Lust of the Cat Men: A Shifter Romance (The Pride Book 2) Read Free Page B

ean Luc and Jacob sat waiting for Matthew to finish drawing Samuels’s blood.  They all willingly gave their blood to him to include Alison as a new member of the Pride.  Matthew looked at the small glass vial and held it to the light before placing it in a rack the rest of them.  He had collected from everyone else including himself already.
    He moved to Jean Luc who extended his arm out to Matthew.  Taking a syringe he, as painlessly as he could, poked the needle into John Jean Luc’s vein.  The man’s face contorted a bit at the discomfort but he didn’t complain.  Matthew moved next to Jacob and took a sample as well.  He mixed all of the blood into a beaker before placing it in storage.
    “It is an exciting time,” said Jean Luc.  “To have a new member, and to have it be a female, well, I would have never expected that of Gerald.”
    Matthew knew exactly what he meant.  The Pride had stayed strong and all-male for a very long time.  He knew that the only reason that Alison was going to be included was because they had no other choice.  None of them would have wished this life of secrecy on anyone unless it couldn’t be helped.
    “It will only be a few hours before sunset and we can begin,” said Matthew who clasped his brother in the Pride on the shoulder.
    Jacob suddenly turned his head and focused on the door.  He had heard something outside.
    Suddenly the entire building was shaken by an explosion.  The thick steel door the protected and hid the Pride from the outside world was blown violently from its hinges to crash into the den.  Through the gaping hole armed men wearing protective helmets and body armor streamed into the one spot that had always been safe for them.
    With his catlike reflexes Jean Luc sprinted with his brothers deeper into the den.  He saw tranquilizer darts appear on the walls around him and knew they were being shot at.  He turned to grab the arm of Matthew who had stumbled, several of the darts sticking out of his back.  He pulled Matthew’s arm over his shoulder without stopping his headlong pace.  Unencumbered Jacob and Samuel pulled ahead and flung open the doors for him.  Once they were through they slammed them closed and slid the locks in place.  It would not stop the invaders but it would buy them valuable seconds. 
    Alison didn’t know what to do.  She had heard and felt the explosive charge that was used on the den and within seconds William had flung open the door to her room grabbed her by the wrist and was dragging her into the hallway.  Gerald was already there waiting for them, his body tense and his muscles flexing with anticipation.
    They had no need to yell for the others to warn them because they would already be heading for the hidden exit, alerted by the explosion.  Just as the group of men rounded the corner to head to the east wing they saw Gerald, William, and Alison rushing out from her room.
    Gerald cast his eyes over the Pride, mentally counting each one of them to verify they were all there.  Davidson had also taken the dart and Jacob picked him up and threw him over his broad shoulders.  William kept his hand locked over Alison’s wrist to lead her.
    There was a single backup exit to the den that had never been used.  It’d been put there is a last resort for just such an emergency is this one.  There was no door to speak of but they had rigged explosive charges of their own to the end of the tunnel that when triggered would cause a cave in and open a hole to the surface.  It was dangerous and only to be used in a desperate situation.
    Once they got to the entranceway Gerald paused to flip open the safety cover for the detonator.  William wrapped his body around Alison’s to shield her as Gerald stabbed down on the red switch.
    Alison screamed as the charges fired in the cave trembled violently.  Large hunks of thick cement tumbled down and sunlight streamed down to their location.  Scrambling over the rocks the members