Cria: Jungle Heat, #1

Chapter One

Somewhere in the rain forests of Brazil

The ancient horn's blast rained down over the crowd gathered on the side of the mountain. Sound vibrations shook the ground with a thunderous roar. Birds squawked and darted out of the trees that blanketed the valley below. Long, sleek bodies sprang up and sprinted down the rocks. The people cheered. Children covered their ears and the men leaned forward, watching with interest. The race had begun.

Aleta Cortes sprang up from her crouched position on the starting line and sprinted with the other females in her tribe. The familiar terrain sped past her in a blur as she made her way over the rocks to the Amazon forest below. Mist rose from the ground and made the air heavy with humidity. It had rained earlier, but there was still no relief of the summer heat. This was good; the haze the rain created would help camouflage her as she navigated the forest, and the heat would slow the other racers down and make them easy prey. Aleta needed every advantage she could get if she hoped to reach the finish line, an old waterfall on the other side of their lands, by daybreak.

Only then would she be free.

What if someone caught her before she could finish? No, she wouldn't think about it. For most of the females in her Jaguarundi tribe—okay, all females—the race was a technicality. No one really wanted to finish. This ancient breeding race, the Cria, was deeply rooted in tribal tradition. It gave the young male warriors a chance to show off their strength while allowing the eligible females an opportunity to choose their mates. It was expected that every man and woman entering these woods would be mated by daybreak.

Everyone except her. Aleta had run the Cria for the past nine years without being caught. Tonight she planned to do everything within her power to ensure that this race had the same outcome as those in the past. There was too much at stake to allow otherwise.

The horn blasted a second time, signaling the men of her tribe to begin their chase. Aleta pushed herself to move faster. Beads of sweat formed on her temple and neck. She ignored them and kept running. She couldn’t let one of those self-absorbed, empty-skulled idiots claim her. Not today, not ever.

Her body thrummed with excitement and adrenaline. This was her last time running the Cria. After tonight, she’d no longer be eligible to run. According to tribal tradition, she’d be beyond her mating years. Her father would have no choice but to let her do as she wished.

After nine years of running the stupid tribal mating race, she’d finally be able to leave. Aleta had big plans for when she got out from under her father’s thumb. She’d travel up to Rio, board a plane, and get out of this godforsaken jungle. She couldn’t get far enough away from her tribe's backward ways and her controlling father. She’d enter civilization and lead a normal life. No more jungle living, no more shifter tradition, no more humiliation.

Aleta frowned with determination and jumped over a large rock. Shouts rose up from behind, causing her heart to thud against her rib cage. She glanced at the setting sun and noticed the full, round sphere hanging ominously in the sky. Ribbons of mist wove in front of it, giving the orb a hazy glow. The partially blocked sun would make shifting easier. This was good. Once in her feline form, Aleta could triple her speed. Unfortunately, the rules of the Cria dictated no shifting until the runners finished their path down the mountain and entered the thickest part of the forest below.

Aleta ran quickly, leaving all of the other females in her wake. The crowd’s cheers faded into the distance until all she could hear was her footfalls on the dry earth below her. The trees became denser and soon blocked out all but a few rays of light. Almost there.

As soon as Aleta reached flat ground, she let go of her inner beast. The familiar popping and cracking of muscles echoed in her ears as her body changed from that of a petite Brazilian woman into a dark gray feline. Her vision sharpened with catlike clarity. In this form she'd have no problem reaching the finish line. The only one who might have been able to catch her wasn't here.

Nor would he ever be again.

She'd been foolish to fall in love with Luiz, her father's most honored warrior. The bastard had led her to believe that he loved her and that they’d be together forever. At fifteen she was too young to know of men's lies and lovers' betrayals. Luiz had said that he wanted to run with her in her first Cria at sixteen and claim her as his mate. She wasn’t the only one who believed him. The entire village had expected their mating. Her father had even talked to Luiz about taking a more prominent position within the tribe after their union.

But Luiz never did run that Cria. The night before he disappeared from the village and had humiliated both her and her family. No good-byes, no promises of return. Nothing.

Hours passed as she concentrated on navigating the trees around her. Howls of excitement filled the air as the men of her tribe caught their prey. A twinge of jealousy stabbed her chest and she pushed it aside. Love was not in the cards for her, nor would it ever be. It was better to focus on the things in her life she could change, not the silly dreams of a fifteen year old girl.

She was close. Rushing water echoed through the trees to her left. Soon it would all be over and she’d be free of her father and his ridiculous traditions. Biting back a cry of delight, she cleared a fallen tree limb and loped in the direction of the noise.

The primal cries of her brethren echoed in her ears as couples began the mating rituals that would bind them forever. Her father would be disappointed that she was yet again unmated, but that was to be expected. As tribal leader, he was responsible for upholding the Jaguarundi ways. His zeal for tradition and law would work in her favor tonight. She smiled to herself as she ran. This was to be her tenth Cria with no mate. He’d have no choice but to let her go.

Freedom. The word pulsed through her mind, beating in time with her heart. Freedom was within her grasp. She could almost taste it.

Aleta pushed herself harder. She was so close. Her family wouldn't be at the finish line yet. They, like the others, would arrive at the waterfall at daybreak. No one was in a rush to see who was going to finish the race. Most participants wouldn’t emerge until the sun rose high in the sky tomorrow morning.

If her memory was correct, there would be a cave near the waterfall. She could rest there and wait for her family’s arrival. Aleta weaved around a fallen tree and saw the waterfall a few hundred paces away. A roar rose up in her throat and she gave herself up to the cry of victory. After today, there would be no more pain and humiliation. She’d have a fresh start.

Aleta jumped over a rock, eager to get to the clearing where the waterfall marked the finish line. Suddenly a shadowy figure jumped out of a nearby bush and flung itself at her head-on.

No. How could it be possible? No one had passed her and the forest had been cleared prior to the start of the race. She tried to jump around the intruder, but everything happened so fast.

The intruder was human. The knowledge streamed through her mind as she flew backward. How the hell did a human get to the finish line so fast? Aleta shifted into her human form as she hit the ground. The figure went down with her, covering her body with its own. Skin touched skin, and she felt warm, hard muscle press up against her flesh.

No, not now. Aleta struggled to get out of her captor’s arms. Getting caught wasn't an option. The finish line was so close. Freedom was so close...

Aleta twisted her body, disengaging her hand and fisting her fingers. She swung and connected with her attacker's jaw. The figure let out a low, masculine grunt and rolled a short distance away. Aleta sprang to her feet as the stranger began to rise.

Wait... A sinfully seductive voice reached her ears as the figure grabbed her arm and straightened.

She shook the hand away and stepped back. I wait for no one. You should know better than to... Her words died on her lips as her attacker stepped into a beam of fading sunlight. An eerie glow hung around the figure, making him look more apparition than man.

Luiz, she breathed. Shock pierced her body and froze her muscles. He was here.

Luiz, her love. Her betrayer.

She raised her hands to cover herself, then remembered that body mass remained the same when she shifted. The clothes she wore when she changed into her cat form would automatically reappear when she changed back into a human. The short skirt and bikini top wasn’t much, but at least she was decent.

A quick glance told her that he was also clothed, but only from the waist down. Tingles of awareness raced over her skin, and she averted her gaze from his tan, muscular chest.

He rubbed his hand on his jaw. "I see you haven't changed, querida."

From the looks of things, he hadn't changed much either. His ebony hair had grown longer, curling around his ears and framing the angular features of his face in soft waves. His deep gray eyes peered back at her with the same dark intensity she remembered from long ago. Desire sparked in her core. Its flames surged upward, licking her skin and making her weak with need.

Her breath caught in her throat. Was he here for