Indeed. He couldn’t wait to let his Jaguar out. The supernatural community needed more safe havens like this to escape the daily grind! When was the last time he went on vacation anyway?
Fuck. The last time he’d been out of the country had been back when he was a kid. In Ecuador. With Marco and her. Rrrr. His Jaguar hissed and roared inside if his mind’s eye. Luis almost slammed his head into a brick wall just to get the blasted animal to shut up.
His Beast was still pissed off with him for walking out on Isabella Fuente all those years ago. But she’d been a child. Almost his kid sister for fuck’s sake! And he’d been a teenager.
What were the choices anyway? He would never get between his best friend and the guy’s little sister! That would be a complete dick move.
So Isabella had had a stupid crush. That’s all it was. Then why did you run when she called you fated mates? He ran a hand through his thick black hair and straightened his clingy t-shirt.
Because. He answered his own question. Albeit, rather immaturely. Because it wasn’t real. He was smart to leave before things went too far. She was so beautiful. Especially that night.
Her hair was a wild tangle of red that always reminded him of fire. She was pale with plump lips and blue eyes, her skin like ivory with a smattering of freckles and yet she tanned in the sun like every other South American kid.
Damn. It broke his heart now to picture her petite frame and round face. She was a kid, but at the cusp of becoming a woman that night at just fifteen years old. He was in serious danger of falling under her spell.
She’d been warm and sweet and fresh. Loving and generous. Everything he’d ever wanted having come from a cold and distant family. He’d had no choice. Running was his only option.
He’d never have been able to explain to Marco that he and his sister had made out, or worse. And, let’s face it, teenagers were not known for their restraint.
Only a crush, yes, but one he could not allow himself to indulge in. We were children, not mates, he told himself firmly. The hollow part in his chest begged to differ. As did his Beast.
Mates. Mine. Though he expected his Jaguar’s reply, it didn’t make hearing the guttural word any easier. Just lately his animal had gotten more and more demanding. Insistent even. The bastard was a real cockblocking son of a bitch.
Sure, Luis had looks and charm, but the truth was he’d not enjoyed a single one of the dozens of women who threw themselves at him regularly in the last year! Stupid cat could think of one woman only. Isabella Fuente.
The shame he felt at his behavior made his ears grow warm. He had not even seen her since then. That hurt the most. She seemed to avoid her brother whenever Luis was around. And yet he remained friends with Marco.
Luis was a loyal man. A good friend. Yes, they still kept in touch, Even worked together a time or two. He listened to tales of Isabella told by her brother with a practiced nonchalance over the years.
But lately, he couldn’t handle it. He’d been avoiding Marco and anything having to do with his past. With her. His focus had turned to his Station and to building up his rep as a Warden and more.
The Latin Lover. He’d gotten that moniker after a night on the town with his Station mates where he’d gotten twenty, that’s right, twenty cell numbers in less than an hour. He hadn’t used a single one despite the teasing.
Stupid nickname! And now here he was, at the centennial convention for the Wardens of Terra, in the sunshine state, and still his Beast longed for the one woman he hadn’t seen in over a decade. Not one of the texts or emails he’d sent had been answered. Not one.
His human half wanted to rejoice in the fact that she’d been wrong. They weren’t mates. If they were, how could she ignore him? Nah. He’d been right.
No. She is our mate. Mine. His Jaguar forced the words into his head. The animal was furious at his human half for believing his own bull shit. He’d been getting harder and harder to control over the past few months, but that wasn’t unexpected.
Approaching thirty was a rough time for unmated male shifters. His Station Master, Rex, a big ass Bear Shifter, had sent him down to the convention after he’d gone a little too far apprehending a lone Warlock who’d been looking to stir up trouble near their base in Virginia.
Take a guy swimming and everyone gets a little antsy around you. Well, in their defense he’d taken the Warlock to the pier in the middle of the night where he’d proceeded to dunk him head first into the water.
Luis avoided the liquid stuff, you know, being a cat and all. He’d tied the guy’s feet with some industrial strength fishing line and hoisted him up over the water by tossing the line over a pole right on the far edge of the dock.
Damn line was strong as fuck. Designed for shark fishing, Luis wasn’t surprised it held the Warlock’s weight though everyone else seemed to be. Fucking sharks were big.
The Warlock, who’d screamed he couldn’t swim repeatedly, also hadn’t known about that. By the time the night ended, Luis had the location to the altar the Warlock had set up with the intention of calling to the Demons who waited on the other side of the veil for an invitation to cross over and run amuck. Dark artifacts bagged and stored, no harm no foul. But did Rex feel that way?
Hell to the no. And here he was, banished to a weekend of conferences with a bunch of stuffed shirts. Well, at least there would be a party tonight. Food, booze, maybe a pretty face or two to pass the time.
Who are you kidding? They mean nothing. He huffed out a breath and walked back through the doors into the hotel lobby. He stilled instantly. The air sizzled around him. What the?
The smell of mangoes and fresh air hit him right in the gut. He stopped dead in his tracks. One foot still in the air. His eyes grew wide. He hadn’t smelled that perfect combination of sunshine and sweetness in years. But how?
Holy. Shit. She’s here! Luis’ dark gaze devoured her from the top of her wild red curls to the soles of her tiny little feet.
Isabella Fuente was still petite, a good foot shorter than he was. The surprise came in the womanly body he did not recognize.
Sleek and lean, she was fit as most Shifters were. Her toned athleticism easy to define, but what had him gasping for air was the ripe roundness of her breasts and hips. Isabella was a woman. And he was fucked.
Well, if he was lucky, anyway. She was more enticing than he’d imagined. And he’d done a lot of imagining. Isabelle Fuente was a Fox. Literally and metaphorically. And she was his. Mine. Roar.
“Hello, Bella,” he said into her ear. He noted the shiver that pulsed through her body before he found himself holding the side of his face.
It was all he could do not to fall right on his ass after her fist smashed right into his cheek. Fuck me!
“What the heck?!” She yipped and turned to face him.
“Mierda! Lo siento. Sorry, Bella, I just wanted to say hello,” Luis rubbed his stinging cheek and eyed her warily.
Her chest rose and fell with the force of her breath, but she gave nothing else away.
No other emotion. He didn’t mean to startle her. Then again, he wasn’t entirely sure she hadn’t been aware of him before she went all Oscar De La Hoya on his ass.
He could have sworn he saw her nose twitch in recognition, but that was a split second before she swung that deadly left hook of hers. She’d always been a boxing fan. Damn. What a woman!
Being the smallest Shifter at the finca, Isabella had endured a lot of teasing. Teasing that Luis had helped put an end to when he’d started teaching her to box.
“I should have remembered the left hook,” he smiled, hoping to smooth things over with the easy charm most women found irresistible.
Not Isabella. One look into her cold blue eyes told him charm was not going to work. Fuck.
“How are you, Isabella?”
“Go to hell, Luis.”
She turned her back and walked away from him as if he was nothing to her. He cringed as her red high heels clicked across the tiled floo
r of the hotel as she made her way clear across the lobby to the elevators. He watched as many male heads turned to watch the sexy Fox Shifter. Roarrr.
He felt himself tense. Was that jealousy? Fuck yeah. Head held high, luscious backside swaying, she pulled her suitcase along, pressed the elevator button, and didn’t look back. Not once.
He didn’t need his Jaguar’s roar in his head to know he was in deep shit this time. Isabella Fuente was here for the convention, he had no doubt. It was as if the universe had given him a gift. One chance to work things out. And hopefully not fuck up. Again.
One thing was certain, Luis was determined to settle things with her before the weekend was through.
Mine!
Chapter 2
Of all the men in the world! Por favor! No! Isabella knew in the back of her mind that there was a possibility of running into the last Shifter in the world she’d ever wanted to see, but having to face him the second she arrived? That was one thing she hadn’t counted on.
Luis Fernandez. Just thinking his name was enough to send shivers down her spine. The way he stood there, all lazy elegance and sex refined, made her mouth water. It wasn’t fair! After all these years, to have him turn her insides to mush with barely a whispered hello?
No. NO. She was not doing this. Despite her months-long communication with Phoebe Bright, a Witch and Junior Station Master assigned to their Virginia branch, the woman who’d convinced her to attend this conference to meet with her about a transfer, Isabella had no intention of tangling with Luis again. Not after last time.
Sure, she had been a child. An innocent teenager in love for the first, and only, time in her life, but that hadn’t made his complete and total rejection of her any easier.
On the contrary, she’d been devastated. Turning to her training, she graduated the finca at the top of her class and had been traveling through Stations across Latin America since then.
She’d inquired about obtaining a more permanent spot at a Station, but the ridiculously chauvinistic world of Zodiac Shifters had left her high and dry.
Until a certain Ms. Bright got in touch. She’d wrangled it so that Isabella would attend the Wardens of Terra Centennial Convention.
Here, they would meet and discuss her permanent transfer to Ms. Bright’s current assignment. The Virginia Station or Station Northeast as it was called, seemed perfect. She just had to make it through the next few days.
Meaning, she had to avoid Luis! Easier said than done. She growled as she walked into her hotel room, slamming the door shut.
Later that night…
The ballroom was dimly lit, but what really astounded her was the thousands of twinkle lights that were set up all around the grounds outside. After spending the afternoon listening to one boring lecture after another, she’d looked forward to tonight’s festivities with eager anticipation.
She’d expected to run into Luis again, but was lucky to have missed him. Lucky or disappointed? Her Fox growled the answer. An answer she didn’t want to hear. Find him. Mate.
No! She shushed her Vixen. She didn’t want to go there. Not ever again. Luis had done enough damage. She was focused on her career now. Isabella would never risk her heart again.
She turned away from the pounding rhythmic music the DJ was playing and escaped through the double doors to the colorful carnival that was spread out across the grass.
“What is this?” She asked no one in particular, taking in the lights and noise with a childlike thrill she hadn’t felt in years.
“The Heralds decided a real celebration was warranted given we have been called back into action,” the deep voice was familiar and yet foreign.
As a teenager, Luis Fernandez had been heartbreakingly handsome, as an adult, he was devastating. The timbre of his voice was rich and deep, his accent all but gone since his departure from Ecuador.
She’d been a Shifter long enough to know they picked up and dropped accents easily with their acute hearing. Also, as part of their training, Wardens had all but mastered the art of assimilation.
Still. She hadn’t been talking to anyone in particular when she voiced her question. He must have been watching her. The thought left her stomach tightening in response.
She inclined her head, a thanks of sorts, and moved to turn away. The rustle of her skirt loud in the sudden silence between them.
“Isabella, please,” he murmured placing a hand on her bare shoulder. She couldn’t stop the shudder that racked her body. And hated herself for it.
“Luis, we have nothing to say to each other.”
“Isabella, I was just a boy then, let me explain-”
“That is not necessary. I intend to enjoy the carnival before tomorrow’s rounds of conferences, Good evening.”
Chapter 3
Luis watched her walk away from him. He grimaced as unexpected pain lanced through his heart. Fuck.
This was the only woman in the world who could wreck him so easily. She always could. He must have sensed that as a boy. Maybe it was why he ran? He watched her with covetous eyes.
She was unapologetically beautiful. Had been as a child, but as a woman her beauty surpassed every one of his expectations. The curve of her back as she swayed in and out of the crowds. She stopped and chatted with a few people.
Wardens he knew or would get the names of as soon as he was done following her! Her smile was still dazzling. He remembered how easily and readily she had smiled as a kid. Her inquisitive nature startled him back then. She’d been so open and honest. Now she was a stranger. Or was she?
His gaze never left her retreating form. The thick mane of her glorious red hair fell down her back in a careless tumble of waves that managed to look artistic, though he knew she’d have done nothing more than wash it before dressing.
Her shiny locks were enticing, begging for his nose to delve in between them and breathe in her scent. Luis practically drooled at the thought of smelling her, everywhere.
He bit his lip, silencing the growl that threatened to slip out. Not wise near so many Shifters. He watched as others looked their fill as she cut a path between vendors and revelers. Back off fuckers!
He closed his eyes and counted to five. Chill out. You’re acting like a caveman. He opened them again and flicked his eyes over the people milling about. Where was she?
He breathed again when he spotted her, walking towards a row of games and miniature tents. This convention was truly a spectacle. The idea of hosting a carnival to celebrate the Wardens’ return was unique if not a little daunting.
Still, through all the lights and noise of the party, Luis could only picture Isabella and her deep blue eyes that always seemed to sparkle. She used to love rides, he wondered if she still did.
He sided up to her and took her hand, ignoring the way she tensed. Without words he pulled her alongside him to a line for some whimsical ride that was bound to spin them until he got sick. He hated spinning.
She raised an auburn eyebrow, but he just smiled. Giving her hand another squeeze and marveling at the zip of recognition that raced through him.
The strapless gown she wore was the color of midnight. The sheer material clung to her sleek curves, revealing the smooth length of her legs through strategically placed slits in the skirt. When they boarded the ride, her legs close to his as they squeezed in beside two other Shifters, Luis draped an arm around her.
Beautiful, tempting, and utterly fascinating to watch, Isabella bit her lip and closed her eyes as they began to spin.
“Ahh!” She screamed in delight. Unable to hold it in as they went faster and faster.
“You always loved rides, Bella,” he whispered into her ear, taking in more of her sweet fragrance.
When the ride ended, she tucked her wild curls back behind her ears and walked away. A nod of thanks was all he got. Not that he deserved more, he told himself.
His Jaguar growled as more heads turned, following her gorgeous figure as she went. Shit. He was helpless to resist. He should
leave her alone. Really, he should.
But all he could do was follow in her wake. A slave to her whims. No. I go to watch over her. Marco would expect at least that from me.
He tried telling himself that his actions were selfless, but Shifters didn’t lie. Even to themselves. The taste of it was abhorrent. The truth was simple. He was connected to Isabella and he needed to face the truth.
Luis Fernandez was no stranger to sex or women. He knew the games they played and enjoyed mastering a few of them himself. But he was done with all of that.
His Jaguar and the human side of him were finally in agreement. Something had to change. He’d been seventeen when this glorious creature confessed to him that she believed he was her mate.
Seventeen years old, when his whole world tilted on its axis. He’d been ashamed of his feelings. The desire in his heart for his friend’s little sister. And so, he’d refused her claim.
Seventeen and scared. Dumb as shit too. He’d scolded himself thousands of times since then. And what now of Marco? His best friend. A brother, really.
How could he betray his trust by drooling all over Marco’s little sister like she was catnip?
Fuck if he knew. But one thing was for sure. Luis could no longer ignore the rage of emotions building up inside of him just from being near her.
Chapter 4
Isabella felt eyes on her as she walked among the carnival booths. She supposed the Wardens and Heralds had much to celebrate. This was sort of a coming out of retirement party for them, she thought with a silly little grin on her face.
A ride. He took me on a ride. Too bad she couldn’t let herself go and simply enjoy it. Not with him at any rate, and the jerk was stalking her!
As if the constant reminder that he’d found her lacking wasn’t enough. Ugh. She stopped at a booth depicting a large eye and some interesting runes. Ah! A seer!
Crimson Kisses: Valentine’s Day Edition: A Zodiac Shifters Paranormal Romance Anthology Page 17