Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 127461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 637(@200wpm)___ 510(@250wpm)___ 425(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 637(@200wpm)___ 510(@250wpm)___ 425(@300wpm)
Matvei and Meiling are in position, Gorya, Gedeon assured him. Take him out anytime.
Timur uttered a gasp, and his hands went to the jeans he’d just pulled up. “Gorya, as pakhan, you shouldn’t have to deal with this clown. I’ll fight him. He’s nothing.”
Gorya knew Timur was worried Punisher would be able to defeat Rogue. He’d never seen Rogue in a real battle.
“As pakhan,” Gedeon corrected, “when a challenge is issued for leadership, Gorya has no choice but to meet it.”
How many are normally sent in an assassination squad? Maya asked just as Punisher exploded into action.
But this is not an assassination squad, baby. This is just a run-of-the-mill conspiracy to kill the leader so they can take over.
Rogue rose up into the air to meet Punisher, slashing with claws at the underbelly, slicing four precise, deep wounds before he whipped his body around and disengaged.
I’m not betting your life on it.
Five.
Rogue circled the wounded leopard, who came down spilling ruby drops on the leaves and dirt. Howling and snarling, showing his teeth, Punisher’s eyes deepened to an evil reddish hue as he stared at his rival. Once, he glanced into the swamp, upward toward a tree in the distance, before lifting his head and roaring another challenge. He hadn’t been expecting Rogue to score lacerations deep enough to hinder movement.
Stall for a couple of minutes.
Gorya thought it ironic that Timur didn’t want him to fight the leopard, in fact was willing to take his place to protect him. Maya had such faith in his abilities that she was asking him to prolong the match with Punisher for some unknown reason, and yet she’d never seen Rogue fight. It was always dangerous battling another leopard. Anything could go wrong. One slip, especially with an experienced fighter such as Punisher, and Rogue could go down just as easily as Punisher.
This time it was Rogue who attacked. He gave no warning. He rushed Punisher before the larger leopard could ready himself for the attack. Leaping on him, Rogue brought the big brute down, burying his teeth in his spine and his claws deep in his neck to control Punisher’s head. He held him helpless. For the first time he allowed the other leopard to feel his enormous strength. Punisher fought, clawing and biting at him desperately, alarm showing in his eyes.
After a few minutes of struggling against Rogue’s relentless grip, Punisher gave a last-ditch effort to roll. Rogue allowed it, and the two leopards somersaulted several times, flipping back and forth in a maelstrom of gray and dark fur, claws, teeth and tails. Rogue never lost his grip on the large cat. Punisher’s fur was streaked with dark red.
Punisher lifted his muzzle from the dirt and howled in terror but refused submission. To claim leadership, the leopard couldn’t submit. At his call, Ivan expected one of the two snipers lying in wait to put a bullet in Rogue. The sound of a rifle, followed by a second, reverberated through the swamp.
For a moment Punisher’s eyes glowed with triumph. Rogue’s teeth sank deeper into his spine. Snapped it. He backed off, leaving his opponent unable to rise.
Maya?
Go for it. I’ll meet you back at the house.
He didn’t like the way she sounded. She held herself away from him, not moving all the way into his mind. What was different about her voice?
Rogue, finish this one off fast.
Rogue didn’t hesitate. He considered Punisher beneath him. The animal had not come to fight in an honorable manner. He’d brought along two snipers to assist him. To cheat. No self-respecting shifter would ever do such a thing when challenging for leadership. And no leopard would ever cheat in a fight for a female. She would never accept him. What would that mean for Maya? Would they try to sell her when they started up their human trafficking ring again? He knew that was the intention. Just the thought enraged him.
I would kill him, Maya said calmly.
Now she sounded more like Maya. Gorya felt he could breathe again. There was no doubt in his mind that she would have killed Ivan.
There was zero possibility that Rogue would be defeated. If Meiling and Matvei did their jobs, you were going to prevail.
Now she sounded downright smug. Rogue even preened a little with that remark. He liked that not only did Wraith believe in him, but Maya did as well. Rogue slammed his paw into the dirt, throwing leaves and dirt over Punisher’s panting muzzle to show his contempt for the other cat. He clamped his jaws around him and bit down, smothering the other leopard with a bite to his neck. He was relentless, shaking Punisher viciously as the cat succumbed to the slow death.
He dropped the heavy weight of the carcass on the ground and paced away a few feet, roaring another challenge, daring any leopard to try to take his female from him, then raced back to show more contempt for the shifter by once again throwing dirt and rotting vegetation all over the carcass.