The magical enclave was protected so those who hated Khimairans, those who joined Bellerophon in his quest to take all their souls, couldn't get to the shifters. Except when they were outside in the human cities. Which was one reason they tended to blend into society with humans, hiding their animal forms, cautious of changing outside the protected enclave. This peace and safety was thanks to Nadia's bloodline. All of which could be ruined if the next female didn't show up.
Currence, Colorado was the main hub for Khimairans like him, and he'd need to find Nadia's heir sooner rather than later. Nadia had promised him the girl would come. Without her, the rest of his race couldn't use the portal to get back and forth from the mountain to the cities. As leader, he had an alpha's magic, able to wander between anything he desired...except the stars. His race would never be able to go back into the sky, would never be a constellation again. Split into beasts of all kinds and forced to shift into humans, Khimairans were graced with humanity by the gods and Dante's humanity was fleeting. The primal beast inside him took more and more of his time. Without a mate, he would succumb to his predatory instinct and be deadly to humans and Khimairans alike. Hunted by his own people. After all these centuries, he worried his mate did not exist. The last thing he wanted was to turn primal.
Trees flashed by as he increased the speed of his strong feline form, leaping over boulders, fallen trees, and heading down Mount Chapin snuggly attached to the Rocky Mountain range which held a magically concealed enclave for his race. Humans and enemies couldn't find it. The portal was inside a cave about a half mile below Dante's home, far enough away most didn't bother him, but close enough to keep an eye on those coming and going. A human didn't come unless invited and then only with a Khimairan to lead the way.
The cave came into sight and Dante slowed to a walk, wandering into the darkened hole. As he moved beyond the rocks at the front entrance, crystals gave off a blue light. A well-worn short path looped around to the back of the wide cave. Glyphs of the zodiac signs were etched into a large circle along the back wall. When imbued with magic, the designs created the portal to move in and out from the human city of Currence to the mountain enclave. Dante came to a stop in front of the portal. He called the change forward from inside his body using all the determination he could to turn back into human form. His beast was hard pressed to let go. Dante's form straightened, hair receding into his body until human flesh shone instead. He walked over to the spare bag he always left at the portal and pulled out a pair of faded blue jeans and a black T-shirt. He quickly dressed, then put a hand on the center of the portal.
Swirls of magic in greens and yellows reached out from the rock wall, twirling up his fingers. They tingled with the familiar pull. He welcomed the magic, taking in a deep breath, encouraging it to move through him. His hand warmed, signaling the portal was safe to pass. Dante stepped through the wall and into the basement of The Talisman. The entire process took seconds.
He smelled the female the moment he crossed the threshold into a one-roomed area with cement flooring. A spicy sweet scent mixed with earth. Dante's chest tightened, and he reached up to rub it. His ears perked listening...trying to determine where she might be in the store. But there wasn't any noise to give her away. He took the stairs silently one by one and slowly opened the trap door leading to the shop part of the building. The hinges were thankfully silent as he pushed the wood all the way up and over to the floor. He peeked his head through the square hole first. Light shone from the front of the store into the back hallway. Boxes were stacked along walls from the last inventory before Nadia passed away.
A twinge of guilt spread through his stomach. He should have been there and maybe she'd still be alive. The Bellers had gotten to her. Those fanatics of Bellerophon's would stop at nothing to get Khimairan blood and their enclave location. Dante had no doubt Nadia suffered before death claimed her. His beast roared inside his head, claws came out of his hands, and Dante shook with hate. He clenched his jaw taking several deep breaths, trying to reclaim some form of sanity from the beast's anger. His claws slowly returned inside his body, and Dante shook out his hands.
He should have checked on Nadia before he went prowling...but he'd shifted and went out into the Rockies, wandering in his lion form, experiencing the night. He couldn't help himself, the beast wanted out and lately he'd been in no position to say no. Deep inside he was always meant to be a beast, all Khimairans were beasts first. They didn't shift from human to animal, they shifted from their animal origin into humans.
Dante lifted his body from the basement and slinked around the overstocked inventory. Careful to avoid any squeaking boards in the floor.
Other than the business of the outside street and people just beyond the building, he didn't hear the female.
He slowly moved through the hall.
A woman lay on the floor as if she'd collapsed. Dark ringlets of hair spread along the hard wood, circling a heart-shaped face so familiar to him and yet not. If she had been wearing a white dress, long chains of jewelry, and bracelets, she would be the spitting image of a young Nadia. The beautiful female had to be her niece. Dante sniffed the air. Spicy earth. Perspiration popped up along his skin. He cocked his head to the side examining the woman laying along the floor, drawn to her. Her breath was labored, but she didn't seem to be hurt. Tight blue jeans hugged petite hips and her T-shirt had untucked on one side revealing a tantalizing bit of skin.
Carefully, he moved to her side. He sniffed her hair and nearly purred as he smelled her up close. Her zesty scent made his mouth water. A heat spread along his lower half, rising higher. He reacted to her. Could she be the one...his mate? He leaned in so close to her, his lips nearly touched her skin. He pawed at her, shaking her body.
Her emerald eyes popped open.
He jumped back.
"Back off, pervert."
Dante's body instantly burned beneath his skin.
A sign he'd found his mate, the one who would save his humanity. Every inch of him felt as if he'd caught fire. He choked down a gasp. Within seconds his Alpha magic worked at containing the fire pain and he clenched his jaw, refusing to show any further vulnerability within her presence. His gaze never left the woman.
The female stared at him with narrowed green eyes. He nearly lost himself in their depths as his body overheated, the beast inside acknowledging her as his.
She was his mate and a star would be born within him.
He could feel the white-hot heat compress, folding into itself inside his body, over and over, until all the heat zeroed in on one area. His chest. Pinpricks stung below his left collar, on his left pectoral. And then the sensation vanished.
But Dante knew what was left behind.
The woman had invoked his Leo zodiac sign.
CHAPTER THREE
Bailey wanted to react to the man kneeling down near her. One knee touched the floor and his arm rested on the other as if he didn't have a care in the world. But his eyes...golden fire drawing her into his flame. She swallowed, but couldn't take her eyes off him. She took a deep breath willing herself to stay calm. His sweet musk sent her body ablaze. She didn't react to men this way. "What did you do to me?" She all but flat out accused him. Had he roofied her or something while she was passed out?
Heat spread through her core and she squeezed her thighs together as if the action would curb her desire. Had it been this hot in the shop before and she just hadn’t noticed? She resisted the urge to pant. What was wrong with her? A very real need reared up inside Bailey and instantly the image of his broad form against hers clouded her mind. She bit her lip and mentally splashed a cold dash of reality on herself.
There was a stranger in her store.
And he had a head of wavy brown hair she wanted to run fingers through. Damn it, Bailey, stop thinking like that.
"I assure you I've done nothing to you." The male's deep voice purred from his lips, as if satisfied somehow by her reactions to him.
Bailey stared
at his mouth as she took in his words. Her body urged her to move closer to him, but mind over matter, she willed herself to stay in place. She didn’t ever let her desires control her.
Bailey ripped her gaze from the man and looked at her bare arms for a mark of some kind, a sign he'd injected her with some drug that made her senses ignite. She hoped he had done something so she could explain the strange needy reaction to him. Bailey didn’t like reacting in a way she couldn’t control. But as far as she could see, she held no such mark. She couldn't have been passed out for very long, the sunset was still visible. "Why are you in my store?" Bailey willed her gaze to look around the store instead of at the man. Anywhere but at him, into his intense gaze.
"Are you Nadia's niece?" He didn’t sound surprised, more like he already knew she was and had been expecting her.
"I am. What's it matter to you?" She straightened her shoulders and looked over at him. He stood and leaned nonchalantly against the counter. Smug, as if he was glad to regain her gaze. He intertwined his fingers with each other, and a smile crossed his handsome face. A light dusting of stubble graced his strong jawline. Damned if he didn't make stubble look sexy. She mentally smacked her lips together in approval, like some kind of vixen on the prowl.
What was wrong with her?
"I'm Dante. Your aunt told me you'd come. I've been waiting for over two weeks." Dante stared her down as if she should have come sooner.
Defensive, Bailey stood trying to hide her irritation. He acted as if she should have known he awaited her. She raised her eyebrow. "I could have waited longer."
He didn't have the right to make her feel bad about not coming sooner. She wouldn't let him. He was lucky she'd come at all. Bailey crossed her arms and mimicked his position leaning against the counter. Taking the opportunity to watch his eyes closely. Could he be one of them? A Khimairan come to see who would replace her aunt? And while her body reacted sexually to the man, the very real possibility he was here to harm her entered her mind.
A burst of laughter came from him, taking Bailey off guard. His eyes lit up as his broad shoulders moved with his amusement. "You..." He pointed a finger at her. "You are a spitting image of your aunt, a true spitfire. Come now. Give me your name."
She gave him the sternest look she could, tightened her ponytail, and said, "Bailey."
His pupils dilated but there was no animal she could see there, save from a normal predatory gaze any strong male full of himself might have. But the tiny hairs on the back of her neck still rose. He blinked and his eyes returned to normal.
"Now that we have the pleasantries out of the way,” his voice lowered, “let's get down to business." Dante moved away from the counter and headed for the front door.
Part of Bailey didn’t think he meant just the shop business. "Business? What, did you own this place with my aunt or something? I didn't see your name on the papers the lawyer sent me." She zeroed in on his almost perfectly triangular back, down to the jeans fitting his ass. Great ass. He looked out the window and turned back to her. She had no reason to trust him, other than something inside her didn't seem threatened by him at all. On the contrary, that part wiggled to get closer to him instead.
"No, I didn't own the shop with her or anything. We had an agreement of sorts. Not really on the books. How much did she tell you?"
"We weren't close." Bailey took a second look at the door; the lock was still in place. “How did you get in here?” Was there another way in? A backdoor she didn’t account for? She must have been stupid when she walked in her earlier, she didn’t even check for another entrance, but most businesses had two for safety reasons. Had that door been locked?
Dante blinked, considering her for a moment. “I have a key.”
“Really? To my family’s shop?” Bailey let the disbelief drip from her words. Maybe she’d know more if she’d been able to keep contact with her aunt, or if she’d sought her out, or if her dad had allowed it. The ifs were endless. Truth was she didn’t, couldn’t know, and had to deal with whatever aftermath was left in the wake of a woman she barely knew. Bailey looked down at the floor, not wanting to show how much she truly didn’t know. The necklace and the note lay against the wall. She’d spaced them completely!
She picked up the chain and paper, careful not to touch the pendant again. The last thing she needed was to have that kind of attack while Dante watched. She knew magic of some kind had roared through her system, because she had never felt anything like the sensations of the pendant or the colors before. She'd mess with it while she was alone and could maybe experiment a little. Her body might trust him, but her mind wasn't so quick to jump on the “he's great” wagon. She didn’t know him, wasn’t sure she wanted to know him, and couldn’t be sure of anything he said. She felt his gaze as she slid the necklace to the counter and opened the letter. Her curiosity tugged her to find out what her aunt might have said. Would she confirm him as a business partner? Would she warn her to stay away from him?
Words scrawled out by hand flourished along the bright white page in big swooping letters.
My little Bail,
If you are reading this letter, it means I'm gone. There is so much I wished to teach you before I left this world, but when it's time to move on, it's time. Wear this pendant; it will help guide you. There is so much about yourself and our family you don't know. You'll have to learn it on your own, but I've left you books, journals, and this necklace to help you on your journey. It will be long, and I know there will be a great deal you don't trust. Seek out Dante Coburn in Currence, Colorado. He's a friend and can show you the way.
Be blessed and keep an open soul to what is to come.
From my heart to yours,
Aunt Nady.
A familiar ache grew in Bailey's chest. The same kind that inevitably found her when she thought of her mother. She rubbed near her heart and blinked back the sting of tears not wanting to show how vulnerable she truly felt. She shouldn't be so emotional about someone she barely knew, but deep down, there was a pure warming love, a sensation of acceptance and faith she remembered feeling while around her aunt. She’d felt it with her mother too. But after she died, the world became an empty, constant reminder that people inevitably let Bailey down and a place where a little girl always looked over her shoulder because Daddy said to stay away from Khimairans because they’d kill her. The only person who would be there in the end for Bailey was herself.
Though a thought nagged her, why hadn't she come to see Nadia sooner? She did want to know about her family from her mother's side. Nadia could have told her what her mom had been like. But after she left her father drowning in his beer cans to attend college, Bailey didn’t look back. Didn’t think much about her family, and even in those small moments where she wondered what her family—well, the rest of her family—might have been like, she didn’t want to go see her father to get the information. In retrospect, she could have just searched for them, but why search for something that was bound to lead to Khimairans? Why head toward her hate of them when she could simply keep going? It could have been her lack of wanting to confront her past, or even just straight up ignoring anything but her future, or the open road and what would happen tomorrow. Either way, Bailey didn’t seek anyone out and frankly, had no clue how her aunt’s lawyer knew to get in touch with her.
Bailey folded the note and stuck it into her pocket, finally looking back up at Dante’s piercing gaze. "How did she die?" Though deep down, the answer was clear. Khimairans had killed her just like they’d killed her mom.
Dante's stare bore into her. A mask replaced any warmth or joy she’d seen cross his face in the few moments they had spoken, it was as if something inside him shut off. "You don't want to know."
CHAPTER FOUR
Guilt pooled in Dante's stomach as if he'd swallowed lead. How could he tell the female who would be his mate that he was responsible for her aunt's death? If his lion hadn't taken over, if he had more control, she might still be alive. He coul
dn't just blurt out that the Bellers tortured her for information on his race. He didn’t even know what Bailey knew about them. She seemed oblivious to anything about her aunt. He couldn’t recall seeing Bailey around, even when her mother was the portal guardian.
How could he be hard for her and feel guilt over her family death at the same damn time? He wanted the guilt to override the physical response he had to Bailey, but damn those pouty, full lips and where he wanted them, guilt or not. Dante ran his hands through his hair to take his mind off the woman standing before him. He was sick...sick to yearn for her while he knew he caused her aunt’s death.
"It was a Khimairan, wasn't it?" Bailey's green eyes darkened. Disgust dripped from her words taking Dante aback, but it didn’t stop his beast from purring at her fire. "You can tell me. They killed my mother. I'm sure that's who got to my aunt too. Damn skinners." Her hand balled into a fist.
Dante's brow furrowed. Why would she think his people killed her family? The pure hatred coming off her in waves stunk like something rotten. "Skinner is a bit harsh, don't you think?" Who would have told her a Khimairan killed her family members? Had the Bellers already gotten to her? Was that why she hadn’t been around? Had she been playing him, hoping he’d drop information about his people?
"Seriously? My father told me all about them, how the shifters were responsible for my mom's death. Skinner is the polite term I have for the beasts. He might have been a drunk, but I know he was telling the truth. I remember the snake like eyes." Her jaw clenched.
Dante suppressed a growl. Skinner indeed. It was a slang term for shifters of his race, based off the old Indian legends in the area of shifting skin walkers. He resisted the urge to defend his people. Relieved the enemy hadn’t polluted her mind, but heartbroken her father would have. The man had to have known what her family did, how important they are. Anger slid into Dante’s stomach. How could her own father turn her against them? Then her words registered, the snake like eyes...Tony. It had to have been him. Perhaps they didn’t know the difference in corrupted humans and Khimairans. For that, he couldn’t blame her father or her.
Untamed: A Zodiac Shifters Paranormal Romance: Leo (Dark Khimairans Book 1) Page 2
