"I didn't stop him. I was only hoping he would get a little tired."
"Well, your hoping delayed him, but not for long. I want you and Jasmine in the safe room." She led the way down the stairs. "You just set yourself up as a target. Sergio will know you aren't jaguar and that you're dangerous."
"I'm not dangerous."
"If you can break the concentration of a mage, you're dangerous. He'll want to kill you. Stay behind Jasmine."
That was the last thing MaryAnn intended to do. Jasmine looked determined, but so frightened, MaryAnn wanted to gather her up and rock her. "I've got a couple of weapons as well," she said, and held up the pepper spray. "They won't be expecting it."
"I won't let them take me this time," Jasmine said. "Not again, Solange."
"They'll have to kill me to get to you, baby," Solange assured. Her voice was quiet and steady. "Believe me, I'm not going to let that happen. If we're very lucky, MaryAnn bought us enough time for the sun to go down and Juliette to get here to help."
MaryAnn noticed Solange didn't name either of the two male-Carpathians, as if she couldn't-or wouldn't– count on them for support. Solange was far more damaged than Jasmine appeared to be. MaryAnn smiled at Jasmine. "Don't worry. Manolito will rush to help us, and so will Riordan, although you know him better than I do and probably are well aware that he would never let anything happen to you if he could help it."
Jasmine looked down at her hands. "I haven't taken the time to get to know him. I've had a difficult time adjusting after the attack."
"We stay to ourselves," Solange said. She met MaryAnn's steady gaze and understood the reproof, accepting it with a slow nod and a deep breath. "That probably hasn't been the best way to deal with things though. I think we need to go to the ranch and try to make a new and very different life for ourselves."
"Do you really think that, Solange?" Jasmine asked. She pressed 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
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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.