Loving Graystoke's Heir (Howls Romance)

by Reina Torres

She jumped out of the jeep with Magheli following on her heels.

  Donal stepped out and held up his hands toward Tamsin. He didn’t miss the softening of her expression, or the way she leaned into his body as he helped her down to the ground. “Stay close.”

  She didn’t argue with that. She took the hand he offered her and walked beside him to the front of their jeep. Two more Bandile patrol vehicles pulled up behind them and flanked on either side.

  Paulie Provenza had been running safari trips for tourist groups for nearly all his adult life. He’d come over to Africa for a military assignment and ended up returning after his time was up. For the last four years, he’d run one of the best tourist groups in the area.

  The man didn’t bend for money. He cared about the land like the Bandile, realizing that if people didn’t protect the resources, they wouldn’t be there in the future.

  Paulie hopped down from his vehicle and took a moment to reassure the people in the back of his truck. Three men remained with the tour group, while Paulie and one of his men jogged forward to meet them.

  Paulie made the first introduction. “My son, Jaco. Sifiso, we’re glad we met you out here. I need to get my people back to our office, but I wanted the Bandile to know there’s trouble out tonight.”

  A quick-fire question and answer interchange gave them more information than they had before, but also more anger… frustration.

  When they’d finished their questions, Paulie shook their hands and turned to leave, but his son, Jaco stayed in place.

  “I want to go back with them.” They could all see his father balking at the idea. “I can help them, Pa.”

  Paulie set a calming hand on his son’s shoulder. “Jaco, this is dangerous. You saw how many guns they had on them.”

  “I saw how many they had. I know what we’re up against, but this is important for all of us to help.”

  Donal saw the tension in Paulie’s shoulders. He easily understood the older man’s reticence. Jaco was his son, and he didn’t want to see the young man in danger. Donal tightened his hold on Tamsin’s hand and lifted it up so that he could cup her hand in both of his. “We’re not interested in a fight, Paulie. This is Tamsin, my ma-” He paused for a moment, reconsidering his instinct to call her their mate. It was true, even though he hadn’t marked her yet, that’s what she was. “She’s going to be my wife,” he added a look in Magheli’s direction to make a point. “I wouldn’t bring her with me if I was intending to start a gun battle. Our first intention is to hold them and extract their word to stop what they’re doing. If they show any resistance to that, we’ll take them to the police. They’re breaking laws and they will be held accountable for that.”

  Jaco spoke up again, setting his own reassuring hand on his father’s shoulder. “I’ll be careful, Pa. I’m going to do this.”

  Donal could see the hesitation in Paulie’s eyes. He understood that all too well.

  And when Tamsin gave his hand a squeeze, he understood what she was trying to do, ease his worry. He loved her all the more because of it, but it wasn’t going to make the next few hours any less worrisome. His beast thought he was crazy and had reminded him of that more than half a dozen times on the drive alone, but that didn’t change the fact that Tamsin was right. Left alone, worrying about him, she was liable to follow.

  The only way he’d be able to stop her would be to lock her away somewhere or under guard, and they had everyone near camp heading out to help.

  He had to trust that he and his gorilla would be able to protect her, because there wasn’t another option. He couldn’t lose her. Not now. Not again.

  The men were enjoying their evening by the fire.

  Well, most of them.

  The main client in the group of trophy hunters was the only one who hadn’t availed himself of the large supply of liquor that they made available to their customers.

  David Rikard sat away from the rest of the group in the opening of his tent, cleaning his rifle with a precision that went beyond mere preparation. The pile of ammunition that he’d insisted on bringing to the hunt looked like a stockpile from a month-long siege.

  Burke approached him as he would approach an animal on the hunt. He’d assume that the animal meant to gore him and leave him for the buzzards. Mister Rikard was like that, seemingly placid and yet, unpredictable.

  And when he got it in his mind to shoot, he did so, emptying his gun and more until the animal wasn’t just dead, it was annihilated. It seemed that the man didn’t want trophies to take home. He just wanted to destroy life.

  The only redeeming factor to Burke was that the man was willing to pay for the pleasure.

  “What do you say, Mister Rikard. You’ve hunted more animals than you had on your list. Come morning, I think we can return to town and help you with your arrangements to return home.”

  The other man set down the barrel of his rifle and gave Burke a cold, calculating look. “More by numbers perhaps, but I have one on my list that we haven’t even come close to seeing, let alone shooting.”

  Burke felt a drop of sweat slide out of the hair at back of his head and roll down into his collar. “That’s true, but when we discussed your hunt, your maximum expenditure for the animals was two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.” Reaching into his pocket, Burke removed his phone and opened the document he’d been updating. “As it stands now, we’re approaching three hundred thousand.”

  “I’m good for it.”

  He had to approach this carefully. He had to be mindful of his place in all of this.

  “My boss wants to make sure that we keep a low profile, sir. Your,” he flinched when Rikard nailed him with a look, “our interaction with the other group today is going to cause some problems.”

  Rikard scoffed at the idea. “You took their cameras.”

  Burke tried to avoid the growl in his own voice. “They’re going to report us to the authorities as it is. Theft isn’t going to help.”

  Rikard started to put away his cleaning supplies, but the slant of his mouth told Burke he wasn’t happy about it.

  “I’ll pay them off. For their phones. I’ll send them professional quality photos for them to use at home. They won’t want for anything in the way of memories.”

  “The company owner and his son? They know me. They’ll report me for sure.”

  Rikard flicked open the button on the breast pocket of his jacket. Reaching in without a look he pulled a wad of papers free and tossed it at Burke.

  The bills hit him square in the chest, and without even looking down, Burke knew that the man had offered him a chunk of money. He was as rude as he was rich and didn’t skimp on what he wanted.

  And what he wanted was to kill things.

  “Use the money, pay them off. Or use the money to move on, find another job. But, there is one thing I’m going to make crystal clear. I want a gorilla. I’m not leaving until I get one and some of your men said there are gorillas near here.”

  “I’ve seen them nearby.” He hated to say anything more, but the money… the money was so good. Good enough that he could get out of this crappy business. “I think I know where they sleep if you don’t mind an easy hunt.”

  “Easy?” Rikard sat forward in his chair. “I don’t care how I find them, I just want a head on my wall.”

  Burke blew out a breath. “Then get your things together. We’re going in light, on foot. If we do this right, you’ll have your head by morning and be on your way back to the States soon after that.”

  “Sounds good to me, Burke. Pack your men up. I’ll be ready in ten.”

  Donal felt something prickle against the skin at the back of his neck. Something was very… off.

  His beast was already uneasy knowing that they were taking their mate into a dangerous situation. There was also another layer to it. He’d put off marking Tamsin because of the situation.

  They had just recently reunited and marking her meant forever. He knew he was ready for that, but Tamsin was ju
st beginning to understand what his life was like.

  There hadn’t been much time for her to let it all sink in. Donal had taken his time to discover his new… existence. His new truth.

  He didn’t have a choice to become a shapeshifter, his DNA had made that determination for him. And he didn’t even understand what would happen exactly when… or if… Tamsin agreed to let him mark her.

  They could talk to Mzamo and see what else his ancestors had passed down in the way of knowledge about his kind. That would have to happen long before he let Tamsin make any decisions about her future.

  Suddenly, the future seemed more dark than hopeful.

  If marking Tamsin hurt her in any way, he’d never forgive himself. He would likely lose his mind.

  And his sense of self.

  The road ahead turned and he could see it widen under the silvery moonlight. There was an opening in the bush and slanted lines that looked like the tops of tents.

  Easing his foot off the gas, Donal pulled the vehicle off to the side and let his ears search the night.

  Silence.

  No, not just silence. It was the absence of sound. The camp was empty.

  “They’re gone.”

  Zenzile leaned forward and narrowed her eyes to see into the darkness. “Their vehicles are still here. So, they’re still in the area.”

  Donal and Zenzile were the first on the ground and he heard Magheli help Tamsin down from the vehicle.

  He didn’t turn back. He knew that Magheli would take care of Tamsin. The two men might not get along, but the Afrikaner cared for Tamsin.

  Together, Donal and Zenzile reached the edge of the camp and quickly moved through the area looking for clues.

  Inside of him, his gorilla struggled against his control. He wanted out. He could help much more than Donal in his own form, but only Tamsin understood who he really was.

  Taking time to deal with the shock and confusion of the others would take too much time. He had to do the best he could for the moment.

  “Here!” Zenzile’s voice carried across the camp easily even though she only hissed the word. “Here, Donal.”

  He crossed to her, letting some of his gorilla’s strength and agility bleed through. In the dark, he hoped no one would notice it, as quickly as he was moving.

  At Zenzile’s side, he followed her outstretched arm and looked at the knot of footprints and then the long irregular lines of men walking out of camp.

  “They’re on the move.”

  Another quick look around the camp found the gun-boxes open.

  “A hunt.” Zenzile spat the words as she reached out and picked up a leather-bound notebook from the table. “Ri-Rikar- I can’t see it in this light.”

  “Here.” Tamsin took the book from their friend and tilted it toward the moon. “David Rikard. Donal?” She looked up, and he could see the way her eyes had widened and the color in her skin had paled. “He’s a friend of your uncle.”

  Magheli appeared at her side and looked down at the book she held. “Are you sure it’s the same man?”

  Tamsin nodded, but she was already thumbing through the book. “David Rikard is a big game hunter. I remember talking to Donal’s uncle and asking him how he could be a friend to such a man. The stories of his hunts, at least in your Uncle’s circle, are legendary. I only found out when the Board was invited to his country house for a picnic. The walls of his Great Room are covered in heads of animals. All of his trophies.” She shuddered visibly. “When I asked your uncle how he could be a friend to a man like that, he told me to stop being a child. He said that sometimes you need to have friends who do a little evil if you know they can do a little good too. I still don’t understand what he meant, but that was the last time I went to Rikard’s property for any reason.

  “If he’s here, then I’m sure this is the group that’s poaching. He doesn’t seem to have any scruples about killing threatened or endangered species. I can’t believe…”

  Donal moved to her side and set a hand on her shoulder. “Tam, what’s wrong?”

  When she lifted her head to look at him, he saw that her eyes widened in horror and as he lifted his hand to her cheek, he felt her skin was as cold as ice against his own.

  “Tamsin, tell me.”

  She held out the book to him, her hand shaking as if the book weighed a ton. “Look, Donal. Look at this list.”

  He took the book from her and turned it around so he could read it. With his gorilla helping him with the lack of light, he easily read the words in the book. Tamsin pointed out the one animal without a mark beside it.”

  GORILLA

  Dropping his gaze to the ground and following the tracks in the darkness, Donal felt the horrifying puzzle pieces fall into place in his head.

  The poachers were going after gorillas and they were headed straight toward the nesting ground of his people.

  Terror.

  He felt abject terror.

  “I know where they’re going.”

  They heard the commotion before they were upon it. The night was split by gunfire again and again, mixed in with the fearsome chorus of screams and barks.

  Tamsin shouted at Donal, feeling how torn he was.

  “Donal, go!”

  He was gone in a moment, crashing through the brush and leaves with Zenzile and the others rushing after. She turned to look at Magheli who had a similar look to Donal’s on his face.

  “Go,” she told him, “watch her back.”

  He took a few steps forward and stopped. “What about you?”

  She shook her head. “Go, Magheli! I’ll be right behind you!”

  And she was. It was crazy how fast she could move when spurred on by the shouts and screams of excited hunters and frightened gorillas.

  Another volley of shots ended with a wounded howl of an animal in the night, but the sound, the reality of the horror in it, sounded all too human for her peace of mind.

  It felt like the scream had come from her own chest and that’s when it hit her.

  “Donal?”

  Seconds later, Tamsin broke through the edge of the vegetation and the frantic rush of a gunfight.

  Tamsin stumbled over a root and would have fallen face-forward if she hadn’t bumped into someone.

  The startled face turned toward her, and she saw Amahle’s wide eyes. Amahle had one of the hunters down on his knees, one hand behind his back. “Come,” the other woman urged her with a look, “help me bind him.”

  Across the clearing, Tamsin could see Donal struggling with someone, but not in any immediate danger. With a quick yank of her wrist, Tamsin pulled out a zip tie from Amahle’s belt and used it to fasten the hunter’s hands together.

  Tamsin moved on, watching the area around her for people she could aid. There wasn’t much for her to do, and for once in her life she regretted spending most of her time in classrooms and offices. The kind of skill that the other women possessed was beyond her. She couldn’t be much help on her own.

  She was nearly across the clearing when she saw David Rikard. The man was almost larger than life. Carrying more than one long gun, he cut quite the imposing figure. She had only seen him two or three times, but that had been enough for her.

  His very energy had a malignancy about it. He seemed to breathe darkness, and in the moonlit night the steely line of his rifle barrel pointed into the shadows.

  That’s when she saw it.

  Rather, she saw them.

  Two juvenile gorillas along the edge of the clearing, hidden in the brush, their arms wrapped around each other.

  Tamsin felt her heart seize in fear.

  She always had an affinity for wildlife, but knowing what she did about Donal, about his family connection to the gorillas, she couldn’t just stand there and let him shoot.

  She couldn’t fight him like the others, but she could do something.

  Tamsin rushed at him and bumped into him sideways, knocking the barrel of his rifle to the side and down to the ground.r />
  Her elation was momentary.

  As soon as Rikard realized what happened to his shot, he returned the favor and knocked Tamsin to the ground. The impact knocked the air out of her lungs and left her stunned.

  A roar split the night, and Tamsin watched in fascination as Donal shifted.

  It wasn’t the peaceful, easy shift she’d seen before. No, the gorilla inside of Donal fairly ripped itself free of his form. One moment he was the man who had wrapped her in his arms and held her against him through the night, and in the next a massive silverback gorilla leapt toward the hunter.

  The precious heartbeats it took for him to clear the distance aged her years. She tore her eyes away from Donal to look at the man beside her. David Rikard’s expression was shock and horror until Donal came close enough to see him in the moonlight. Then, the ridiculously wealthy man saw something new to conquer. A new challenge.

  Tamsin heard the man hiss out a single word as he picked up his rifle and chambered a bullet.

  “Yes…”

  “Stop!” She threw up her arm to try to ward Donal off. “Stop, please!”

  But trying to stop him was like waving a flag in front of a runaway train.

  There was no telling how big the silverback was, but he blocked out the moonlight, and she couldn’t believe how beautiful he was as well as terrifying. It was hard to imagine that behind those shining black eyes was a man.

  Her man.

  Before Rikard could lift the rifle, the silver back’s giant hands snapped the barrel in two. It was a shock to see the sight, but it was also fierce and breathtaking.

  “Tell me I’m seeing things!” Amahle bent down beside Tamsin and helped her to her feet as the hunter battled the silverback blow by blow. “Is that really Donal?”

  What else could Tamsin say but the truth. “That’s him.”

  “I can’t believe it,” Amahle’s voice was almost a whisper. “How could we not know?”

  Tamsin didn’t know how to answer her. She didn’t know what to think herself. It still felt like a dream.

  Another round of gunfire echoed in the brush, and Amahle gave her a quick pat on her shoulder before dashing off with the others.