Serengeti Sunrise - By Vivi Andrews Page 0,31

voice whispered in her mind.

The mess hall was crowded. Meals were communal but rarely attended by all pride members simultaneously. Full-pride gatherings, like the ritual hunts, usually took place in the amphitheatre on the edge of the compound. Holding the meeting here was doubtless an attempt to keep the cubs from listening in, but Zoe would bet there was a cluster of small, furry ears pressed to the walls outside, trying to pick out stray words through the timbers. Curiosity was a feline trait, after all.

Landon raised his hands above his head, and the rumble of conversation in the hall instantly quieted. Zoe realized she was holding her breath and forced herself to let it out. Whatever they’d discovered in the last couple days, it couldn’t be good, judging by the grim set of her brother’s jaw.

Guilt jabbed again. She should have been with them. She should have been on the front lines, investigating and planning, but instead she’d been hiding. Taking care of herself first, like a true nomad outside a pride. So why did she feel like she’d done something wrong?

Landon cleared his throat and tipped his head back in his master-orator mode, projecting the charisma that made him a natural leader. “Since the incident at the Bar Nothing, a trio arrived in town, claiming to be government research scientists investigating the geological properties of this land. Two men and one woman, young by all accounts, they have been telling the town that we are operating under a similar government research grant, but that our funding is set to expire soon and they will be taking over the ranch when it does.”

Sounds of unease momentarily rose, cutting Landon off until he raised his hands again for quiet.

“We haven’t been able to determine yet where these so-called geologists are staying, though it is somewhere outside of town, and we have no way of knowing if there are more than just the three who’ve been seen by the townspeople. We don’t know what they know about us. This could be nothing more than a misunderstanding. At this point, until we know more, our best strategy is to be always on guard defensively. Patrols will be doubled and run in pairs who will be in constant radio contact with the central security team. We’ll be working to upgrade the sensors at the perimeter as quickly as possible, as well as beefing up security around the cubs. In the meantime, stay close to the compound, try to avoid going anywhere alone and report anything suspicious, no matter how insignificant it may seem.”

Ava slipped her hand into Landon’s, and the anxious tension in his shoulders seemed somehow to shift into a sense of power and strength.

“With luck we’ll be able to face our enemy directly soon.” A predatory growl rose through the room. Landon bared his teeth, nodding as if satisfied by the bloodthirsty response. “We will win this hunt. Until then, come up and get your new security assignments.”

Zoe wrapped her arms around her stomach as the shifters in the room stood and shuffled toward the pride leaders to collect their new duty rosters. There was a sense of solidarity as the pride banded together to face the common enemy. Zoe knew she should feel motivated and a swell of camaraderie with her fellow lions, but all she felt was the intense urge to leave.

Lions rarely hunted alone, but Zoe wanted nothing more than to leave the group behind and go hunting, to test the sharpness of her claws against the flesh of those who threatened them.

The line to get assignments would take a while to clear out. Zoe slipped out the side door, striding quickly away from the building. She would talk to Landon later about whatever he wanted her to do. Now the lioness stirred restlessly within her, scratching to be let out. Zoe stretched her stride, loping down the path toward her place.

“Running away?”

The deep voice behind her brought her up short. Zoe paused, unfamiliar indecision slithering through her. Turn and face him? Or run like hell?

“It’s a lot for me to adjust to too,” Tyler said, closer this time.

Zoe turned. “It?”

Damn, he looked good. The sight of him so close was a salve to an ache she hadn’t known she had. Tall and strong, a golden god gazing down at her with an expression of such possession it should have had her sprinting in the opposite direction, but all she wanted to do was throw herself against him.

“Taking