On The Prowl Read Online Free Page A

machete, and she wondered where he’d gotten it. “Whoever he was, I’m pretty sure this scared him off.”
    “But…there aren’t any villages around here.” Her body wanted to move, to run, but her intellect took over. It was just adrenaline, and now, there was no reason to run, nowhere to run to.
    “I don’t know, Addison.” He knelt down, stirring the fire, bringing the dying coals back to life. “But I do know I’m not going back to sleep.”
    He looked at her across the flames. “You go back to sleep. It’s still a few hours before first light anyway. I’ll keep watch.”
    “I can’t ask that, Daniel. You’re as tired as I am.”
    “You’re not asking. I’m offering.”
    She caught his sudden smile across the fire. “I’ll wake you with a cup of coffee, hot off the fire, if you go back to sleep.”
    Addison settled back onto the hard ground, certain that sleep would elude her. She closed her eyes, trying to understand what she’d seen. It was clear Daniel had only seen the man standing in the moonlight, staring at her.
    But Addison had seen the jaguar, no doubt the same one she’d seen earlier, perched on the ledge. He’d been watching her, fierce green eyes taking in every detail of her as she lay frozen with fear. Then she’d watched in amazement as he rose up, changing before her eyes into a man. The shift had been beautiful, seamless, clearly the most amazing thing she’d ever seen.
    And he was just as beautiful a man as he was a jaguar. Tall, muscular but lean, he was perfect. Fear gave way to something else, something dark and primal, as he’d tipped his head back, drawing a deep breath. She’d had the distinct impression he was breathing in her scent.
    The images blurred, merged, shifted, and she felt herself letting go of them, one by one, as sleep came back to her.
    “Addison. Wake up.”
    Daniel’s voice was close to her, and she caught a whiff off the promised coffee. She opened her eyes. He was crouched nearby, holding a steaming cup. She sat up, her stiff muscles protesting, and took the cup.
    “This is wonderful. Thank you.” The coffee was hot and black. “I’d forgotten you had a reputation as a gourmet on expeditions. Makes me wish I’d have planned ahead a little better.”
    “We’ll be fine. I’ll cook you a full-course French meal when we get home.” He winked, then moved back to the other side of the fire. “A no-strings-attached dinner, just to be clear.”
    She sipped her coffee for a moment, her eyes smiling. “We should be able to reach the ruins by mid-day, if we get started soon.”
    Daniel made a non-committal noise, spreading the remains of the dying fire, pouring on water. The few live coals hissed and spit, sending up white acrid smoke.
    “Daniel? What’s the matter?” She set the cup aside. “Say it.”
    “I don’t think we should go on.” He looked up at her. His eyes were serious, his expression concerned. “I don’t have a good feeling about what happened before.”
    “It was just a villager; like you said. There’s probably a village in the mountains, and if so, we’re bound to run across someone.” As she said the words, the image of the sleek, black jaguar rose up in her mind. She wanted to tell Daniel, but decided it would only give him more ammunition to call off the whole trip.
    “That’s what I’m worried about, who we might run into. A guy wandering in the jungle is one thing. But he might have been a raider, like the ones who killed everyone on that expedition.”
    “But there’s no reason for raiders to be here. The ruins were abandoned by the Museum. The raiders probably took everything of value. Why would they still be hanging around, years later?”
    Daniel shrugged. “I don’t know. But my gut is telling me we’re walking into something dangerous.”
    Addison crawled out of her sleeping bag, crouching until she could stand. She looked up at Daniel, saw the expression on his face, and knew she’d have to either