“Hmm…” Gunter led the way through the crowd. “We need to stop by the…mayor’s table and say hello before they leave.”
“Yes. We should head over there now. They’ve been keeping early hours since Nina got pregnant again,” Clay added as he grasped Riana’s elbow when she stumbled over a thick extension cord. “Be careful, love. We don’t want you to get hurt.”
Love? When had he started to think of her as his love? Riana and looked around, nervous. What if these two men were the reason she’d been running all of these years? Riana dismissed the idea quickly. Not once had she felt threatened by either of the two men. If anything, they had made her feel cherished. Every moment they spent with her, they were attentive and gentle. Not once had they made her feel uncomfortable. She didn’t think she could say that about any man that she had ever met before. They did do one thing that she thought was strange. Why did they always pause before they said the word mayor as though they wanted to call the man something else? They continued to follow Gunter through the crowd as he made his way to the mayor’s table. As they approached the table, Riana watched the two strange men sitting on either side of a very beautiful, and pregnant, woman. Was this one of the triads Clay told her about?
Both of the men had dark hair, were handsome and looked very attentive and gentle to the woman who sat between them, wearing a serene expression. Every so often, one would lean over and kiss her cheek or neck. They would whisper in her ear, causing her to shiver and laugh.
The sound of her laughter brought another vision into Riana’s mind. It was so like another’s laugh. The woman with the red hair held her hand out to Riana. Come along—Again, silence cut off the sound of the name. What name did the people in her visions use?
Riana stopped, her knees buckling. Clay caught her up in his arms as the crowd parted before them. He carried her to the table where the triad sat.
“Alpha,” Clay began as he faced the three before them. He stood straight, his bearing as though he addressed a superior officer or someone of the nobility. “I would introduce you to Ms. O’Connor. She was on the plane that crashed yesterday.” He looked around as though nervous. He hiked her up in his arms, jostling her a bit.
“Will you please put me down?” Riana wiggled. “I’m fine. I just…I just had another memory and it startled me.” It wasn’t the whole truth, but it was enough.
With a small sigh, Clay bent and set her on her feet. “If you fall again, I will not set you anywhere but in a chair.”
Her face burning, Riana turned to face the two men and the woman. She didn’t know what to say to them. Her head spun, her heart pounded in her chest and for some reason, she felt as though these three had the power to turn her world upside down.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. O’Connor,” both of the men spoke at the same time as they stood to greet her. They were both tall, though not as tall as Gunter or Clay, but then Riana hadn’t seen many men as tall as the men who had sworn to protect her.
“Welcome to Paradise,” the thinner of the two said. He smiled, drawing attention to his slightly crooked nose. “I’m Adam Greer.” He gestured to the other man and the woman. “This is Nick Hill and my wife, Amenina.”
“Amenina?” Riana gripped the table when her knees turned to mush. “I know that name.” She turned to Gunter, meeting his gaze. As far as she knew, she had never heard that name before. It was an unusual name. She was sure she would remember…unless it was locked away in her lost memories. “Why do I know that name?”
Smiling, the woman stood and gestured to the end of the table where her twin sat. Both of the women were beautiful with hazel eyes. Their auburn hair was almost the same shade as Holly’s and Riana wondered if there was a correlation. “Perhaps you’ve met my twin. Her name is similar.” She turned to the woman and called, “Annamina. You’ve recently returned to Paradise, do you remember knowing a woman by the name of O’Connor?”
The woman glanced Riana’s way with a smile. “No. I’m sorry. I don’t know anyone by that name.” Her smile faded as their gazes met. “But she does look familiar.”
“Perhaps,” Amenina added, “if you don’t know my twin, you might know our other sister, Kaylana.” She pointed to a blonde at another table close by.
Riana looked at the other woman and shook her head. “I don’t…” Dizziness overcame her and she grasped the table even tighter. “I don’t think so. You all look familiar, but—but I just can’t remember.” She shook her head and smiled softly. “Do you have another sister I might recognize?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, we do have another sister,” Annamina replied. “However, none of us have seen her since we were children.” Her lips quivered as though she might start to cry at any minute. “Like the rest of us, she has a similar sounding name, though I’m sure that, again, like the rest of us, she hasn’t used it in years.”
“What was her name?” Riana didn’t know why, but she felt that the girl’s name was of the utmost importance. She had no idea why.
“Oriana.” The three women spoke the name simultaneously, all of them sounding it out with reverence.
At the sound of their sister’s name, the world seemed to fall away, leaving nothing but her vision. The pretty woman stood before her, her arm outstretched. “Come along, Oriana. Would you like to go on another ride?” She turned to the youngest girl who held a tall man’s hand. “Would you like that, Kaylana?”
“Are you okay?” Amenina stood and hurried around the table to wrap her arm about her. “What’s wrong?”
Riana met the woman’s compassionate gaze, staring into familiar eyes—her father’s eyes—as her lost memories assailed her. “I-I think I’m your sister, Oriana.”
“Are you saying that these women are your family, Mom?”
Lost in her memories, Riana almost missed Holly’s question. She leaned forward, her hands resting on the table and nodded. “Yes. That’s why this place is so familiar to me. I-I grew up here.”
Chapter Twenty-five
Ignoring the alpha female’s gasp, Gunter moved to catch his mate as her legs gave out and she began to fall. She would have taken the pregnant Amenina with her had he not intervened and gathered her in his arms.
He stared down into her beautiful face that was so much like all of her sisters’ and wondered how he and Clay could have missed seeing the resemblance for so long. All four of them looked like their mother. All four of them had the shape of her eyes and her charming smile. He had never known their mother, but he’d seen photos of her with her children. How could he have missed that?
Gunter took a deep breath, pulling in her scent. How did she mask it? Why did she smell human? What was it about the McWerty girls that allowed them to hide their shifter identities so completely and without effort?
He glanced at Adam who reached over to ruffle his son’s hair. “Will you see to it that Holly is taken through the carnival and has fun? Her mother has not been able to see to her daughter’s happiness in the past due to the fear of pursuit.”
The rest of the men at the table stood, their seats sliding out from behind them. Every one of them, to a man, offered their assistance in protecting the girl from harm.
“We will take the girl around the carnival,” one of Kaylana’s mates Alex said as he stepped forward. “Kayla has been chomping at the bit to hit the rides since we got here.” He turned to his female and smiled. “Haven’t you, baby?”
Kayla grinned. “You know it, stud.” She moved forward and took Holly’s hand. “It seems that I am your aunt and as such, I would love to show you around the carnival. Besides, we should get to know each other.” She glanced at her sisters. “We all need to get to know each other. I’m Kayla. What’s your name?”
“I-I’m Holly.” The girl glanced at her mother who was now unconscious in Gunter’s arms. “I don’t know what I should do.”
It was obvious the girl wanted to stay with her mother, but also wanted to experience the carnival’s long list of
entertainments.
“Go ahead and spend time with your aunts. Clay and I will take care of your mother.” Gunter smiled so she knew he meant what he said. “Go have fun. That’s why we brought you here.”
“Your mother would want that,” Clay added.
Gunter wasn’t sure of that. He knew Riana… Should he call her Oriana now? Whatever the case, he knew that the child’s mother would want her to have a good time, he just wasn’t sure she would want her daughter out of their sight.
“Can you see to her safety, as well?” he asked the males at the table. “Her mother fears that someone stalks them.” He gave them all a look he knew would not be misunderstood. “They are under our protection.”
Adam smirked and stood. Gunter bristled, his spine stiffening as the Alpha chuckled as though what he asked was of no importance. Of course it was important. She was his mate, Clay’s mate and they loved her.
“As descendants of the McWerty line, they are under the protection of the entire town. Only the small children would come before their protection.”
Gunter relaxed a bit and gazed down into his mate’s slack face. He hadn’t thought about that. As an heir to the twin-ruling house, and as the eldest of that house, the people of Paradise were sworn and bound to protect her and her children.
A lump formed in his throat. What had he ever done to deserve such a treasure? “We thank you for the reminder.”
With a slight nod in Holly’s direction, he turned toward the lodge. He had a visceral need to make his mate comfortable and to see to her emotional state once she regained consciousness.
“Are you really my aunts?” he heard Holly ask excitedly. “I’ve never had relatives before. What do they do?”
“They love you unconditionally,” was Adam’s reply.
Gunter smiled down into his mate’s face as he followed Clay’s lead through the crowd. Holly would be fine. Now, his only worry was whether or not his mate would accept them both into her life. If not, he would need to do some hunting before he sought out the council to put an end to his suffering.
“Do you think she will accept us?” Clay asked, his expression pensive as they made their way to their truck.
“I hope so.” He frowned as they reached the SUV. “We have a flat.”
“Damn.” Clay knelt down to look at the tire. “The ground is too muddy to jack it up here. We’re going to have to walk to the hotel and call for a tow.”
A frisson of apprehension skittered down his spine. “I think we’re in for a battle. Something tells me this flat was no accident.” He spun around in a circle, looking for someone, anyone, who might prove to be a threat.
“Do you think…Riana was right all of these years she’s been running? Who do you think is after her?”
The sick feeling in Gunter’s gut told him that whoever sabotaged their SUV was after both mother and daughter. “It has to be a member of Camulus’s counsel or one of the tudra. Riana is the eldest heir of the McWerty house. Under Paradise Clan rule, her mate or mates could challenge the Alpha for dominance.” Again, he glanced down at his beautiful mate. “Call the others. Whoever it is might go after
Holly for leverage.”
Clay pulled out his phone and made the call while Gunter remained ultra-alert. Whatever happened this day, he would keep Riana safe and he would eradicate those who stalked her or he would die trying.
“They’ve been notified. They’re going to stay here. Almost every male in town is here. It will make Holly’s protection that much more vigilant.” He looked around. “I know you’re aware that it will force whoever flattened our tire to come after our mate.”
“Yes, I am aware.” As much as Gunter hated giving up the lovely burden of having his mate in his arms, he handed Riana off to Clay.” Oriana…now that’s going to take getting used to. “Take her. I’m going to shift. I’ll heal faster in that form if injured and I’m stronger than most of the shifters here.”
Of course, he would be stronger. As his lion, he would dwarf most of the shifters here, with the exception of the all-shifters who could change into anything. It was just lucky for them that all-shifters always had honorable hearts. Legend had it that any breed of shifter could produce an all shifter, but the shifter’s heart must be pure. He smiled. It was a good thing the two that resided here in Paradise fit that description and were on his side. He’d hate to have to take on a dragon.
After handing off their mate to Clay, Gunter looked around, searching for humans. The carnival was open to all who could find Paradise and these days that meant most everyone. When he was certain that no human could see him, Gunter bent low and reached for his beast.
He felt the soul of his lion, his heart as he shifted from man to beast. He felt his face elongate and enlarge into a muzzle. His hair grew longer as his lion’s thick mane circled his neck and his bones popped and cracked at they changed shape and sinew form from that of a man to that of a fully grown lion.
Looking down, he noticed his huge paws and flexed his toes. Razor sharp nails emerged from his toes, digging into the ground beneath his feet, leaving claw marks in the soft soil.
Raising his nose into the air, Gunter inhaled deeply, taking in the scents of the late afternoon. He smelled his mates standing near. He scented the humans at the carnival that tempted his beast. They smelled like prey and it wanted to hunt.
Gunter lifted his upper lip in a silent snarl. Hunt he would, but humans would not be his prey. He turned toward an elusive scent that he would not have picked up on in his human form.
Stay with me. I’m not sure how many enemies there are and you alone cannot protect her while she is unconscious.
Clay merely nodded as he fell into step beside him. Are you stalking them or are we going back to the lodge where we can barricade ourselves in our rooms?
Both. Whoever it was that flattened the tire is headed in that direction, as well.
The scent grew steadily stronger as they followed it toward the lodge. At the halfway point, the trail turned to the east when the lodge lay directly north. I suspect there are more than one and they wish to split us up. He glanced to the north, his lion urging him to follow the prey. Its mate was in danger and it wanted the taste of blood on its tongue.
Gunter opened his mouth, sucking in the scent, tasting it. Once the taste was on his tongue, Gunter knew there was no way his prey would escape. A cool breeze stirred his fur, his golden mane blowing into his eyes.
He hoped his prey could see him. He wanted the man responsible for his mate’s fears to pay the price for his treachery to their species. He wanted the man to quake with fear at the sight of the huge lion that was nearly eleven-feet long and weighed in at nearly one-thousand pounds. He wanted the shifter’s beast to snarl with rage that another beast dare to encroach on what it believed was his.
In short, Gunter wanted a fight and didn’t give a damn if his opponent was stronger or if there were more than one. Gunter’s lion wanted blood and soon he would find it.
Tipping his head back, Gunter let out a long, loud roar. It was an invitation, a dare. Come and get me, assholes. I’m waiting for you.
Do you think it was wise to taunt them on the common shifter connection? Clay asked as he hurried toward the hotel.
I don’t give a shit. Whoever this is, has been stalking our mate and her daughter for years. It’s time they paid the price for daring to continue the exercise when they knew she was under our protection.
Gunter breathed slowly through his mouth, his tongue curled up at the edges as it moved in slightly in and out. They’re close. I can taste them. He held his head low, his gaze searching from side to side as they reached the lodge and went inside.
Damn, I was hoping for a fight.
You would. Clay sighed as he entered the elevator. You’re going to have to change back into a human. I don’t want you overloading the elevator. Besides, he added with a grin, your big ass won’t fit in here if you don’t change back into a man.
I’m n
ot going up with you. I don’t scent them in the hotel. I’m going to go outside and see what I can find.
Be careful. Clay gave him a solemn look as the elevator doors closed between them.
Now he could hunt without worrying about his mate and he could kill his enemy without worrying about what Riana would think of him. The thought of her looking upon him with horror was a thought too terrible to bear.
After circling the lodge to be certain of his mate’s safety in her room, Gunter took to the woods behind the lodge. Like the ground at the carnival, the soil was soft. It didn’t take him long to pick up the tracks and scent of a stranger.
It was a jaguar like most of the cats here in Paradise, but it wasn’t a scent with which he was familiar. After a while, he picked up a second scent and a third, all of them circling back to the hotel.
Fuck! He’d been played. They knew he would hunt. They knew he would not take another male sniffing around his mate and they had used that knowledge against him. The trail headed back to the lodge and he was minutes behind them. Gunter snarled as he took off at a dead run. A lot could happen in a few minutes.
Chapter Twenty-six
My name is Riana and I have three sisters! Riana sat up in bed, tears streaming down her face as she remembered who she was, what she was and what had happened to cause her memory loss.
Leaning forward, she held her head in her hands. Now she knew why she didn’t want to remember Holly’s father. Just after she’d turned sixteen, she’d been raped over and over by more than one man. No wonder she’d blocked it out.
Not only was Holly’s father a cruel rapist and defiler of children, but she had no idea which of the six men he had been.
Riana sobbed into her hands, the memories making her skin crawl. She needed a shower and she needed one now. Standing, she screamed when she noticed the man who ran into the room.
He looked around as though expecting to find someone else in her with her. “What’s wrong?”
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