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aside, I am glad this is my day.”
    “I am, too.” Her voice was hushed, her long lashes fans on her
    cheeks.
    “Hell,” he muttered, hearing shouts in the distance. “What
    now?”
    Setting down his delightful burden, Jonathan took her hand and
    tugged her forward. “Come on, it sounds like Charles and Anthony
    are in some sort of trouble.”
    Running, pulling her along, he headed toward the raised voices.
    It took him only a few seconds to realize that Anthony and Charles
    were at the trapping pit. They had dug it in a small clearing just
    inside the line of foliage and thick trunks the first week of their

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    arrival, working for days with big shells to scoop out the dirt and
    damp sand to make it deep enough to keep small animals from
    being able to escape. It was five feet deep and roughly square, with
    perfectly straight sides. A tall man could easily vault out of it, but
    the little fierce pigs that roamed the island were trapped, and they
    had also once caught a rabbit-like creature with huge eyes, which
    had tasted a little like guinea fowl. They checked it several times a
    day, covering it over with fronds so unsuspecting animals would
    wander over and fall through.
    Now, Jonathan saw as he ran up, dragging Jenna by the hand,
    the fronds were destroyed and scattered and from the depths of the
    hole came low, ominous sounds. Anthony and Charles both held
    their spears with business-like attention, only glancing over as he
    arrived, obviously at the ready in case the animal in the ground
    decided to emerge.
    Anthony said without prelude, “It looks like our skulking
    friend has injured something in his fall. Otherwise he would
    simply jump out. There was something in there and he must have
    heard it and decided to help himself, hence the blood.”
    Jonathan drew his brows together and took a guess. “The
    leopard?”
    “A beauty. And so damned mad, he’s spitting. The trouble is,
    our spears aren’t long enough to kill him if we are standing on the
    edge, and I’m not all that anxious to jump in there.”
    Letting go of Jenna’s hand, Jonathan moved forward to peer
    downward into the pit. Sure enough, the cat was crouched there,
    hissing and growling low in his throat. A magnificent beast with
    malevolent green eyes and powerful muscles, it bared impressive
    fangs and howled as he stared at it.
    “What is this, some kind of plot with the jungle beasts to make
    my hair turn gray this morning?” he muttered. “Well, we can’t
    leave him in there. It isn’t humane to let anything die of thirst or
    hunger, but damned if I’m going to feed and water it until it heals

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    Emma Wildes
    and jumps out. He’s been a nuisance already. We have to kill it.”
    “How?” Charles asked simply.
    “If you can keep it at bay with your spears, I can jump in and
    use my knife. I’ve hunted big cats before, I know how.”
    Jenna gasped. “No, are you insane?”
    “He has done it before,” Charles confirmed, sounding
    thoughtful. “And look at him, my lord, it looks like he night have
    broken his leg, for he turns only so far and drags his right paw.
    Since he needs the other to keep himself upright, all you need
    worry about is his teeth.”
    “Is that all?” Anthony asked dryly. “Better you than me, Jon.”
    “It needs done. He was going to be trouble, we all knew it.”
    “I suppose so.”
    “Absolutely not.” Jenna grasped his arm, staring down at the
    cornered animal. “He could tear you to shreds.”
    Turning and looking at her, he realized he’d dragged her stark
    naked from the beach. Her lithe, slender body was coated with a
    fine layer of sand and her luscious breasts heaved with agitation.
    She seemed uncaring of her nudity, but then again, he reminded
    himself, both Anthony and Charles had seen her that way already.
    “I’ll be fine,” he said soothingly. “In fact, I prefer jumping into a
    pit of claws and razor teeth to dealing with the serpent in your bed.
    Charles