Ice_Reaux - Laura Wright Page 0,1

to hold himself aloof from his fellow Pantera.

Most unnerving of all, there was a savage hint of disdain in his icy blue eyes whenever he glanced in her direction. As if he found her unbearably obnoxious.

Pressing her lips together, she deliberately turned her back on the Hunter, her inner cat huffing in annoyance. Other females might ooh and ahh over his large, muscular body that looked as hard as granite beneath his black T-shirts and faded jeans. Or shiver at the hint of feral sensuality that promised all sorts of wicked pleasure.

But not Cammy. Truthfully, she did her best to avoid him.

Taking a seat at the end of the table, she thankfully turned her attention toward the two males who strolled into the room.

Raphael was the leader of the Suits. He was tall and lean, with a golden beauty that was emphasized by his elegant suit. In contrast, Parish, the head of the Hunters, was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt. He had long black hair, broad shoulders and his handsome face was marred with scars that bisected his cheek from his right ear down to his mouth. The two couldn’t look more different, but they both possessed the thunderous power of alpha cats.

Instantly everyone in the room sat and stood a little straighter.

“Is everyone here?” Raphael demanded.

It was Rage’s new mate who answered.

“Xavier wasn’t able to come. He’s still trying to decrypt the files from the computer we brought back from Bossier City,” Lucie explained. Xavier was the leader of the Geeks and lately rarely left his offices upstairs, even to sleep. He was convinced there was vital intel in the data that could help them track down their enemies. “He said to send him an email.”

Parish rolled his eyes. “Typical.”

Raphael nodded, his eyes darkening with the power of his cat as he glanced around the room. “Let’s get this started,” he stated in grim tones. “We all know why we’re here. Sadly, we’ve underestimated our enemy.” Low growls rumbled through the room in agreement. “We originally thought they were nothing more than a small group of humans who could be hunted down and eliminated. Now we realize they’re an international corporation with bottomless funds and friends in powerful positions. Worse, we now know they’ve been taking our people and creating serums out of our blood for longer than we ever imagined.” Raphael’s face tightened with the frustration they all felt. “Which means we have to get our asses in gear and play catch-up.”

Ice spoke from the corner. “Do we have any hard targets?”

“Not yet,” Raphael admitted. They’d managed to discover a few “clinics” and burn them to the ground. Frustratingly, however, there were still more out there. And worse, the enemy’s leader continued to elude them. “But we have the Healers working with those who were held in the various labs. We’re hoping they can remember something that will lead us to Christopher.”

Parish’s eyes glowed with the golden power of his puma. “Then it’s our turn for games.”

There was a short pause as they all savored the day the Pantera would destroy their enemies once and for all.

Finally Cammy asked the obvious question. “What do you want from us?”

It was Raphael who answered. “Until we can go on the attack I want to make certain the bastards don’t get their hands on any more of our people. I’ve called back all Pantera to the Wildlands.”

Cammy nodded. The leader of the Diplomats didn’t need to say that there would be Pantera spies still out looking for the bad guys. They all knew this temporary retreat didn’t mean surrender. More an opportunity to regroup so they could strike even harder the next time.

“The guard patrols will be doubled,” Parish said. “I don’t want anyone scouting the perimeter alone.”

“What about the new pack members?” Ice demanded.

The new pack members included the Pantera they’d discovered in the various Benson laboratories, as well as the human “rats” and “brood mares” who’d been used and abused by their captors.

Over the past weeks they’d been building several new cottages, as well as a small community center for them along the edge of Wildlands. It allowed them to travel in and out of their section without worrying about the Wildlands’ magical barrier that kept out most humans.

“What about them?” Raphael asked.

“Shouldn’t they be moved deeper into the interior?” Ice demanded, his voice low and laced with an authority that revealed the dominance of his cat. “They’re dangerously exposed.”

“I agree.” Raphael grimaced. “Unfortunately the humans, and even