by Rosanna Leo
Killian looked into his parents’ faces, eager to see any sign of remorse or even of fear. At first he thought he spied a crinkle of disappointment around his mother’s eyes. If ever there was a time for shame and regret, this was it. The boy in him sweated, flames dancing behind him, wanting so badly for his mom to apologize.
But as he held her gaze, hers quickly morphed into one of familiar rage. In her glinting eyes, he felt her lash on his back, over and over.
“How dare you?” she mouthed, unrepentant. Sick. Fanatical as ever.
Putting an arm around both his brothers’ shoulders, he stood tall and returned her even gaze. They weren’t frightened little boys anymore and if his parents came near any of their friends, if they even dreamed of hurting Nina, they’d pay.
The Moon brothers gathered up the empty gas cans and headed back to the truck. Killian did not spare a single look back as the last of his childhood hopes went up in smoke.
* * * *
Even before he opened his cabin door, the sour smell of Nina’s fear filled his nostrils. Bracing himself, he walked in. She sat at a table with Connor, gnawing on her finger, her legs pulled up under her in a nervous knot. A game of Scrabble lay on the table between them. When she looked up, her face crumpled in relief. She pushed away from the table, sending several little block letters flying, and flew to him. He caught her and she buried her face in his shoulder.
He ran a hand over her hair and smiled at Connor. “Seriously, dude. You managed to distract this one with Scrabble?”
“It wasn’t easy, believe me. I thought I’d have to sit on her at one point to keep her here.”
She pulled away, glared at him through her tears, and began hitting him in the chest. “Killian Moon, I could kill you! Do you have any idea how scared I was?”
Connor made a face and stood, heading quickly to the door. “She’s all yours.”
“Thanks, Connor.”
Shaking his head, no doubt mystified at the strange emotions which passed between mated shifters, Connor left.
Nina just continued to glare at him, her lips wobbling in such a way he wanted to nibble them. “You said we would fight together.”
“The only thing I destroyed tonight, my mate, was memories.”
The anger flitted away from her face and she put both her hands on his face. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I just needed…to know there’s nothing human left in my parents. They’re soulless shells. A part of me was worried I might not be able to hold my own against them, because of some sick, childish nostalgia.” He gazed at her. “That’s no longer a problem. They really are dead to me.”
“Killian,” she whispered. “Is it wrong that I hate them? Because I do. I would have loved them for you, if they’d deserved it. If they’d been good to you, I would have loved them with all my heart.”
Heat rushed into his face as his own heart filled with renewed love for her. He spotted his bite mark on her left breast, peeking from under her shirt, and imagined a similar one on his body, pulsating for her. “I know.” He crushed her to him, loving the juxtaposition of her soft breasts against his hard chest. “Hey. It’s breakfast time. Did Connor feed you?”
“No.” She giggled, her voice cracking. “Once he told me where you’d gone, he made it clear we couldn’t leave the cabin. He was afraid I’d do a runner. He said he wasn’t sure he could catch up to a lady jaguar because the ladies usually chase him.”
He laughed with her. “What an ass.”
“Don’t be too hard on him. He was kind to me when I lost my mind with worry.” She wiped her eyes. “All things considered, he’s a good ass.”
He slung his arm around her shoulders as they left the cabin. “Good ass, huh? Have you been checking him out? Do I need to keep you away from that randy mountain lion?”
“Just feed me, leopard man.”
“Oh, I will.” He picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder, smacking her ass. “Right after I feed you.”
Her bubbling laughter cheered him as they headed to the lodge for breakfast.
* * * *
They met her parents in the restaurant and sat with them. Her dad immediately launched into a conversation with Killian about the defense of the island. It seemed her slender, pacifist father had experienced a rush of testosterone while being on Gemini Island and, while human, was just as eager to help the shifters protect their territory. Killian’s gaze darted to her with wariness, obviously unwilling to see her father come to harm, but he humored him. The men talked strategy over their eggs and bacon and Nina pulled her chair closer to her mom. Taking a sip of hot coffee, she relished the heat as it warmed her throat.
“Look at them,” Sharon said, rolling her eyes at the men. “Thick as thieves already.”
Her mother’s lilting Guyanese accent lulled her and made her feel secure. Smiling, Nina cuddled up to her, throwing an arm around her delicate shoulders.
So delicate. So fragile. She’d have to make sure no harm came to them.
“Are you and Daddy dealing with everything okay? I know it’s been a lot to swallow and we really didn’t get a chance to warn you.”
“Let me tell you something about your father and I. We’re stronger than we look.”
Nina nodded. She knew full well how strong they were in character, but personality wouldn’t win a battle against a vicious shifter. “So being stuck on an island full of animal people hasn’t freaked you out?”
“God, no. In my time, I’ve seen stranger things. Remember Great Aunt Bess? That woman saw spirits all her life. I’d swear those ghosts followed her from room to room. I used to hear her talking to them, telling them to leave her alone for five minutes so she could do her knitting. Now that freaked me out.”
She laughed. Her parents were okay, after all. “So you’re fine with your only child turning into a jaguar every so often?”
Sharon sniffed. “I remember you as a hungry baby. It’s no surprise to me you turned jaguar. You always had a healthy appetite.”
“Mom!”
She threw her a teasing look and then nodded at Killian, her shrewd gaze assessing him. “I like him. He’s a good man, your boyfriend.”
“My mate.”
“Your mate. Do you love him?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Then I have no reason to complain.” Her mother pulled her in for a hug. She whispered, “Your friend Charlotte has been telling me about wolf mating rituals. Did you know a male wolf locks inside his woman when they make love? Is it the same for jaguars?” She dangled a finger toward Killian’s lower half. “Does Killian have one of those locking penises?”
“Mother,” Nina warned, glaring at her in jest. She grinned. “This conversation is over. Eat your bacon before your hungry jaguar daughter eats you.”
* * * *
Shortly after the bodies of Horace and Elizabeth washed ashore, Gemini Island received another visitor. Early on a Saturday morning, while tourist families made sandcastles on the beach, a lone boat arrived at the dock.
On guard at the nearby watchtower, Ryland and Soren accompanying him, Killian pinned his keen gaze on the man sitting at the back of the craft. He, too, had friends with him. Two large shifter friends, of the tiger variety, if he wasn’t mistaken. Big bruisers, both of them, their lips curled in almost identical snarls of entitlement.
“We have company,” Soren said.
“That we do,” replied Killian, already descending the tower steps. “It seems August Crane grew some nads.”
“That’s Crane?” Ryland shouted, piling down after him, their loud steps echoing in the nearby trees. “Let me at ‘em.”
When the three of them were at the bottom of the tower, Killian turned to his friends, a cautionary hand raised. “Let’s just hear what they have to say.”
“Maybe they need to hear what we have to say,” Soren muttered. “Fuckers.”
“Guys, look around,” Killian warned
. “There are families on the beach, kids playing near the dock. This isn’t the time. We’ll get our moment.”
Although Ryland and Soren didn’t resemble each other, one being dark and the other fair, Killian noticed their resemblance in the determined ticks at their jaws. The bear brothers glared at Crane from a distance, and he could almost hear their inner bears wanting out, wanting the chance to snap the leader of the Alpha Brethren in two. He knew that look well. He’d seen it in their parents when the Snows had first taken him in as a teen. The elder Snows looked after him and his brothers with a fierce, ursine protectiveness. He owed it to Mr. and Mrs. Snow to take care of their sons now.
“Let me talk to him,” Killian urged. “It’s me he wants anyway. You guys just watch those tiger thugs and make sure they don’t gobble anyone.”
The three of them stalked toward the dock where Crane stood calmly with his shifter flunkies. The wannabe messiah was just as he remembered him, even down to wearing his customary black suit and tie. Tall and strong, dark-haired, with the piercing eyes of a wolf, Crane grinned, like a preacher greeting an old lady at a church social. No lines marred his face. There was no sign of creaking bones as he moved. Although older than Killian, nearly twice his age in fact, Crane looked full of youth and stamina, proof positive shifters aged well.
And then again, perhaps having adoring, imbecile acolytes just lent one an air of vitality.
He strolled up to him, never breaking eye contact, while Ry and Soren flanked him. “August Crane. Still full of shit, even after all these years.”
One of his tigers stepped forward, his golden eyes flashing in malice. “Don’t talk to the Great Alpha like that, human fucker.”
Crane put a calming hand on the man’s shoulder. “Now, now, Tyler. What did I say about managing your temper?”
“But Great Alpha, he fucked a dirty…”
Out of nowhere, Crane belted the large man, sending him reeling. “Silence!”
The tiger shifter cradled his jaw and stepped back, his gaze on the dock.
Crane straightened his tie and smiled at Killian. “Please excuse Tyler’s outbursts. Tigers possess such explosive temperaments. It’s nice to have them on your side, but it can be annoying, too.”
“What do you want, Crane?” Ry demanded.
He turned to Ryland and looked him up and down, promptly giving Soren the same frank appraisal. “Ah, the famous Snow brothers. I’ve heard so much about you.” His breath poured from him in a dramatic sigh. “Sadly, I’m disappointed in what I heard.”
Soren gritted his teeth. “You can take your disappointment and…”
“Soren.” Killian cut him off with a glance. Turning to Crane, he spoke for the group. “What do you want? You’re not welcome here.”
“Killian, Killian, don’t you realize? I come in peace, my boy.” He held out his arms like a father welcoming home a prodigal son. “Your poor mother is brokenhearted you’ve mated with a human. Your father, inconsolable. They’ve both served me so well over the years.”
“While neglecting their own family.”
“Family.” Crane mulled over the term. “You could have been part of my family, Killian. You and Percy and Byron. You’re all still welcome at the compound, without your human mate, of course. Although, technically, you have sinned with that woman, I am willing to turn the other cheek, provided you do proper penance. Your parents agree with me and look forward to including you in our great brotherhood.”
“Not interested.” He looked at Soren and Ryland. “I already have a family and this one doesn’t come with conditions or demands for penance.”
Crane regarded him with the false calm of a man whose plan wasn’t quite working out. Killian saw the twitch at his eye and fought the urge to smile.
“You always were a petulant child.” He bit his lip. “I’m not surprised you turned into a sad human fucker, wasting the gifts you were given.”
He stepped closer to Crane and seethed. “If one more person from your group refers to us as human fuckers, I will end you. Do you understand me?”
The wolf man had the nerve to grin. “Horace Williams said the same thing shortly before I tore out his throat. And you know what? I think it might have hurt him more to watch his mate die first.” He stared at all three of them in turn, his point clear. “Their mating was an abomination, no different than all of yours.”
“Get the fuck off my island,” said Ryland, “or I’ll tear you a new one.”
Crane laughed. “You and what army, Snow?” He waved his arms around. “Those toddlers on the beach? The ladies drinking coffee on the park bench over there? Or perhaps some of your cherished teens from your mentoring program? You and your do-gooders can never stop me. And if I have to slaughter another hundred human fuckers and their disgusting human whores, I will do it. Starting with this island.”
Ry and Soren advanced but Killian beat them to the punch, years of hatred finally bubbling over inside him like acid. He hauled back and cracked his fist against Crane’s hard skull. The wolf man flew across the dock, his tiger shifters running to him to help him up.
Crane covered his eye and Killian grinned, knowing his punch would leave an incredible shiner. “You had your chance, Moon. I only came today because your mother begged me to intervene, to see if I could make you see sense.” He stood up, pushing the fussing tiger men from him. “Personally, I would have put you down years ago. I wash my hands of you now. The next time you see me, you will feel my wrath.”
Killian licked Crane’s blood off his knuckles and spat on the ground. “You’ll feel mine first.”
The preacher boarded his boat. His tigers scrambled in after him, and Tyler started the boat’s engine. Crane shouted over the din. “The Holy Purge has begun! I hereby vow to protect the rights of pureblood shape shifters and free the world of human scum. My power will wash over this land in a crimson tide and woe to those who stand in my way!”
Soren looked at Killian. “I really want to kill that crazy dude.”
He watched the vessel veer across Lake Gemini as icy fingers of dread tickled his spine. “Get in line.”
Chapter 13
KILLIAN watched from reception as the last Ursa Fishing Lodge tourists exited the lodge. Every last visitor stopped to shake Ryland’s hand and he thanked them for their patronage in a solemn tone. After Crane’s eventful visit, Ry made the painful decision to close the Ursa Resort and send home any remaining tourist families. He put the teen mentoring program on an indefinite hold and cancelled any special events and activities. Killian watched as his old friend rearranged bookings, made phone calls, and filed documents.
“It’s not fair,” Ry had said, “to allow tourists to visit here when that madman could return at any time.”
Killian agreed, but it didn’t make the guests’ departures any less painful. He and Ryland worked hard for years to make Gemini Island a happy place for shifters. Hell, everyone on the island had contributed to the resort’s success and been rewarded a dozen times over.
Which was why, when the last guest sailed away from the dock, all the employees lingered, unsure what to do.
Once the front door was shut, Ryland gathered everyone left in the expansive reception hall. Modest as always, he bowed his head when he stood at the fireplace mantel, Lia at his side.
“I want to thank you all for your hard work over the years,” he began. “Without each and every one of you, the Ursa would still be a backwoods fishing lodge with one boat and one can of bait. Because you all believed in my vision, in a world where shifters could live free from harm, this resort thrived.” He glanced at Lia and grabbed her hand. “The Alpha Brethren has taken it upon themselves to threaten our world and our mates and we won’t stand for it. The day is coming when we’ll all need to decide if we protect our world at the Ursa or turn our heads. You all have families and lives outside this resort. I wouldn’t blame any of you for leaving.”
Killian stepped forwar
d, grasping Nina’s hand, strengthened by her soft touch. He turned and addressed the crowd. “It’s because of me the Alpha Brethren has targeted Gemini Island. I’m not going anywhere.” He looked at Ryland. “My friend, you and your family helped me when I needed it. You’d better believe I will fight tooth and nail to make sure this island is protected. And I know I’m not the only one willing to lay down his life for our family here at the Ursa.”
One by one, everyone in the reception hall took a step of solidarity, moving toward them. In every face, Killian saw resolve and bravery and a healthy dose of take-no-prisoners attitude.
He gazed at the hundred odd friends before him. Percy and Byron, united in pain and hope, stood nearby. Soren embraced Gioia, whose kind eyes radiated quiet ferocity. Bart stood behind Charlotte and they both ran protective hands over her baby bump. Lloyd hugged his mate Elaine, and Connor stood tall, a couple of waitresses from the pub on his arms. Bill and Sharon Suzuki, the lone humans in the crowd, ran around high-fiving their new shifter friends. He smiled at the sight of his in-laws, so eager to lend support to the strange beings they’d only just met.
And Nina, his beautiful Nina, held his hand to her lips and kissed it. “See? We’re not alone. We can protect the island.”
“Everyone loves Ryland. It’s good to see how much they support him.”
“Um, Killian. In case you hadn’t noticed, they love you, too. They support you, too.”
Humbled by her words, he glanced at the crowd and numerous friends smiled back. Men from Facilities gave him their thumbs up. Clerks from the back office hooted in support. The ladies from the Housekeeping team waved.
He really did have their support. As emotion lanced through his being, putting a balm on old scars, Killian realized he felt more love in this room than he’d ever felt at home with his parents.
As much as gratitude floored him, the feeling blossomed as he gazed at Nina. Her sweet smile cheered him more than any pat on the back. Her faith made him feel capable of scaling great heights and conquering the vilest foes. Her absolute love filled all the gaping holes in his heart. Strengthened by her devotion, he addressed the crowd again. “The fight ahead won’t be pretty. I can’t promise you there won’t be casualties, but I’m convinced if we band together, if we keep our eyes open, we can defend the Ursa Lodge from our common enemy.”
