Junglecat Honeymoon: Manhattan Ten, Book 3.5 Read online

  Nothing.

  The moisture on my skin was sweat and my wedding ring was long melted.

  Not acceptable.

  My hands began to shake.

  I’d struggled every moment of my life to keep the ice at bay. The thought that it could disappear had never occurred. Now I was exposed. I needed to find my bearings, and my husband.

  I crept toward the single window. The slipshod wooden building was lifted on stilts. The light filtered through a green canopy, past twisting branches to the ground below.

  A tree house, surrounded by jungle.

  No cars. No people. Only chirps and caws broke the silence. I took a deep breath, scenting loam, water and fragrant blossoms.

  This was no New York. It wasn’t even North America.

  Wherever I was, Panther was not with me. Only my side of the bed was rumpled and he would never leave me to wake alone in a strange place.

  I still wore my wedding dress. He wouldn’t have allowed that either.

  The birdsong silenced.

  I tensed, peering beyond the window. My palms flexed, but without my ice, I couldn’t form a spear. “Who’s there?”

  He descended from the treetops above, falling barefoot onto a branch.

  The man leaned against the tree trunk, wearing a pair of tight black pants and nothing else as he flashed a grin—brilliant white teeth against his deep, dark skin. The man was slightly taller than Panther, his muscles cut but lithe, with orange-tinted brown eyes.

  “Tequani.” Panther’s brother. We’d never met, but the resemblance was there, in the shape of his nose and the set of his broad shoulders.

  “Hermana.” He crouched, resting elbows on knees, perfectly balanced on the narrow branch. “You can call me Quan.”

  As relaxed as he appeared, my senses prickled as they had when I first met Panther. Quan was a hunter. If he chose, he could span the gap from the branch to the tree house in one leap.

  I could hold my own in a fight, but without my ice, I had no advantage. Nothing about Quan marked him an easy opponent, and brother or not, his purpose was unknown. “What is this?”

  “Your suegra, my mother, requires that you prove yourself worthy of our Balam and family.”

  Of course she does.

  I’d sensed she wasn’t satisfied, but I thought we’d have a verbal fight rather than a kidnapping. Poya was more like my mother than I’d imagined. “And what have you both done to me?” My fists bunched, but instead of frosting with ice, my skin simply whitened with tension.

  “You’ll find out.” Quan’s gaze swept up and down my body as both challenger and man. “If you can.”

  I fought not to shiver.

  Damn him.

  I couldn’t fail to respond to such a challenge, but this was Quan—not my husband. My heart was promised and wouldn’t waver. “Where is Panther?”

  “You shouldn’t use that name here.” Quan stood, lazily stretching his muscled arms. “We have many panthers.”

  “Where is Balam?” If he didn’t tell me, I was going to knock him off that branch.

  “I’ll show you.” Flashing a grin, he swung downward and landed soundlessly on the ground. “If you can follow me.” He disappeared into the brush.

  I was halfway through the window before I realized I was taking the bait. I could not tear off into the jungle, no matter how much my inner huntress craved the chase. The lack of ice did nothing to calm my instincts.

  But realistically, I could not kill my brother-in-law.

  I paced the single-room tree house, looking for a phone, a weapon or anything I could use to my advantage, but after the bed and mosquito netting, all it offered was a hammock, a table and a bowl of fruit. Mangoes would not help me out of this.

  Quan and Poya played a deadly game.

  However they’d taken my ice, they’d been smart to do so. I would have frozen them both rather than look at them.

  Now?

  I wasn’t sure who was the prey, but none of us would go unharmed.

  When I lost myself in a fight, I didn’t pull punches. Although I had no powers to lose control of, I sensed I was in the proverbial corner, and my deepest self did not like the feeling.

  My nature was to chase and hunt, not to hide.

  But I would hide.

  For Panther, I would hide. Better that than to harm his family.

  Even if they might deserve it for what they’d done to me.

  I ducked under the mosquito netting and lay on the bed, smoothing my white skirts. My pulse pounded as if I were running, but staying in place took twice that effort.

  Balam would find me. I would rather torture myself with waiting than risk causing a deadly rift the day after my wedding.

  Even when I ached to fight.

  Especially when I ached to fight.

  Powerless, in unfamiliar territory, they must’ve thought I’d be less dangerous, but it was quite the opposite. Instead of ice, my veins ran with fury.

  I would not give in to my instincts or give them what they wanted. Panther was mine and I didn’t need to prove that to anyone. The gods had blessed our union, and if my mother-in-law didn’t, so be it.

  I buried my head under the pillow and started counting to one million.

  It might take a few millions until I calmed down.

  This time when I awoke, warm arms wrapped around me.

  I sighed and snuggled closer. “I had such a terrible—”

  The scent.

  Too sharp. Too wild.

  This was not my Balam.

  My movement was instinctive.

  I slipped Quan’s grasp and flipped him off the bed. The mosquito net tore from the ceiling as he crashed to the ground, but I sprang through the netting, pinning him to the floor with a knee in his groin as my blade moved to his throat.

  Of course, the ice blade didn’t materialize, but I settled for tight grip on his windpipe. “That was a mistake.”

  “So I see.” Night had come and Quan’s eyes glowed orange in the darkness. “Could you move that knee?”

  I pressed down. “Better?”

  He winced. “I’m starting to understand why he likes you.”

  “Be thankful I don’t have my ice.” I probably would have slit his throat before I realized what was happening.

  “I am.”

  I wanted to strangle him and my hands were already in position. “What is this game?”

  “Not a game. A test.”

  My arms shook with the effort it took not to choke him.

  A test?

  He had no idea. I would not play these panther games, but I would win the battle with myself. I eased off of him, disentangled from the netting and moved to the opposite side of the room. “I won’t fight you.”

  Quan cast off the net. “I thought you were a warrior.”

  “I’m a hunter.” Powers or not, I always would be.

  “And the difference is?”

  “A hunter knows when not to fight.”

  Quan leaned against the bedpost. His body was dark and sensuous in the moonlight, but I wished he were Balam. “That’s no fun.”

  “None at all.” I wanted to fight him, but neither of us would win if that happened.

  “Then what? You’ll live your days here in the tree house?”

  “Balam will come for me.”

  “My brother is…indisposed.”

  My heart skipped a beat, but I knew he had to be fine. “Poya would never harm him.”

  “Harm him, no.” Quan slunk toward the window. “But drug him and lock him in with a pack of single lady panthers? Yes.”

  With no ice to cool me, my blood might actually boil. “He’s married.”

  Quan shrugged. “Not according to my mother’s customs.”

  I backed away until I hit the wall to keep myself from lunging at his throat again. “What do you get out of this?”

  “You’ll see.” He swung his feet over the windowsill. “At least, you’ll see if you actually follow along.�
� Quan jumped, disappearing into the darkness.

  I didn’t allow myself to relax.

  Should I believe that story?

  It was amazing enough that Poya had drugged and stolen me away without getting caught by the Ten. Tank read minds, and Jenny could when she wanted, among her other powers. It was my voluntarily leaving the party that had given Poya her window.

  I doubted she could’ve spirited Balam away. If she’d managed, Jenny could find anyone in a breath and send Jet with his super-speed to find us.

  But if no one knew we were gone…

  If they thought we’d both snuck away to the honeymoon, then they wouldn’t look, would they?

  An image of Panther sprang to mind—unconscious in an incense-hazed bedroom, surrounded by nude women with oiled skin. He would have to be drugged to even consider such a thing.

  It was only my imagination, but my blood surged.

  Not from jealousy. How could I be jealous when Balam’s heart was mine?

  Outrage.

  Pure, blinding, outrage.

  How dare they—Quan, Poya and their entire tribe—judge our love? Poya could prance as many naked women in front of him as she wanted. I was his mate. No one was a better match for him, panther tribeswoman or not, and no ice man would ever be a better match for me.

  I took a deep breath.

  I had to play the game after all.

  After descending the wobbly rope ladder, I paced the edge of the little tree house clearing. My night vision was strong, but little of the moonlight penetrated to the jungle floor, and the colors were nothing like the reflective snow and ice I craved.

  Dark greens and browns and blacks twisted together, forming massive gnarled trees, bushes and deep shadows. I closed my eyes.

  The jungle was as loud as New York. Insects, reptiles and small mammals called into the night, chirping, clicking and yowling.

  I pushed them from my mind, drinking in the air. Quan hadn’t exactly left a path to follow, so I had to track him the hard way.

  Mosses. Molds. Pollens. Countless species of birds and animals.

  Predators had a unique scent…

  Harsh. A little musky. Dangerous.

  There.

  I caught a whiff and was parting through the underbrush before I regained control. My hands cupped phantom spears. If I had my power, I’d already be tearing through the forest, clearing the brush with ice.

  Earth tones or not, this place was candy to my huntress. With so many creatures to stalk and a challenge in my veins, my body hummed.

  It was much too easy to forget my disadvantage.

  No ice, strange territory and…

  Before trekking any further into the jungle, I had to face a final reality. Twigs snagged the bulky white skirts of my wedding dress and after a few moments on the ground, dirt stained the hem.

  With a deep sigh, I started tearing the fabric.

  It was already ruined, but Angel wouldn’t be happy.

  Neither would Vera Wang.

  I wasn’t happy.

  I tore away the cloth below my knees and ripped apart the seams, making room to move and fight if I we came to that. The sleeveless bodice was a bit formal for hiking, but the corset laced tightly and it wouldn’t fall off or catch on branches.

  The remains of the dress piled on the ground like improbable snow in this tropical hellhole. Quan and Poya would both owe me for this.

  Among other things.

  Quan’s trail wound through trees and over streams, obviously leading me on a chase. The idea of it made my huntress roar, but I bit back the part of myself that wanted to charge through the trees, killing anything in the way. I paced myself, stopping frequently to scent the trail and keep myself calm. If I clicked into tribal mode, I might not be able to recover, and that part of me didn’t care about consequences.

  Every step further into the jungle was closer to the edge. Quan wasn’t the only predator out tonight.

  Although his scent was the strongest, similar trails crisscrossed the trees. I wasn’t positive how large his family or extended family was, but if they were anything like my relatives…

  I didn’t want to meet them without an introduction.

  Between the darkness and the humidity, it was like a cocoon, but not the kind that meant safety. More like I’d been wrapped in spider webs and was waiting to be devoured.

  A twig snapped.

  I whirled, but the brush was too thick to see anything.

  A laugh sounded from the underbrush and my hands moved to draw out a spear before I remembered. I should’ve made a weapon earlier.

  “We can see you,” a female voice called from the treetops.

  I adjusted my posture, ready to defend attacks from above and below as I scanned the nearby branches.

  “Can you see us?” A second voice sounded near where the laugh had rung out.

  At least two enemies.

  Taunting prey was the worst behavior. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.

  I straightened from my crouch. “If you’re here to fight me, I’m not impressed.”

  “Not impressed?” The one who’d giggled stepped from behind a tree. She wore a dress of skins, and feathers dangled from her hair. Her orange eyes glowed and a black blade flashed in her hand. “What should we do about that, sister?”

  The second woman swung from a tree, landing crouched on the balls of her feet, holding an obsidian-tipped spear. “Shall we impress her?”

  I backed toward the tree line so they couldn’t pin me between them. My fingers flexed again, but I was on my own. I had to trust in my battle skills. At least the two of them seemed to be alone. “What is the purpose of this? All of this?”

  The one with the spear flashed teeth, but not in a smile. “You’re an enemy warrior on our territory. We haven’t had a chance like this in centuries.”

  “Like what?” I was going to lunge at one of them in a moment, but I wasn’t sure whether it would be to kill them or shake some sense into them. I couldn’t begin to understand their tribe.

  “To capture a conquest and advance our status.” The sister pulled a second blade from behind her belt. “Everyone’s been stuck at the same rank for decades.”

  I gritted my teeth. Both of them needed a thorough shaking. “This is for status?”

  “For us.” The spear holder advanced. “The men might try to take you as a wife. You’re fair game until Poya says not.”

  “I’m already married!” I wanted to tear out my hair or theirs. “We joined our hands in ice. What more declaration do you need?”

  The sisters exchanged a look. “Ice doesn’t bind, according to our customs.”

  Their hair. I definitely wanted to tear out their hair. “What does?”

  “Blood.”

  “That can be arranged.” Fury crept from my toes, climbing through my veins until my vision hazed with the intense focus that told me how close to the edge I was. “Will yours suffice?”

  Both sisters grinned.

  The spear holder lunged first.

  I dodged the wicked tip, trying to grab the weapon away, but the second sister was already on me with her blades. With no weapon to counter, I could only evade and retreat.

  Skipping back, my ankle turned on a root. I let loose a flowing stream of ancient curses.

  Screw this jungle.

  I couldn’t hold back anymore. They’d brought me here, and I’d done what I could so that none of Panther’s people got hurt.

  Now I had no choice.

  I stopped trying to quiet the huntress, letting my barriers fall.

  We weren’t separate—I was always the huntress—but this was the side of myself that played deadly. The part of me that didn’t care about rules, consequences or who got hurt.

  At my most elemental, only three things mattered.

  The chase. The hunt. The kill.

  The one with the daggers froze. “What are you…”

  Ice. No ice.

  Didn’t matter.
r />   I sprang, tackling her by the knees. One of the daggers clattered into the brush as her back thudded into the ground.

  The spear woman was on me. I rolled away, coming up with the dagger.

  Her eyes widened and the spear point drooped.

  I licked my lips at the sight of the pulse moving in her neck. Delicious fear. “A real huntress doesn’t toy with her prey.”

  Her orange eyes narrowed. “I was hunting before your grandmother was born.”

  A laugh sprang from my lips. She backed away at the sound. Maybe it was more like a growl. But older than my grandmother? My people were born when the world was. “You have no idea who I am.”

  While the spear holder stared, the one with the blade lunged wildly. I ducked inside her guard, slamming the hilt of my own dagger under her ribs. She spluttered her way to the ground and I was up two knives.

  My final opponent backed into a tree.

  Perfect.

  I threw a blade from each hand. They thunked into bark on either side of her scalp, slicing some hair and pinning the rest to the tree. “Be a good girl and give me your spear.”

  “I yield.” She would’ve sagged, but she couldn’t move. The feathers in her hair trembled as she did.

  I snatched the spear from her grasp. The adrenaline that spiked through my blood heightened my senses, and I scented more of the panther people in the trees. “Tell your friends I won’t be so kind to the next ones that challenge me.” While I gazed at the hammering pulse in her neck, my instincts screamed to end her life and take this enemy off the field.

  The kill—that spray of hot blood—was exactly what I wanted, and the more I was attacked, the more I’d crave it. My last remaining shred of reason forced me to take a step back from her, away from the enticing scent of fear. “Tell the others to stay away.”

  “They’ll try.” Her eyes flicked to the ground. “We have to try.”

  “I suppose I understand.” Few thrills compared to that of a worthy opponent. She was lucky Balam was in my life. My desire to find him overshadowed the compulsion to watch the life leave her eyes. “Show me to my husband now.”

  “West.” She pointed through the trees. “At the ruined temple.”

  I sprinted for the jungle, leaping over the sister who’d just remembered how to breathe. A small part of me hoped they’d warn the others, but most of me wanted to tear their flesh.