Page 58 of Purrfectly Kissed

“She’s a Tiger, man, but she stinks like a fucking Bear,” one snarled.

He was the shortest one there, his wild eyes looked at her disgustedly and he wrinkled his nose. She barely stopped herself from hissing at him. How dare he speak of her mate that way?

“This must be that fake Neta’s sister,” another replied.

The male was dirty, dressed in a t-shirt and ripped jeans. His greasy blonde hair stuck up like he hadn’t seen a brush in weeks as he strutted forward. All three of them smelled like dirt and grime and bodily functions. The strength of the stench made her want to gag.

He must be the leader, she mused.

All of them had the same unkempt, disheveled look to them. Their clothes were damp, and their shoes covered in mud. They must have come through the forest. She smelled their fur on them and wondered if they’d carried their clothing with them somehow. Then she noted the backpack on the shortest one.

That one must be the pack mule.

The third was the most muscular, but still lanky. In fact, all three seemed impossibly young. Younger than she was, at any rate.

She’d heard the termstreakonce or twice and knew it was used loosely by Tiger Shifter’s to describe groups of rogues who joined together for one nefarious purpose or other. Usually, to try and overthrow another male’s Pride was one such reason.

If that was their aim, they were sorely mistaken. Her brother was no chump. Neither was her mate. Either of them alone would make mincemeat of this trio.

“Look,” she said.

She wanted them to remain calm, thinking about Elissa and Kylie in the back room. The other two felines would have heard the commotion. Hopefully, they were calling Hunter and Brayden now.

“I think you should leave town before it is too late,” she warned.

“We don’t care what you think, Bear whore. Deliver a message to your brother. His time is done!”

She hissed and spun around. How had she missed a fourth rogue? The huge male was on her before she could move. His claw tipped hands wrapped around her throat and squeezed, causing her to gasp for air.

She struggled against him, clawing, and kicking, but it was no use. Either he was on something, or he was just numb to the pain she had to be causing him. Jessica fought like a hellcat. Snarls and growls filled the air, the other three Tigers shouting at their fourth, encouraging him to kill her.

She smelled his blood and knew her scratches had sliced through skin. But still, he held firm. The asshole squeezed her throat again before letting go and punching her twice in the jaw. He straddled her arms so she couldn’t scratch him any longer, but she bucked and turned, doing her best to dismount him.

Motherfucker.

Her only hope was that Elissa and Kylie would remain hidden in the back room. Of course, that was too much to ask. Just then, she heard Elissa’s laughter reach the front of the shop as she and Kylie emerged into the storefront.

“Jessica! Stop you bastards!”

Elissa’s gaze glittered with the gold of her she-Cat as she faced off against the four males who now stood in a circle around Jessica. The asshole who’d hit her had her up by the hair, the pain blinding her.

He growled, kicking her in the stomach, and she fell to the floor. Wind knocked out of her, she sucked in air. Fuck, it felt so good to breathe. But worry quickly overpowered her elation at being able to suck in air. Elissa had just put herself in danger.

“Lissa, run,” she tried to yell, but it was no more than a hoarse cry.

“That’s his bitch! The human whore the traitor took to bed. We will cleanse this joke of a Pride, starting with you,” he sneered.

“Listen up, fuckwits. I’m the Nari of this Pride, and you four have a lot to answer for,” snarled Elissa.

The pregnant she-Cat was trembling with rage, and Jessica had never been so fucking scared in her life. Kylie placed herself slightly in front of the Nari, and Jessica’s heart really threatened to stop.

She was so small. A good ten-inches shorter than Jessica, even shorter than the Nari herself. Yes, Kylie was born a Shifter, but these men were brutish and cruel.

They could hurt her. They could hurt them both. Fear almost stopped her heart, but she refused to give into it.

No!

Jessica had no intention of letting that happen. She had to protect her friend and her Nari. With no thought for her own self-preservation, Jessica got to her feet and jumped onto the back of the man who’d attacked her.

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