The bitch stood her ground—he knew that much. Her companion edged back, wary, but didn’t go far. The lion waited. Hartley held his breath, every nerve throbbing, aroused though he knew he shouldn’t have been. He wanted to scream, to run, to do something to spook someoneinto action, but he didn’t dare draw attention to himself. He didn’t dare move.
Then the bitch lunged.