"Doranna Durgin - The Right Bitch" - читать интересную книгу автора (Durgin Doranna)

Sabre yelped as a whip lashed across his head, popping a welt on one sensitive ear; he flung himself
aside, yipping like a pup as the lash landed again. "Git on, you cur!" the man jeered, and Sabre tumbled
down, rolling aside, hearing Shiba gone wise and silentтАФin retreatтАФleaving him toтАФ



"Watch out!" the other human cried, too late for his partner to respond to the black and silver blur
heading his way. Shiba uttered not a sound as the lash fell across her back, but leapt up to grab the stout
leather whip handle, as intent on it as on any trail-prey. Beyond her, the other human took flight again.



"ShibaтАФcall!" commanded her linemanтАФnot so far away, nowтАФand Shiba barked treed for him,
dropping the whip.



"Sabre! Call!" Taliya shouted as Sabre climbed to his feet and shook off, sending bits of leaves and dirt
and grit flying. He managed a half-hearted bark and ruefully pawed his stinging ear.



Shiba made enough noise for both of them. He got his first good look at her, then, as the linemen
approached from their separate directions. Beautiful, she wasтАФwell-muscled, long-limbed, a graceful
neck and lovely arch to her tail. Where Sabre was heavily marked with blackтАФhis blueing so thick it
looked mottled instead of ticked, his head and chest heavy and masculineтАФShiba stood a sturdy but
clean-lined bitch, her back and head glossy black, her ticking so perfectly distributed that it appeared
silver-blue from even a short distance.



Sabre felt an immediate and intense dislike.



And she was the one standing on tree, backing the man against a stout oak, while Sabre stood
spraddle-legged and dazed as the linemen arrived, more or less simultaneously. She wore
bramble-guard, a leather chest plate and canvas body jacket. She probably hadn't even felt the whip.



Sabre gave a small sneeze of frustration and pawed his head again. He never wore bramble-guard . . .
because he could never stop himself from chewing it to bits.



"There should be two," Taliya said breathlessly, leaving Shiba's man to handle the magic smuggler as she
kicked the whip well out of reach and dropped to her knees beside Sabre. Her long, tawny braid fell
over her shoulder to brush the top of his head. "There, now, son. Got you a good one, didn't he?"