by Rosanna Leo
Mary’s face crumpled. She opened her mouth but nothing came out for a long moment. “He had a sister, too. Little Esther.” She darted a look at her stone-faced husband. “I went through a promiscuous period as a young woman and had an affair with a human man. Esther was his child.”
Nina swallowed the chunks of bile in her mouth. “Where is she?”
“Gone,” she whispered. Mary’s face changed and she dropped the whip, rushing forward to kneel next to Nina. “You have to understand. My parents were very old-fashioned shifters. When I presented Esther to them for the first time, they didn’t want to see her. They told me to spawn again, to make pureblood babies. My mother was furious with me. She shouted, ‘Take that half human rat out of my house. Throw her in the gutter where she belongs.’” A sob wracked her body. “So I did.”
“Oh, my God. You killed your baby.”
“I atoned for my sins! The Great Alpha said my sin was visited upon me for my dalliance with the human, and that in destroying the child, I would erase the sin.”
“August Crane agreed with your parents.”
“Of course. The Great Alpha was kind. He saw my struggle and helped me dispose of the baby.”
“The boys never got to meet their sister.”
“No.”
“I can’t believe this,” Nina murmured.
“I did the right thing,” Mary intoned. “But my parents still showed no appreciation for my sacrifice. So, one night, I disposed of them. And I won’t apologize for it.” She picked at the grass below her with an absentminded air. “The Great Alpha has forgiven me. My Lawrence has forgiven me for polluting my body as well.” She looked back at where her husband stood. “Isn’t that right, dear?”
Shaking in horror, but trying to keep a rein on her emotions, Nina looked toward Mr. Moon as well.
All they saw was his body on the ground, his head severed.
Mary screeched and ran over to his corpse. “No! Who did this to you, my love? Who? I’ll slaughter him.”
Killian man stepped out of the woods, his face as pale as parchment. He wiped his bloody hands on his pants and nodded at his father’s remains. “That was for my sister.”
He looked at Nina. Now, my mate. Get away. I don’t want you to see this.
The tears in his eyes broke her heart. No, Killian. We discussed this. The plan was I’d distract your mom so you could take care of your dad. I’m not leaving you.
“Killian,” his mother wailed. “How could you? You wretched excuse for a son. You killed my mate.”
He walked with slow, measured steps toward her, the gait of a jaguar. “I should have done it years ago, Mother. Don’t worry. If the Alpha Brethren believe in an afterlife that means you’ll join Father soon.”
“You would kill me, too?”
“You tortured my brothers. You butchered our baby sister. You called her a sin.” His fists clenched as he lost a modicum of control. “You’re the sin. You’re the abomination!”
As Nina tested her bonds, Mary got up from the ground and raced over to her. She positioned herself behind Nina, hands on her shoulders, and lowered her face. “One more step, son, and your mate dies.”
“Let her go, Mother. This is between you and me.”
“Never. Everything I did in my life was for you and your brothers. You never understood. You’re just like your grandparents. Everyone blames me.”
Nina remained still under Mary’s grasp. Holding her breath, she wriggled in the cords about her wrists, trying to free herself. He tied them too tight, Killian.
When the moment’s right, shift and run. I’ll make sure she doesn’t hurt you.
Okay, I’ve got your back, too.
He glanced at her, his gaze warm. I know you do. Out loud, he said, “Step away from Nina, Mother.”
“I’ll make sure you feel the same anguish I feel,” she raged.
As Mary shifted, she had to step back in order to make room for her jaguar form. In that second, Nina harnessed all her power and shifted as well. As she did, the cords snapped, unable to contain her larger animal body. She darted away as Mary howled.
As the older woman pounced toward her, Killian transformed. In one mighty leap, he was upon his mother, tackling her to the ground. They rolled and Nina caught her breath. She understood what the ancients meant when they gave the creature the name of “one who kills in a single bound.”
Unfortunately, Mary was just as strong and driven by grief. Every time Killian toppled her, she forced him onto his back and gained the advantage. As Nina watched them struggle, she knew in her heart Killian would hate to destroy his mother, even after everything she’d done. He would always have her blood on his hands and she wanted to take that guilt away from him, as justified as his actions might be.
She stalked closer, keeping her body close to the ground. Any human who happened upon them would faint in fear. The sight of the two snarling, snapping felines was enough to give her nightmares, too.
And then, serving as inspiration for even more terrifying dreams, Killian shifted quickly into human form, shocking her with his wounds. His face was bloodied, his flesh shredded. He stared at the mother cat who straddled him and whispered, “I’ll make sure my children never learn your name. You won’t exist to them.”
Nina heard Mary’s telepathic response.
May the Great Alpha forgive you all your sins.
Nina pounced. She jumped atop Mary, sinking her teeth into the woman’s skull, crushing her will and her hatred and her soul. She dragged the carcass off her mate and Killian stared in wonder. As she spat out Mary’s brain, allowing the woman to crumple to the ground, she loomed over her and stared into her lifeless eyes. May God forgive you all your sins.
She shifted back and turned to Killian, who stood and held open his arms. As their nude bodies came together in an embrace, he covered her face in kisses. She held him tighter than she’d ever held anyone before, so relieved their plan worked.
Thank God he’d chased her down earlier and forced her to talk to him. And thank the Lord she’d had the sense to do so. He’d known his mother would want a taste of his mate’s blood, had known in his heart she’d lash Nina to the back fence. While Nina kept his mother talking, he planned to dispose of his father.
Sadly, it didn’t seem to hurt him as much as they’d anticipated. But his mother…
“I saw your hesitation,” Nina confirmed. “I couldn’t let you be the one to kill her. I didn’t want you to carry that guilt all your life.”
“Thank you, my mate.” He stroked her cheek, his touch full of longing. “I didn’t think I’d feel anything for her. But despite what she did to my family, it seemed wrong for me to attack her. I wanted to but…”
“I know.” She kissed him on the lips, savoring his taste. “It’s over now. Let’s go home.”
They shifted into jaguar form and left the miserable place.
* * * *
Killian, cleaned of his parents’ blood, stepped out of the shower and grabbed two towels. Toweling off, he then wrapped one around his waist and held the other out for Nina. His mate emerged from the shower, beads of water cascading all over her beautiful skin. She shivered upon feeling the cold air and he gave her a vigorous rub down with the soft terry cloth. As he massaged her muscles through the thick fabric, she sighed, and her face took on the same dreamy expression she always wore after they made love. Her eyes half closed, a flirty grin on her face, she looked almost as if she hadn’t had to make a kill that day. Good. He didn’t want her entertaining any feelings of guilt either.
The brutality of her new life might be hitting home, but she seemed to be coping well.
She took the towel from him and wrapped it around her head to catch the last drips and smiled.
“You look like a water goddess.” He traced his finger over her shoulder, circled her breast and let it rest on the curve of her hip. “Your skin’s flushed and so warm. Beautiful. I should take yo
ur picture.”
She made a face. “With this old towel on my head? I don’t think so.” She laughed but when he didn’t join her, she ran her fingers over his furrowed brow and sighed. “I wish I could make this frown go away. I’m so sorry, Killian.”
They walked over to the bed. He reclined on it and she climbed on top of him, straddling his hips. He wrapped his arms around her and they sat for a moment, enveloped in each other’s heat. When he held her like this, their intimate parts in close proximity, he could forget his troubles. She calmed him and made him want to smile. He removed the towel from her head and brushed a few wet curls from her forehead. “When all of this is over, I think you and I are going to be insanely happy together. You make me forget my troubles. You’re the light to my dark, Nina.”
Tears gathered in her eyes and spilled over. He kissed them away, licking at her soft skin, absorbing her taste. “Thank you for trusting me to help you today. When I told you about your parents, I worried you’d lock me up with Connor again and run off, guns blazing. It means a lot to me that you wanted me there, fighting at your side.”
He turned her over onto her back and rose over her. “I’ll always want you at my side.”
As she spread her voluptuous legs for him, he kissed a path from top to bottom. He flicked at her nipples, nibbled at her ribs and dipped his tongue into her navel. Her round hips proved a heady distraction and he lingered there for a spell, kneading her flesh, tracing her roundness with his tongue. And when his mouth found her sex, already fluttering with need, Killian drank heartily. With each greedy suck, with each grateful swallow of her juices, his pain dissipated.
Then, when he climbed back up her shuddering body and drove his cock deep inside her, every last twinge of heartache flew away. They came together on a cloud of poignant distraction and kissed each other until the last shudder faded.
As they lay, entangled, his worries tumbled back into his brain, but he said nothing. Nina had said their fight was over, but it had only begun.
She placed a hand on his chest. “The Alpha Brethren will come for us, won’t they? They’ll try to take Gemini Island.”
“Yes.” He clenched his jaw in anticipation of the battle ahead. “And we’ll be ready for them.”
The End
Publisher’s Note
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About Rosanna Leo
Rosanna Leo is a multi-published romance author. Winner of the Reader’s Choice 2015 in Paranormal Romance at The Romance Reviews, Rosanna draws on her love of mythology for her books on Greek gods, selkies and shape shifters.
From Toronto, Canada, Rosanna occupies a house in the suburbs with her long-suffering husband, their two hungry sons and a tabby cat named Sweetie. When not writing, she can be found haunting dusty library stacks or planning her next star-crossed love affair.
A library employee by day, she is honored to be a member of the league of naughty librarians who also happen to write romance.
Other Titles by Rosanna Leo
Gemini Island Shifters Series
Predator’s Kiss
Predator’s Serenade
Predator’s Refuge
Predator’s Claim
Predator’s Fire
Predator’s Trinity
Orkney Selkies Series
The Selkie
Selkie’s Revenge
Greek God Romances
For the Love of a God
Sunburn
Sweet Hell
Contemporary Romances
Up In Flames
The Stand-In
