Shifters and Spice: A Shifter Romance Box Set

by Desiree Holt

  Everything.

  When she’d “mated” Cerberus, nothing changed. He’d bitten her, but she had not bitten him in return. In fact, hadn’t known she should. Maybe that was why it didn’t take? No, having met and mated with Glenn, she understood better why she couldn’t be what Cerberus wanted. She didn’t love him. He didn’t love her. They were anything but mates. She’d tolerated his touching her but hated it. And he knew. Still, they could have survived it. Could have spent their lives together, perhaps without passion, but they could have fulfilled their responsibility to their people. The cub he’d murdered when he beat her…that child held everything within him. And he was gone, like he’d never been.

  Cerberus would never lay another hand on her as long as she lived. He’d certainly never have the opportunity to create and kill another baby of hers.

  Standing, she remembered the mountain of shopping bags full of beautiful clothes, but she couldn’t see to put an outfit together, so she wrapped the sheet around her and tucked it closed above her breasts. She’d dash to the bathroom and find a mirror to see her bite mark. If Glenn wasn’t anywhere close by, someone would be able to help her light the room.

  She didn’t care whether it was day or night. She’d never felt so rested. Cerberus was still a problem, but for the first time, she could see a future when he wasn’t. When she and her real mate, Glenn, could make a life together here in the American Southwest. Opening the door, she was surprised to see a nearly empty cave. When she and Glenn had left the shower, quite a few people were bustling around, getting ready to open the club for the evening, cooking dinner, going about their business.

  Where did they all go? As she hesitated, Karma appeared from the front of the cave, where the reddish stone buildings stood. The dark-haired human headed straight for her, wringing her hands.

  “Delia, go back into your room and lock the door.” She gave her a push in that direction. “Don’t come out until Glenn or I come for you. Now go.”

  Delia didn’t need it spelled out. And she was not going to sit back and wait for that bastard who had nearly ruined her life, nearly killed her to hurt someone who had been kind to her. Dropping the sheet, she fell to all fours and gave herself over to the shift. Her bear had wanted to take Cerberus out for a long time, and she’d held back in the interest of reproduction.

  But to what end? To carry forth the genes of a woman beater? A man whose friends were the lowest type of bears? He’d once even suggested she spend the night with one of them. To pay back a debt. And she’d believed he was her mate?

  Still, she mourned the loss of her baby every day. She’d been a few short months from delivery when he beat her. Her bones twisted and reshaped, fur sprouting from every follicle to cover her skin in a thick layer of hair. Her vision changed, becoming less acute, but her other senses sharpened and, when her claws dug into the dirt floor of the cave, she reared to her hind legs and faced the club buildings.

  No longer would she wait for things to get better. Tipping her head back, she roared with the rage of a bear separated from her cub. A bear whose mate was in danger from another who wouldn’t fight fair. Who would be just as likely to pull a gun and shoot Glenn or Warren or Karma or anyone else as to fight for what he considered his.

  He’d tried to kill her—he wanted her dead anyway. She’d either live or die free, but if she did die, she would take the piece of crap with her, hopefully in the most painful way possible.

  Dropping to all fours again, she ran for the open side door of the club. If he was in there, she’d find him, and she’d end it now.

  Glenn stood in the front door, partially shifted. He flexed his long, grizzly claws, ready to dig them into the brown bear who swung his head from side to side, challenging him. The other bear had arrived already shifted and sent the shifters waiting in line scattering as he galloped up the path. Cerberus. His mate’s enemy and therefore his.

  Glenn shifted a little more, his claws growing. Few had as much control over their shift as he and he knew it. He could stop at any point. The few club goers still toward the top of the path took careful steps back, toward the parking area. Luckily, only a few were already inside. Harvey, still human in appearance, attempted to hurry everyone back down to their cars. If two bears got into it, anyone who got in the way would likely get hurt.

  How the hell had he gotten here so fast? Had the alligators missed his release or had he been let out so quickly that by the time they took up their stations outside the jail, he’d already been on his way. No wonder Delia was so antsy. Even if they weren’t mated, she’d sensed his menace.

  Well, that would not be the case much longer. The Greek had made the mistake of coming onto Clan territory, and even if by some chance he managed to best Glenn, Warren would see he didn’t leave alive. Delia would be safe for the rest of her life.

  As soon as she’d fallen asleep, he’d reluctantly left her side and gone to find his alpha. He’d shown him the mark and let him know about the mating. Some alphas demanded their members ask permission before mating, but Warren believed they lived in America, the land of the free. Glenn might be in trouble for not paying enough attention to his job, but not for falling in love.

  While they were speaking, the alert came from the front door. A brown bear approaching. There were wild black bears in the wilderness, but they were typically shy and rarely came within sight of the club. Certainly not while there were a few hundred people lining the path.

  No. Somehow Cerberus had gotten past their radar. While Glenn tried to decide what to do to take care of the problem and avoid collateral damage, a roar came from inside the club. Shrieks and crashing accompanied the thudding of heavy paws, and he stepped aside just in time to avoid being bowled over by an enraged sow.

  He’d never seen her shift, but he knew his mate. And he knew she was there to kill. The fury rolled off her in waves of heat. Oh shit. If he didn’t do something, she could get badly hurt. Why, Delia? Why didn’t you trust me to take care of it? She turned to face him and the pain in her eyes told the whole story. Only one thing made a female bear this angry.

  “Did you lose a cub?”

  She roared.

  “Miscarriage…brought on by cruelty?”

  She roared again and charged at Cerberus. The male batted her away as if she were no more than a feather, and she fell to the ground and then bounded to her feet and ran at him again. This time the larger bear lifted a giant paw and slammed her so hard she slid a hundred or so feet down the path.

  Glenn shifted, the crunch and snap he always heard in his head when he did this overwhelmed by the two roaring bears. He’d have to put an end to this before it was too late. He’d delayed too long already. He told himself he could stop this without bloodshed, but as he rose on his hind legs and roared, his bear charged him toward his opponent, wanting as much bloodshed as possible.

  They slammed together and embraced one another but not in a friendly way. Rather, he squeezed as hard as possible, hoping to inflict enough pain the other bear would back off, would leave. Walking in a circle, they each roared, dug claws into the other’s back, until when he looked down, he could see all the way to the canyon floor. If they fell from here, neither would survive.

  He needed to do something to break Cerberus’ grip on him but he couldn’t think what. In the background, Delia also roared, but when he came around where he could see her, her problem was just being held back by club staff. It was taking a half dozen of them…but so far they were managing. To the side, stood his alpha. He would not interfere unless someone outside the fight became endangered. Or unless he lost.

  The alpha would protect Delia if that happened. She’d be safe.

  But he’d be gone, without her, and she’d be alone. No matter how many others were there, cared for her, loved her, with her mate gone, she’d never be truly happy again.

  Her happiness was his responsibility.

  He eyed the canyon floor again and tried to think of a way to unlatch the other
bear from him. He turned his head to the side and bit into the other bear’s shoulder while stomping hard on the paw. Grizzly claws were built for digging and he used them to draw blood. When Cerberus’ grip loosened, Glenn let go and pushed.

  With his first bounce, the Greek shifted back to a man, and Glenn watched as he bounced down the steep slope to land at the bottom. Those still in line shrieked and yelled and huddled together. On one level he wondered that none of them had shifted at all. But other than a few furry ears, they all looked perfectly human.

  Turning to face Delia for a moment, he dropped back to all fours and headed for the trail. She moved into place at his side, so graceful for such a large animal. Her fur was darker than his, just about the color of her hair, thick and luxurious. They had no meadows to roll in, but he knew a spot where cacti gave way to soft sand. A good place for two bears to roll around and get to know one another.

  They’d talk later. They had a lot to work out and they didn’t know much about one another other than the fact they belonged together. But for tonight, they’d be bears together under the desert moon. Maybe after a while they’d go visit the shower room again and play under the falls. Just this morning he’d awoken alone and tonight he had a mate.

  Life was full of twists and turns but sometimes they made for a great ride.

  About the Author

  USA Today Bestselling Author Kate Richards is a multi-published author of spicy romance stories in various subgenres. She lives in sunny Southern California with her wonderful husband and menagerie of rescued pets.

  Kate loves the beaches, mountains and deserts of her home state as well as traveling whenever possible to meet readers and other authors.

  Exploring all types of relationships in her books, Kate writes menage, BDSM, and every other kind of romance she can think of.

  katerichards.wordpress.com

  Lion’s Pretend Girlfriend

  Dara Fraser

  Crina needs a place to stay. Mateo needs someone to pretend to be his girlfriend for the weekend. Could their weekend of pretend turn into something more?

  If It Weren’t For Bad Luck …

  Crina stared at her phone, teeth clenched. The rate at the hotel far surpassed any of the others in town, or probably the flipping state, but it was the only one with vacancies. Finding a nice box to crawl into for the week was sounding better and better. Maybe she could convince the hotel manager to give her a better rate, given the circumstances. It was worth a shot. A week at the gorgeous hotel in front of her would completely drain the savings she’d spent the past year scrimping and pinching.

  She wouldn’t care so much if it were her mistake that landed her here. Crina was used to picking herself up. No, it was the fact her slumlord hadn’t paid the water bill in close to a year and the building was now uninhabitable by city ordinance until the situation was rectified. The city was extremely helpful handing out vouchers for families to stay at local hotels as part of their “no child on the streets” initiative, but the single folks and those without children got a too bad so sad, maybe you can find a friend to stay with instead. Of course, the large number of vouchers meant the hotels were all booked, save for this one.

  Couch surfing wasn’t an option because Crina had no local friends, having only moved to the area when she started her new job two weeks before. Security deposit, first and last month’s rent, all gone for only two weeks’ worth of shelter. Her gut had told her to take the cheaper place of the two she’d visited, even though for only a few bucks more she could have been in a slightly bigger apartment—one that, while not walking distance to work like the one she now regretted ever setting eyes on, was only a bus ride away.

  A woman rushed past her, whacking her with her suitcase of a purse. “Ow!” Rubbing her arm, Crina flashed her best evil eye. Not that the woman could see; she was walking into the hotel with a purpose. High heels, dress that screamed money, and a purse most likely filled with rocks the way it had pounded into her. “Time to suck it up. One night. I can look for something else tomorrow.”

  A doorman greeted Crina, offering to get her a bellhop. No wonder the place was so expensive. She declined the bellhop to avoid having to spend extra on a tip and stepped into the lobby. Glamorous didn’t even begin to describe the room. The mixture of curved and straight lines, glass, marble, and brass stole her breath. Crina felt like she had stepped into a movie scene.

  As she walked up to the counter, the woman who had hit her caught her drew her attention, with her shrill voice. She was smiling, but Crina could tell it was forced. She was in a discussion with a man dressed in a tailored suit. Crina could only see him from the back, but she was fine with that view. More than once, the woman put her hands on him and he gently removed them. Crina shouldn’t be watching, but she couldn’t help herself.

  “May I help you?” the man behind the counter called—from the looks of it, not for the first time.

  “Oh, yes, sorry.” Fishing out her credit card and license, she handed them to him. “I’d like a room for the night, please. For one.” She would cross her fingers that the water situation would be fixed by morning. The mumblings at the compound when she was leaving were that action was being taken and service would be restored soon, but those mumblings came from people she didn’t even know, much less trust.

  “Thank you.” He pushed a paper in front of her and handed her a pen. “Please fill this out while I run your card. This is your rate …” Everything else he said flew past her. The amount was triple what she had seen online. She would deplete most of her savings for one night.

  “But online it said a much different price.” Swallowing deeply, she forced herself not to cry. Chances were, the hotel would put a hold on her debit/credit card for a second day for incidentals and it would be declined.

  “The only room I have left is a suite, and I promise you I’m giving you the best rate I can. Maybe one of the other hotels in town would be a better fit.” The man was at least being kind about it. Not that it would help. She still didn’t have a place to sleep, and it was getting late.

  “Can you … can you …” She didn’t know what she was even going to ask him to do. Give her a comp rate and lose his job? Let her sleep on a rollaway cot in the storage closet? He was helpless, and she knew it.

  “There you are.” A deep voice boomed behind her before she was given a half hug from behind and lips touched her ears. “Play along, and I’ll make sure you have a room tonight.”

  She pulled away and turned toward the man at her ear, shivers running down her spine instead of the panic and anger that should have accompanied such a bold move. It was the man she had seen arguing with the woman who’d whacked her shoulder earlier. The view from behind was nothing compared to the view from the front. Dimples, a six o’clock shadow begging to be rubbed, and eyes that were almost gold. She looked up at him, mesmerized, unsure of what he meant, but far from caring.

  “What is going on, Mateo?” The purse-whacking woman was now in front of her, scolding the man and breaking the spell.

  Crina reached up and grabbed her cards from the counter before inching away. She would figure out the housing later. The scene before her was just getting too strange despite, or possibly because of, her attraction to the sexy stranger.

  “Lily, dear, come meet Janis.”

  Crina froze. How did he know her name, much less that it meant “lily” in Romanian, when they had never met? His hand slipped over hers as he pulled her close, and suddenly it no longer mattered.

  “This”—she swirled her hands in front of Crina in disgust—“is Lily? You … you ... you …” Janis’s face got redder by the second. With a final hmph she turned to the counter and demanded a room.

  Crina had to chuckle when the clerk told her they only had a suite left and quoted Janis a much higher price than the one she had been given. When Crina met his eyes, he winked. Janis must have rubbed him the wrong way, too.

  Crina stole a couple of glances at the man, Mateo, a
nd each time he was staring at her in return, a small smile on his face and mischief in his eyes. A couple of times she went to speak, but the gentle squeeze of his hand over hers paired with a slight shake of his head told her she’d best wait until little Miss Rocks-in-Her-Purse was all checked in.

  “I will see you at dinner, Mateo,” Janis spit out from the counter before stomping to the elevator, mumbling the entire time. For a grown woman, she really was acting like a petulant child.

  “Looks like I will need keys to the lockout tonight, William,” Mateo spoke over her head to the clerk.

  “Very well, sir.” The man fussed behind the counter before handing him the keys while Crina stood and stared. “Anything else, sir?”

  “No, that will be all. Thank you.”

  Mateo turned to her, picked up her duffle bag, and started toward the elevator before she thought to respond. Scurrying past him, she stepped inside before questioning her judgment. She was far from a city girl, but even she knew that following strange men into elevators was a bad idea—or at least on a good day she would have, and that good day wasn’t today.

  As the doors closed, he slid his key card in and pushed the button for the top floor. “We have a few minutes, now. I’m Mateo.” He held out his hand, and she took it with a brief shake.

  “I’m Crina.”

  His eyes sparkled in understanding, as his smile widened at her introduction.

  “How did you know to call me Lily?”

  “It was my mother’s favorite flower. I just got lucky that you were named Crina, Lily.” He held firm to her bag as he spoke, his voice softening at her name. “I overheard your problem at the desk. I have a room you are more than welcome to.”

  “I’m not sleeping with you for a room.” The chime indicating another floor filled the elevator. She might be desperate for a place to stay, but she was never that desperate, even if he was the hottest man she had ever met.