by Rosanna Leo
“That’s right,” concurred Ryland. “I won’t allow any more of our friends to wash up on our beaches.”
“We’ll need to gather every last shifter man and woman,” Killian said. “The Alpha Brethren are a big group.” He turned to Ryland. “We need to call every friend we have.”
The automatic doors to the lodge slid open with a swoosh. Everyone turned. A few gasps sounded in the cavernous room.
“Actually, Killian,” said Ry, grinning. “I went ahead and made some calls already.”
At the door stood his friends Anton and Marci Gaspar, formerly of the Ursa Lodge. A Magyar tiger shifter prince, Anton now lived in Budapest with his Gemini Island mate Marci, a lynx woman. Killian couldn’t believe his eyes. It had been months since he’d seen the couple, and they were a sight for sore eyes.
Especially because they were accompanied by at least fifty gargantuan tiger shifters in full shift. The Hungarian tigers prowled in behind their prince and princess, a brawny menagerie of glowing eyes and rippling muscles. Low growls of support issued from each one of them, as they formed a phalanx around their leaders, Anton and Marci. Knowing full well the power of a tiger, the biggest cat in the animal kingdom and the shifter world, Killian could have kissed Ryland.
“Marci!” Charlotte squealed as she spotted her best friend and raced to the door. She hugged the life out of her and then hugged her again. “Fuckdamnshitpisshell. When did you arrive?”
Marci rubbed an affectionate hand over Charlotte’s baby bump. “Just now.” She looked up and smiled at Killian. “You didn’t think we’d stay away, did you?”
Anton, his Hungarian accent thicker since being at home for a few months, chimed in. “I hope you don’t mind I brought my best fighters with me. I trust there’s room at the inn, Ryland.”
Ry ran forward and hugged them both. “For you and your best fighters, I always have room.”
Nina nudged Killian. “Marci’s your good friend, right?”
“Yes.” He nodded, awe-struck at the sight of all those predators in the lobby.
“And she’s also seen you naked, right?”
“Right,” he conceded, hurtling back into reality. He couldn’t lie to Nina. They’d come clean with each other not long ago, sharing the stories of their past affairs. Of course, he’d explained his fling with Marci had merely been a moment of “itch scratching.” There had never been any passion between them, certainly nothing like what he had with Nina. However, he didn’t want her feeling awkward around the lynx woman.
Nina merely grinned, not a hint of nervousness in her gaze. “Go,” she urged. “Welcome your friends. I’d love to meet them.”
He pulled her into his arms, relieved she felt no insecurity on the matter. Relieved he hadn’t provided her with a reason to worry. “Have I told you today how much I love you?”
“Yeah,” she whispered against his cheek, her tongue softly stroking his skin. “But I’ll never get tired of hearing it.”
Feeling like the luckiest man on the planet, Killian clasped her hand and brought her to the lodge door so she could meet his friends.
* * * *
While Killian tried to convince one of Anton’s skeptical tiger friends to try a Molson Canadian at the bar, Nina sat with Anton and Marci in one of the pub booths. After the arrival of the Hungarians at the lodge, the tense gathering had more or less turned into a large meet-and-greet. Buoyed by the massive tiger reinforcements, the residents of Gemini Island allowed themselves a drink and some time to de-stress.
Some of the Hungarians, never having been abroad, looked with nervousness upon the folks at the Ursa. However, the staff from the lodge took it upon themselves to make their guests comfortable.
Very comfortable, in some cases.
Anton arched an amused brow as he watched a few of his compatriots flirting with Gemini Island women. He draped his large arm about Marci’s shoulders. “Look at Filip. Back home, he is my most trusted political advisor. Here, he is putty in the hands of a pub waitress.”
Marci elbowed her mate. “Oh, let him have a little fun. Who knows? Maybe Nancy is his mate.”
Filip and Nancy chose that moment to stride out of the bar, their gazes locked on each other. Anton shook his head. “She’s his mate for the night, if nothing else, cicuskám.” He smiled at Nina. “What it is with you Canadian women? I think you all put crack in your lipstick.”
Nina let out a giggle at the thought and sipped her Grasshopper. “I don’t think it’s the lipstick. I think it’s Gemini Island.” She glanced at Killian, still at the bar, now trying to convince the Hungarian the Maple Leafs would win the next Stanley Cup. As he gesticulated at his new pal, his gaze darted toward her, warmth suffusing his expression.
She blushed and looked down at her lap, awash in naughty, happy thoughts.
Marci edged closer to her and put a hand on hers. “I’m so happy for you and Killian. I just know you and I will become great friends.”
Nina stared at the princess. Although as proud in her bearing as any shifter she’d met, Marci didn’t exude a haughty nobility. Killian told her she’d been born and raised near Gemini Island and came from middle-class stock. She’d expected Marci to wear gowns and tiaras, but the lynx woman rocked a pair of blue jeans and a white T-shirt instead. Her light brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, she might have been the pleasant girl who bags groceries at the local shop, rather than head of a royal court.
Nina liked her on sight. She liked her even more now. “I know we’ll be good friends, too.”
Marci eyed Killian and took a pensive sip from Anton’s beer bottle. “I always wondered if the Moons would show up again.”
“They’ve shown up before?”
“Oh, yeah. Killian told me they try to sway their sons about once a year. They’ve insisted on meeting with him and Percy and Byron here and there. I used to worry about the guys. Killian would grow so dark after his parents’ visits, so unreadable. Being twins, his brothers always had each other for support. And despite how close they are to Killian, he’s not a twin, so he’s a bit removed. Plus I don’t think he ever wanted to burden Byron and Percy, so he kept a lot inside.”
Nina eyed her man, who looked carefree as he argued about the latest rookie stats in the NHL. His eyes were bright, his tone jovial as he trash talked the Hungarian.
But she knew full well darkness still lingered in his soul. It would as long as his parents and August Crane were alive.
She considered it her duty to make him feel better, lighter. Loved.
She would do anything to keep him safe. He’d already suffered enough. If she could take some of his burden away in the weeks to come, she would do so.
Killian ended his conversation and walked over to their booth. He dropped into the seat next to her and wound an arm around her waist. Before he caught any hint of her somber mood, she pasted on a smile. “You’ve made a friend.”
“I guess I have.” He nodded at Anton. “Matyas is a good dude, but he has no appreciation for Canadian beer.”
“We all have our failings,” Anton conceded with a grin. He peered at Killian, his green eyes bright. “However, Matyas can fight with the best of them. Tell me, do you really think this Alpha Brethren will attack the island?”
He nodded. “Yes, but I plan to hit them first. I’m done waiting.”
What? As her dinner crept back into her throat, she gaped at her mate. “You never said anything about attacking them.”
He ran a calming hand over her hair. “I’ve been going over strategy with the guys. We need to hit them where it hurts, at their compound. I’m taking them down before they ever get near enough to Gemini Island to hurt anyone here.” He glanced at Anton. “Are you and your tigers with me?”
“Of course. Wherever you need us to be.”
No, no, no. As her throat seemed to thicken, as the last breath seemed to fizzle out of her, Nina closed her eyes. Immediately a vision assaulted her. One of
a field strewn with shifter bodies, female and male. Her new friends, their throats ripped out. Her beautiful Killian, leading the fray, taken down by Crane’s unfeeling posse.
It was one thing to remain here and protect the island. The men had assured her of its natural defenses and she’d seen the efforts they’d made to enhance them. But to go on the attack? Without any idea how many shifters supported Crane? Without any idea of their resources and strength?
Crane would slaughter them.
No one seemed concerned. As her heart spiraled downward into her shoes, imagining the worst of scenarios, Killian shared his attack plan with the others. She tried to absorb his words, but only a few resonated. Words like “guerilla attack” and “front lines” and “war.” The stubborn set to his jaw as he spoke made him resemble a World War II general. She looked to Anton to see if he was just as horrified by Killian’s plan, but he just nodded in agreement.
How could they discuss it so calmly when her world was falling apart?
She looked at Marci, but she, too, seemed to support their folly. Her amber eyes flashed in apparent anticipation.
“Marci, surely you don’t want this,” she whispered.
The other woman angled her head, her nose turned up in defiance. “You bet, I do. Horace Williams was my cousin. We grew up together. No one butchers my family and gets away with it.”
Nina’s frantic gaze darted about the pub, desperate to see anyone who might be a revolted as she. However, she saw only excitement and a general desire to enter the fray. People planned, high-fived each other and drank to their presumed success. Ryland and Soren and some of the others huddled at the bar. She tuned into their conversation and heard them calmly discussing the attack, as if planning a day at the beach. Her gaze drifted over to where Lia and Charlotte and Gioia chatted at another table. Even from her distance, she could see their smiles and hear their laughter.
Was no one worried?
Perhaps she was the only one losing her shit right now because it was her mate Crane wanted dead. The Alpha Brethren were most upset with Killian and he wanted to hurl himself into their territory like some kind of goddamn furry martyr.
Well, she wouldn’t let him. They might have some strong shifters on their side, but there was no telling what Crane had up his slimy sleeve.
No way in hell would she let her mate meet a violent end. She’d do everything in her power to stop it.
Perhaps she was overreacting. Did they understand something she didn’t? Maybe, because so many of them had been born shifter, they just trusted in their abilities more than she did. It struck her as naïve. Sure, they’d gotten help from Anton’s camp today, but did it guarantee a win? She hated to see the inhabitants of Gemini Island suffer from bravado and some badly-placed hope in a few European tiger men.
One thing was certain. She couldn’t lose Killian and certainly not like this. If they defended the island, staying put, they’d be almost two hundred shifters strong. On the other hand, if they sent out an attack force, their fighters would be divided. Surely some would remain behind to guard the island. In splitting their force, they’d weaken.
We have to protect him.
She started at the new voice, the one inside her head. The one that bristled and feared and raged.
Her jaguar. For the first time, the animal spoke to her in a coherent manner, rather than grunts and grumbles. She could see it now, prowling inside her, its hairs standing on end with worry.
We can’t let him get hurt, it urged. We have to save him.
I know, she answered. But how?
“Hey, sweet thing,” Killian said, leaning in to kiss her cold cheek. “Want another Grasshopper?”
“No.” When she heard the snarl in her voice, she turned away from him.
He touched her chin and made her face him. His eyes narrowed and he spoke, using their silent form of communication. Nina, are you okay?
Putting a mental clamp on her frazzled emotions, she restricted some of the invisible ties connecting them. The last thing she wanted was for him to glimpse her ragged nerves. I’m just tired.
Killian, clearly more adept at reading her, used his death glare on her. She blinked a few times, unwilling to let him see inside her. At least, not here, in the presence of others.
He stared at her, demolishing her façade. Her emotions seemed to tumble out of her, like cookies spilling out of a jar, breaking on the counter. Dammit, she had to improve at manipulating her thought process.
He mumbled some quick apologies to Anton and Marci. “We’ll catch up with you guys tomorrow. Nina and I are going to hit the hay.”
“There’s no need…”
“There’s every need.” His lips compressed. “You and I are going home. Now.”
Within minutes, they were back at the cabin, although she had no recollection of walking there. She suspected he’d dragged her the whole way. They went inside, he locked up and reached for her.
She pulled away, unable to maintain her calm now they were alone. He flinched, as if she’d slapped him. His gaze, wide and confused, swept over every inch of her.
“What’s with the cold shoulder?”
“I’m not giving you the cold shoulder.”
“Bullshit. You shut me down when I tried to talk to you telepathically. You put up a goddamn wall in my face.”
“I had nothing to say to you.”
He took a step back. A barrage of emotion played havoc with his facial features. The odd twist to his mouth illustrated his anger. His paleness, bewilderment. And the darkness in his eyes gave the exact measure of his sadness.
She’d hurt him.
Ever though the knowledge just about made her drop to her knees, making her jaguar roar in anguish, she looked away. Something told her to start distancing herself from Killian, to pull away by degree.
To ease the eventual pain of severing their ties. It had to happen. Either he went to war and died fighting August Crane, or…what?
“I know you’re worried.” Although his jaw clenched so hard she heard the grinding of his teeth, he’d spoken in a soft tone.
She turned on him. “You made plans to attack the Alpha compound and you never thought to mention it to me?”
“I meant to. I should have.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Nina, I’d do anything to spare you pain.”
“Killian, you can’t do this,” she implored, her lip trembling. “It’ll be a bloodbath, I just know it.”
“We can handle ourselves. Don’t forget, I know my way around the compound. I know many of the Brethren and have seen their tactics. I understand the way Crane thinks.”
“Let me guess. You would have left me on the island while you led the attack, right? You wouldn’t have let me fight alongside you. Admit it.”
He glared at her. “I admit it. You’re my woman and a new shifter. You’re just learning about your animal side. I won’t expose you to that menace.”
“And yet you’d go off like some half-cocked medieval warrior?”
“I know what I’m doing, Nina. I have fought before.”
“This is different. You’re going up against a bloody army.”
“Let’s not exaggerate.”
“No? You’re the one who’s been cautioning us all since day one. You’re the one who said not to underestimate Crane.”
“And we won’t. We’ll plan for every circumstance, but this has to be done. We need to strike and end this.”
“It’s madness. Whatever happened to defending the island?”
“I’m a goddamn predator! I can only stay on the defensive for so long. Nina, baby, he will continue to kill. I need to stop him.”
Her voice broke. “Why does it have to be you?”
He dropped to the bed, his shoulders sagging. “Because I had the chance to kill August Crane a long time ago, and I didn’t.”
She fell into place next to him and ran her hand along his thigh. The touch, meant to c
omfort him, sent soft shivers dancing up her spine. They leaned into each other, as they always seemed to do when he was near. Lia was right. Shifters were wired differently, they had to be. God only knew Nina had never felt so much at ease, yet so stimulated by another man’s touch. “What happened?”
“Shortly after I went to live with Ry and Soren’s family, I went through a rough patch. I’ve been dealing with abandonment issues all my life, but once we walked out the door, my rage seemed to intensify.” He let out a sad chuckle. “Ryland’s parents had their hands full with us, let me tell you. I had a lot of long talks with Mr. Snow. If it hadn’t been for him, I’d probably be in the ground right now.”
Oh, how his words sliced into her heart. The very image made her shake.
“I couldn’t believe my parents didn’t fight for us. The only thing they ever fought for was domination over our souls. The only thing that mattered to them was their precious church.”
She slid one of her legs over his and he wrapped his hand around her quadriceps muscle, softly stroking with his thumb.
“One night, I snuck out alone and went to the Alpha Brethren’s compound. I looked for my parents, but found Crane instead, sleeping inside the tent that operated as their make-shift church. He had an empty bottle of vodka propped up next to him and must have drunk himself to sleep.” He stared at the wall, no doubt envisioning the long-ago scene. “You have to understand, word of his atrocities had already started spreading in the shifter world. He was a murderer and took pleasure in hurting people. I watched him for a couple of minutes, waiting for him to wake up and sound the alarm, but he slept through the whole thing. Before I could help myself, I shifted. My jaguar wanted nothing more than to crack open the skull of the man who’d destroyed my family. I moved closer to him. I could almost taste his blood. But at the last minute, I turned and ran.”
