Revenge of the Cat Men: A Shifter Romance (The Pride Book 1) Read Free Page A

a low growl and saw the lips pull back to reveal a row of pointed, sharp teeth.
    It was too much for Alison, she fainted in his arms like a rag doll, held up only by the monster's grip on her.
    He tossed her over his shoulder and leaped up to catch a window ledge before jumping again to a higher one.  Alison's limp body dangled over his shoulder, swinging as he pulled himself to the rooftop.  The first creature joined him and they set a path back to the den.
    *******
    G erald barely felt the weight of Alison on his back as he leaped up to the rooftops.  It was the only place in the city he felt comfortable when away from the den.  He needed to be able to be high and see his surrounding to feel safe.  Tonight even high above the city he felt more venerable than ever before.  His pride had been violated and he was furious.
    Diving forward Gerald moved at such great speed that William was having trouble keeping up.  The city sped into a blur of movement underneath them.  Moving like shadows they made their way towards home.  People went about their business unaware of the unnatural kidnapping going on above their heads. 
    Only when they reached the destination did they slow their pace.  For a very long time the pride had owned a section of property that to anyone else in the world would be useless.  Abandoned and dilapidated and in a section of the city that was ignored by everyone, their den was secure.  On the outside it was a broken shell of a building but that was just what they wanted.  Inside was equally ruined except for one door buried deep inside.  That door was new, well maintained, and led to the most private and secure area of the city.  The pride's den.
    Swinging down by one arm Gerald entered the outer building, in his haste not even double checking to make sure he was unnoticed by the normal humans.  He came to the heavy steel door and keyed the passcode that kept them locked.  As William caught up behind him the system unlocked and the door swung wide.  It was several inches thick with thick rods that held it in place.
    William watched as Gerald strode purposefully through the entrance to their home.  He paused his following to shut and lock the door behind them before hurrying to join his leader. 
    The inside of the den was a violent contrast to the outside facade.  Hundreds of years of collecting rare and exclusive items had made the pride wealthy beyond belief.  Plush carpets lined the floors and rare works of art hung on the walls of the entrance corridor that the men walked down.  Once they reached the main hall it was even more evident with every item or piece of furniture hand-picked throughout history.  The pride had a home of luxury and comfort to come back to after venturing into the realm of the humans.  He placed Alison on the floor even though there were several soft couches in the room, uncaring for her comfort out of worry for Samuel. 
    Wasting no time Gerald went directly to where he knew Samuel would be.  Mathew was the closest thing the pride had to a doctor and Gerald knew that he would be caring for their recovered brother.  He wasn't surprised to find that all of the pride had gathered around Samuel and Mathew in the chamber.
    “Let me through, here, make a path,” he said, pushing past Jean Luc and Davidson to kneel down next to the young kit. 
    “His breathing is steady, and his pulse is strong,” Mathew told him. 
    “Will he live?” William asked.
    “I can not see any reason why not,” Mathew replied.  “But other than the drugs they used to sedate him I do not know what exactly was done to his body and mind.”
    “What do you mean?” asked Davidson.
    “How would you have liked being captured, your skin torn from you, locked in a cage?”  Jacob said, knowing the question would be also the answer.  Gerald focused on the missing patches of skin and fur on Samuel's hide.  They had taken samples, to try and discover why he wasn't like them.  They