Page 44 of Duty Devoted
Of course. He’d felt how heavy I was, how unfeminine. Whatever connection I’d imagined building between us had probably just died under the reality of my solid, practical physique.
We pushed on through increasingly difficult terrain, the silence broken only by Logan’s clipped warnings about hazards.Where before his instruction had been patient, almost warm, now they were purely professional.
“Deep water ahead. Go around.”
“Watch that branch.”
“Testing depth here. Wait.”
Each terse instruction felt like another brick in the wall suddenly between us.
We were picking our way through a section where fallen trees created a natural bridge over deeper water when Logan suddenly stopped, his entire body going rigid.
“Don’t move,” he said quietly.
Ahead of us, sprawled across the same fallen trunk we’d been using as a walkway, lay the most magnificent wild cat I’d ever seen. Golden coat marked with distinctive black rosettes, powerful shoulders, and eyes like liquid amber that watched us with intelligent curiosity. A jaguar, probably a young adult, completely blocking our path.
My heart hammered against my ribs as Logan slowly moved his hand toward his waist. Of course he would shoot it. That was what soldiers did when faced with dangerous predators, right? Eliminate the threat and move on.
But instead of drawing his pistol, Logan reached for something else—one of our empty food cans. He kept his movements slow and deliberate, never breaking eye contact with the big cat.
“Easy there, beautiful,” he murmured, his voice carrying none of the harsh command he used in tactical situations. “Just looking for an easy meal, aren’t you?”
The jaguar’s ears twitched forward at the sound of his voice, head tilting slightly like it was trying to understand this strange creature addressing it.
Logan raised the can and struck it against a nearby branch three times—sharp, metallic sounds that echoed through theswamp. The jaguar’s muscles tensed, ready to spring in either direction.
“That’s right,” Logan continued in the same calm tone. “Big scary noise. Nothing you want to deal with today.”
He struck the can again, adding a sharp whistle that made the big cat’s ears flatten slightly. But instead of attacking or running, the jaguar simply sat there, regarding us with what looked almost like amusement.
“Come on,” Logan coaxed. “You’ve got the whole jungle to hunt in. Find yourself a nice capybara and leave the weird humans alone.”
For a long moment, predator and human stared at each other in perfect stillness. Then, with movements like flowing water, the jaguar rose gracefully and padded away along the tree trunk, disappearing into the green shadows without a sound.
Logan waited until the normal sounds of the swamp returned before relaxing his stance. “Coast is clear.”
“You didn’t kill it.” The words tumbled out before I could stop them.
Logan looked at me with genuine surprise. “Why would I kill it?”
“I thought… I mean, most people would have shot first and asked questions later.”
“Most people are idiots.” Logan helped me past the section where the jaguar had been. “She wasn’t hunting—just curious and maybe hoping for scraps. Jaguars are incredibly intelligent. Give them a reason to avoid you, and they usually will.”
“She?”
“Body shape, facial structure. Definitely female, probably has cubs somewhere nearby.” There was real respect in his voice. “Beautiful creature. Be a shame to kill something that magnificent just because we wandered into its path.”
I stared at him, feeling a shift in my chest. This man, who could probably kill with terrifying skill, had chosen instead to understand and respect a wild predator. Had spoken to it like a fellow creature deserving of consideration.
“You’re not what I expected,” I said quietly.
Logan didn’t look at me. “What did you expect?”
“Someone who sees violence as the answer to everything.”
We crossed the makeshift bridge in silence for a beat before he spoke. “I’ve killed when I had to. When there was no other way to protect innocent people. But if killing ever feels easy—if it becomes your first option—you’ve already lost the part of yourself worth protecting.”
