by Selina Woods
My brother? I have a brother?
The smallish fellow with hair and eyes exactly like Mother’s grinned, and he hugged me. “Welcome,” he said. “Logan.”
I parted from him, chuckling into his face, and tousled his hair as much as I did Tony’s or Albert’s. “My little brother.”
Mother’s voice broke into our reunion. “This is your older brother, Ragnor.”
I stared into a face so much like mine that I swore I gaped into a mirror. He stared at me just as hard, then grinned. “Logan.”
I couldn’t help myself. I ignored his extended hand and hugged him hard to me, my throat thick. “I never knew you existed.”
He laughed. “I didn’t either until I found Mother. Come inside; we have so much to catch up on.”
My hand in Kiana’s, I started toward the door and heard my mother say, “Your brother, another son, is on his way even now. We must plan to welcome him home.”
Saved By the Lion
(Shifters Hunt)
Book IV
Story Description
Saved By The Lion: (Shifters Hunt) Book 4
by
Selina Woods
When Beast meets Beauty, light pierces through his dark, lonely world. But in this tale, our hero sits atop a bloodied throne and there is no magic spell to break him of his curse. Griffin, lion-shifter and king of post-apocalyptic Detroit, will stop at nothing to protect sweet Iliana. But will she love him in return, once she’s faced the truth of who he is?
Chapter One
Restless, I paced my luxurious penthouse suite at the top of a high rise, the wind kicking me in the face as I stood on the balcony. The place was spacious, filled with expensive furniture, original oil paintings on the walls, and priceless statues on marble stands. The best tailored clothes hung in the closets, and wealth unimaginable in this day and age was in my fist. And should be everything I ever wanted or needed. Right?
It was a cage.
Gripping the rail until my knuckles showed white, I gazed down at the sewer I ruled over. Anger and loneliness hovered at my shoulder as they always did these days, and I growled low in my throat, staring out over the expanse of the city.
Detroit. Once a grand place before the wars bombed it to shit, a city where cars were once made, and people were employed and had the freedom I now denied them.
I heard the discreet hiss of the elevator doors sliding open, then closed, but didn’t bother to turn around. No one would dare attack me in my lair, and if an enemy wanted to shoot me in the back and take my place, well, he was welcome to it.
“Excuse me, Griffin.”
The voice belonged to my lieutenant, whose loyalty, like that of all the people I employed to run my operation, hung by the thinnest of threads. Brand bowed and scraped when it suited him, and would no doubt cut my throat the moment I showed any weakness. Drawing in a deep breath, I turned to face him, half expecting a gun pointed at my chest.
“Yeah?” I drawled, as usual hiding my emotions. Showing emotions indicated a weakness, and one a shifter like Brand might exploit. Thus, I carefully maintained a half-bored façade while my rage tended to explode at indiscriminate moments.
“I have the day’s take,” he said, handing me a sheaf of papers and a thick manilla envelope.
“Did any of the enforcers have any trouble?” I asked, ambling into the penthouse as I glanced at the list of enforcers and what they had taken from the citizens.
Brand, shorter than me by about an inch, and nearly as broad and heavy, was a lion shifter just as I was. He owned pale amber-gold eyes and thick wavy blond hair, while my eyes were a deep brown and my hair as black as jet. He kept his thoughts well hidden from me, and I kept mine from him, and it suited us both perfectly. He knew I’d rip his throat out at the slightest disrespect or inkling of disloyalty, and it was that fear I ingrained in him that kept him firmly in line.
“There’s a lion family on Market Street,” he said, his tone cautious. “They run a small restaurant, decent food and good service.”
“They’re giving the enforcer trouble?”
“No, not exactly. They want to talk to you.”
Gazing into his pale eyes, I saw nothing I shouldn’t ordinarily see. Only what he wanted me to. Of course, I considered it could be a trap whereby I would go pay a call on this restaurant and have a chat with the family, only to be gunned down the moment I stepped back out onto the street. “Were you told any reason why?”
He shook his head. “Nope. My guess is they want to fall upon your mercy and beg a reduction in their monthly taxes.”
“Can’t have that,” I replied. “Then word will get out, and all the citizens will be clamoring for a reduction.”
“Exactly.”
I shrugged lazily. “I reckon I’ll pay them a visit now.”
“I’ll have your car waiting.”
After Brand vanished into the elevator, I went to my secret safe hidden in my massive bedroom. It sat behind a painting of a lion stalking a wildebeest, next to the huge bed I slept in. I spun the dials for the combination only I knew and opened its heavy door. I put the cash in with the rest of my wealth, which had added up over the last year since I killed Detroit’s former ruler.
My people were paid weekly, and I easily paid them with a quarter of what I took in. The rest was spectacular profit. Yet, it gained me nothing. Anything I wanted; I took. I never paid for the food I ate, the clothes that clad me, nor the penthouse I lived in.
“All that cash is little more than paper,” I muttered as I put on a leather coat over my plain white t-shirt. “Unless someone kills me for it.”
And perhaps someone would someday. After all, I climbed up the ladder by fighting and killing those who stood in my way. One day, a young lion or tiger would do the same by killing me. However, at the moment, none had tried, and though I was by far the youngest lord who ruled Detroit, I believe I was the meanest.
I tucked a semiautomatic handgun into the small of my back and double-checked to make sure my knives were secure in my boots. While a lion had natural weapons, such as fangs and deadly claws, it was hard to kill someone who was twenty feet away while in lion form. Even savage lions fell dead with multiple rounds in the head and chest.
I took the elevator down to the main level, where my bodyguards lounged. They had little to do save guard my life, which some took to be a religious calling. I paid them more than anyone else and knew I could count on them remaining loyal. At least for the time being. They liked their jobs and hated a change in management.
“Afternoon, boss,” many of them murmured as I locked the elevator with the only key. A few others lifted fingers to brows as I nodded to them and wished them a good afternoon back.
Brand would have alerted other guards to accompany me, but I never let any of them act as a chauffeur and drive me. It was far too easy to drive me into an ambush, and I never let anyone have that much control over my fate. Outside on the pavement, the chilly wind blew, forcing me to zip up my jacket. My vehicle, a big black SUV with darkly tinted windows, idled at the curb while five other cars, two in front and three in the back, held at least twenty guards in them.
Brand nodded respectfully enough to me before heading back into the building. I got in behind the wheel while a stiff-backed guard held the door, and he closed it for me before trotting to the car ahead and climbing in. Thus, in a long caravan, we headed from the building I called home and headed downtown.
The citizens of Detroit, as well as my enforcers, knew my vehicle as well as they knew my face. My motorcade, if that’s what it could be called, was stared at, pointed toward while many folks I passed bolted for cover. I was known to be merciless, cunning, cruel, vindictive, and downright deadly to cross.
Such a reputation was necessary to survive in this world.
The cars pulled to the curb on Market Street between the shells of old, bombed-out vehicles no one ever bothered to drag away and dump. People on the sidewalk scattered like pigeons as my gu
ards got out and scanned the area for any possible threat to my person. The big rifles in their hands did wonders to prevent assassination attempts.
I, too, got out and walked to the sidewalk, gazing up at the sign over the clean looking restaurant. The Devil’s Headmaster, I read, which sounded like a name for an old-time biker bar than a tidy restaurant. Shrugging, I went in and found the place nearly packed with diners. Waitresses bearing huge platters dodged among the tables with an agility that astounded me.
Four guards attended me. “Must be good food,” I shouted to be heard over the cacophony.”
One, named Freddy, nodded. “Yeah, I eat here a lot. Great food.”
A guard found an empty booth big enough for the four of us, and we sat. A cute waitress arrived after only a few minutes and took a good look at my face. Hers paled, and her eyes bulged until I feared they’d roll from their sockets and land on my table. I held up my hand to indicate my peaceful intentions.
“We need menus,” I said calmly. “And I’m told the owners want to see me,”
“Yes, sir.”
She left menus behind, then dashed away toward the back of the place. The guard, Freddy, suggested a few items that, in his opinion, were the best while I examined the menu. “The bacon burger is to die for, boss,” he said with an affable grin.
“I’ll take your word for it.” I closed the menu and set it aside, then looked around.
No one else seemed to have noticed I was in The Devil’s Headmaster’s restaurant, as dining, talk, and some laughter continued without interruption. I found I liked the anonymity for a change and leaned against the booth’s back where my face might be hidden.
It wasn’t to last, however, for a tall lion shifter wearing a stained apron approached our booth, his expression set. I guessed him to be the owner who had asked to talk to me, and, sure enough, he introduced himself as Hyde, the restaurant’s owner. I shook hands with him briefly.
“If you don’t mind, Griffin, sir,” he said, both deferential and unintimidated, “might we speak in private? It is rather loud in here for a private conversation.”
“Sure. But two of my men will go with me.”
“That’s fine, sir.”
With Freddy and another guard, I left the other two to keep our booth from being taken and followed Hyde to his office. We passed waitresses busy taking platters of food and drink out while at least four cooks churned out the delicious smelling burgers, fries, ribs, steaks, and fried fish. I definitely needed to eat here after I had my chat with the shifter. My belly rumbled.
Inside his quiet office, he closed the door. He did not sit, and met me eye for eye. I immediately respected him for it, for he clearly was a lion and owned all the courage of our species. He would fight if provoked, and I certainly had no desire to provoke a fight.
“What can I do for you?” I asked.
“I mean no disrespect, Griffin,” he said, his anger rising clearly in his tense face and flattened eyes. “I asked you here to rein in your enforcers.”
I blinked. “Rein them in? In what way?”
A growl rose in his throat, and Freddy and the other guard stiffened, alert to any trouble. They’d take him down in a flash and kill him on the spot if necessary, to protect me. “I want them to leave my daughter alone.”
“All right.” I hitched my hip onto his desk and gestured for him to speak. “Tell me what they are doing.”
The office was too small to pace, not with four big shifters in it, but Hyde managed to pace anyway. “She is eighteen years old and beautiful,” he began. “I hate to brag, but she is. Your enforcers have no respect for boundaries and try to grab her in—inappropriate ways. Even if I keep her away, they demand to see her anytime they come to collect.”
“I see.”
And I did. The enforcers most often did as they pleased, and that included not just collecting the dues owed me; they raped, beat, or tortured anyone they wanted. Once I gained power, I did my best to stop the worst of their deeds, but it still continued, and few citizens dared to tell me about it.
“Even when they don’t come to collect,” he went on, still furious, “they come in simply to hassle her, touch her. Even gangs that don’t belong in our neighborhood come by. I’m afraid one day they’ll go too far and she’ll be raped and killed.”
“That is a possibility.”
“I have no desire for trouble, Griffin,” Hyde told me. “I pay on time every month. But I cannot stand by and see her molested. I will kill the next one who dares to touch her.”
I lifted my hand in a gesture of peace. “I will give them warning, Hyde,” I said. “And the next one who attempts to manhandle your daughter will face me. Perhaps a few opened throats will deter the rest.”
Hyde drew in a deep breath, his light blue eyes meeting mine. “Thank you,” he said. “I almost didn’t dare ask you, out of fear you would laugh at me and not bother to help protect her. My daughter is all I have, and she’s innocent.”
“No worries.” I smiled. “We need a bit more innocence in this bad city. I will do my best to keep her safe.”
“I want you to meet her.” Hyde opened the door and stuck his head out, then called. “Iliana, come here.”
Chapter Two
Hyde wasn’t kidding when he said his daughter was beautiful. Iliana took my wits away. Freddy and the other guard sucked in their collective breath and gaped like fools. Hyde watched me anxiously, as though fearing I might pounce on her at that very moment and ravish her. My jeans suddenly felt way too tight.
She had long silky black hair that fell to her tiny waist, huge sapphire blue eyes in an oval face with lips just perfect for kissing. Standing at half my height, she gazed up at me with a mixture of fear and hope, and the tiny smile she offered me set my heart to pounding.
“Uh, hi,” I said, knowing immediately how stupid it sounded, and held out my hand to her. “I’m Griffin.”
She clasped my hand briefly. “Iliana. I’m pleased to meet you.”
I had to look away from those blue pools before I drowned. I glanced back at Hyde and did my best to appear as though I were in charge. “I promise. None of my crew will bother her again.”
Hyde drew in a deep breath, grinning. “Thank you, sir.”
I poked my finger into Freddy’s shoulder as he continued to stare at Iliana, and he gulped, tearing his eyes from her as much as I had. “I’ll send a warning out,” I said to Hyde with another quick glance at the girl, “but if the harassment continues, you get word to me immediately. Okay?”
“I will. Thank you again, sir, and your meal today is on the house.”
For someone who was no doubt used to being stared at, Iliana blushed a bright pink and lowered her eyes when I sent her a friendly wink and a smile. “I’ve heard good things about your food here,” I told him and shook his hand. “I’m looking forward to trying it.”
“I’ll bring your meal to you myself.”
Without any further reason to stay and stare, I nodded once more to Iliana and led Freddy and the other guard out of the office. Wending my way among the tables, and as I had no wish to disrupt the place by causing a panic if I were recognized, I kept my face lowered. The tiny, fearful waitress arrived to take our orders, then vanished into the mix.
“She really is a stunner,” Freddy breathed after she had gone, a silly grin on his face.
“Yeah,” the other guard, whose name I thought was Keith, added, “no wonder the enforcers keep coming by.”
“She’s under my protection,” I growled, glaring, seeing them cringe back from me. “I will kill anyone who bothers her again.”
“Sure, boss,” Keith said with a fearful grin. “I was just complimenting her.”
I kept my distance from those who worked for me, not wanting to know their names or their histories, nor did I desire their friendship. I could never trust that someone I liked wouldn’t suddenly stab me in the back with a sharp instrument. And that mistrust only led to more anger, resentment, and l
oneliness.
Hyde did indeed bring our food to us personally, and set the delicious smelling burgers, fries, and ribs down. “Let me know if I can do anything else for you, sir,” he told me.
“I will, thanks.”
The food was indeed as good as Freddy had said it was, and I devoured it with gusto. My guards ate in silence, as I had no desire to strike up a conversation with them, and we all kept a watchful eye on the crowd of diners. Folks of all species from humans to deer shifters to the wolves, lions and even tigers came and went as we sat in our booth.
Hyde came out to check on the quality of the meal. “How is everything, Griffin?”
“I plan to keep coming back,” I replied, covering a belch with my fist. “It’s as good as everyone says it is.”
“Great. I’ll look forward to seeing you again.”
That was a first. Someone who actually liked me. At least, I thought he might like me. He certainly appreciated the protection I offered Iliana. I noticed she didn’t come out from the back to mingle with the customers, and now I understood why. Her almost perfect looks made her a target for any male with a pulse.
“Uh, boss,” said Freddy, his eyes toward the door. “We got company.”
I turned my head to see a pair of enforcers stride in, their arrogance and sneers marking them as mine, even if I didn’t know them personally. And as Hyde had already paid his dues into my coffers, unless they came to eat, they had no business being there. Just as I suspected they would, they headed straight for the rear of the restaurant.
“Wait here,” I said.
“Someone should guard your back, boss,” Freddy said, standing up when I did.
“All right,” I told him. “You others come along, too, but hang back.”
I made my way among the staff and diners, observing the enforcers vanish into the office. Pushing my hand down in a flattening gesture to Freddy, I ordered him to silence and crept to the half-opened door. Without revealing my presence, I listened for a moment.