by K. C. Wells
Table of Contents
Blurb
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
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Copyright
A Growl, a Roar, and a Purr
By K.C. Wells
Lions & Tigers & Bears: Book One
In the human world, shifters are a myth.
In the shifter world, mates are a myth too. So how can tiger shifter Dellan Carson have two of them?
Dellan has been trapped in his shifted form for so long, he’s almost forgotten how it feels to walk on two legs. Then photojournalist Rael Parton comes to interview the big-pharma CEO who holds Dellan captive in a glass-fronted cage in his office, and Dellan’s world is rocked to its core.
When lion shifter Rael finds his newfound mate locked in shifted form, he’s shocked but determined to free him from his prison… and that means he needs help.
Enter ex-military consultant and bear shifter Horvan Kojik. Horvan is the perfect guy to rescue Dellan. But mates? He’s never imagined settling down with one guy, let alone two.
Rescuing Dellan and helping him to regain his humanity is only the start. The three lovers have dark secrets to uncover and even darker forces to overcome….
This is for Parker Williams. Who told me I could write this—then told me it would be a series. Smart arse.
Acknowledgments
THANK YOU to my wonderful beta team, as always.
Chapter One
RAEL PARTON caught sight of his reflection in the glass door of the building and sighed internally.
I knew I should’ve gotten a haircut this week.
Not that it would have done a damn thing. Five minutes after sitting in his barber’s chair, Rael reverted to looking a mess. It didn’t matter what his long-suffering barber did to try to tame Rael’s unruly mop of blond hair. The result was always the same.
No wonder I’m single. Who’d want to wake up next to that?
Except that was bullshit, and he knew it. Staying single meant not having to share the fact that he could turn into a lion in the twinkling of an eye. There were definite drawbacks to being considered a myth.
Rael blamed it on his lion. It was his default. Of course, he might have looked better if he’d gone straight to bed the previous night—except it had been more like early morning—when he arrived at his hotel. That’s what I get for taking a later flight. A lack of sleep sure wasn’t helping matters either. Then again, the location of his hotel had made for a noisy night, and sleep really hadn’t been an option.
And I wanted to make a good impression too.
Then he reconsidered. He was a photojournalist who’d made a name for himself by getting into places no one else had reached. Who was going to care if his hair wasn’t slicked down and neat and he seemed a little rumpled? He looked the part, dammit.
Rael crossed the marble floor to the wide desk occupied by two security guards. As he drew closer, he reached into his capacious bag for the email invitation.
The larger of the two guards gave him a polite smile. “Good morning.” The other looked him up and down, his gaze narrowed.
Rael pulled himself up to his full height of five feet eight and did his best to look professional. “Good morning. My name is Rael Parton. I’m here to interview Mr. Anson Prescott. I am expected.” Rael handed the invitation to the first guard.
“Your ID, sir?” Rael gave it to him, and the guard scrutinized it carefully before returning it. “Thank you.”
The second guard frowned. “You sure Mr. Prescott is expecting you? Because he hasn’t come in yet.”
“Unless he flew in by helicopter,” the first guard added. “He does that a lot.” He scanned the invitation before handing it back with the same polite smile. “Take the elevator to the top floor. Mr. Prescott’s private office is up there.” He pointed to the rear of the entrance hall. “The last elevator on the right is the only one that goes up that far. You’ll have to buzz to be let in, but I’ll let his secretary know you’re on your way.”
Rael replaced the letter in his bag. “Thank you. You’ve been very helpful.” Well, one of them had. The other had peered at Rael like he expected him to pull a gun at any moment. He gave the men a cheerful nod, then headed for the five elevators. Around him, people were scurrying like ants, the air buzzing with chatter as employees began their working day. Rael pressed the button for the last elevator, his phone in his hand. He’d made sure it was fully charged before leaving the hotel, ready for recording the interview. His camera was in his bag, along with his list of questions, and he patted it reassuringly as he got onto the elevator.
This was only the third such interview Rael had conducted in his latest project, A New Breed, a series of articles on corporate America. He’d identified ten rising companies that were experiencing great success under the direction of young CEOs. Getting in to see them so far hadn’t proved problematic; it appeared this new breed of rising stars were keen to talk about themselves.
What made his heart race was the thought of interviewing Anson Prescott. Global Bio-Tech was at the top of Rael’s list, and it had taken him three months to tie Anson down to an interview date. The twenty-two-year-old CEO, although happy to talk to him, was apparently supremely busy.
Twenty-two. Christ. What was I doing at twenty-two? Hell, Rael was thirty-five, and he still didn’t have shit figured out.
The elevator came to a smooth halt, and the doors slid open, revealing a wall of glass emblazoned with the words Global Bio-Tech in gold lettering. Rael smiled to himself. No one can say they don’t know which company this is. He located the green button set into the glass and pressed it. About a minute later, an immaculately dressed woman appeared. She smiled as she approached, pointing a remote at the glass wall. One of the panels slid open.
“Mr. Parton? I’m Veronica Brading, Mr. Prescott’s secretary. My apologies, but Mr. Prescott is running a little late this morning. Unavoidable, I’m afraid. Please come this way. May I get you something while you wait? Coffee, tea, bottled water, or a soda perhaps? If you haven’t had breakfast, I can have something sent up.”
Rael smiled warmly. “Thank you, but I’m fine.” She gave him a single nod before walking back the way she’d come. Rael followed her along a hallway, the floor covered with a deep blue carpet. At the far end was a door. She opened it and stood to one side to let him enter. As soon as he did so, Rael caught his breath.
“Oh my God,” he said softly.
“That’s usually people’s first reaction. Although there have been a few who screamed.”
Rael turned his head to look at her. “Gee. I wonder why.” Then he returned his gaze to the sight before him. A glass cage took up the entire width of one wall. He estimated it had to be at least seventy feet long, twenty
feet high, and ten feet deep, reaching up to the ceiling. At each end stood a tree, both of them sturdy looking, almost reaching the top of the cage. In one of the front corners was a pool of water, and tall grasses sprang up over the floor of the cage. Rael couldn’t believe it. A complete habitat housed in a glass cage.
But what made his heart hammer was the tiger.
It lay stretched out on a low branch of one of the trees, its left front leg curved around the thick limb as if hugging it, its head resting on the branch—and its bright eyes focused on Rael.
Breathing had never been such a chore.
“What a magnificent animal,” Rael murmured. The tiger didn’t move, but its gaze didn’t falter. It lay so still Rael could hardly believe it was real, until he looked along its flanks to see the gentle movement of its body as it inhaled and exhaled.
He scanned the cage walls. “How do you get into it?” He couldn’t see a door.
“There are hatches behind the trees, big enough for someone to crawl through.”
Rael gave a chuckle. “Wait—so its dinner crawls inside?”
Veronica laughed. “No, those are for when the cage needs maintaining.” She pointed to the ceiling. “There’s a wire grille that covers the cage. It slides back so food can be dropped through.”
Rael wiped his forehead. “Even so, I wouldn’t crawl into a cage with a tiger in it.” He peered up at the grille. “You’d need a tall set of ladders to even get up there.” He couldn’t resist. “Do you ever get to feed it?”
Veronica put her hand to her chest. “It makes my heart pound just thinking about it. I leave that to braver souls than me.”
“Still, it’s taking a chance.” Rael had only ever seen tigers at the zoo, and each time his lion had roared at the sight of the captives. Which led him back to this tiger. “How does it come to be here?” He hated the idea of someone keeping such a beautiful predator as a pet, a rich man’s mere accessory.
“Mr. Prescott rescued it. Someone had smuggled it into the country as a cub and kept it in a basement.”
Rael’s pulse sped up, and blood pounded in his ears. “A basement?” It was a horrifying thought.
“I know. Apparently, he was a drug dealer who thought it amusing to keep a tiger. But when the police raided his house, they found the tiger, fully grown by then, chained up. It would have been destroyed, but Mr. Prescott spoke with a friend of his who happens to be a judge and got the necessary paperwork so he could save the poor creature.”
Rael breathed a little easier. He studied the cage again. “This is a well-thought-out environment,” he admitted. The temperature in the room was comfortable, so what with the grille on top, Rael guessed it was the same inside the cage.
“Mr. Prescott went to a good deal of trouble to make sure the tiger has everything it needs.”
Except the open air. And space. And freedom to move. To run.
The lion within him growled.
Rael turned to her. “But why keep it here? Why not turn it over to an animal sanctuary or a zoo? Surely that would be better than keeping it captive in a cage. No matter how luxurious or spacious it is.” Nothing could compare to the feeling of running through wide-open spaces. Then he realized what had surprised him most.
There had been no mention anywhere in his research of a tiger.
“You’d think having a tiger in his office would be a talking point,” he noted. “I can’t think why there haven’t been double-page spreads about Mr. Prescott and his efforts to save a poor imprisoned tiger.”
She gave a graceful shrug. “You’ll have to ask Mr. Prescott. The tiger belongs to him, after all.” At that moment a phone rang. “Excuse me.” She pointed to two couches that took up what space was left in the room. “Have a seat. I’ll be right back.” Veronica hurried toward a door at the rear of the room.
Rael had no intention of sitting.
He walked slowly toward the cage, careful not to make any sudden movements, conscious of the tiger’s scrutiny. He could hear Veronica talking in a low voice in the other room. When he reached the glass, he crouched down, making himself small, unable to tear his gaze away from the glorious predator stretched out languidly on the other side of the glass.
“You’re so beautiful,” Rael said softly. His lion wanted to flatten himself to the floor, to roll onto his back, making himself vulnerable. He’d always thought of himself as dominant, but there was something about this tiger that made him want to submit.
Something Rael couldn’t fathom.
A wave of nausea rolled over him, and in his head he heard a faint voice. Help me. A male voice, kind of weak.
What the fuck?
His stomach clenching, Rael swallowed. “Either I’m going crazy or I just heard you in my head.” He placed his hand flat to the glass. His heart pounded as the tiger dropped down gracefully from its perch on the branch and leisurely sauntered toward him, its muscles moving in sinuous harmony. When it reached Rael, the tiger pressed its nose against the glass covered by Rael’s hand.
And there it was again, the overpowering urge to submit. Then such impulses were flung aside when he heard the voice again. Help me. The nausea wasn’t as bad as before, but the voice was just as weak.
Ice crawled its way down Rael’s spine. Oh God. I’m not going crazy, am I?
As if in response, the tiger lifted its regal head and locked gazes with him. Help me?
Before Rael could react, Veronica came back into the room, and he rose hastily to his feet. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the tiger’s retreat to its former perch, and its departure caused Rael’s chest to tighten.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Parton. That was Mr. Prescott on the phone. He’s been unavoidably detained and won’t be able to see you today.”
Rael’s heart sank. “Then it seems I’ve come a long way for nothing.” He mentally calculated the time he’d wasted. A three-hour drive through the snow to the airport. Six hours in transit, including the stop in Salt Lake City. Not to mention the cheap and definitely uncomfortable hotel in downtown Chicago.
“I was about to say, Mr. Prescott assures you he will be here tomorrow. And as recompense for letting you down like this, he’s asked me to book you into the Langham Hotel tonight as his guest.” Veronica smiled. “I’ve taken the liberty of reserving you a suite with a view of the river.”
Rael did his best not to let his jaw drop. “That’s very kind of you.” A five-star luxury hotel beat the pants off the roach motel he was staying in. He’d seen photos of the Langham when he was looking for a place to stay—seen, then dismissed. He might make a comfortable living, but that didn’t mean he was about to throw that much money around.
She waved her hand. “It’s the least we could do, especially after you’ve flown here from Idaho.” She inclined her head toward the cage. “It’s awesome, isn’t it? I could sit and watch it for hours. Except then I’d get no work done, and I’d be out of a job.”
Rael gave the polite chuckle he was sure she expected. “In that case, I won’t keep you any longer. I’ll see you tomorrow. The same time?”
She nodded. “And thank you for being so understanding. I’ll see you out.”
And that was that. Rael gave the cage one last lingering glance. The tiger was once again stretched out on its branch, but its gaze was still fixed on Rael.
I didn’t imagine that, did I? Then he caught his breath when the tiger slowly raised its head.
Help. The single word was barely audible but laced with so much pain and anguish it shook Rael to his core.
“Mr. Parton?”
With a shiver Rael zapped back into the moment. Veronica was staring at him. He forced out a wry chuckle. “Sorry about that. I must have zoned out for a sec.”
She smiled. “Easy to do when you’re faced with a tiger.”
He walked with her to the glass wall, where she pointed again with the remote. Once on the other side, he gave her a smile. “Until tomorrow, then.”
She nodded before
heading back to her office.
Rael waited until she’d closed the door behind her before leaning weakly against the glass.
What the fuck just happened?
It wasn’t as if he didn’t come across a lot of creatures during his monthly shift in the Salmon-Challis National Forest. Most tended to run like crazy when he showed up, understandably. He’d never had one speak to him, however. That was definitely a first.
How did he do that? How did he get inside my head? Because if that voice was accurate, the tiger was male. Never mind that. How could I understand him?
For the life of him, Rael had no idea. All he did know was that the incident had shaken him badly. His heartbeat was nowhere near its normal rhythm, and there was a fluttery feeling in his belly that wouldn’t go away. The iciness that had slithered down his spine seemed to have found its way into his very core. But the thought of that tiger, his gaze focused so totally on Rael, sent a tingling sensation all over his skin that wasn’t exactly unpleasant. What made it all the stranger was the sudden urge to shift. Never before had he encountered such a strong inclination.
I don’t understand any of this.
He called for the elevator, his head in a spin. Maybe he needed to go to his new hotel and rest. Maybe sleep would help him think more clearly.
And if it happens again tomorrow?
Rael couldn’t think about that right then. Especially when part of him badly wanted to hear that voice again, to be near the tiger.
What the hell was going on?
Chapter Two
I COULD get used to this.
The Langham Hotel was the epitome of luxury, from its vaulted ceilings and chandeliers right down to the white leather couches in the lobby. Rael checked in, then went up to his room. He whistled as he took in the wide windows that looked out over the river.
“She wasn’t kidding about the view.”
He dropped his bags and jacket onto the bed. He’d planned on two nights in Chicago, and checking out of his previous hotel had been a pleasure. But now that he was done for the day, he found he couldn’t relax.
