Gambler's Folly (Bookstrand Publishing Romance)

by Mellie E. Miller

  “Sex acts as a bond between mates, even normal humans. It creates a link between the two of us. As bond mates, our body chemistry is changing, so we will remain mated for life by choice. Attraction is caused by various chemicals and hormones which draw us together. The culmination of this attraction is mating. Beyond that, I’m not sure how it works, just that the chemical changes push us to pair frequently during this adjustment period.”

  “Well, how long is it going to last?”

  “From what I’ve been told, it can take up to a month. I guess when we start to slow down, we can figure we’ve made the adjustment.”

  About ten days into their retreat, Damiano took a stroll down toward the lake. Thinking about taking a nap, Karianna watched from the balcony, until she saw him go into the water. Right where he went in, there was a break in the trees so she could watch for a moment. Since he was a very strong swimmer, she knew he’d be fine, especially with the others watching.

  Dozing in the chair, she rested for a while before she decided the glass of lemonade she wanted would not come to her. She looked lazily out the window toward the lake on her way to the kitchen. Not quite believing what she saw, she blinked her eyes and looked again. No, there really was a huge black cat strolling up the hill toward the house.

  It had to be Damiano, she thought, so she grabbed a towel and went out to meet him. “Damiano?” she asked, not sure what to expect. He made a sound similar to a roar, only quieter, and rubbed against her leg with his wet coat.

  “No, you don’t,” she told him. “Let’s get you dried off.” Bending over to scrub him off with the towel, she was soon soaking wet from the spray off his coat as he shook off the water.

  Trying to back away from the shower, she tripped and thumped down on the hillside behind her. A happy and damp Damiano stalked over and began to lick her face.

  “Stop!” she commanded as she smacked his nose, not actually thinking about it before she did. With a loud roar, the huge cat pushed her down on her back, lay down on her and proceeded to thoroughly wash her face in spite of her protests.

  Finished with her face, he stood up and walked a few feet away. It looked like a trick of the light or a shifting shadow, but in seconds the black leopard stood up on his hind legs and became Damiano the man, totally naked and glaring at her sullenly.

  “What?” she asked, as she stood up to face him.

  “You slapped my nose!” he exclaimed. “It still stings.”

  “Well then don’t lick my face. It’s nasty.”

  “It is not. Besides, that’s not what you say when I…”

  “We’re not talking about that, Damiano, and you know it. It’s completely different.”

  “I still think you need a bath.” With a rush, he had snatched her off her feet and was striding toward the lake.

  “No! Damiano, don’t you dare,” she demanded, as he paid no attention at all.

  Instead of throwing her into the water, he continued walking until the water was up to his chest. He then simply released her into the lake and laughed at her floundering until she got turned around properly.

  Slapping her hand at the water, she sent a large cascade toward his face. After that, the water fight started in earnest, and continued until they were both too tired to go on.

  “We should get back and get some dry clothes,” she said. “Well, I should get dry clothes. You should just get some clothes on, parading out here in the nude.”

  “I was fine until you slapped me. I would have come up to the house, gone into the bathroom and changed, and put on some clothes after I got dry.”

  “And track water all the way through the house with those great, huge, furry feet of yours?”

  “I do not track water. By the time I got to the house, my feet would have been dry. And I always wipe them off at the door.” He sulked.

  Once inside, they took a shower and got into some lounging clothes. After lunch, Damiano got over his mood. They took the rest of the afternoon to relax and play some games. As she might have guessed, Damiano was a bit of a card shark and sleight-of-hand artist. He had fun showing her card tricks for a while.

  “Remind me never to bet against you, Dam,” she told him. “You are way too handy with those things.”

  “It is useful in my business,” he answered. “To catch a crook, you have to understand the crook. If you can play his game, you can catch him playing it.”

  “So you know what to look for, because you can do it yourself.”

  “Exactly, Topolina,” he grinned. “I know a few others, too. Do you want to see?”

  He chased her through the house until he caught her. And then they played a rather erotic sort of game.

  Chapter 23

  After three weeks away, they decided they could probably think about returning to civilization. Their moods and tempers had evened out and their sexual life, while still exciting, had lost the sense of sudden urgency. Damiano told her they’d take a few more days, and then have a nice leisurely drive back home.

  Their day had been delightful, walking through the woods by the lake. Damiano had changed and had a right old romp around. He was beautiful to watch as a leopard, his sleek black shape sliding through the shadows.

  They were just about to go to bed when they heard a roar from one direction answered by another from the other side.

  “That was Marco and Paolo,” Damiano told her as he swiftly ran to the balcony, losing clothes as he went.

  Karianna heard the sounds again, only they were closer and joined by a third voice, growling loudly. She looked up as Damiano eased off the balcony and changed, his black coat blending into the night. Not knowing what else to do, she grabbed a cup of tea and sat down to wait. This was definitely out of her league.

  Soon, she heard sounds on the balcony. A naked Damiano came through the door, followed by three cats and a wolf, all glaring at each other, ears laid back against their heads.

  “Karianna, cara, could you excuse us for a moment?” Damiano asked. In shock, she agreed and went into the bedroom. A minute later, Damiano joined her.

  “I need to get some clothes for everyone,” he said. “Then you can come out and join us.”

  “Are you sure?” she asked.

  “Of course, cara. Once we’re all dressed.”

  When she went out to join the party, she saw Damiano, Paolo, Marco, Dante, and another man she’d never met before. He was tall, athletically built like the other men, and had salt-and-pepper hair, though he didn’t really look that old.

  “Cara, let me introduce you. This is Nagi Shumanitu-tanka, or Shadow Wolf. Nagi, my mate, Karianna.”

  “My pleasure,” he said, smiling and shaking her hand.

  “How do you know each other?” she asked.

  “Nagi occasionally works with me, not for me, but alongside. He sometimes has information I want, usually for a price,” he smiled.

  “But he’s a wolf,” she insisted.

  “Yes, and I’m a leopard. We’re natural competitors, both hunters, but we can be allies if the price is right.”

  “Yes, I found something I thought Damiano would find interesting,” Nagi told her. “And now, I’ll be off. We’ll hunt together soon, yes?”

  “I believe you’re right, Nagi. Go with the wind, Shadow.”

  “Happy hunting, Leopard.”

  As the were-wolf, Nagi, left, Damiano nodded to the other three men. “Check out what Nagi had to say. It could change the game plan.”

  With that, Marco, Dante, and Paolo left as well, fading into the darkness. Damiano went out and brought his clothes in from the balcony.

  “That’s one of the problems with changing,” he told Karianna. “Remembering where you left your clothes.”

  “So, what was that all about?” she asked.

  “Just business, cara, business.”

  “How did he find us out here? Does he know about this place?”

  “Cara, we’ve known each other for quite a while. He knows a lot about w
hat I do, just as I know about him.”

  “Well then, why did he come in as a wolf, through the woods, instead of coming up to the door?”

  “It’s a game. How close can he get before we sense him? It’s fun.” He laughed at her expression and grabbed one of the last few apples in the dish.

  “Do men ever grow up?” she asked, shaking her head.

  “I hope not, cara. So boring.”

  They finally got to bed, but Damiano’s sleep seemed troubled. Karianna wondered exactly what Nagi had brought him and how it affected his business, whatever it was. She took a long time to get to sleep, and her dreams were bizarrely inhabited with strange creatures out of legends and myths.

  Morning was far too early and both of them were short-tempered from lack of sleep. “Why don’t you go for a swim or something?” she finally told Damiano. “For that matter, we can both go down to the lake and relieve a little tension. The water would feel good.”

  “I think I’ll go for a run first,” he answered. Slipping out of his clothes, he changed in midstride, breaking into a full run as soon as his four feet hit the ground. Disappearing into the trees, she caught a brief glimpse of him rounding the point as she made her way to the water.

  With the morning sun shining on the lake, the cool water felt marvelous, as Karianna floated on its surface. She turned and swam out a little farther, and then floated on her back once more. Just as she was getting completely relaxed, nearly dozing there in the sun, she heard a loud roar from the trees to her left. There was a second voice too, definitely a cat, but not one of her guys.

  After swimming to the shore, she ran to the house, not sure she wanted to find out what was happening in the trees. Once safe behind the glass doors, she heard two more voices conversing with the first, and an answering cry from further away.

  Quickly rinsing off the lake water, she dressed in comfortable, loose clothing, in case she needed to get physical. Trainers on her feet, she waited for Damiano to reappear. After nearly twenty minutes, she was rewarded by the sight of her mate trudging up the hill from the water. All three of his men were with him, restraining a fourth man, who obviously would rather be anywhere else. As they were all now in human form, and naked, she slipped into the bedroom to wait.

  “Cara, once again we need clothing for four people. Anything at all will work. And if you could just stay in here until we’re finished, it would be best, I think.” Damiano rummaged around and found clothing for all concerned. With a kiss, he went out and closed the door.

  Karianna, paced the floor for a few minutes, then sat down to wait for Damiano’s meeting to finish. She heard angry voices every now and then, but nothing she could understand. What could be going on? First there was Nagi the night before, and now some other were-stranger who was not a friend, apparently. It seemed to her that Damiano’s business was getting a little personal.

  She must have dozed off in the chair, as the sound of the door closing awakened her. Damiano stood over by the door, an intense look on his face. “Dam, what is it?” she asked.

  “Cara, I’m so sorry to have disturbed you again with business.” He paced the room.

  “Dam, this one didn’t look like a friend. What is going on?”

  “One of my business competitors thought to sway my opinion on a business proposition which has come up. Let’s say I didn’t like his method.”

  “Where is he now? What will happen to him?” she asked.

  “Don’t worry, cara. Marco and Paolo will take care of it. I’ve given them their instructions.”

  “Dam?”

  “It’s alright, cara. You’re safe with me. Dante is still here, also. Unfortunately, we will need to leave today. But later, after we have some lunch I think.”

  “Sure, Dam. We were going to leave tomorrow anyway.” Still not understanding the whole thing, she agreed it might be safer if they went home.

  They fixed some lunch, got everything cleaned up and began to pack. They didn’t actually make a start until halfway through the afternoon.

  “It’s fine, Karianna,” he told her. “We will drive part of the way and stop for the evening. We’ll take the long way around, so you can see the countryside. It really is beautiful.”

  The drive was lovely and Damiano drove at a leisurely pace. Since they hadn’t planned to leave until the next day, there was no rush. Damiano was quiet for the first few miles, and then he opened up and began to tell her about the places they were driving through. He seemed to know an awful lot about the place.

  “Some of the properties have been in my family for a long time. Of course I know the area, cara. Do you like it?”

  “It’s gorgeous, Tiger,” she told him. The purple mountains in the distance framed the plains, with their acres and acres of grasslands. They were currently skirting the edge of a lovely lake, with grass coming up to one side and trees enveloping the other.

  After a while, he looked at her as if he had something on his mind. “What, Tiger? Cat got your tongue?”

  Chuckling deep in his chest he answered, “No, but if you’re not careful, this cat will have yours.”

  “No seriously, Dam, what’s on your mind?”

  “Cara, have you ever had any training in self-defense?”

  “You mean like karate or something?”

  “Maybe not something that formal, but anything to protect yourself.”

  “No, not really. I never really thought about it before. Why?”

  “When we get back, I will have Carl find a trainer for you. I think it best if you know a little bit, anyway. Just some simple things, cara,” he added at her skeptical look. “You don’t need to be a master, just know a few things. It will make me happy.”

  “If you think I need to, then I will. Is this to do with your visitor earlier?”

  “Partly, yes. You are vulnerable in a way I am not. I can always change, and not too many can deal with me in that form. But you have no defenses at all. It concerns me.”

  “And I can be used as leverage,” she added.

  “Yes, cara. I’m sorry. I wouldn’t change anything which has happened between us, for any amount of fame or fortune, but this is why I never sought a mate,” he replied. “Not because of the leverage someone can bring to bear against me. I don’t push worth a damn, but because of the danger to you, cara.”

  “I’m sorry, Damiano. If I’d known…”

  “Why are you sorry? I’m not. You are a part of me now, one I will not give up. You make me whole in a way I was not before. Never be sorry, Gattina, bene?”

  “Okay, Tiger. Now, what do we do to take care of this?”

  “You go and learn to fight. Me? I’ll go hunting.”

  Chapter 24

  Just a few short days after their return, Carl brought a new trainer into the gym to meet Damiano and Karianna. Not much taller than she was, the man was well muscled and exuded confidence seemingly out of proportion to his size.

  “Signor Leone, meet Chase Dawson. He’s a martial arts instructor I’ve known for several years.” The two men shook hands and exchanged greetings.

  “So Chase, what style do you teach?” Damiano asked.

  “I’ve trained in several styles: karate do, tang soo do, capoeira and jiu jitsu. They all have good self-defense aspects.”

  “This is my wife, Karianna Leone,” Damiano continued. “I would very much like it if you could get her grounded in some good self-defense. Nothing fancy, just effective.”

  “I’d be glad to, Mr. Leone. Anything in particular?”

  “I’ll leave that up to you, once you’ve had a chance to work with her and Carl. Mainly, it needs to be simple and effective for now. Later, if she likes this sort of thing, you may do more.”

  “I can do simple and effective. Do you want to keep the focus on effective escape?”

  “Yes, I want her to have the tools to escape, but also to disable someone enough so they can’t follow.”

  “Yes, sir, Mr. Leone. We’ll start today if you lik
e.”

  “I’d like that very much.” He turned to kiss Karianna’s cheek. “Ciao, cara. Don’t worry. You’ll be fine.”

  Chase and Carl had conferred earlier. She would do her usual workout today, so Chase could see how she moved naturally. This would give him a basis for his training. After forty-five minutes, she took a break.

  “Well, your stamina is great,” Chase told her. “Have you ever done any gymnastics or dancing? I see a natural grace in your movements.”

  “Not too much. I did the obligatory beginning ballet and jazz when I was younger. As a teen, I took a year or so of ballroom,” she told him.

  “Well, it still shows, which should make it easier for you to learn some defensive moves. Want to get started?”

  They began with a couple breakaways, which seemed awfully simple once she’d been shown. “This is so natural a motion. It’s ridiculous to have to be taught how to do it.”

  “Yes, a lot of basic self-defense is simple, which is good. As long as you remember it when you need it.”

  They moved on to some strikes: open-hand strike to the eyes, punch to the throat, a breakaway followed by a back fist to the face. It was all fairly easy.

  “As part of your training in defense, to help you learn to be alert and use your skills without having to think about it, there will be no time, here in the gym, when you cannot be the subject of an attack. One of us will attack you without warning, just as a real attacker would,” Chase told her. “You must be able to do these simple things without having to think about them.”

  “Won’t we be training?”

  “Yes, but I want you to experience using your defense when you’re not prepared for it. While training with me, you know I’m there, or Carl is, and we are going to take hold of you in a certain way, so you can practice. This does you no good outside these four walls.”

  “Okay, I guess I understand.”

  “I’ll be back three times a week. Remember, practice.”

  Damiano was home a little later than usual and seemed tense. She asked if everything was alright and, smiling, he said yes, it was just business, before biting viciously into a large red apple. The more tense he became, the more apples he ate.