Lure of the Jaguar: Hades' Carnival, Book 7 Read Online Free PDF

like the cougar had lazed in the shade. And like the mighty cat, there was a sense of alertness, of preparedness about Stavros. He was a predator, like the cougar.
    “Shit.” Toni pushed away from the table and began to pace, almost bumping into a chair. She blinked and glanced out the window. “When did it get dark?” Once again, she’d lost herself in her work.
    She made a face at the soggy cereal. No way was she eating that. Looked like it was a sandwich once again. She had some shaved turkey and a tomato she could slice to make it a little more substantial.
    Yet she didn’t head toward the refrigerator. The short hairs on the back of her neck rose. Not questioning her reaction, Toni pulled on her shoes and went to her camera bag. She unzipped the side pocket and drew out her weapon. The gun was heavy in her hand, and she prayed she wouldn’t have to use it.
    She closed her laptop, the only source of light in the cabin, and crept over to the living room window. She stood there and waited for what seemed like forever. And just when she was beginning to think she was imagining things, she saw movement on the edge of the clearing where the yard gave way to the edge of the bayou.
    Stavros . Her heart skipped a beat when she thought it might be him.
    Then she saw another movement. And another.
    Toni swallowed the lump in her throat. Her heart began to race. Whoever was out there, it wasn’t Stavros. Maybe it was nothing, but three men skulking in the woods was never a good sign. She reached into her back pocket for her cell phone. She swore when she saw the battery was dead. She’d forgotten to charge it. Again.
    Toni gripped her weapon and wished Stavros was with her. She might not know him that well, but she knew in her heart he was one of the good guys and would protect her.
    But like most critical times in her life—good and bad—Toni was alone.
    Stavros cocked his head to one side and listened. He was in his jaguar form, stalking through the night, trying to outrun his need to go to Toni. He chuffed and listened harder. The night was unusually quiet. The insects had gone still, the owl had stopped hooting and the opossum two-hundred yards to his right was frozen in place. They all sensed something.
    A chill of fear raced down his spine.
    Stavros frowned. It wasn’t his fear he was feeling.
    Toni .
    It struck him like a lightning bolt. It wasn’t his fear he was sensing, it was hers. He didn’t question his instincts. The connection he’d felt with her earlier was strong. Whatever was happening at this moment, Toni was afraid. He yowled, his cry sending a flock of egrets into flight.
    Stavros raced toward the house where Toni was staying, praying to the goddess that he wasn’t too late. He should have been with her. In trying to be noble, he might have hurt her even more. If she died and he discovered Hades was responsible, he’d descend into Hell itself and kill the conniving god once and for all or die trying.
    Toni crept into the bedroom. Her plan was to sneak out the window and hide in the bayou until those men were gone. She’d taken precious seconds to grab her memory cards and tuck them in her pocket. As much as it pained her to do so, she left her cameras and laptop behind. She could always replace her equipment. Her work, on the other hand, was irreplaceable. Her gun was tucked in the waistband of her jeans.
    She pushed at the windowpane and swore when it stuck. She bent her knees and shoved with all her might. The window went up three inches, but not without making a loud creaking sound. She held her breath and waited. When there was no shout of discovery, she pushed again. The glass rose until it was about halfway open and then stopped.
    It would have to be enough.
    Toni threw one leg over the edge of the window and squeezed her body through the opening, thankful for once that she wasn’t all that big. She crouched by the side of the house and made herself as small as possible. Then she