by Milly Taiden
“Yes,” she said, finally remembering she needed to figure out a way to get back to her office. “I need to use a phone.”
“Oh, sure, darling,” Luna said, taking hers out of her pocket.
Kira searched up her company information and dialed Carly. She watched Luna leave the room and head for the kitchen.
“Hello?”
“Carly? It’s me,” she said in a hurry. “You have to get me out of here. I need to go back to the office and talk to our lawyers.”
“Kira. There is a lot more than that you need to be here for. Peter is losing his mind. He is driving me crazy asking me where you are. Something is definitely wrong, those goons came back too. That’s not the worst though. I was approached as I was leaving work last night.”
“Are you ok? Who approached you? Please tell me he didn’t cause you to be harmed. I will kill him.” Kira could barely contain her anger.
“No, I wasn’t hurt. Sorry I should have said that first. I didn’t mean to worry you. Two guys stopped me. They were with the FBI.”
“What did they want?”
Carly let out a weary breath. “They are investigating your brother.”
TWENTY-SEVEN
Ah, shit. “Why? What did he do?”
“I don’t know. They wouldn’t tell me much. They want to talk to you, they are worried about you.”
“They wouldn’t tell you why? I don’t understand?”
“Do you know where you are? I will come get you.”
“We’re snowed in,” she said, biting her lip.
“I will send a fucking chopper to pull your ass out. I am at my wits end. Come handle Peter or you might be coming back to his funeral.”
“Hang on,” she said and put the call on mute. She rushed to the kitchen where Luna was making a meal. “Luna, do you know where we are? Like an address?”
Luna smiled. “If someone is coming to get you, it’s best to give my address. I can take you there to meet your party.”
Oh. “Okay. Thank you.” She got Luna’s address and directions and passed them to Carly. “Come first thing tomorrow.”
“You got it, boss lady.”
She hung up with Carly and handed the phone back to Luna. “Thank you so much for your offer. This crazy harassment from my brother is not going away unless I go back to my office.” Kira sat at the table lost in thought. What could the FBI want with her? What has her idiot brother gotten himself into now. He was nothing but a spoiled child who had to have his way. God, please don’t let him have gone too far.
She wondered if Peter had anything to do with those gunmen. He could be vicious to get his way, so she couldn’t rule out anything pertaining to him. She found it hard to think he’d kill these people to make them sell. He wasn’t that stupid. Spoiled and self-indulged yes, but not stupid. It took Kira a moment to come back to the conversation with Luke’s mother. She had been too lost in her head to realize Luna had been talking to her.
Luna nodded. “I understand. I’m sure Luke will too.”
She highly doubted it. She had lunch with Luna, but he didn’t show up for a long time. Sadness and loneliness crept inside her. Luna tried to cheer her up by telling her stories of Luke as a child.
“What was Luke like?” Kira needed something to get her mind off things. There wasn’t much she could do stranded on the mountain as she was.
“Oh, he was a sweetheart. You wouldn’t know it now, but he was as shy as you can imagine. He was about eight, when I met his father and joined their family. He stole my heart the moment I saw him. So polite, but you could see in his eyes, he was mischievous.” Luna paused in her storytelling to peek out the back door. “Looks like they are going to be a bit. Do you mind if I stick around for a little while and keep you company?”
“I’d like that, but you have to tell me more stories of Luke.”
Luna laughed in delight. “I like you, this is going to be fun. Did you know that Luke and Bastian grew up together here on the mountain. The two of them were like peas in a pod. If there was mischief to be had, they found it. Don’t get me wrong, they are also two of the sweetest men. When they love, they love with their whole hearts. A woman could do worse than that, you know.”
Kira blushed at her words and smiled. Luke said she was his, but that was before Melissa and the gunmen. Who knew what he would feel now. She didn’t like that he had such a bad image of her. There had to be something she could do to help him.
She had a wonderful couple hours with Luna. Trading stories and just getting to know one another. She hoped that no matter how this turned out, she could continue being friends with Luna. A time came when she had to finally give up waiting for him and went to bed. Coming up with a way to make him understand that she wasn’t the one controlling the situation was hard.
* * *
Kira woke slowly. The first thing she noticed was the hand on her breast. Luke. He cuddled behind her. He might be pissed at her, but he couldn’t stay away.
She thought about her previous relationships. Her exes hadn’t lasted long in her life. They tried to turn her into who they felt she should be. Luke hadn’t been doing anything other than wanting her as she was. The guy had serious possessive issues, but otherwise he was incredibly sweet, worrying about her and wanting to make sure she was okay.
If she married him, she could take Rakida back. Peter would have no control and they could stop the insane harassment of Raging Falls.
What was she thinking? Marriage? Luke barely liked her at that moment. She was sure the last thing he wanted was to tie himself to her. If only things had been different. She liked what she knew of Luke. Would love to get to know him better and his growly side turned her insides to mush. Things were just too complicated.
She let out a long-suffering sigh. She didn’t want to just leave, but she needed answers. They all did. The best way to get them was going back. Light filtered through the windows. Rakida had an acquisitions department. She’d advise them it would be in the company’s best interest to leave Raging Falls alone.
She slid from between the sheets and watched him. The snow had stopped falling the previous night. She heard footsteps in the house. Luna had to be waiting for her. As quietly as possible, she slipped her clothes on and headed out of the bedroom, ready to find a way to help Luke.
TWENTY-EIGHT
Luke woke to an empty bed. He jumped out and dressed quickly. Something told him Kira was not in the kitchen getting coffee.
His cell phone rang as he looked around the cabin for his mate.
“Hello,” he barked.
“Luke, man,” Bastien said. “Where’s Kira?”
“Not here, why?”
“You need to find her,” Bastien rushed on. “Those hunters? They weren’t here to intimidate you. They were here to kill her.”
His heart thundered hard. “What? How do you know?”
“I caught one this morning. I got him to talk. You were never his target. None of us were.”
“But Melissa said-”
“She knew all about it. She overheard them talking on the walkies and offered to help.”
He’d kill her. He’d given her a chance by putting her in the hands of her brother, but there was no turning back for this. Not when she wanted his mate dead.
“If I’m right,” he said, hoping he wasn’t, “she went home.”
“Not good. These guys have one target: her.” Bastien’s voice sounded rushed.
“Who would send them?”
Bastien gave a bitter laugh. “Take a wild guess.”
The brother. Of course. By killing her, he’d have her completely out of the way and able to take control fully. “So what was the plan? To pin her death on the shifters?”
“You got it in one. He’d come here and demand you sell or he’d make a case out of all of it and bring the human justice system into our world.”
That piece of shit. He dashed out of the cabin and into his garage to get his pickup. He could still smell h
er on the bed so she couldn’t have been gone long. Now it was a matter of him getting to her before anyone else did. “Grab some of the others and meet me at Luna’s. I think that’s where she’s headed to get picked up. It’s the easiest address to give out.”
“You got it.”
His heart hurt. He couldn’t, wouldn’t, lose his woman. Kira might deny she was his, but deep down they both knew she belonged with him. He’d been ready to offer to marry her the previous day in order to free her of her brother.
It would take more than marriage to do that now. The bastard wanted her dead.
The past days with Kira had been unlike any he’d ever experienced. Getting to know her and spend time with her had deepened the instant connection they had.
He saw the stubborn, mouthy woman and knew she was the one for him. Every part of her fit him perfectly, from her gorgeous curves to her inability to back down. She didn’t let his shifter-status intimidate her. Even though Melissa threatened her life twice, she’d faced her head on.
That was the kind of mate he wanted. He would have to teach her to accept that they belonged together. She might vocally fight it, but her body knew. It gave in to his at the drop of a kiss.
He’d be damned if anyone thought they’d take her from him. Not her brother. Not Melissa. Not fate itself. Kira was his woman.
Mine. Mine. Mine.
He’d go to hell to fight for her.
TWENTY-NINE
Kira pulled her hair into a ponytail. The road to Luna’s house was much easier to get to. Carly would show up any moment now. She’d been able to GPS the place.
The sound of a horn honking got her attention. She got up and glanced out the front door. Sure enough, it was Carly’s big SUV making its way towards them.
“That’s my friend, Luna,” she called out.
Luna strolled out of the kitchen with a breezy grin. “Maybe she can come in for coffee.” She slapped her cell phone on her palm and shook her head. “I don’t know what happened. After the last time you used it, the darn thing won’t pick up service. Maybe the snow last night took down the tower on this side.”
“Thanks for the coffee invite, but I’d rather go back to the office and see what I can do. I want to help you, and get Peter’s lawyers to leave you alone.”
She gave Luna a hug and rushed out the door. Carly jumped out of the passenger side of her SUV and her brother Peter hopped out of the driver’s side.
“What are you doing here?” she asked him. Peter looked disheveled and tired. His suit was wrinkled and his hair looked like he had been running his hands through it for hours.
“I came to find you, of course,” he snapped. “You could have called. I worried that something happened to you.”
She raised her brows, glancing at Carly and the furious glare she threw Peter. “Carly?”
“Peter caught me as I was leaving the office. He decided he should drive my car here.”
Oh boy. It was a miracle her brother was still alive. When Carly gave that look, grown men stuttered; the world needed to watch out.
“She’s my sister,” Peter said, and approached Kira with a pretentious frown. “Did you find out what I sent you here for?”
“You were so worried about me, that you look like hell, but the first thing you ask is where is my information.” She was so tired of his pompous, arrogant ways. “Why, yes, brother. I am fine; thank you for asking.”
Carly cleared her throat. “Yes, she did. The owners are under an umbrella. There is not a single owner, but five. The largest land-owner is one Luke Lyen.”
Kira blinked. Luke? Her Luke?
“Oh, my god,” she heard Luna gasp behind her.
Kira glanced around, noticing the four men surrounding them. All wearing camo gear and holding rifles in their hands. “Ah, shit.”
“What is this?” Peter asked, his eyes going wide. “Who are these men?”
“Do I look like a fucking search engine!” Kira snapped. “I don’t know.”
“Why are they all pointing guns at you?” he asked, his voice filled with sarcasm.
She realized at that moment the men were in fact aiming their weapons at her.
Then the guy on the left was sucked into the trees. One second he was there, and the next, nada. Her gaze moved to the next guy. And the next. Until all four men were gone. The only sound she heard was growls followed by pain-filled screams.
“What was that?” Peter screeched, going around in a circle. “Where did they go?”
“Again, I do not have Google tattooed to my forehead,” she yelled. She did have an idea what could have happened. Luke.
A loud roar sounded and a massive bear stood between the set of trees the first rifle guy had been. A massive hiss and a white snow leopard took the second guy’s place. A big white wolf poked from her right to take the third guy’s place. And finally, Luke’s big lion form headed towards them, his face full of blood. Now that she thought about it, she glanced at the animals. They were all covered in blood.
“What is…is that a lion?” Peter asked, running to stand beside her.
“If it looks like a lion, sounds like a lion, then I’m guessing it’s a lion,” she said, her gaze stuck on Luke’s alter ego. The animal’s eyes were narrowed and a big angry bellow came out of him.
Peter did the unthinkable. He pulled a gun out of his pocket and shoved it into her side.
“Stay back,” he yelled. “I’ll kill her,” he pressed the muzzle of the gun harder under her ribs. “I don’t need a reason to. I will do it.”
She glanced at the gun. “Are you out of your fucking mind?”
“No. I finally got you to this place for what I planned. You’re going to die here.” He gave her a slick grin. “I have dangerous friends. They’ll come in and take out every one of these freaks of nature for killing my poor sister--whose car broke down on their property thanks to me--and Nick, some guy she was fucking. Then their land will be mine. So will Rakida.”
She tried to tug away from him but couldn’t. “You sorry piece of shit. You think you’ll get away with this?”
He laughed. “Um, yes. Yes, I am.”
“Is this why the FBI was asking around about me and you? Do they know what you have planned?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Ask Carly. They came around asking questions about you, and wanting to talk to me. I don’t think they are going to help like you think they are. I think they are on to you and your idiotic plan.”
“This is bullshit, what have you done. I had everything planned. You fucking bitch, this is all your fault.”
She glanced at the lion that continued to approach them slowly. “Tell him to stay back, Kira. You and I both know I’m a great shot.”
“Luke, stop!”
“I have been counting the days until I could get you out of my company,” Peter said with disdain. He lifted the gun to her head and pressed the cold metal to her cheek.
“You won’t get out of here alive, Peter,” she growled. “If I can’t kill you, he will.”
“No, he won’t,” he said, his voice filled with contempt. In a swift move, he shifted the gun from Kira’s face and pointed at the approaching lion.
“Peter, what the--” Carly shouted.
Bang
Bang
Bang
“No!” Kira screamed, jolting out of Peter’s hold and rushing toward the lion as he went down. Another set of shots rang out, but she didn’t care if Peter killed her. Not now that she saw Luke bleeding profusely. She threw herself at the lion bleeding from multiple gunshots. “Luke,” she managed to get out, her throat filled with sand. “Luke, get up. Please.”
She glanced back and saw Peter’s body on the ground where he’d stood, his body crumpled and a look of shock frozen on his face. Blood seeped from the side of his head, sliding down to his open eyes.
Her brother could rot in hell. She needed to save the love of her life. “Help me!” she screamed at Luna.
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Luna dropped the gun in her hand, and with Carly, rushed to her side. Within seconds, other men, including a naked Bastien carried the giant lion into the house.
“Take him to his old room,” Luna instructed, following behind.
“Kira, are you okay?” Carly asked, her eyes wide with concern. “I had no idea Peter would go nuts like that.”
Kira nodded absently. Peter was an asshole. He’d been spoiled his whole life. He knew time was running out for him to keep Rakida. What shocked her was that he had really wanted her dead she’d had no idea he hated her that much. She couldn’t think about that now. There would be time later.
She glanced at Carly. “Sit down. You look ready to faint. I need to help Luna with Luke.”
The men left Luke on a giant bed and retreated from the room, leaving Luna and Kira alone with the wounded lion. Luna cleaned away the blood as best she could from his fur, but large, sticky red blobs remained on his chest.
“That’s all we can do,” Luna said, rubbing her shoulder, slowly turning toward the door.
“That’s all?” Kira stared helplessly at Luke’s mother. “But…but…”
“I’ve done everything I can. The rest is up to nature. I’m sorry, Kira. That’s just how shifters live and die. If you’ll excuse me, I need to take aspirin for my shoulder.” Luna walked out the door, leaving her alone with the big lion.
He was going to die and she was worried about her shoulder. What’s wrong with these people? She sat on the bed, petting the massive lion’s hind leg and taking a choked breath.
“I’m sorry, Luke,” she struggled out. “I…”
There was so much she wanted to say but didn’t know how. He’d been claiming she was his from the very beginning, but she rejected the idea. Why? She didn’t want to admit it, but she had fallen into more than lust with the big sexy man.
“I care so much about you,” she whispered, hot tears sliding down her cheeks. “I didn’t want to love you,” she said, “I didn’t want to give someone so much power over me again.” The lion gave a low groan. She winced. He had to be in so much pain. “But you won me over,” she gulped. “You’re so stubborn. Always saying I’m yours.” She laughed, running her nails in his fur. It wasn’t stiff or hard, but soft and smooth. “You were right all along. I am.”
