In The Roar(37)

Tiana took a step forward. She didn’t say anything, but her shifting features spoke volumes.

“Got any good ideas?” Bella whispered. “I left my transporter in the house with my shawl.”

Yeah, no. They were fucked.

They watched the blonde shift into a huge lioness. She roared and lowered to an attack position. Meanwhile, Tiana shifted into a bear. A fucking bear! Oh hell no. They had two huge animals looking to make them kibbles and bits. Shit didn’t get any more real than that.

Tiana roared, stomping the ground on all fours next to the lioness. Another set of growls sounded. Liv glanced over her shoulder and tugged Bella out of the way as a massive lion and jaguar next to him leapt toward the lioness and bear.

“We need to move,” she yelled at Bella and pulled her to the safety of trees on their left. “I’m guessing the big lion is your husband?”

“Oh, yeah,” Bella rushed out, trying to catch her breath. “And he’s pissed.”

“Well, it’s not every day some chick tries to kill his wife and their unborn baby.”

Bella snorted. “You’d be surprised how often it’s happened.”





TWENTY-NINE



The huge lion took down the bear in one fell swoop. He roared, clawing the bear’s face and moving so quickly out of her reach, she didn’t get a chance to grab him. The bear’s sharp claws swiped at the lion, but he roared again and bit down on the paw trying to tear into him.

The jaguar leapt for the lioness. Though she was big, he was bigger. The two cats went head to head. The jaguar snarled, digging into the side of the lioness. She tried to sprint away, but he dug his razor claws into her hind quarters and pulled, ripping ribbons of flesh off her hide.

The bear reared up on two legs and gave a loud roar, swiping at the lion. He shoved her back, slamming her to a tree and sending her stumbling.

“You’re right. He’s pissed,” Liv said. “Aren’t you worried he’ll get hurt?”

Bella turned to her with a grin. “Nope. Alyx is the biggest, strongest lion on this planet. And Karel is the same for the jaguars. That’s why he is the head of security.” The jaguar slashed another set of cuts on the lioness’s side and Bella nodded. “Those two female idiots don’t know who they’re up against.”

“So the men won’t be hurt?” Liv asked, her stomach in her throat. The lion dug his claws in the bear’s chest.

“Are you kidding? Those women will be lucky if Alyx and Karel stop before they kill them. And with all that’s happened with Nadeeya and Alyx, I’m not sure he will stop, even if she’s dead.”

Another round of wounds and the lioness was red from bleeding. The jaguar’s paws were bloodied and he appeared to have minor cuts. Not the lioness. She was weakening. She tried to fight him off, but he was faster and stronger.

The lioness and bear stopped fighting almost at the same time. For a second, Liv thought the lion and jaguar would continue tearing into the women, but they stopped. Alyx and Karel shifted. Both bloodied and angry.

Nadeeya and Tiana shifted as well, but the women groaned and curled into balls. Alyx marched over to Nadeeya, grabbed her by a torn bicep and hauled her to her feet. Karel did the same with Tiana, unconcerned over her crying from the painful wounds Alyx inflicted.

“I can’t kill you,” Alyx growled at Nadeeya. “I want to, but you know the rules. So I have something better in mind.” He turned to glare at Tiana. “Both of you.”

Liv frowned, watching the scene unfolding before her. “What are they doing?”

Bella gasped. “Oh, shit. They’d told me about this. When someone does something heinous and so bad they don’t want them in Aurora anymore, they banish them.”

Alyx dragged a wounded Nadeeya while Karel pulled Tiana toward the cabin.

“Where are they being banished to?” she asked. They followed the others at a safe distance in case things got out of hand again. The last thing Liv wanted was for one of the women to get free and go for Bella. She knew the men could handle them, but she didn’t want to take chances with Bella’s baby.

“To a primitive planet,” Bella whispered and her eyes opened wide. “A scary one.”

When they got to the cabin, Karel went to the porch and picked up something, handing it to Alyx. It was a transporter.

“What are you doing?” Nadeeya screeched, finally sounding scared.

“You two have given us enough grief.” He pressed buttons and a big oval opened like the one on earth. “I hereby banish you from Nova Aurora.”

Nadeeya clung to Alyx, her eyes wild. “You can’t do this. I don’t want to go!”