Free The Panther's Surrogate: A Paranormal Pregnancy Romance by Angela Foxxe

Hunters, and it most definitely would, then there was going to be an inquiry. If the Hunters thought that the Shifters were starting to fight amongst themselves and that the tourists of Tarobi were in danger, they would act.
    They would intervene and make sure that there was nothing to harm the tourists any longer. Josie didn’t like the thought of a war. If the Hunters stormed the island, then the Shifters would unite and defend themselves. They wouldn’t go without a fight. The war would leave dozens dead. Josie shuddered at the thought of it.
    Most of the Shifters on Tarobi had fled a war in Africa and come here to be at peace once and for all. They all knew what the horrors of war were like, but some people found them hard to give up and to turn their backs on. The Hyena Clan was proving to be one such group. Josie doubted that the other Clans would be sympathetic toward them after this.
    When the lock on the door beeped, Josie let go of Kheem and kissed him on the lips, holding him close to her for as long as she could.  His lips welcomed her, kissing her back and his hands slid up her sides, holding her there for him as well. Together, they were locked as one when the heavy footsteps of Wahir and the others he  brought with him came into the room.
    “What the hell happened up here?” He demanded in a voice that wasn’t at all pleased or satisfied. “Have the two of you lost your damn minds? This is exactly what King Ronald ordered not to happen. You two are going to be the death of us all.”
    Josie stood up and looked at Wahir without a shred of sadness or remorse in her eyes. “Is he dead?” She asked with a cold, distant voice.
    “No,” Wahir answered directly. “But he’s barely alive, if that’s what you’re wondering now.”
    “A shame,” Josie said to him with all seriousness. “Next time I’ll make sure he hits the pavement.”
     
     

Chapter Five
     
    The auditorium was alive with the commotion of what had happened earlier. There were a thousand different rumors flying around and none of them were true. That didn’t stop Josie from letting them spread. There were those who said that Faraji had tried to take Josie’s baby and that Josie had called out for help, only to have Kheem rescue her.
    Others said that Faraji was suicidal and that he had attempted to end his life in a fit of depression. There were others saying that there was a secret Panther army that had infiltrated the island and that the Hyena Clan was being hunted down by the Panthers. None of them were true, but Josie let the insanity and the chaos spread.
    As she sat down at her seat on the Council, she looked over at Kibwe, who was staring at her without a drop of amusement in his eyes. That told her everything that she could possibly want to know about the situation. The Hyena Clan and the Jaguars might be allies right now or they might not, but they were both banking on Faraji getting the upper hand when he hatched their little scheme.
    The question was how deep into the conspiracy did the Jaguar Clan go. Did they just want to see Josie lose her child? Or had they been the ones who hatched the ruse with the keys and the notes?
    Either way, they were her sworn enemies now that the truce was broken. Technically, she was free to kill Kibwe right now under the acts of war. But, that would only end with her being put on trial for unlawful war. She didn’t need that right now.
    In the auditorium, the buzz was palpable and the rest of the Council was waiting anxiously for King Ronald to show up and to put things to rest, once and for all. She knew now more than ever how toothless the Council truly was. Without King Ronald, they would be left holding their hands open and expecting hope and order to fall into them. That scared Josie. If she saw it now, then there were others who had probably seen it long before or who were witnessing it for the first time right now.
    When King Ronald took the stage, a silence rippled across the