Page 25 of Savage Giant

If the male who’d howled for help was indeed from another tribe, I was required to kill him on sight, and I had no wish for Cari to bear witness as I took a life. She’d fled danger in the city, had needed a safe place to hide, and I worried she would be frightened by the bloodshed.

Males from other Montikaan tribes usually only trespassed when they wanted to steal females or resources from another tribe. Which meant whoever was out there howling likely posed a great threat to my people.

We were already short on females and couldn’t afford to lose a single member of our tribe, whether it was a female stolen or a male killed by a trespasser.

The only assistance the male who was howling for help would receive from me was a quick death.

Cari walked to my side and touched my arm. “I don’t know much about Montikaan howls, but it sounds like he’s in a lot of pain. Maybe he needs help. I-I have a first aid kit upstairs. Let me go get it and I’ll get dressed and—”

“No,” I said firmly, using the most dominant tone I’d ever used on Cari. I faced her and placed my hands on her shoulders. “You will not set foot outside this cabin. Not until I have vanquished the threat.”

Her eyebrows drew together. “Vanquished the threat? You’re talking like you mean to kill him.”

“That’s exactly what I mean to do.”

She paled as shock rolled off her, and she swallowed hard and took a step back from me, shrugging my hands from her shoulders. I allowed her to go, though her response wounded me. Wasn’t she grateful that I meant to keep her safe?

“You plan to go out there and kill a Montikaan male who’s likely lost and hurt and scared?” She crossed her arms over herchest and shook her head. “That’s terrible. It’s heartless. We ought to help him, whoever he is.”

I suppressed the growl building in my throat, and I forced in a deep breath as I reminded myself that she wasn’t familiar with the ways of my people. She didn’t know what a sin it was to trespass in another tribe’s territory.

“It is a serious offense for a Montikaan male to set foot in another tribe’s territory,” I explained, praying she would understand. “It’s a crime that’s punishable by death. Trespassing is considered an act of war, Cari. I am required to end him. It’s the law of our people. To let him live would be to endanger my tribe.”

She tapped her foot on the floor. “We are close to the southern border of your lands,” she said. “Maybe he didn’t mean to trespass. He could’ve gotten lost in the snow and not seen the markers.”

“Not likely. Even if the snow buries the markers, the smell of urine should alert him to go the other way.”

Her eyebrows lifted and I sensed her shock deepening. She’d been aware that the twisted branches were markers created by my people, but apparently she hadn’t known the reason they worked so well was because we also urinated on them. It was said that the stronger a Montikaan male was, the fouler his urine smelled. I took great pride in the fact that mine smelled appalling.

Cari stared at me in silence, but she didn’t need to say anything. I felt her disapproval. Her building anger, as well as the shock she was still experiencing.

Another emotion hit me, and it nearly caused me to sink to my knees.

Betrayal.

I sucked in a rapid breath. She felt betrayed by my plans to kill the pullshanna. She was glimpsing a side of me she hadn’trealized existed, and it was making her question everything she thought she’d known about me. Was she questioning thecalling?

Savage. Beast. Monster. Soulless.

She was looking at me the same way the people in my tribe looked at me. The people who judged me for how frequently I returned with human blood on my hands. Never mind that my actions kept them all safer.

Another pained howl echoed over the mountainside, and I bristled at the bad timing. But there was no point in waiting. If the males of my tribe failed to defend our borders when enemies came calling, it would make other tribes view us as weak, and it would encourage more pullshannas to set foot on our land.

“Go upstairs to the bedroom and lock the door behind you. Not the main bedroom, but the smaller one across the hall from it,” I ordered her. “Then go in the bathroom, lock that door as well, and wait. Do not come out until I return.”

Rapid waves of outrage flowed from her. She didn’t like me telling her what to do. But it couldn’t be helped. I had to keep her safe. If she argued with me, I would carry her upstairs and force her to comply.

Then I caught the scent of not one, buttwoMontikaan males in the air.Macowaa. I didn’t recognize either of their scents. Two pullshannas.

I grasped Cari by the arms. “You will obey me,” I said firmly, “and go upstairs. Now.”

Chapter 17

CARI

I saton the bathroom floor, fuming. I still couldn’t believe Gorran had forced me into the bathroom. Not only that, but he’d dragged the bed in front of the door to keep me inside.

Who the hell did he think he was?

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