Predator's Kiss (Gemini Island Shifters, Book 1)

by Rosanna Leo

  “I work hard to maintain our privacy.” They continued along the wooded path until they reached the clearing in front of Cabin 12. Ryland then turned to his brother and expelled a huge breath of anticipation. “So, what is it this time? Whose wife did you sleep with?”

  Soren at least had the dignity to blush at his misdemeanors. “Uh, Floro Valdez.”

  Ryland racked his brain. “And should I know this Flower Valdez?”

  Soren gave him another of his patented eye rolls. “Not Flower, you ass. Floro Valdez, the famous conductor. Hello? Don’t you ever get out from under your rock? The man is huge in the music world.” He considered. “Unfortunately for his lovely wife, Gina, he’s also about a hundred and seven years old, four-eleven in his lifts, and can’t get it up anymore.”

  “So, you decided to help her out.”

  Soren frowned. “Look, Ryland, any man would have done the same thing. Gina is young and…” His eyes glazed over as he thought of her. “Uh, well, she’s really stacked. And quite desperate to scratch her itches, if you know what I mean.”

  “Jesus Christ, Soren,” he muttered. “Can’t you keep it in your pants with the married ones?”

  “She needed me.” Soren gave his head a solemn shake, as if he were a freaking doctor without borders, who’d just emerged from the jungle on his latest humanitarian mission. “I helped her, just as much as I helped myself. However, I have since learned that Floro Valdez is not only famous, he’s connected to some bad people.”

  “Oh, for…”

  “Don’t worry. I’m sure it’ll all work out in the end. I just need a place to crash until this mess blows over … and until he calls off the hit.”

  “A hit?” Ryland shouted. “Are you shitting me?”

  “Relax. I’m sure it won’t come to that.”

  Ryland stammered in anger. “H-how do you even know this … Floro Valdez took a hit out on you?”

  “Oh, I know,” Soren replied, his deep voice laced with mysterious undertones. “Word travels quickly in the orchestral community. Valdez was the conductor on my latest tour. Gina was one of the flutists. Let’s just say we had a bit of trouble remaining discreet. He, uh, came upon us one time during a quick grope behind the brass section.” He paused and whispered, “For an old dude, he sure was stealthy.”

  “Soren, focus! The hit?”

  “Oh yeah. Well, right there, Valdez walked up to me, gave me a kiss on both cheeks and smiled. Then he walked away. Anyone who knows him knows that’s his way of saying, ‘You’re finito.’ Ryland, that little old dude gave me the kiss of death.”

  Ryland winced as a stab of pain shot behind his left eye. “A kiss? It might not mean anything more than this Valdez is farsighted and was aiming for his wife.”

  “Look, I just know, okay?” Soren shook out his hands at his sides, as if hoping to release some tension. “The last two dudes who messed with Gina have disappeared off the face of the earth. Valdez took care of them and now he wants to take care of me.”

  It was just like his brother to get mixed up in something like this. “Soren, this is not only my workplace, it’s my home. What were you thinking? What if you’ve led the hit man here? Almost every cabin and room at the lodge is full. There are families vacationing here. I’ve got teenagers running around for the mentoring program. Of all the irresponsible, selfish…”

  “Hey,” Soren countered. “I might be a little selfish, but you’re a stick in the mud. Would it kill you to expand your horizons beyond this island? Maybe see a bit of the world? Hell, maybe sleep with a woman once in a while?”

  “I sleep with women.”

  “Yeah, shifters. Pardon me if I like girls who shave their legs.”

  Ryland stared as fury took root in his system. Soren knew just how to push his every button and did it exceedingly well. It was like him to color his whole species with the same paintbrush. Soren liked to play the urbane, sophisticated man-about-town. He tried not to dwell on his shifter heritage, finding that side of his nature distasteful, almost barbaric. He couldn’t have people thinking he had animal urges anywhere outside the bedroom, could he? “You’re so disrespectful of what you are.”

  “And you refuse to progress, Ryland!” Soren eyed him up and down, little flashes of red flaring on his cheeks. “And would it kill you to wear something other than plaid flannel? Paul Bunyan is spinning in his grave. He wants his shirt back. It’s not a good look for you.”

  Ryland looked down at his worn henley shirt, jeans, and hiking boots. He knew Soren was trying to get a rise out of him. It was working. Suddenly, the animal in him wanted out. He just wanted to pummel his brother for using his cock more than his brain. And for making fun of a perfectly good shirt. “What kind of shifter are you anyway?” Ryland circled, his adrenaline coursing. “You probably haven’t shifted in years. Think you still can?”

  That was all it took. Soren was leery about giving in to his inner bear, but he was still a competitive son of a bitch. Within seconds, their clothing was ripped to shreds as both men allowed their bodies to undergo the change. Ryland relished the satisfying pull of his skin stretching as his grizzly self-manifested. Through dilated pupils, he watched in amazement as Soren shifted too, becoming a huge polar bear.

  Okay, maybe having it out like this was a bit extreme, but he wouldn’t deny a big part of him really wanted a piece of his self-centered brother. How many times had he been forced to clean up after Soren? How many times had he been compelled to make excuses for him? Well, no more. Soren needed to see the repercussions of his actions. And he needed to be shown by a hard, pissed-off grizzly bear.

  With a roar, Ryland lumbered toward him, teeth bared. It would be a formidable battle. For although Ryland was a natural-born fighter, Soren was no less imposing. And in their shifted forms, they were both enormous. They both had the muscle power.

  And, on some level, both had been waiting for this.

  But before they could make contact, there was a noise in the woods behind the cabin. A shuffling—no—a desperate pounding on the ground. As if someone was running in their direction, running in fear.

  What was that? asked Soren, using the telepathy common to their kind.

  How the hell should I know? Ryland replied, his anger still high.

  I smell human woman, not another bear, said Soren.

  What would you know about bears? You turned your back on your own kind years ago.

  The pounding got closer, accompanied by the sound of a woman gasping for air. Ryland felt a strange foreboding, a prickle of unease. What was a nonshifter doing on Gemini Island? He went to great pains to ensure his resort was only patronized by shifters. Still, if it was a human, they’d better shift back or they’d terrify her. From the racing beat of her heart, she was already frantic.

  There was no time to shift. She was almost upon them. Ryland glanced at Soren and they both then scanned the veil of trees.

  Chapter 2

  Lia Goodblood was in pain. The worst she’d ever felt in her thirty-one years.

  Man, I need to get off my ass more and join a spin class.

  A searing, white-hot torment stitched up her side as she ran. She’d never moved her body so much in her entire life as she did racing through these damned trees. Her breathing had become so shallow, she almost felt blinded. Still, she knew she had to keep going or he’d find her.

  He may have already found her.

  She had to get away. She had to escape. There was no way she could live like this anymore. She couldn’t write, could barely think with her “super fan” and the rest of the world breathing down her neck. Clutching her backpack, she kept moving.

  If only her escape route hadn’t led her into the forest. God, she hated the outdoors with all its creepy-crawlies and strange fuzzy things. With every step she took, she made sure not to brush up against any sojourning squirrels. When a large bunny hopped in front of her, she had to force the bile back down her throat. To anyone else, it might just look like a fluffy rabbit
, but to her, its proportions were grotesque, unnatural.

  She kept running so the thing wouldn’t mistake her ankle for a carrot.

  Lia could make out the light of a clearing between the trees and forced her aching body toward it. Maybe there was an abandoned house nearby, one she could crawl into and die.

  She pushed through the bushes in front of her and stopped in her tracks. She wasn’t alone after all.

  There were two enormous bears ahead, staring at her. A black one and, strangely enough, a polar bear. The big fellow seemed a long way from home.

  Oh, shit! This was so worse than what she was running from.

  As searing panic set in, her tongue dried out and felt like a useless lump in the cavity of her mouth. Hateful chills infested each limb, making every hair on her body stand out. She knew it was ridiculous, this irrational fear of animals. However, ever since “the incident” when she was a kid, Lia hadn’t been able to look at a mammal without prickly fear taking hold.

  And these weren’t your average fuzzy woodland creatures. These were bears … like, the person-eating kind.

  As Lia’s jaw fell open, she desperately tried to recall everything her summer camp counselors ever told her about what to do if you meet a bear in the forest. Was she supposed to lie down and play dead? Was she supposed to make herself appear larger and howl at them? Or was she just supposed to hightail her fat novelist ass out of there?

  She couldn’t remember.

  In the split second she stared at them, they seemed to assess her in return. The black one actually looked guarded, his dark eyes wide. And if she didn’t know any better, the polar bear seemed to be grinning at her tits.

  Clearly, she was losing it.

  Her body took over, and without really considering the consequences, Lia quickly picked up the nearest stick and threw it at her hairy adversaries. It clunked the black one on its head, not hurting him in any way. The bear gawked at her and expelled what appeared to be a huff of surprise.

  Oh, no! Don’t piss them off, you moron!

  There was only one plan of action racing through her frazzled brain now. Screaming seemed appropriate.

  Shaking in terror, Lia dropped her backpack, let her mouth fall wide open, and did her best to scream her head off.

  * * * *

  Shift, shift! We’re scaring her. Ryland directed his silent plea toward his brother.

  No kidding, fuckwad? We’re fucking bears.

  Ryland ignored Soren’s tart reply and allowed himself to shift back into human form. He looked down at himself. Damn. Naked human form.

  This might not terrify her any less.

  He sensed the change in his brother as Soren shifted as well. The poor woman on the other side of the clearing was still doing her best Janet Leigh impression, and the birds careened out of the trees because of the shrillness of her screams. Ryland fought the urge to cover his ears. This insane woman could bring a house down with her shrieks. If she didn’t stop hollering, he’d have every guest in the resort looking to evacuate in fear.

  “Ma’am,” he shouted over the din. “We’re not going to hurt you, I promise.”

  She was too far gone. She hadn’t even noticed they’d shifted back. She just continued shouting, staring at him, her pretty eyes unseeing. “Aah! Aah!”

  He looked over at Soren. His brother merely rolled his eyes at the proceedings and sat down on a log, next to where he’d dropped his luggage. Looking bored, he picked up his drumsticks and proceeded to play air drums.

  Ryland took a step toward the woman, wincing at the sound coming from out of her trembling lips. Surely her throat must be sore by now? “Miss. Miss?” He scooted closer, and gently shook her arm.

  At his touch, she jumped and stopped screaming. While she made little whimpering noises, her eyes took him in and she tried to speak, clearly struggling to make sense of what she’d seen. Her gaze dipped down toward his crotch and her eyes widened. Her jaw clapped shut and she stood still, her gaze locked on his dick.

  Ah, hell. He covered his cock with his hands. Shit. How could he manage to be aroused in this situation? He struggled to cover his inflated parts. “We won’t hurt you. Okay?”

  The woman blinked at him. She turned slowly to Soren. His brother, just as frustratingly nude, smiled at her and waved.

  Ryland watched as her eyes rolled back into her head and as her body crumpled. He caught her as she fell, cradling her head.

  He glared at Soren. “You are such a shit. Do you ever stop flirting?”

  Soren grinned and picked up her fallen backpack. “Never waste an opportunity, big brother. That’s my motto.”

  Ignoring Soren, Ryland carried the woman into Cabin 12.

  * * * *

  Despite his attempt to appear unfazed, Soren’s mind raced.

  A few short moments ago, he was ready to take out his frustrations on his holier-than-thou brother before they got interrupted by what appeared to be a teeny human woman racing through the woods, on the run from something.

  Now, his brother was carrying all 5’3” luscious inches of woman in his arms. And they were naked. He’d found himself in similar situations before, but never with his brother.

  Interesting, but off-putting, to say the least.

  What was weirder was he’d shifted for the first time in at least five years. He was startled at how good it felt to let loose. Such freedom. He’d spent years learning how to channel and master his instincts and urges, making him a better musician, one who could summon those emotions on demand. It had been a long time since he’d just let go and gave himself the liberty to be what he truly was.

  He didn’t know whether to be aroused or alarmed. Had he been mistaken in denying his bear for so long? Probably.

  Ryland wasn’t far off the mark when he said Soren deserted his kind. He’d avoided the shifter world for years, ignored the nagging voice inside his head constantly reminding him of how he neglected his own people. It was just less complicated that way. He didn’t like to be with people who made him think of the inner beast he’d forsaken years ago.

  It was easier living among humans, pretending he was human.

  The woman in Ryland’s arms was human. And she’d definitely make a good bed companion. With her soft belly, swelling bosom, and perfumed hair.

  Soren watched as Ryland brought her into the cabin and gently laid her on the bed without saying a word. He covered her with the plaid duvet. Christ, more plaid. Ryland stroked her clammy brow.

  “Damn humans,” he muttered.

  Soren noted the change in his brother immediately. Ryland’s tone might have been gruff, as always, but Soren had seen the gentleness of his caress.

  Well, well. What have we here?

  Ryland always liked to play preacher. Even when they were kids, dealing with the emotional upheaval of being shifters, Ryland always maintained his pride. He’d never wavered, even when he and Soren were getting the snot kicked out of them by human kids for seeming different from them. He knew Ryland had a disregard for anyone who couldn’t transform into something warm and fuzzy.

  And he loved to extol the virtues of shifter women. How beautiful they were. How loyal they were. Around human women, Ryland was the untouchable one.

  But Soren knew Ryland’s emotions ran deep. And he already looked oddly curious about this woman.

  Of course, she was gorgeous. Soren dragged his gaze to her. She had long, light brown hair down to her shoulders. The kind of hair that would make a sexy blanket for your chest, your stomach, or lower. And although her eyes were closed, he remembered their captivating color. A brown so light and clear they were almost amber.

  He took in other details, as well. The duvet might be obscuring them, but he could still make out the pleasant mounds of her full breasts. And he recalled the tempting sight of shapely legs and a round ass encased in tight jeans.

  He swallowed. What was wrong with him? What kind of sick impulse made him always want to steal women away from his brother?
>
  It was what he’d always done, good or bad. He stole women, period.

  Of course, this woman didn’t belong to Ryland. Hell, she might not be with anyone. The road could be free and clear. He glanced at her left hand and was pleased to see she wore no ring. Not that it meant anything.

  He watched as Ryland gently brushed a hand over her hair, making her shudder in her unconscious state.

  And noticed his brother’s reaction. Ryland frowned. As if he was worried he’d caused her pain.

  “Well, damn.” He snickered. “Looks like big brother has a little crush. Isn’t that sweet?”

  He waited for Ryland’s usual “piss off, shit-for-brains,” but the curse never came. His brother was too busy glaring at the woman.

  Very interesting, indeed.

  And she was a regular, run-of-the-mill, nonshifting woman. No bells and whistles other than her obvious physical charms and supernatural talent for screaming. Exactly the sort of woman Ryland thought he despised.

  Wouldn’t it be fun to mess with his head a little bit? Grinning as a plan hatched in his brain, Soren wondered what it would take to push Ryland into her pretty arms, to prove nonshifters were just as worthy as shifters.

  Some brotherly competition might do it. It was time to turn on the Soren Snow charm.

  *

  She was already reviving a few minutes later. Ryland let out a sigh of relief.

  Thank God. When he’d first seen the petite woman hurtling through the trees, he’d worried someone was after her. But no one else had barreled behind her. And yet she’d seemed so scared.

  They hadn’t helped, presenting her with a couple of snarling bears.

  She moaned a little, and the soft sound warmed him, making him hard again. Damn. He glanced around the room, remembered he didn’t exactly tend to stash clothes in guest cabins, and raced for the bathroom. He grabbed a couple of clean towels off the rack and tossed one to Soren. “Cover yourself.”

  Soren grinned like a devil and motioned to his nude bottom half. “I can conduct my flirting business much more efficiently this way.”