by Thorne, Elle
What the hell? Who would have a database on shifters who wasn’t a shifter? Who did these damned human pirates work for?
Who cares?
She wanted them off her father’s ship and out of her life.
The men were walking away when Sophie breathed a scent in. It was a familiar scent, by now. Niko. But…
There was something very different about it. Something off.
She breathed deeply, ignoring the black-clad, masked intruders, and concentrated.
Shifter!
Niko was a shifter.
Rage swarmed throughout her body. He was a shifter. He’d lied to her from the start, and this lie of omission was more egregious than any other lie he could have told her.
Her attraction to him was a mockery. His attraction for her was a mockery. Their easy conversation had been fake.
Everything she felt about him was fake, because it was based on a lie.
Fury merged with her rage. Her tigress roared in her head.
Wait. No.
Her tigress was roaring at her? Why?
What the hell is going on here?
Sophie tuned her out. She wasn’t going to listen to her tigress.
A frown pulled at her features. She placed the majority of blame for her attraction to Niko on her tigress, a thought that made her tigress snarl.
No. I don’t want to hear it.
Her tigress’s roaring was relentless.
There’s no way he’s more of an ally to me than these pirate bastards. He’s on par with them. He’s just as bad.
Except Niko was more dangerous because he had infiltrated her emotions.
She wanted to hate him.
She gave him dirty looks. His hands were duct-taped in front of him. His face was innocent in its state of unconsciousness.
Innocent, my ass.
She could feel his pulse. The other pulse, too. She studied him.
Panther.
Black panther.
She’d show his panther something.
Damned liar.
The Eastern European called the Aussie then he and the American left the dining area.
Niko’s eye opened, just a slit. She gasped. He was awake.
“Liar,” she hissed, so low only his shifter hearing could pick it up.
He glanced at her.
“Your block wore off, you fucking liar.”
“Be quiet, or you’ll get us both killed.
“What do you care?” she scoffed.
Chapter Eight
Niko glared at her.
What the hell kind of question was that? What did he care?
Of course he cared. “Oh, and you’re who you say you are?”
An expression of shame crossed her face before it was replaced with anger again. “Don’t worry about who I am. Who cares?”
He heard footsteps and closed his eyes.
The intruders were back.
“Looks like facial recognition says you’re Sophie Tiero.” The Aussie was clearly the leader—at least, on this ship.
“Let’s take her and go,” the American said. “The loot’s been transferred to our boat, and they’re waiting for us. So let’s go already. Bring her along. She’ll be ransom or collateral if we need anything.”
“What about him?” the Aussie said.
“Let’s take him, too. Two hostages are better than one. We’ll kill him so the authorities can see we mean business.”
Sophie gasped. “Leave him here. He’s no one.”
“Oh?” It was the Eastern European guy. “If he’s no one, what do you care?”
“I bet he’s a Tiero,” the American added. “For sure, let’s take him with.”
Niko wasn’t going to make it easy for them. He’d shift and kill them.
Shit. What if they kill Sophie during that?
Okay, scratch that idea. He’d get on their boat.
They jostled him. “Wake up, sleepyhead.”
He faked waking up groggily, acting like he was still under the influence of the tranq dart. Clearly, these guys had experience with shifters. He’d have to look into them if and when he got out of this jam.
They escorted Sophie and Niko at gunpoint, not offering any help as they made their way down the makeshift ramp they’d set up between their boat and the cruise ship.
Niko took stock of their boat. It wasn’t too shabby. Large enough to house maybe thirty men. He counted four on the boat and four more behind him and Sophie. Surely between the two of them they could shift and take down eight men?
The only problem was, Niko wasn’t being paid to have her fighting next to him. And truth be told, that wasn’t where he wanted her anyway. He’d rather know she was safe and sound.
“Hurry up,” the Aussie ordered.
“What about the people on the Bella?” Sophie asked. “What’s going to happen to them?”
“They’ll be found adrift and rescued sooner or later. Then they’ll tell Daddy we have you. And Daddy will get frantic, and we’ll let them panic before we tell them the price for your release.”
“You clearly don’t know my father,” she scoffed. “If you think he’s going to pay a penny for me, you don’t know him at all.”
“Oh, I think he will.”
“We’ll see.” Sophie’s voice sounded too confident.
“Sit.” The American pointed to the deck with his weapon.
Niko wished she’d quit baiting them. He’d rather they didn’t kill her to prove a point.
“Would you shut up?” he snapped at her. He hoped the thieves would think he and Sophie didn’t get along, that they didn’t work together.
“Shut up. You’re such a fake,” she snapped back.
“Who’s the fake?” the Aussie asked.
“I just met him.” She turned her vitriol toward the thief. “He said his name is Niko. Who the hell knows who he is?”
“I say he’s a soldier. He snapped my man’s neck. That was a professional move. Unless you’re an assassin.” He pointed at the spot next to Sophie on the deck, indicating for Niko to take it.
Niko didn’t respond, but he settled next to Sophie.
Sophie gave him a dirty look and scooted inches away so her body wasn’t close to his.
“Evgeny,” the Aussie called to the Eastern European. “Take his picture.”
“No names,” Evgeny growled, and snapped a picture of Niko.
Good luck with that.
Niko knew for a fact all the databases with his face in them had been wiped, worldwide. He’d better come up with an answer for that.
The thieves moved away, talking to each other. Niko wished they’d give him something he could use in his and Sophie’s escape, but all they wanted to speak of was the haul they’d picked up on the Bella.
The thieves’ boat picked up speed and headed away from the cruise ship, which looked like a forlorn ghost ship as they left it in their wake.
“You’re an assassin,” she whispered. “And you’re…” She paused. “You know.”
“I’m not a damned assassin. But yeah, I’m the other.”
“And you’re a liar. Why did you mislead me?”
“I had to. I didn’t want anyone to know.”
“And to think I trusted you. You’re not trustworthy.”
“I am.” He made sure she was staring into his eyes before he continued. “I’m trustworthy for those I’ve given my trust to.”
“And why haven’t you given me your trust?” The hurt in her tone went all the way to her eyes.
“You didn’t even tell me your real name.” He instantly regretted those words. Wow. I’m an asshole. That comment is going to come back to haunt me later.
He’d have to make sure the moment he returned her to her family, he’d get the hell out of firing range.
The pirates came back. “You’re not in the system. You’re not in any system.”
“Why would I be? I’m not a criminal.”
“No. You see, you’re not in any sys
tem at all, good or bad. So, what’s your name?” The Aussie raised his pistol.
“Niko Andreakis.” He hoped they wouldn’t dig too deep.
The Aussie nodded at Evgeny who then left.
Sophie wouldn’t look at Niko, and the thieves wouldn’t stop staring at him. That was how the next fifteen minutes passed until Evgeny returned. Niko didn’t care for the expression on the man’s face.
He released a pent-up breath. Would he have to shift and kill them all? Would Sophie shift with him, or would she shift and try to kill him?
The Aussie and Evgeny turned around to face him and Sophie. They had tranq darts pulled.
“I don’t know who you are,” Evgeny said. “I don’t know why you’re here. Right now, you’re only going to serve as a pawn to convince them we mean business.”
He didn’t even have time to snarl.
They shot their tranq darts.
One into Sophie.
One into Niko.
Chapter Nine
Sophie woke up.
Again.
This tranq thing was wreaking havoc on her body. Her head was fuzzy. Things felt different. What was it?
She wasn’t on water anymore.
She glanced around and discovered she was in a little building made of solid stone. It had a window that was too small for an adult to slip out of, assuming he or she could remove the iron bars blocking it. She rose to her feet and realized the duct tape had been cut off. The sticky remnants still remained on her skin, which was red and raw where they’d ripped the tape loose while she’d been unconscious.
Bastards.
She looked for Niko. He was the closest thing she had to an ally while they were being held captive.
He was lying on the floor, still out. She’d noticed as she was losing consciousness, they’d shot him too. It seemed, the Aussie had thought Evgeny was going to shoot her, so he’d shot Niko. Then the American had shot her.
She studied their accommodations, which seemed to be shifter-proof. She rose and went to the window. It was about four feet tall but only eight inches wide. Even if she was a skinny thing, she wouldn’t have been able to get through that. And she was far from skinny.
She peered down at her dress. It was torn, disheveled. If her father saw her in this condition, he’d kill her kidnappers.
If he can find me.
If he wanted to find her. The way she’d been avoiding him, she was sure she’d been forsaken. Truthfully, hadn’t she forsaken her family lately? Choosing to go off on her own and not be involved in their issues?
She’d picked no sides in their disagreements. So she stood for nothing, basically. She couldn’t blame her brothers or her father for not ransoming her. She hadn’t been much of a family member.
At least if I’d taken a side, then I’d be taking a stand.
Well, if she had to take a side, she’d side with her brothers. She had her own set of problems and secrets, though.
She wasn’t about to involve them in her secret. Not that secret. Not a chance.
A groan interrupted her thoughts.
Niko.
She was elated for a moment, because she’d missed him. Then she remembered he was a traitor and gave him a dirty look.
He groaned again and sat up. “Shit. Where the hell are we?”
She pointed to the window. “As far as I can tell, it’s an island.”
“What? Why?”
“I heard them say they were going to ransom me.” She allowed herself a self-deprecating smile. “Little do they know…”
“Little do they know, what?”
“No one in my family will want to pay my ransom. I’ve pissed damned near everyone off.”
His eyes took her in. “Surely not.”
Surely yes. She nodded.
She wanted to cry. She’d alienated both Vax and Rafe by not taking their sides. And Veila, too, after she’d chosen a lion for a mate.
In her father’s eyes, Lila was probably the only one who hadn’t gone against their code—except Lila had sided with their siblings. Like I should have.
But Niko didn’t need to know all that. He wasn’t the man she’d thought she knew. He was a liar, and he was hiding something. He wasn’t trustworthy, and he wasn’t her friend.
Voices approached.
“They’re coming,” she whispered.
Niko dropped back down, pretending to be unconscious again.
Evgeny and the American strolled into her view. “Princess is awake, it seems,” Evgeny said.
“Her knight in shining armor seems to be knocked out, still.” The American laughed. “You two really got the best of him. We’re lucky he didn’t die.”
“Who cares if he dies?” Evgeny said. “As long as she’s alive. She’s the money. He’s a pawn. Expendable.”
“Where are we?” she asked them.
“On a luxury island,” the American sneered.
Evgeny joined him in laughter.
“Where’s your boss? I want to talk to him.”
“It’s just us, princess. The rest of them left. There are other boats to tend to.” His smile was evil.
“You mean hijack.”
“Whatever,” the American said.
“They’ll come back when they hear word from your father,” Evgeny added.
“My family has written me off, you idiot. They won’t give you anything.”
* * *
Niko wanted to tell her to shut the hell up. That kind of talk would get her killed. She needed to be considered valuable.
Fool. Tempting these idiots.
Then it hit him.
God, I’m such a fool myself, because I’m in love with that fool.
He and his panther were head over heels and tail in love with that fiery orange tigress.
His panther roared. His panther had known all along she was their only mate.
Niko heard a choking sound and chanced opening one eye a tiny bit.
She was lying on the floor, convulsing. Her body was spasming. His muscles bunched, ready to leap to her aid, to make sure she didn’t die, then he noticed she winked at him during one of the convulsions.
That was a wink, right? Shit.
If he was wrong, he was risking her life. But her brother hadn’t said she had seizures or anything of that nature.
She kept on seizing, spasming over and over.
“What the hell?” the American was yelling at Evgeny.
“I don’t know!” he yelled back.
“Help her.” The American’s voice was frantic.
Niko heard the sound of keys jingling.
The squeal of a rusty door opening was the only sign he needed. He waited until they’d gathered around her and then he sprang into action.
He leapt up with a speed only a supernatural being would have and used his military training to take them out of commission. Instead of shifting and killing them instantly, he incapacitated them with a series of kicks and chops.
When he was done, Sophie got to her feet. “Jesus. What took you so long? I was getting lightheaded from holding my breath for so long.”
He shook his head in disbelief. He was one of the best in his unit, and she was complaining.
“Okay. I get it. You still hate me, for whatever reason.”
“Whatever reason? Sure, minimize it.” She leaned down and looked at the American then lifted his mask off. “Why didn’t you kill them?”
“They may have information. They may be useful, if we have to trade our lives for them. Plus, dead bodies stink, and I’m not going to bury the bastards.”
She picked up the tranq pistols the men had been carrying and shot them each with a dart.
“Now, let’s get them tied up and gagged.” She took the keys off them and walked out of the cell. She glanced back at him. “Coming?”
He studied her figure, silhouetted in the sunshine. Jesus, she was beautiful, dangerous, and pissed.
And God damn, he wanted her.
But he kne
w he’d have to wait.
His panther roared in frustration.
Chapter Ten
“Why didn’t you tell me you’re a shifter? Why did you hide that?” Sophie couldn’t keep her hurt from showing in her voice as they walked around the tiny island.
On their right-hand side lay the ocean, sparkling like sapphires mixed with diamonds. On the other side was undergrowth, bushes, a few tropical trees, and volcanic rock between the beach and the undergrowth.
They’d walked a few yards away from the building they’d been in. She turned around and stared at it.
“What is that place?”
“It’s an old church.”
She almost jumped for joy. “There are people on this island?”
He shook his head. “No. Like so many of the islands around Greece, this one is abandoned. The church is probably from the eleventh or twelfth century, I’d guess.”
Her dinner dress was a mess. Sand and surf had saturated the bottom half and made it far too heavy.
She plopped down on a fallen tree. “I can’t walk anymore. I can’t wear this damned dress. Look at it.” She jerked the sodden fabric away from her legs.
“Let me help. Stand up.” He gave her a hand and stood her on the log so he’d have better access.
Niko extended a razor-tipped, lethal claw.
Sophie’s eyes widened. “What the hell?”
“Trust me,” he said.
She scoffed. “Sure. You’ve been so very trustworthy up to this point. I don’t even know your real name.”
“It’s Niko.” He sheared off the bottom half of her dress, leaving her bare below mid-thigh. He didn’t hurry to rise, leaving his hand on her leg, just above the knee.
Sophie held her breath. The feel of his hand on her thigh, even though his touch wasn’t sexual, was beyond belief, over-the-top sexual. Her belly quivered. Deep inside her core, she felt a flutter.
She hated herself for the weakness she felt with him, and, at the same time, she loved it. He brought out a feeling in her she’d never experienced with anyone else.
“So, how do you know so much about this island? Greek churches, stuff like that, especially when you don’t have a Greek accent?”
He let out a deep breath. “Time to tell some truths, I guess.”