Plans had to be made quickly.

  In order to avoid any difficult questions, I’d be forced to leave under false pretenses.

  At least leaving in the middle of the night had been my brand. I grimaced at the thought, but if what Luca had said was true, it was worth risking whatever anger or wrath would be tossed my way.

  I jerked to my feet, storming out of the conference room.

  “What the hell happened in there?” Lars asked as he flanked my side. “Mika was railing about wars starting.”

  “Organized plans of attack are a possibility,” I answered as I continued taking long strides. Tonight, I needed a fucking drink.

  “Meaning the dissidents again?”

  “Yes, ones preparing to take out the president as well.”

  He growled. “Fucking fantastic. By this time next year, we’ll all be in prison work camps moving blocks of stone.”

  I shook my head, choking out laughter. “I don’t think so.” However, their actions could start another war on American soil that could very well boil over into the rest of the countries just like before. I wasn’t certain if that’s what the dissidents wanted.

  “Hey, Alpha,” Mika called from behind me.

  I stopped short, gritting my teeth. “What do you want, Mika?” While I had little patience, I wanted to hear what he had to say. My father had told me an old adage from centuries before and it was one that held true. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

  “Are you going to run off like you’ve done before?” He threw out the comment then started to laugh as he walked around me.

  I knew in my gut I should end his shit right here and right now. “If you have something critical to tell me, then go ahead by all means. If not, get the hell out of here.”

  “Nothing critical, except that you’ve lost the respect of a good number of soldiers in the encampment. What am I saying? No one respects you.” Mika laughed as he continued walking.

  “What the fuck is up his ass?” Lars huffed, baring his canines.

  “He wants me gone. Don’t worry about it. Just have every weapon we have prepared. We need to post soldiers to watch the camp during the night. I have a bad feeling we’re going to face an attack sooner versus later.”

  “We’ll be ready,” he said before moving in front of me. “Don’t let Mika bother you. He’s full of anger.”

  “Aren’t we all?” I noticed that another one of my soldiers had joined Mika. Tomas had been very vocal about the fact I’d left the camp on several occasions. They couldn’t understand the rage that dwelled deep within. The only calm I could get came from remaining in my tiger form. Maybe my resentment of the human race went deeper than I cared to admit.

  It was time for a damn drink.

  And to plan.

  “Come to me, little pet,” I commanded, allowing a growl to escape my throat. There was no fear in her eyes, only excitement for what was about to happen.

  What I was about to do to her.

  Feast.

  Lick.

  Suck.

  And fuck her.

  There would be no hesitation, no guilt, just sheer pleasure. She would be fulfilling a need that continued to increase, my beast hungering to the point of near desperation. I had to taste her. Then I’d fuck her in every hole.

  As Nicolina took tentative steps toward me, her breathing became ragged, her lovely lips pursing. I was able to see the hard points of her nipples through the thin nightgown. The slip of material brushed softly against her hips as she walked, highlighting her voluptuous figure.

  Breasts that fit perfectly into my hands.

  Long legs that had wrapped around my torso more than once.

  The curve of her rounded hips, creating a throbbing in my cock.

  My mouth watered from anticipation of feasting on her sweet pussy, licking up every drop. When she was only a few inches away, I brushed the end of my finger down the side of her face, marveling in the heat that resonated, almost searing the tip. There was explosive chemistry between us, a wave of high-wire electricity that soared every time we were within close proximity.

  I continued my exploration, traveling down the side of her long neck, circling my finger around her pulse of life then further down, sliding it ever so slowly into the cleft between her breasts. My heart raced, my pulse skipping and my cock throbbing. “You are magnificent, but a very bad girl.”

  “I’m a good girl, Master. You’ve told me yourself.” Her defiant tone was sweet to the ears but would need to be controlled. She would learn obedience at all times, servicing my every need. Or I’d keep her in a perfect cage, just like the little pet she truly was.

  Without hesitation, I exposed my beast just enough to allow his claws to break through the surface. When I raked them down the front of her gown, shredding the thin material with ease, she let out a series of moans.

  “My God. So delicious.” My tone was gruff, unforgiving. I couldn’t wait to shove my cock inside her tight channel. Maybe tonight I would take her in her virgin asshole. The thought was delicious. I cupped and squeezed her breasts, pulling her even closer. As I pinched her nipples between my fingers, twisting until she cried out, I could read her every thought.

  I want him.

  I need him.

  I long to please him.

  “And so you will.” Leaning over, I crushed my mouth over hers and slid my hand between her legs, cupping and fingering her mound. She was so wet, her juice trickling down the insides of her thighs.

  Whoosh!

  Crack!

  Boom!

  “What the fuck?” I jerked up, taking several deep breaths as I searched the darkness. The dream had dragged me into an extremely deep sleep, making it difficult to focus. I tumbled out of bed, stumbling toward the window of my cabin and peering outside. A blaze of orange could be seen in the distance, a wall of fire licking up through the trees.

  I raced outside, able to gather the stench of gasoline. The attack had already begun.

  As others rushed out into the night, weapons in their hands, another boom sounded from the other side of the encampment.

  Lars and Tomas bolted in my direction as well as several of the other soldiers.

  “It looks like the shit is coming from all around us,” Lars hissed as he scanned the flames. “Jesus. They’re trying to burn down the town.”

  I turned in a full circle just as another burst of flames occurred from a third side. “No, I don’t think so. I think they’re actually attempting to lure us into a trap. That could mean their number of soldiers is low. They’ll position themselves to pick us off one by one if necessary.”

  “Sounds like the bastards,” Lars huffed.

  “Then what the hell are we going to do?” Tomas asked, contempt in his eyes.

  “Tomas, take several of the soldiers who aren’t able to shift and maintain guard here. We need to make certain they don’t try and get to our women while we’re attacking.”

  He glared at me, his nostrils flaring as if he was going to refuse to follow my orders. “Yes, sir.”

  “Lars, we’re going to lead a group right through the middle of the flames. That’s where I think the fuckers are. First, we shift.”

  “Then we won’t be able to protect ourselves. We need the human weapons in order to stay alive,” Lars snapped, fear in his tone. While neither humans nor Breeds were allowed to kill each other, the dissidents followed no man’s rules. They’d made up their own.

  “Yes, we will. We will attack as necessary. Which is what should have occurred on that night weeks ago.” I glared into Tomas’ eyes, making certain he knew what I was alluding to. Given what I’d heard had happened, I blamed Tomas for my father’s death, at least to some degree.

  However, I continued to carry guilt of my own. If only I hadn’t been roaming the countryside on another fucking adventure, fighting instead by my father’s side, then maybe he’d still be alive.

  Both men seemed surprised by my command. While Tomas snarled, he backed away, jogging quickly to round up the others. Sadly, far too many of my Streak were unable to shift, the fucking chemicals used decades before forcing them to remain in human form. The goddamn serum developed by Jabari’s mate also cured that part of our curse.

  As if we’d ever see a drop of the serum.

  I refused to wallow in my anger. It was time to get the bastards and send a message.

  I threw back my head and roared, allowing my tiger the freedom to turn. I’d grown weary of doing the right thing, of pretending that we weren’t beasts capable of great destruction. The dissidents were out for blood. They’d drown in their own need for revenge.

  As I allowed my tiger to surface, my entire body began to shake. I’d grown used to the agony as my bones snapped, my muscles altering. As my spine began to lengthen, I was forced to the ground, tonight’s pain blinding. I dug my fingers into the earth, enjoying the mud sliding between them.

  The roars and growls as other members of the Streak began to shift was the sweetest music on Earth. The bastards wouldn’t know what hit them. They wanted a war, they were about to get one.

  As claws replaced my fingers, the fur increasing on my extremities, another explosion occurred, closer than the ones before. The fuckers were baiting us.

  Come out and play. We would play all right. We’d also feast.

  Once I was finished with the transformation, I shook several times before scanning the perimeter. I’d purposely taken a cabin close to a forest, the encampment protected from the majority of sides. While the dissidents had obviously found our location weeks before, this was brazen even for them.

  That added credence to the rumor that Luca had heard. It was likely the group of assholes from Savannah had given strict orders to eliminate all the groups close to the city.

  We could be headed for another war, only this time, the casualties would be even more significant.

  There was no need for discussion. As I began to race into the woods, the others followed, at least fifty tigers if not more. The stench of gasoline as well as the smell of the humans was ripe, adding to the bile in my throat. I couldn’t wait for the taste of blood. Perhaps I was nothing but a killer, but the title was one I accepted with honor.

  As we raced deeper into the forest, the stench continued to increase, the bastards flanking both sides. I could hear their movements, the sharp snapping of twigs and the catcalls they made to each other. They had no real understanding of how our senses worked.

  Keen eyesight.

  Intensified hearing.

  The ability to smell from almost a mile away.

  We were larger than normal, the chemicals also altering our tiger form. Given our heightened level of strength, humans were no match for us.

  Unless they carried laser rays, the only weapon capable of cutting us down.

  Military grade and allowed for law enforcement only, very few dissidents had gained access to one. However, they’d amassed a tremendous supply of weapons from years and decades before. Of course, every Breed had as well, hoarding guns and other supplies for our use if necessary.

  I took a deep whiff, unable to gather the smell of lasers, but we would still need to be careful. After slowing our advance, we remained in the shadows, searching the darkness.

  “There are at least thirty of them,” Lars said as he moved by my side.

  “An increase in their usual activity.”

  He snarled. “Yes. What the hell are they trying to do?”

  “Pick off the smaller groups of Breeds first, acquiring their weapons then moving to the larger population in the cities and larger towns. By then, they’ll have everything they need to overthrow the area.”

  While our encampment was roughly twenty miles from Savannah and very isolated, if I had to guess, I’d say our location had been mapped out along with the other more rural Breed locations.

  “Whatever Luca said in that meeting you need to share with me,” Lars huffed.

  “Let’s just say I think the beginning of the end of our tumultuous relationship with mankind is coming to a close.”

  He dragged his tongue across his canines and before he had a chance to answer, shots rang out, including an automatic weapon and something else.

  At least one laser ray.

  We had no time to waste.

  “Attack!” I commanded.

  Within seconds, the entire group of tigers rushed the dissidents. Only a few seconds after that, human screams could be heard floating into the night sky. The scent of fresh blood was everywhere, the roars of the tigers becoming bellows of freedom.

  How long since we’d hunted? How long since we’d lived without fear?

  How long had it been since we’d been rulers of the forests and jungles?

  Soon, we would take what rightfully belonged to us.

  As my gaze fell on one of the assholes, the laser firmly planted in his hand, I licked my chops before opening my muzzle and exposing my sharp teeth. Just seconds before I lunged, he shifted his aim in my direction.

  And fired.

  Chapter 3

  Nicolina

  Mine. Mine. Mine.

  I shivered as the words floated back and forth in my brain, my entire body tingling. I’d experienced visions my entire life, portraits of the kind of creatures the majority of humans would call monsters.

  But I knew differently.

  Breeds.

  I would never forget the day I learned what they were. I couldn’t have been more than six, my mother telling me a brilliant and beautiful story about creatures of the jungles and forests, powerful alphas and kings, true rulers of the world. So strong they could handle any enemy. So wise they’d become great leaders. And so majestic, they were true gifts from God.

  She allowed my imagination to flow, answering every question even though I’d asked them dozens of times. I’d even dreamed about them for years, certain that one was my knight in shining armor, that I was special in some crazy way.

  Then my father had helped me understand the truth behind the fantasy, the horrors the creatures had faced from the decisions made by our ancestors. He’d allowed me into the world that he seemed to hate, his top-secret clearance in the government something he almost never talked about. But with me, he shared some of his insights, his hope that both humans and Breeds could survive. I’d been in awe of his conviction, the long hours he spent almost every day in an attempt to ensure the protection of our two species. He’d been my hero.

  Then he’d been killed.

  But before his death, I’d learned about the chemicals used for warfare, the weapons of mass destruction meant to destroy the entire planet. Fortunately, that hadn’t occurred, but the aftermath of the decisions made had changed the course of animals and humans forever.

  Beasts had shifted into humans, forced into servitude because of fear of total annihilation.

  Humans had succumbed to the same chemicals, only heading toward full extinction within my lifetime.

  And the race continued to find a cure for both species.

  Some called it the greatest war to be fought in centuries, but as with any battle, there could only be one winner.

  In my mind, I knew the fight was just beginning.

  There were new strains of the disease that had yet to fully identified, new horrors soon to descend.

  Many would die.

  Humanity lost.

  What would be left for the next generation?

  I’m coming for you. You can’t hide from me. You are all mine. You will obey my every command, succumbing to my every desire. For if you do not, you will be punished.

  I swallowed hard, the echo of the man’s intense voice penetrating my eardrums.

  Only the husky and very dark baritone wasn’t real. I hadn’t heard the words, I’d thought them. My hand shaking, I slipped my fingers through my hair as I tried to focus. I’d experienced the same thing for several weeks, and in truth, I knew where it was coming from.

  A tiger.

  The most beautiful and impressive creature on Earth, at least in my eyes.

  I’d seen the white Bengal tiger on the shores of the crystal clear river I frequented only a few hundred yards away from my beloved cabin. The gorgeous beast had studied me from afar, watching everything I did.

  Hungering for me.

  And he’d taken me more than once, fucking me like a wild beast, at least in my mind. I was beginning to believe the events had been real, a precursor to some massive event in the future. I rolled my eyes, trying to keep my shit together. I was a rational, intelligent woman. At least usually. Just thinking about him brought a level of heated desire straight to my core. Even walking into my classroom was entirely different from before the violent and fantastic dream.

  I rubbed my forehead, trying to alleviate the intense images.

  As well as the kind of yearning that continued to take my breath away. He was magnificent in every aspect, including his coloration. So rare. So perfect. White tigers were never seen in the wild, their intense eyes and dazzling color drawing far too much attention. He was so masculine and regal, powerful in every way.

  His body was sculpted; long legs and chiseled abs, broad shoulders, and one long, thick cock.

  And he was calling to me.

  As if I belonged to him.

  I will take you.

  I will feast on you.

  Then I will own you.

  My God, the words continued to filter into my mind, forcing my nipples to ache. The way the lacy bra shifted back and forth over them left me wet and hot.

  My pussy ached just thinking about it, the longing the same as it had been during the last week. This morning I’d awakened to find my thighs slickened, the scent entirely too masculine.

  I’d also heard the crack of gunfire early that morning, the thunderous sound penetrating the quiet moment I usually enjoyed. I shuddered at the thought of the creatures being hunted. I knew in my heart that’s what I’d heard. I was sickened at the thought.