Unexpected Find
Nancy Corrigan
Royal Pride, Book 1
Since the murder of her best friend, Jazz is stuck in a safe but lonely way of life. She’s willing to sacrifice everything to keep her family safe from the shifter world. The sexy stranger who struts into her friend’s bar changes everything. From the first glance Jazz knows she’s sunk—their chemistry sizzles from across the room, it’ll be undeniable up close.
Rafe wants Jazz from the second he sets eyes on her. The depth of the need that swamps him every time he’s near her surprises him. It takes every last ounce of his self-control not to pounce on Jazz and make her his. Only her distrust of his shifter nature holds him back. He counts it as a win every time his beloved human gives in to their passion and takes him to her bed. But Rafe’s patience isn’t infinite and he’ll do whatever it takes, face any danger—past or present—to ensure that Jazz becomes his. Forever.
A Romantica® Paranormal erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave
Unexpected Find
Nancy Corrigan
Dedication
To Mr. Corrigan…my unexpected find.
Prologue
Five Years Ago
Jasmine Wyncosky peeked at her watch then scanned the park. Still no sign of Nina. She wasn’t sure why she kept checking. At nine months pregnant with twins, Nina wasn’t hard to miss but worry twisted Jazz’s gut. She had to do something. Nina had promised to meet her. In the short time she’d known the troubled woman, she’d never failed to show for their nightly chat session.
The soon-to-be mother was on the run from an abusive husband, that much she’d learned, but the details of her situation were sketchy. It didn’t matter. For two months they’d talked about everything and nothing. They’d clicked and Jazz considered her a sister, as crazy as it sounded. Besides, Nina didn’t have anybody else. She needed her.
After placing the take-out bag on the ground, Jazz stretched out on the bench to wait. She shielded her eyes from the setting sun, but as it slipped below the horizon and black overtook the blue, her anxiety skyrocketed. Why hadn’t Nina shown? Jazz blew out a rough breath. She did her best to stay calm but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad had happened. She stood up and glanced around her second home.
With the Fourth of July celebrations gearing up over in Logan Square, the only other people in this neglected park were a couple of gang members and a few locals, like her. No Nina. Jazz wiped sweaty palms on her shorts. She turned to the shaded edge of the small park. A flash of gold caught her attention, there and gone so quickly she wasn’t sure she actually saw it. She squinted and studied the spot. Nothing. But Nina’s hazel eyes sometimes looked brighter at night, especially in the moonlight. She also feared most men and there were some questionable ones here tonight.
Jazz worried her bottom lip. She glanced between the bench where Nina had promised to meet her and the shadows. She didn’t know much about pregnancies or babies but the way Nina had rubbed her lower back yesterday worried her. Fear for her friend made her decision.
She crossed the park and took the path that led to where an old cabinet factory once employed hundreds of people but now only blighted the landscape. It was also where Nina had been staying. Jazz had suggested she room with her but Nina had refused, claiming she didn’t like being cooped up because she wasn’t human.
Jazz snorted thinking about that conversation. Nina was convinced she had animals living inside her—big cats, to be precise. Jazz had smiled and nodded but wondered if she could get the woman in to see a shrink after she had her babies. Because…yeah, she was nuts. At least Nina had agreed to move into the shelter once labor hit. It was a start.
Halfway down the hill, she heard coughing. She swept her gaze over the quickly darkening landscape, caught another glimpse of gold, then nothing. Nina or her overactive imagination? Only one way to find out. With trembling hands, she tucked her hair behind her ears and continued on. She couldn’t turn back. Nina might need her.
Jesus, what if she was in labor? Or Calum, the asshole husband, had found her? The thoughts took hold. Her heart raced. Hoping she wasn’t too late, she ran through the open gate of the defunct industrial site. A few floodlights cast circles of light on the ground. She moved from each lit-up beacon and kept an eye out for Nina or trouble.
Quite a few street people used to bunk down here, but most had moved to different parts of the city or into the homeless shelter she volunteered at. They’d complained about strange sounds at night. She’d blamed the mass exodus on paranoia and hadn’t given the stories a second thought. In all the time she’d spent here, nothing unusual had ever happened. No odd noises or scary creatures. Just a lot of people down on their luck. But as she moved through the area now, the chilling tales replayed in her head.
At the edge of the last lighted circle, she hesitated. What if there really was something unnatural living down here? She looked back the way she’d come then into the u-shaped area Nina had chosen to sleep in. It was a good choice in that the wind didn’t whip through there. She had privacy too. But the working spotlights stopped here. It was pitch black beyond this spot.
Crazy. The woman was downright certifiable. How could she feel safer here where anybody could sneak up on her than in Jazz’s apartment?
Jazz slid her hand into her pocket to touch the can of pepper spray. The cylinder gave her a measure of comfort, but the knife next to it served as a better deterrent. She gripped the handle and pulled it out. Just in case. With a deep breath that did little to settle her nerves, she rounded the corner of the building and covered her mouth to stifle a gasp.
Oh god, she was too late.
Blood pooled on the ground near a bundle of blankets, but there was no sign of Nina. Jazz walked closer and spotted a pile of tattered clothes, the same ones Nina had worn the last time they’d talked. She bent and picked up the maternity shirt. The seams and the neckline were torn, not cut. She fingered the frayed edges and frowned.
Somebody coughed. Jazz froze but didn’t hear anything else. She dropped the cloth and stood. Eyes narrowed, she surveyed the area surrounding the loading dock and locked onto bright golden eyes in the distance.
Nina?” she called out.
Another cough.
“Nina, are you okay?”
No answer.
Jazz walked closer but stopped after a couple of feet. The moonlight broke through the clouds and showcased what awaited her. The eyes didn’t belong to Nina. Nope, not even close. A huge cat—jaguar, maybe—crouched there.
Shit, shit, shit. They were right. She clutched the knife tighter and took a couple of slow, backward steps but it didn’t attack. It dropped its head onto its paws and whined. She stilled and studied it. It didn’t look feral or vicious. Maybe it was somebody’s exotic pet or maybe… Jesus, what if Nina has been telling me the truth and she really is a shifter?
Jazz licked her lips and whispered, “Nina, is that you?”
The black animal’s shape wavered. A naked blonde woman took its place. Nina. Oh god, she wasn’t lying. Jazz stared at her open-mouthed. Same hair, same body but instead of a swollen belly, a flat stomach remained.
Jazz pushed her disbelief and fear aside and rushed forward in time to catch her as she collapsed.
“Nina?” Jazz lowered her to the ground and supported her with an arm around her shoulder. “What happened to the babies?”
Nina pressed her hand to Jazz’s cheek. “Aren’t you going to ask what I am?”
She laughed nervously. “Umm, a shifter? You told me that.” And I didn’t believe it.
A wry smile graced her mouth. “Afraid?”
She should be but this was Nina, the woman she’d felt an instant kinship with. Nina also
hadn’t attacked her when she’d had the chance.
Jazz shook her head. “I trust you.”
Nina stared at her with completely yellow eyes for a long moment. “Do you remember when I told you I was running from Calum?”
The abusive husband, how could she forget? Jazz nodded.
“He wants to sell my babies to a group that hurts kids like mine. Experiments on them.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “He sold our last babies, Jazz. Little girls. I won’t let him have our boys too.”
She forced her jaw to unclench. “Why? My god, they’re his kids!”
“He’s sick, Jazz. Sick. He hates them because they’re royals. Special, like me. He’s not and it’s made him bitter.” Nina gripped her hand and Jazz bit her cheek to hold back the cry of pain. “You have to take them, protect them.” She met her eyes. “You’ll do that for me, won’t you, Jazz? Keep them safe.”
Jazz didn’t know what to say. This wasn’t the same woman she’d gotten to know over the past couple of months. Nina looked as if she were close to a breakdown but before she could answer, Nina pushed away and stood on shaky legs. She grabbed her hand and dragged her toward the dumpster.
Two newborns swaddled in dirty blankets lay on a pile of clothes. Both had softly glowing, light-brown eyes. No white around the edges.
Jazz swallowed hard and took a couple of steps back. The babies followed her with those freakish, unblinking eyes. Her pulse kicked up. “Uhmm, I don’t—”
A roar rang out, followed by another and another. Nina’s eyes darted to the edge of the fence. “He’s coming for me. I won’t ever be free.” Nina flicked her gaze back to her. Pants fell from her parted lips. “Please, Jazz. I have nobody else.”
“Isn’t there anybody…like you?”
“No!” Nina screamed. She glanced over her shoulder. “I don’t trust them. I don’t trust anyone. Only you, Jazz. You haven’t hurt me.”
The growls and snarls grew louder. Nina whimpered.
Jazz looked from the terrified woman to the helpless infants and made a decision. She scooped the babies into her arms.
“Okay. But how do I get in touch with you when it’s safe?”
Instead of answering, Nina kissed each little boy’s cheek then shifted into a tiger and ran off in the direction the noises were coming from.
Jazz glanced between the two newborns and the broken fence line where Nina had disappeared. The sounds of animals fighting reached her. She did the only thing she could. She cradled the babies to her chest and ran.
Chapter One
Present Day
Rafe Alexander slammed the car door closed and walked across the gravel parking lot. His gaze skimmed over the other vehicles and the lingering humans. A few males tucked their dates closer and turned in the opposite direction. Others dropped their eyes and studied the ground. He clenched his hands and did his best to ignore them. It wasn’t their fault. Humans might not know what he was by looking at him but they sensed the danger—the predator in their midst—and reacted accordingly.
Fools. If only they knew how damn lucky they were that he was here.
The corner of his lip lifted and his nostrils flared but he kept the sound of his annoyance contained. He didn’t need any more attention directed his way, not with the shit that had happened here a few hours ago.
Halfway across the lot, he stopped and tipped his face up to the breeze. A whiff of lion drifted on it. He parted his mouth, dragging in a breath to taste the scent. Faint, yet distinctive. He was on the right path.
Long strides took him around the bar, an older structure that looked as if it had seen several upgrades and expansions over its lifetime. An upper and lower deck graced one side. The raised level had tables while the lower featured a live band and dance area. People moved around on both and the sharp twining sounds from instruments as the musicians warmed up carried over the drone of their laughter and conversation. The place was packed, which was good for those partying tonight and an inconvenience for him. He had business to take care of that didn’t need an audience.
He walked past the decks to the employee entrance around the back. Several cars and trucks were parked near the door. He followed the smell carrying on the breeze to a blue SUV and peeked inside. A child’s car seat was secured in the back and the lion scent seeping through the cracked window was strong. He tried the door, found it locked.
Rafe pulled out his cell and dialed. He drummed his fingers on the roof and listened to the ringing.
“Yeah,” the rough voice of his friend, Devin, answered.
“Tony’s brother has Megan,” he announced and waited through the string of curses assaulting his ears before he added, “I think you were right. Josh either doesn’t know what she is or doesn’t care. I found his car and there are enough stuffed animals and toys in it to amuse any cub with a short attention span.”
“Thank the gods,” Devin breathed. “I suppose it’s too much to hope you have her?”
Rafe glanced over his shoulder at the building. He snorted. “Josh owns a bar. I doubt it has babysitting services.” He rubbed his knuckles under his chin. “Hell, maybe it does. I don’t know what humans do with their kids when they go to work.”
“Let’s hope so. I want out of here as soon as possible.”
“You didn’t have to come. I could’ve brought one of my brothers,” Rafe said and wasn’t surprised when Devin grunted.
“You know I couldn’t stay behind, not when kids are threatened.”
Yeah, he knew that. It was a damn honorable trait, but Devin wasn’t exactly sane. Dropping him in a tense situation with humans close by was a disaster waiting to happen, but Rafe wasn’t their pride leader. He didn’t get to make the decisions. Kade did and sometimes he wondered if his twin thought through his dictates before issuing them.
“So, what did you find?” Rafe asked.
“A whole box of documents from the lawyer who handled Megan’s adoption and…”
Rafe waited for him to finish and finally prompted, “And?”
Devin cleared his throat. “The female you smelled outside Tony’s house has spent time inside too.”
Rafe curled the fingers of his free hand to hide the tips of claws and dipped his head so his hair slid over the ones holding the phone. He released a slow breath through clenched teeth and banked his rage. He knew better than to let it get the best of him.
When they’d stopped by the house listed as Megan’s residence, they’d found police tape blocking off the place, no sign of their white lion cub or the shifter who’d killed Tony, Megan’s adoptive father. But her fragrance had lingered there—a feline scent-marked human. The predators who shared his soul—a lion, tiger and jaguar—took one whiff of it and demanded more. Lust had hit unbidden. And it didn’t matter to his inner spirits that she belonged to another male.
But therein lay the problem and the reason he and Devin had split up their search. None of his brothers or cousins owned a human. Their family’s territory ranged from Quebec to Virginia and as far west as Chicago, and no other feline would allow their human to wander onto another’s lands without repercussions, unless they meant to cause problems. And with the rise in shifter trafficking, they’d lost one too many innocents not to be suspicious.
The situation had spiraled out of control. It left him picking and choosing where the focus should lie. He’d called in backup to help hunt the woman because finding Megan came first but he couldn’t help asking, “Did you pick up her trail?”
“Nope. She must’ve driven every time. Her scent was heaviest in the kitchen and living room, never went upstairs.”
Relief swept through him followed by irritation. He shouldn’t be relieved to learn the woman hadn’t entered the male’s bedroom. But he was.
“All right. Check out the next of kin addresses. Hopefully Megan will be with family. I’ll corner Josh and find out what he knows.” Rafe ended the call, gave the pile of toys in the car another glance and headed toward the front entra
nce.
He stood in the doorway and waited for his body to adjust to the sensory overload assaulting him. The room smelled of sex, stale beer and sweat, not a combination that appealed to him. His nose twitched and his ears rung from the thumping music and range of voices.
The sheer number of people milling around made his cats anxious. They paced the metaphysical enclosure he kept them in. Until he could assess the potential threats the humans posed, his inner beasts wouldn’t calm. And for a royal shifter with multiple entities sharing the same body and soul, it was wise to keep them all happy.
Darkness edged the room. Rafe moved toward it, needing a moment to acclimate to the environment. A few females caught sight of him despite his slow retreat. Their hopeful gazes tracked him. He ignored their obvious interest, leaned farther into the shadows then stilled. The blanket of obscurity it provided offered a perfect place for lovers to grope and would-be one-night stands to explore their new partners. It also allowed him the opportunity to study the bar patrons without drawing their attention.
Most of the humans filling the room were typical bar hoppers—scantily clad females looking for love and affection and rough men willing to exploit their insecurities. A few heavy drinkers mixed into the crowd, but they lingered close to the source of their pleasure, hovering over their beers. Unless someone tried to take their drinks away, they wouldn’t be a problem.
Rafe evaluated and dismissed them and the couple of instigators who’d fight over a slighted look. Their unnaturally bulky muscles and beady eyes pegged them as worshipers of those man-made drugs some humans indulged in to counter their failings. For most people, they could pose trouble, but even with their steroid-enhanced bodies, they were no match for him…or the impressive male surveying the crowd in much the same way he did.
A tall, black-haired, blue-eyed human stood with his arms crossed and scanned the crowd from his perch behind the bar. Rafe knew without being told that this was Josh Conway, brother to Tony and now guardian of Megan. Even across the room, his strong signature carried and the force of his personality shown through the confident way he watched the others. Human or not, he was a threat, the only one in the room.
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