Beastly Desires

by Nikki Winter

  “Kaisal—”

  “Now.”

  Why she did what he commanded without argument he would never know but he was grateful. Because if she had stayed, she would’ve seen what he so rarely allowed others to witness. She would’ve seen what scared even him. Kam would’ve seen his rage.

  Seven

  It came fast, hard, and stronger than anything she’d ever heard before. Kaisal’s roar echoed around his territory, the force behind it seeming to shake the very ground beneath her feet. There was such fury in it, such a warning that she momentarily stopped in her tracks, almost afraid to move. And then the unexpected happened—more roars along with howls resonated through the air, surrounding Kamali in a primitive call that couldn’t be mistaken for anything less than complete loyalty from the packs and prides of Morrison.

  Heart in her throat, she turned around and watched as Kaisal moved through the woods in a fast-paced lope that was joined by his pride. Her hand clutched the doorframe as that familiar burn returned, hitting her like a gut punch. “Jesus…”

  “He’s intense but he means well,” a quiet, feminine voice stated just a few feet away.

  Retracting her claws, she cast her stare forward, briefly meeting Callum’s gaze before putting her eyes on the tigress that had spoken. Kaisal’s eyes seemed dark in comparison to this female’s. Kamali studied her features. Was she his female? Something all too close to possessiveness skittered just under her skin. Basanti, he’d called her.

  “Naresh,” the other woman said, “I think you should follow Kaisal.”

  “Yes because nothing bad could take place when sending me after the large, extremely volatile, military-trained male,” Kaisal’s brother replied dryly. “I mean…In theory I don’t need the function of all my limbs. Losing one or two shouldn’t hurt that much.”

  The tigress sighed and then she sighed again.

  Apparently some type of communication took place in the span of those two exhales because Naresh threw up his hands. He started to go for the back door but stopped and looked to Callum. “There is one lesson you should learn from me should I not return. The moment a woman—a predatory woman—grows silent is the moment your soul is in danger. Therefore you run. You run and you don’t look back.”

  “Naresh…”

  His brows flicked upwards but he said nothing else. He simply flattened himself to the farthest wall. Keeping his gaze locked on the tigress’, he eased past Kamali and shot out into the back yard.

  Turning away from her, Basanti looked to Callum, who had a mug in his small hands, whipped cream towering at the rim. “Cal, just out the door and to your left is what I like to call Kaisal’s den of iniquity and computer-generated images. The remote to his ungodly sized television is in the first drawer of the table beside the sectional. If you find yourself sinking between the cushions, call out for help.”

  Heh. She seemed rather…comfortable here.

  Casting a quick glance that said, “Sorry, Iya,” Callum managed to get down from his stool and out the kitchen doors.

  Kamali didn’t realize she’d been staring at the other woman until she turned back, inky black brows rising ever so slightly. “Do I need to be concerned about the possibility of you attempting to dig into my face? I happen to like my current laceration-free state.”

  It was understandable seeing as how she was, in a word, effortlessly beautiful. Delicate features were set into skin the shade of copper, complete with a heart-shaped mouth, razor-sharp cheekbones, a dimpled chin, and eyes that were more feline than human.

  Heaving in a breath, Kamali relaxed her shoulders. “Facial lacerations really aren’t my forte. I go for the eyes, and I don’t let up until I’m rolling them like dice.”

  There was a snort and then, “Oh…wait…you’re serious, aren’t you?”

  Kamali stared.

  “God…is that what I do to people?” Basanti hopped up on the island, her long legs swinging. “There was clearly a reason for my sensitivity training this fall. Although it didn’t do any good since I made the instructor blubber in the corner for an hour. But to be fair, I did tell him I didn’t want to participate. He kept pushing and I really hate the pushing.” She nodded toward a chair. “You can refrain from pissing all over my cousin’s kitchen. He’s unmarked and unwanted because we’re felines, but we aren’t those kinds of felines.”

  Deflating at that subtle drop of information, Kamali ran a hand through her hair, tugging at the strands as she closed her eyes. Family. The woman was family. “What is wrong with me?”

  “From my view you appear to me in need of one of two things,” the tigress stated. “A good run or a rough fuck.”

  Kamali’s head snapped around.

  Basanti shrugged. “I can help with the first to take the edge off of all the animalistic anxiety but the second…” She waved a hand around.

  Kamali blinked. “Should I be taking Naresh’s advice? Should the voice in my head be screaming, ‘Run and never look back’?”

  “That fact that you haven’t listened to said voice as of yet tells me a lot about your character.” Irises the color of ginger with the near transparency of wax paper observed Kamali. “Kaisal’s attached to you.”

  Snorting, Kamali answered with, “Kaisal is clearly clinically insane.” What was happening here? When she’d said she was leaving, he’d looked seconds away from clamping his jaws around her shoulder, insuring she wouldn’t get very far without his mark. She would’ve let him. She would’ve stood there without a word of protest and allowed it. The fierceness in his stare…the sheer determination…

  “You’re under my protection…”

  “I won’t argue with that because I’ve been taking notes on him and Naresh for years. I’ve drawn the same conclusion.” Basanti leaned forward. “But despite his unstable mental health, he wants you here, he wants your son here.”

  “And you know this because…?”

  “Because the way he touched you, looked at you, was different. I have never seen him respond to a woman the way he did minutes ago. To be honest I never thought I would. I don’t know you, I have no idea why you’re here but I understand attraction when I see it.”

  “It’s not safe.”

  The tigress smirked. “For who? The little one or your tumpsy?”

  “I’m hearing that voice again…” And yet, she was strangely comfortable. Having another female around—one who wasn’t encroaching on what her lioness had claimed—calmed Kamali. Why, she didn’t know, but Basanti had the same easy air about her that Naresh and Kaisal held. Something told Kamali she didn’t talk to others outside of a select few. The hesitancy behind her tone spoke of that. She seemed to be waiting for Kamali to do as she’d stated and run. She wouldn’t, though. Mainly because she had nowhere to run to, and she understood without much thought that Kaisal would track her and drag her back.

  Instead, Kamali took the seat Basanti had previously nodded at and held her stare. “What he’s doing is dangerous,” she quietly said. “For all of you.”

  “He obviously believes you’re worth it. My cousin doesn’t make irrational decisions. He likes life as simple as possible. He likes life manageable.” Basanti sighed. “There are things he doesn’t believe he has the right to ask for.” Her shoulders rolled, sending locks tumbling that were a mixture of coal black and rust. “I don’t think I’d be wrong to assume you’re one of those things.”

  What did that even mean?

  “Why would he want to ask for me?” Kamali waved a hand. “For any of this? I literally have a bull’s-eye on my back, he’s known me all of five days and—”

  “We’re. Not. Human,” the other woman pointed out. “The gods never meant for us to use logic, to make sense. Otherwise we wouldn’t have been cursed, punished to continue our lives fighting instincts that come as natural as breathing.” Basanti stood. “At our core, shifters are animals. And as much as we like to deny it—pull away from it—those animals know better than we do. They see things we d
on’t and understand far more than we can comprehend. Kaisal’s tiger won’t allow him to sit by and watch you go. Your lioness is the one solid thing leading you in the midst of a jumble of emotions that you have no idea how to navigate. You want insight on my cousin’s motivation? Stop looking at him through your human eyes and begin using your beast’s.” The tigress started out of the kitchen, the sound of cartoons filtering through the now-open door. “Because chances are that her needs coincide with yours.”

  ***

  “I need your help,” Kaisal breathed the moment the front door to the Monahan compound swung open.

  Dublhainn Monahan blinked. “There are cats all over my yard. Why are there cats all over my yard?”

  Oh, right. Them.

  Kaisal shrugged. “They followed me.”

  “They…followed you?” He cast his stare behind Kaisal. “Half your pride followed you to my yard. And that would be why exactly?”

  “Because I unintentionally asked them to.”

  “You unintentionally…” Dublhainn took a deep breath, stepped back, and closed the door in Kaisal’s face.

  Leaning against the frame, Kaisal waited…and waited…and waited.

  “I was more than a little accurate in my prediction,” Naresh sang behind him, pointing out that he’d mentioned the alpha wouldn’t be in a very receptive mood.

  Kaisal’s jaw worked. Despite the fact he’d left half of his pride behind to guard Kam and Callum—Cal really wouldn’t fit anymore, would it?—Naresh had chosen to tail him. Dublhainn’s land wasn’t that far off from their territory and the run had done wonders for his slight loss of control. The rest had followed him blindly, something he was grateful for at the moment because any opposition would’ve elicited a response that none of them were ready for. His leash hadn’t snapped…yet.

  A few minutes later, the door swung back open. Dublhainn pointed at him. “You come in but they”—he waved toward the pride members—“will keep their freakishly large, multicolored, hair-ball-screeching asses out here. From experience I’ve learned that I can only handle one pussy at a time. Any more than that and I find myself in positions that I require therapy for later.”

  Kaisal’s brows winged. “Do we need to recall Argentina again? I’d rather not. I’m in the middle of a crisis and mocking the fact that you broke your dick would distract me.”

  After an almost ten-year friendship, there were things two individuals could discuss. When those two individuals had been on the same SEAL team and frequently found themselves in the depths of utter bullshit, boundaries became non-existent. Dublhainn had kept Kaisal from getting shot in the head, and Kaisal had kept Dublhainn from getting beaten to death by husbands and lovers on foreign soil more times than either could count. Their relationship was unconventional but it worked. Most of the time.

  “It was bruised,” the wolf snarled over Naresh’s laughter. “Bruised.”

  “A crotch cast was needed.”

  “Because my range of motion was…why am I even discussing this?” Dublhainn stepped back. “Either come in or go away, and Naresh, if you’d like to keep the ability to consume food without the help of a straw you will stop. Fucking. Laughing.”

  His sibling now quieted, Kaisal moved past Dublhainn into what could only be described as a hotel on steroids. Like the majority of Morrison shifters, the Monahans had settled on acres of ground equipped to house a pack that grew every week. The Irish wolves bred like the rabbits they frequently chased down, therefore the space was needed. This also meant more pups than they could keep up with, and although Dublhainn himself wasn’t mated as of yet, he played an intricate role in protecting his pack, their psychotic children included.

  The security system required regular maintenance on Kaisal’s and Naresh’s part, particularly because of the many, many offspring. Coming from a fruitful pride, Kaisal was used to having cubs around, slapping each other about, clawing things, hissing when opposing naptime, but tigers typically had one or two in one litter. The canines however…their numbers were disturbing. It was because of said numbers that the services of Kaisal’s company were needed.

  Although the pups frightened him—and everyone else around—he found himself drawn to their laughter, their smiles, and their sporadic fits of violence. It was the innocence they held. The same innocence that lived within Callum. They didn’t want much from those who watched over them, and they used Kaisal for their own entertainment. They only ever had the desire to make him roar so they could scatter, screaming, just to come back and provoke him into repeating the process. And Kaisal could never deny the enjoyment he received from doing so. How anyone could want to break that, harm it, was beyond him. He knew it would be beyond Dublhainn also—which happened to be the very reason he was here. Kaisal needed someone who knew what it felt like to be a proverbial watchdog out of a misguided sense of duty—out of his own selfish need to feel like more than a weapon.

  “Talk to me,” Dublhainn stated as they navigated the long hallway to his office.

  “What do you know about the Oriade pride?” The wolf’s gift had always been intel. He was an amazing tracker with the ability to pull information out of the recesses of hell should it be needed. He’d turned that into a very lucrative P.I. business. Kaisal had enough information from Kam to put into Dublhainn’s steadily capable hands. And the second he knew all he needed to, people were going to die. She was terrified. Callum was terrified. That was more than enough to cement his resolve.

  “Why? You fucking one of them?”

  Kaisal pulled up short. “What kind of question is that?”

  Quirking a brow, Dublhainn looked to Naresh. “When does your brother take interest in the history of other shifters?”

  “When he’s fucking one of them,” Kaisal’s betraying bastard of a sibling answered.

  “I rest my case.” The wolf opened his office door and took a seat behind his desk, propping his feet up.

  “I’m not fucking anyone.”

  “Yet…” Naresh retorted. “You’re not fucking anyone yet.”

  Kaisal glanced over his shoulder. “Would you like to be my outlet today, little brother? Would you like to help me soothe my rage?”

  “I’ll just be over here…” Naresh stated, taking a seat.

  Putting his gaze back on Dublhainn, Kaisal placed his hands on the desk and leaned forward. “I need information. You have information. You always have information.”

  “And you need this information because you plan to fuck one of the Oriade lionesses…?”

  Kaisal rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I am going to count to five in an attempt to refrain from picking you up by your head. One…”

  Dublhainn sat forward. “Uh-oh…kitten is angry.”

  “Two…”

  “To be fair, you should’ve expected this torment.”

  “Three…”

  “Anyone ever told you that you’re sexy when you’re angry?”

  “Four…”

  “Dubbs,” Naresh warned. “If you enjoy having lips, I suggest you use them for something productive within the next few seconds.”

  The wolf sighed. “I’ll tell you what you want to know on one condition.”

  Stopping, Kaisal waited.

  “Sing ‘The Wonderful Thing about Tiggers.’”

  Kaisal lunged and just barely missed swiping his hand across the other man’s face. Mainly because Naresh caught him in time.

  Dublhainn’s lips curved. “Stop hissing at me and take a seat, you moody bastard.” He rolled backwards in his chair and over to a file cabinet. Typing in a code, he unlocked the middle drawer and came out with a folder. “Jesus, and I thought I needed a nap.”

  While Kaisal resisted the urge to bat him around for his own amusement, Dublhainn placed the folder on the desk and slid it across. “This is all I have on that particular pride. If you need anything else, I’ll have to call it in. And that will cost you.”

  “Consider my not allowing Baz to filet you like t
he fatty parts of salmon payment enough, Two Socks,” he growled, opening the folder.

  “Mr. Whiskers, I’m sensing a bit of animosity and I don’t appreciate it.”

  Kaisal simply gave him the finger as his eyes traced over the family chart in his grasp. As someone who didn’t want to consistently be seen as his name, he’d made a point to stay out of the social scene that inundated the majority of their community. Somewhere along the way shifters had stopped using their gift for the betterment of their lineage and started involving themselves too deeply into the human world. Apparently the Oriade pride was one of many that followed the pattern. Enilo Oriade’s estate held millions, possibly more. He’d been known as a mogul with an elusive child who’d been dubbed “The Prodigal Daughter.”

  As Kaisal had guessed, her pride was Yorubian; originally from West Africa. Kam’s mother had passed while giving birth to her. Enilo relocated the majority of his people to the U.S., settled in Texas, and began to build an empire. His businesses were all strong, solid, intelligent ideas based on the social and economic growth around him. He’d been a corporate shark, occasionally buying out companies and reselling them for twice as much after reconstructing them from the ground up. He was known particularly for the Oriade Towers, which appealed to the majority of their kind.