiet. It was as though he was so confident of catching her, he didn’t even feel he had to make an effort to be silent.

There was a stitch beginning in her side and her breath was turning into ragged, panting gasps. Imani wondered wildly how long she’d been running. How big was this room anyway? How come she hadn’t reached a wall yet? Maybe a wall with a