Free A Jaguar's Kiss by Katie Reus

longer,
    she stopped backtracking and raced along the branch.
    When she reached the end, she pushed down and jumped
    off, flying right for the jaguar.
    His dark eyes widened for a fraction of a second before
    he underwent the change. As she torpedoed straight
    toward him, his animal took over. Thanks to her momentum
    she slammed into him, taking him to the ground.
    In his shifted form, he was bigger than she’d expected,
    outweighing her by about fifty pounds. His weight slowed
    him down, but it wouldn’t diminish his strength. Slashing
    out, she dragged her claws against his face. This piece of
    crap had talked about kil ing an innocent cub like it was no
    big deal. Gabriela felt no guilt for attacking him.
    The male snarled and slashed right back. She dodged,
    rol ing off him and onto the dried grass and snow, but his
    claws raked across her shoulder. She let out a hiss, but
    jumped to her feet and attacked again. They rol ed on the
    ground, slashing and clawing, each trying to get a grip with
    their mouth. Jaguars had one of the most powerful jaws in
    the world and as shifters, they were even that much
    stronger.
    Out of her peripheral vision she could see the vampires
    trying to intercept, but it was impossible given the way she
    and the male were rol ing around.
    When she heard an eerie howl fil the air, she knew Owen
    had arrived. She also knew he was going to be pissed at
    her so she real y hoped he took it out on the vampires.
    She’d seen Owen hunting before and had seen his power
    and strength when he was only seventeen. She could only
    imagine how strong he was now.
    The wind rustled her fur as a blur of white tore past her.
    As she dodged another slash from the jaguar, she was
    vaguely aware of one of the vampires crying out in pain. In
    her peripheral vision she saw the vamp fal and then
    watched a gush of crimson pour out as Owen took its head
    off. The other vampire started to run, but Gabriela felt a
    sharp stab of pain in her gut and turned al her focus on the
    jaguar.
    Realizing the male had slashed right through her
    stomach in an effort to distract her with pain, she did what
    he wouldn’t expect. Instead of pul ing back from him and
    putting herself at an even bigger disadvantage, she lunged
    closer, letting his claws dig deeper into her bel y as she
    snapped his neck with her powerful jaws.
    Her teeth sliced through bone and tendons until his
    bloody head rol ed from his body. Her jaguar silently
    shouted in victory even as her body screamed in agony.
    While she didn’t enjoy taking a life, she’d done it before in
    the line of duty and this guy deserved it after the innocent
    humans he’d kil ed and for the innocent lives he’d stil
    planned to take. And al for money. Disgusting.
    Rol ing off him, unbearable pain lanced through her. She
    stumbled and fel face-first onto the icy ground. She tried to
    get up, but could only emit a soft whimper as her limbs
    gave out. It felt as if giant daggers sliced through her
    middle, but she was lucid enough to realize Owen was
    shouting something at her.
    He was in human form, naked as he knelt next to her. His
    words were jumbled as he continued shouting, his voice
    frantic. She tried to make out what he was saying, but it
    was too much. The darkness beckoned. More exhausted
    was too much. The darkness beckoned. More exhausted
    than she’d ever been, she let the black wave overtake her.

Chapter 6
    With his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes closed,
    Owen stood by the door of Dr. Shahi’s operating room
    where Gabriela was inside. The scent of her blood tickled
    his nostrils, making him nauseous. He stil couldn’t get the
    sight of her ripped-open stomach out of his head. Didn’t
    think he ever would as long as he lived.
    There was a slight sound of movement to his right in the
    waiting room but he kept his eyes shut, not wanting to see
    anyone. Gabriela’s parents, brothers and Skyler were on
    the right side and six members of his pack were on