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Back Savage Nature Save as PDF
Chapters (27)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Acknowledgements
  5. Chapter 1
  6. SIX MONTHS LATER
  7. Chapter 2
  8. Chapter 3
  9. Chapter 4
  10. Chapter 5
  11. Chapter 6
  12. Chapter 7
  13. Chapter 8
  14. Chapter 9
  15. Chapter 10
  16. Chapter 11
  17. Chapter 12
  18. Chapter 13
  19. Chapter 14
  20. Chapter 15
  21. Chapter 16
  22. Chapter 17
  23. Chapter 18
  24. Chapter 19
  25. Chapter 20
  26. Epilogue
  27. Teaser chapter

She dreamt of her leopard running in the swamp, feeling the freedom of her animal form for the first time. She’d never realized how easy it was to travel in the body of a cat, flowing over every obstacle, sensing where the ground was thin, hearing the very heartbeat of the swamp. A whiff of drifting smoke through the swamp had her cat wrinkling her nose. Her heart accelerated as adrenaline poured in. All wild things despised the smell of smoke, that heralding of imminent disaster. Her leopard coughed—lungs burning. She coughed.

Her cat clawed at her, raked and snarled in warning. “Bad dream,” Saria murmured, trying to pry her eyes open to bring an end to the beginnings of a nightmare. She coughed again and opened her eyes. It was impossible to see anything with the room filled with smoke.

“Drake!” She shook him, rolling from the bed onto the floor where she could breathe a little easier. She dragged his body down after hers. He landed heavily, just beginning to stir. Something wasn’t right. Drake always—always—came awake completely alert. “Drake! Fire. The inn is on fire and the smoke alarms aren’t goin’ off. Wake up now!”

Chapter 17

17

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DRAKE heard Saria’s voice from a great distance, as if he was in a long tunnel and the fog was so thick, it muffled not only sound but vision as well. He opened his mouth to call to her, but instantly his lungs burned for air. He coughed, realizing he was on the floor and Saria was trying to wake him. What the hell was wrong? His leopard roared at him, clawing and raking in alarm. Smoke in the room was so thick he could barely make out Saria, who knelt over him.

“The smoke alarms aren’t workin’.” Saria pressed her mouth against his ear. “I think we’ve all been drugged. If we can’t wake up, neither can the others.”

Drake fought the layers of fog, pushing himself up gebreak/>

She crawled along the floor to the French doors and reached up to the doorknob. Drake paused at the door to the hall to watch her. He couldn’t feel any heat coming off the door, but he was cautious as he reached for the handle, still watching Saria. She should have already been on the balcony.

“What’s wrong?” It was impossible to ignore his stomach, the terrible churning, and he knew he was going to be sick very soon.

“It won’t open. Somethin’s blockin’ it.” She tried her shoulder, but the door wouldn’t budge. Saria pressed her hand to her mouth, suppressing a cough. “I feel sick, Drake.”