Predator's Fire

by Rosanna Leo

  Not only were his brothers landscapers, they were both artists. Percy worked in oils and Byron sculpted wood. If he hadn’t known how to reach their cabin, he would have figured it out when he started to see the large wooden sculptures of eagles and bears, peeking from between the trees. He smiled at the sculptures, Byron’s homage to their shifter heritage.

  After parking his vehicle, he walked to the cabin door, knocked and called out. “Guys, it’s me.”

  A deep voice responded. “We’re out back.”

  He headed to the back yard and grinned when he saw his younger brothers, busy with their art, as they often were. If they weren’t cutting down trees, they were making pictures out of them.

  Percy stood in front of an easel, frowning at his painting of Lake Gemini. Killian could tell right away his brother was unhappy with his work. He might sell his paintings in galleries all over the mainland, but he’d obsess over one brush stroke.

  Byron was in the process of inspecting a fallen tree trunk, no doubt checking to see if he could use it for one of his sculptures.

  “Hey,” he said in greeting.

  They looked up as one and waved, their movements eerily similar. Killian shook his head. Their identical nature would never stop shocking him. Blond, like him, they both stood about his height, 6’3” and bore the same build. The only real physical difference between them was the shape of their noses. Percy’s was longer and slightly crooked, much like his. Byron, however, had a perfect Roman nose. And where Killian had inherited their mom’s gold-green eyes, they’d ended up with their dad’s baby blues.

  Another reminder of why he’d come.

  They walked over. Byron was the first to speak, as usual. “Something’s wrong.”

  “What is it?” Percy finished for him.

  “Don’t I even get a cup of coffee?”

  They both narrowed their eyes. Since childhood, the three boys had had an uncanny ability to read each other, even though Killian was older by two years.

  “Come in then,” said Byron, leading the way to the front of the wood house. “You still take…”

  “…Black Columbian, right?” ended Percy without batting an eye.

  “Shit, don’t do the freaky stuff when I’m here,” Killian joked as they entered the cabin. “You know it drives me nuts when you finish each other’s sentences. You’re worse than an old married couple.”

  Their faces remained serious, as ever, but he spied the amusement in their eyes.

  “Relax, big brother,” said Percy. “We promise not to…”

  “…Make you uncomfortable,” Byron teased.

  Shaking his head, he sat at their kitchen table while they moved in tandem, one preparing the coffee, the other slapping together some turkey sandwiches. Instead of bumping into each other, as regular people did in a kitchen, their movements seemed choreographed and they never got in each other’s way. They’d always moved like that, one of the reasons human kids tended to fear them at school. Of course, being big bruisers now, humans might fear them for other reasons.

  As soon as the sandwiches and coffee mugs hit the table, Killian began. He saw no reason to waste time when Nina was out there somewhere licking the wounds he’d caused. “So, I think I might have a mate.”

  Both men just about choked on their sandwiches. With matching levels of difficulty, they coughed, swallowed, and gawked at him. “Since when?” asked Byron.

  “Uh, I just met her. Her name is Nina. She knew an old friend of mine. She’s…human.”

  “Human,” Percy said slowly, as if trying out the word for the first time. “And she knows…”

  “…What you are?” asked Byron.

  “Yeah.”

  They broke into wide smiles. “Well, that’s awesome,” said Byron.

  “Congratulations,” added his twin.

  “Thing is,” interjected Killian, “Her friend, the one I knew, just killed herself. I’m pretty sure the woman was being stalked by the Alpha Brethren for dating a human. Can you think of anyone who would have issues with a shifter taking a human mate?”

  They faces fell. “Mom and Dad,” they replied as a unit.

  “Precisely. Mom and Dad and that shithead August Crane.”

  “We heard from them about a month ago,” admitted Byron. “They’re still eager to bring us all into the fold of the Alpha Shitheads.”

  “Which will never happen,” said Percy. “There’s no way I’m ever joining that fucking band of loonies. They can pedal their ‘shifters are superior’ crap to each other, but not to me.”

  “To us,” corrected Byron. “So what are you going to do about Nina?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Is she hot?” Percy asked with a raised brow and cheeky grin.

  “Fuck, yes, she’s hot,” Killian replied, a hand to his head. “But she’s more than that. She’s kind and caring and smart. And damn, she can fill out a pair of yoga pants.”

  His brothers laughed. “What does your jaguar think of her?”

  “Oh, he likes her just fine.”

  “No kidding,” said Byron. “I think I can hear him snarling from over here.”

  “Does Nina like you?” asked Percy.

  “I think she definitely likes parts of me. The rest, I’m not so sure of.”

  “You need to go for it, bro,” volunteered Byron.

  “Doesn’t sound as if you have a choice, bro,” added Percy.

  “If she accepts me, I don’t want to bring her in harm’s way. What if Mom and Dad hear about her? What if the Brethren attack? What if…?”

  “Killian, you can’t live by ‘what ifs,’” said Percy.

  “And if she’s your mate, you know we’re on your side,” said Byron. “That makes her family. You and Percy and I have defended each other for years. We’ll do it ‘til the end.”

  While he lamented his choices, or clear lack of choices, they devoured their sandwiches and downed their coffees. On the way out, he turned to his little brothers. Little. Funny. He was pretty sure Percy had grown half an inch since he last saw him, not that he’d admit it. “Are things okay with you two? Any ladies in your lives?”

  They looked at each other. “Nope,” Byron responded. “Don’t think there’s one alive who’d be able to handle us.”

  Killian couldn’t miss his usage of the word “one.” He knew Byron and Percy longed for a mate they could share. As such close twins, they shared everything else. Yes, the idea seemed foreign to him. Hell, he could never imagine letting another man touch his woman. But in their case, he could see how it might work. They’d been basically joined at the hip since birth. Who was he to judge anyway? He barely understood his own love life.

  They say their goodbyes, and he made them promise to look him up next time they had to plant some pretty flowers the Ursa. As they leaned in to throttle him, he laughed and jumped in the all-terrain vehicle. With a wave, he headed home.

  He had a woman to see.

  Chapter 6

  HER head still swimming, Nina woke that morning from nightmares of Janine. She’d walked into a cavernous room, only to see her friend multiplied by the hundreds, hanging from just as many ceiling fans. Every time Nina tried to run away, Janine’s bodies had dropped to the floor and transformed into monstrous wolf creatures.

  Interlaced with the nightmares had been sweet dreams of Killian. Over and over, she relived the searing experience of having him draw her to him. Of how he had pressed her against his phenomenal length and confessed his desire for her.

  He wanted her, too.

  And yet, rather than cultivate a proper relationship like a normal person, she’d thrown herself at him mere days into their acquaintance. She’d probably scared him away. Lord, she’d scared herself. Never one to instigate sex, with Killian, it was all she could do not to maul him.

  He made her feel as if an animal lived inside her, as well.

  Sure, she understood he’d been trying to ac
t responsibly, but she didn’t want to be sensible. She wanted to be loose and free and to throw every caution to the wind. Mourning her friend had made her lonely, but it also made her want to seize life and ride the hell out of the bugger. And she wanted to do it while in Killian’s arms.

  Besides, she wasn’t talking forever. Just a night or two of pleasure and then they’d go their separate ways. No life partners necessary, or mates, as shifters called them.

  Mate. As much as she tried to act breezy, she couldn’t deny the word carried great appeal. Why?

  Perhaps because her parents had such a tight relationship. They’d climbed so many mountains together, risking condemnation from their families for marrying outside their races. It shocked and saddened Nina that an Asian man and a dark-skinned woman could still draw so many stares when they walked hand in hand, but they did. God only knew, as their child, she’d heard lots of comments over the years. It made her proud to think her parents had come through it all as a stronger, loving unit.

  So why couldn’t a human woman and a shifter man have a little fling?

  She knew Killian worried about the Alpha Brethren, but it wasn’t as if the group had made any overtures. She wasn’t going to run from life on the off chance some shifter spy might see her.

  On her way to the lodge, hoping to track down Killian, she passed by the lake. The morning sun beamed down on its pristine surface, illuminating each gentle ripple. Tall evergreens dotted the beach, providing a veil of green. The whole area made her feel as if she’d stumbled into an Emily Carr painting. Caught up in the beauty, she stopped to admire the peaceful surroundings.

  Gemini Island was quite the place.

  Hearing some splashing to her far left, she turned to the noise and saw an animal in the water. Only its furry head appeared above the water line and she watched, trying to discern what sort of creature it might be. The beast crawled out of the lake, water dripping from its cat-like form. Its coat glowed orange in the sun, black rosettes dotting its great muscles.

  A jaguar.

  “Killian?”

  Its gaze pinned on her, it padded toward her, its mouth open. Its nostrils flared and she got the distinct impression it breathed in her scent. Fear of its size and strength made her heart skip several beats, but she forced herself to remain calm. Not an easy task, considering the animal’s intimidating physical power.

  Standing still, she held her breath as the enormous cat circled her, sniffing. Something in its low growl sent horrific shudders up her spine.

  Killian wouldn’t scare her like this. Once again, she murmured his name but the jaguar remained in animal form.

  Dear God. What if that was its only form? What if this wasn’t a shifter at all?

  Maybe it was time to run.

  Just as the need to bolt made her limbs jerk, another deep, rumbling noise sounded somewhere behind her. She dared to look out of her periphery vision and spotted another jaguar in its slow approach, murder in its flashing gaze.

  The first jaguar spotted it and, in a flurry of burnished fur, shifted back into human form. Naked, human form.

  She averted her eyes. “Angus!” The man who’d brought her champagne at the pub.

  “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Nina. You look lovely today. Mouth-watering, actually.” She glanced at him. In his nude, muscled glory, Angus leaned against a tree stump, grinning.

  “Take your watering mouth somewhere else.” Killian, just as nude, twice as glorious, strode forward with menacing haste. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? You scared her.”

  “I wasn’t going to hurt her. I just wanted to say hello. So you can relax, friend.”

  “I’m not your friend.”

  “Aw. Pity.”

  Nina didn’t know where to look. No matter where her gaze darted, she saw abs and glutes and massive quadriceps, all flexed and seemingly ready for battle. Over her? It appeared that way. “Look, guys, no need to…”

  “I want you out of here,” threatened Killian.

  “Not gonna happen, chief,” said Angus, inching toward her. “Like I said before, Nina’s unmarked. I have every right to woo her.” He winked at her, smiling widely.

  “Woo me?” Nina, do not look below waist level!

  Killian moved next to her, and his proximity made it nearly impossible not to look. Even before she dropped her gaze, she could sense it bobbing around down there, the mighty instrument he’d held against her belly.

  “You’re not wooing anyone, chief,” Killian said on a snarl. “You can take your…woo somewhere else.”

  Oh, Lord, it moved again! As if demanding her attention, his penis danced at her side, paler than the rest of him but no less impressive. Pretending to brush away a stray hair, she looked down and promptly lost the ability to form coherent speech. That big? Really? “Uh. Guys. Clothes…”

  Angus stood and sauntered toward them with the proud gait of a man who enjoyed showing off his junk. Why wouldn’t these shifters put on some damn clothes?

  Okay, maybe Killian could stay in his birthday suit. She snuck another look and tried not to succumb to the vapors.

  “Nina, darlin’,” proclaimed Angus. “I’m taking you to dinner tonight.”

  “Over my dead body,” shouted Killian.

  “All right then. First we dispose of blondie, then we have dinner.”

  Before Killian had a nude conniption, she stepped forward and put her hands out. “Enough!” She turned to Angus. “You. Wooing a lady while dressed as a ferocious jaguar is a big no-no. If no one’s ever told you, I’m telling you now.”

  He grunted.

  “And you,” she said, whipping around to face Killian. “You should…you should…”

  He cocked a brow. “What should I do, Nina?”

  “Oh, just put some damn clothes on!” Raising her chin, trying to keep her gaze level with the tree branches, she marched away. She had no clue where she was headed but figured she made a good exit.

  * * * *

  Killian raced to his cabin, ran in and slipped into a new outfit of jeans, a plaid shirt and hiking boots. Without stopping to button up the shirt, he ran back outside again. Taking a moment to stand still, he inhaled, honing in on her amazing cherry blossom scent. With determination egging him on, he followed her trail.

  He found her on a wooded path, sitting on a bench. Next to the bench stood a wooden sculpture of a jaguar, one of Byron’s art works. Nina touched a hand to the wooden cat, smoothing her fingers over its glossy coat. There was nothing tentative about her movements. She ran her hand over the jaguar’s face and back, clearly entranced. The quiet awe on her face gave him strength to forge ahead.

  “My brother sculpted it,” he said, sitting next to her on the bench.

  She turned and her breath caught. “You jaguars keep sneaking up on me.”

  “I’m sorry. We’re built for stealth. I sometimes forget others can’t always sense us coming.”

  She gave him a long look, eyes wide with curiosity, and then turned back to the art work. “Did your brother really do this?”

  “Yes. Both my kid brothers are artists. Byron sculpts wood animals, but Percy works in oils. They’re amazing.”

  “You sound very proud.”

  “I am. We’ve come through a lot together.”

  She glanced up under her lashes, making his cock harden. Nibbling on her bottom lip, she frowned. “Like what?”

  “A lot of fights. A lot of rebellion. But mostly I spent my time trying to make sure my brothers turned out okay. My parents weren’t home a lot. They spent most of their time at religious retreats.”

  “I see.”

  Their conversation died off. Killian couldn’t tell if he was comfortable or uncomfortable. As much as he liked talking to her, their shared quiet was fine too. He had a feeling anything he shared with her would be just fine.

  While they sat in silence, he allowed himself to drink her in. No yoga pants today, h
eaven help his poor, frazzled libido. However, this outfit did little to preserve his sanity. Wearing a flowery cotton dress, topped with a short jean jacket, she looked like spring after a long, cold winter.

  It struck him the weather had grown warmer since Nina arrived on the island. He’d been shedding layers himself. She’d brought spring. The silly, romantic sentiment made him want to giggle.

  “Killian,” she began.

  He didn’t let her finish. He leaned in, grabbed her to him, and kissed her hard.

  Her eyes widened and she squealed under his mouth, but he didn’t pull away. As his inner jaguar roared in triumph, he savored the soft crush of her lips and reeled from the electric sensation. When her squeals softened into whimpers, he traced her lips with his tongue, urging her to open.

  Giddy from desire, he realized very little urging was required.

  Not only did Nina welcome his marauding tongue, she scrambled over on the bench, climbing atop him. Straddling him, she moaned and ran her hands all over his still-bare chest. He held her tight, smoothing his hands over her thighs, under her dress. As she bucked against him, he cupped her incredible ass and almost shot his load when he realized she wore a thong.

  “Jesus Christ,” he uttered as they fell apart on a breath.

  She moaned quietly, still grinding atop him, her head on his shoulder. “Oh, God, Killian. Don’t be cruel.” Writhing in slow, torturous circles, she ground down, as if trying to dissolve the clothing between them.

  He grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her head back gently, exposing her neck and flushed face. “Do you need help, sweet thing?”

  She wet her lips and nodded.

  Claiming her mouth with a kiss, as hunger dictated each furious movement, he cupped her breast and pinched her distended nipple. Even through her bodice and bra, she felt magnificent in his hands.

  “Oh,” she moaned. “Yes.”

  His cock hardened with each touch. His body cried out for satiation. And his jaguar pounded against its imaginary cage, aching to be joined to her. He pulled the bodice of her dress down, taking her silky bra with it, exposing both her breasts. Nina panted and stared at him, as if wanting his approval.