by Milly Taiden
TWENTY-THREE
Luke watched Kira sleep with a grin. She’d been out for the rest of the day and late into the night. He’d tried waking her at one point, asking her if she wanted to eat. She growled at him and promised to hurt him if he woke her again.
It was early morning when his cell phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and frowned.
“Hi, Mom.”
“I have bad news. They found Nick’s body. He’d been shot in the heart.”
“Shot?” He ran his finger over the back of his neck. “I’ll have to look around and see if I see anything else.”
“There’s another thing. Son, another missing person,” she said, worry clear in her voice.
“Who is it this time?” All his pride members knew they shouldn’t be out in the storm. For another lion to go missing was terrible news.
“Melissa,” she cleared her throat. “Your ex.”
He growled, knowing full well Melissa was smarter than any youth looking for adventure. She was a big girl and took good care of herself.
“This is ridiculous. Are you sure she isn’t just sulking somewhere?”
“I’d like to say you’re right, but her brother called. He went by her house and didn’t find her. He said it looked like someone hadn’t been there in days.”
Fucking hell! “Okay, I’ll look for her.”
“Be careful, Luke. I have a feeling there’s something going on we don’t know about. Luke, there has been some odd things going on too.”
“Like what? I haven’t heard anything.”
“It’s nothing concrete, and that’s why nothing has been brought to your attention. I have a feeling and it’s not good. It’s like we are being watched, hunted even. I don’t know, just be careful, please.”
“Of course, stay inside and I will talk to you soon.”
He had the same feeling. He took a shower and dressed. The debate rose in his head of whether to take Kira or leave her. His gut told him to take her. If something happened to her while he was gone, he’d never let himself live it down.
* * *
“Did I mention it’s cold?” she grumbled.
Luke’s lips twitched. She’d mentioned being cold at least five times since they’d walked out of the cabin. “Maybe once or twice.”
She turned to glare at him. “So we have to find this homicidal chick because she decided to play in the storm, and now nobody knows where she is. Sounds fun.”
“I’m sorry. I could have left you sleeping, but I didn’t want to leave you alone.”
She sighed. “I get that, but I’ve lived alone for my entire adult life. A few hours in your cabin weren’t going to kill me.”
“That is probably true, but my Melissa is missing and if for some stupid reason she is playing with us and hiding I don’t want you alone. I don’t trust her not to come after you again.”
“You do know I have lived for thirty-six years, and I can take care of myself. Even if she comes after me, which I really don’t think she will. She isn’t that stupid to challenge you like that.”
He shook his head. “You don’t know that. I wasn’t willing to chance it.”
“Why did I think bossiness was sexy?” she mumbled under her breath. “I need to have my brain checked.”
He didn’t tell her he could hear her mumbling. Listening to her berate herself was amusing. The wind swirled, making it feel a lot colder than it was.
“Goddamn, it’s cold as fuck!”
He chuckled at her indignant sputter. “It’s not that bad.”
“Says Frosty the Snow Lion who has an internal temperature high enough to melt gold.”
He laughed out loud at her exaggerated words. “Melt gold?”
“Or at least brain cells,” she pouted. “How can you be out with so little clothes?” She frowned. “It’s cruelty to your body.”
He glanced up, surveying the area around them. Thick trunks surrounded them. The air stilled. The scent of danger filled his lungs.
He managed to grab Kira by the arm and run towards the nearest tree when the gunshots started.
TWENTY-FOUR
Kira screamed. Luke dragged her behind a tree, covering her body with his. Gunshots rang out all around them. She couldn’t see anything but there was some kind of war going on.
“What the hell is happening?”
She peered over his shoulder but didn’t see anyone.
He crouched low, dragging her down with him. “Stay here. I need to shift.”
The bullets stopped suddenly. He stepped back, shrugging out of his clothes and handing her his jacket. “Put this on. It will keep you warmer.”
Then his muscles reshaped, his bones cracked and she winced at the god awful sound they made. Fur sprouted from his limbs. His features changed, elongated and pulled back until he was a massive lion of at least seven or eight feet in length in front of her.
He let out a loud angry roar that shook her to the bone. His gold eyes pierced her. Her heart tripped in her chest. She saw his huge canines with his second roar. There was no chance to be afraid. He took off fast. She lost him in a couple of blinks.
She glanced around, wondering where he’d gone. All she saw was a trail in the snow. She guessed he had to be crouched low.
She peered around the tree, squinting hard and saw movement in the distance. She had to wait a bit until the figure got closer to make it out better. She was giving herself a headache squinting so hard, but she was scared shitless. Finally, when the figure was much too close, she realized what it was. It was a man with a rifle. Oh, shit. This could not be good in any way.
No way in hell was she just going to wait there. She sloshed through the snow and hurried to the next tree. She wished she could blend better with the surroundings. Her red coat was a dead giveaway of her location. Even with his dark green jacket over her coat, the bottom was easy to spot over the white of the pristine snow.
“Ahhhh!”
Hearing a man’s screams, she whirled around. The fear in his yell scared her even more. She had to move. The guy on the other side was coming closer.
She darted to the next few trees. Gunshots rang anew. She didn’t move. Her heart thundered in her chest. What the hell had she walked into? And where was Luke? Her breaths came in short raps. Fire shot through her arm.
“Ow!” She glanced at her right arm and gasped. There was a hole in the jacket and coat. She stuck her finger in. Oh no. Oh shit. It came out covered in blood. She’d been shot.
Fear escalated inside her. She needed to move faster. She started to run from tree to tree. Her heart hammered in her ears, making it hard to hear anything but her own beats.
More gunshots rang out. She stopped at the sound of a deep thump, thump, thump nearby. The sound surrounded her. What the hell? She glanced up and saw it. It was way too close. A helicopter with a man holding a rifle partially hanging out the side door. It moved toward the area she’d been running from.
She didn’t wait around to get picked off. She continued running. Another man’s loud screams tore through the air. She stopped and swayed on her feet. The sleeve of her coat was soaked in her blood. Her body felt even colder.
The snow ahead was covered in blood. She didn’t know what to do. Suddenly, a large feline body prowled towards her from between two trees.
She knew male lions had a big mane of golden hair and females didn’t. This big cat in front of her was a girl. She had a feeling she knew which one too.
“Melissa,” she breathed through her aching dry throat. “Everyone’s been looking for you.”
The lioness’s muzzle was coated in blood. She swiped her long tongue over her face and displayed her teeth to Kira. She had known it wasn’t good for Melissa to see her after their last encounter. Not when the psycho bitch had clearly wanted to kill her.
Melissa’s lioness eyed Kira. Not in a good way, either. Dammit. The numbness in her shoulder was working its way down her arm, taking away control of her hand.
Kira leaned on the tree and sighed. This crazy bitch wouldn’t let her go by. Another roar sounded behind Kira.
She didn’t have the energy to turn and look. The lioness’s head jerked up. She hissed and appeared ready to hurl herself at Kira.
Luke jumped in front of Kira, growling.
The lioness took steps towards the lion. Kira couldn’t look away. She’d never seen shifters in their animal forms. The lioness moved to her left, looking to go around the lion and get to Kira. The lion roared, moving fast and biting into the paw Melissa tried to shove him with.
Kira winced at the sound of breaking bone. Melissa hissed and fell on her back, clawing at Luke’s underbelly. They moved around so fast it was hard to keep track of them. Luke’s lion looked for a good place to bite, snarling and growling while moving around Melissa in circles.
Melissa pawed at his sides. She hissed repeatedly, jumping onto his back. He shook her off, biting her hind leg, and crunching down. A loud blood-curling howl sounded from the lioness.
Kira fell to her knees, she wished she could help but the only thing she could do was stay out of the way.
Before Melissa got a chance to bite Luke’s side, a massive grizzly bear showed up. He roared and raised onto his two back legs, grabbing the lioness and tossing her against a tree. That was the last thing Kira saw before everything blacked out.
TWENTY-FIVE
Luke hated seeing his mate in pain.
“Stop scowling,” Luna said. “She’ll be fine. The bullet went through cleanly. It didn’t hit any major arteries and now all she needs is to heal.”
“It’s a good thing you used to be a doctor in your past life,” Bastien said.
Luna rolled her eyes. “Not a doctor exactly. A nurse, but I still remember most of what I learned.”
He pushed Kira’s hair away from her face. She lost some blood, but the cold hurt her more than anything. “I know she’ll be fine, but I still want to know what the hell those men were doing on my property.”
Kira’s eyes fluttered open. She frowned and glanced around. “Who are you? What happened?”
“I’m Luna, Luke’s mom. You passed out, darling,” Luna smiled, “and you were shot.”
Her eyes widened. “I got shot?” She glanced at her bandaged arm and gasped. “I got shot!” Then she met Luke’s gaze with a confused one of her own. “Why did I get shot?”
He didn’t know. He’d like to, though. “We’re going to find out.”
“I’d start by asking your psychotic ex,” she mumbled, sitting up and wincing. Her arm clearly hurt.
“We can talk to her shortly.” He had Bastien bring Melissa to his shed and chain her to keep her from shifting.
“She’s here?” Kira looked around.
“Yes, but I don’t think you should be moving around just yet,” Luna said softly. “You’ve been hurt.”
Kira nodded. “Feels like someone stabbed my arm with a hot poker.”
“That’s usually what being shot feels like.” Bastien laughed walking in to the room. “Luke, the nutjob lioness is in the shed on ice. Literally.” He winked at Kira.
Luke needed to calm down before he saw Melissa again. She’d been ready to attack Kira. The thought alone sent his lion into a killing frenzy. He needed to know what Melissa knew.
People didn’t start shooting in Raging Falls. Luke didn’t have any enemies. He might be strict with his pride, but he was fair. They knew where they stood with him. There wasn’t another pride nearby to cause problems. The others living in Raging Falls were friends. Every leader knew they could talk to him.
“We’ve never had shootings in the Falls,” Luke said, meeting Kira’s gaze. “Until now.”
She bit her lip and tried to stand. He rushed to her side, helping her to her feet. “I want to see Melissa.”
“We might as well talk to her. See what she says.”
Luke helped Kira out of the cabin and to the smaller building behind the house he used for wood storage. Melissa was shackled to a chair, glaring at them. She hissed at Kira, baring her human teeth.
“Why are you here, human?” Her eyes were golden with her lioness’s power. She met Luke’s gaze and snorted. “You want answers. Ask her.”
“Ask me?” Kira asked, confused. “Are you fucking crazy? You think I know who shot me?”
Melissa didn’t look away from Luke. “She came here to get Raging Falls,” she spat. “She owns Rakida Construction. She wants to find out who owns this land and she fucked you just to get her way.”
Luke’s gaze jerked to Kira. The shock and guilt he saw in her face spoke for her. Coldness filled his heart.
“That’s not how it happened,” Kira said, turning to look at him. “I do own it, but I have no say in matters.” She clung to his arm. “I didn’t come here to get anyone to sell. I came to speak to the owners.” She ground her teeth. “This isn’t coming out right.”
Melissa laughed. “That’s because there’s no truth to your lies. Using hired mercenaries as a scare tactic to get your way,” she rumbled. “That’s the kind of mate you want?”
TWENTY-SIX
Kira’s anger shot through the roof. “Hang on a fucking second, here. I didn’t lie at any point,” she said, facing Luke.
He narrowed his eyes. “So you don’t own Rakida Construction?”
“Technically, I do. But I don’t get to make decisions until I’m married or turn forty. Those are the rules in my father’s will.” She sighed. “I didn’t come here looking to get anyone to sell anything.” She rubbed a hand over her temple and threw Melissa another glare. The bitch kept smiling and she was so close to slapping the smirk off her face.
“Maybe you should talk in the cabin,” Luna offered.
“I demand to be let loose, Luke,” Melissa screeched. “If this whore can be loose, then so can I.”
Kira made a move only to get pulled back by Luke. “Who are you calling a whore? You psycho bitch.”
“Do you honestly think you can take me on?” Melissa laughed. “Your days are numbered.”
The crazy lioness was threatening her. Luke growled at Melissa. “Watch your mouth. I can leave you tied in here until I feel otherwise.”
“I killed a hunter for you!” She gave Kira a deathly glare. “I defended him. I saved him when someone was ready to shoot him. What can you do for him? Nothing. You useless human.” She glanced at Luke. “I will always have your back, Luke.”
“You tried to attack Kira. I haven’t forgotten,” he roared.
“You two go,” Bastien instructed. “I will handle her.”
She followed Luke inside the house, barely aware of the cold between the buildings. He was mad at her. She knew he was. She hadn’t really lied to him. Dick Peter was in charge of the company. She’d be misrepresenting Rakida if she said she was the owner and had voice over Peter. What a fucking mess.
Luke didn’t say anything. The fact he wasn’t talking wasn’t a worry. It was the anger rolling off him in waves.
“I never lied to you,” she started the minute they entered the kitchen. “I told you who I worked for. I told you my mother left it to me.”
Shit, she did. He’d been so engulfed with getting her into bed, he never put it all together. “You own the company,” he threw back. “Own it. Have final say.”
“I did tell you I owned a business. I am not in charge,” she snapped. Why was he only focusing on what he wanted to? “I told you my father gave control to my brother.” She sat on a kitchen chair with a sigh. “Peter is an asshole. He tends to upset anyone when he wants something.” She met his gaze with determination. “Right now, he wants this land. He has stubborn down to a science. I don’t know what is so special about this land, but he is hell bent on getting it.”
“I didn’t realize that was the business you were referring to when you explained about your parents. As for Rakida, the lawyer for the owners declined his offers,” Luke said through clenched teeth.
“You think that will stop him?
He’s a brat. My father indulged him in everything he wanted. He feels Rakida is his. Until I get married or turn forty, he’s in charge.” She shook her head. “Three more years of this hell. I don’t know if I can take it.”
There was another moment of silence. “If you were in charge, you wouldn’t continue the harassment over the land?”
She laughed. “I know the meaning of the word no. I would pull back. You can’t force someone to sell you anything. I came here to talk, to smooth ruffled feathers. One day I will get control of my company and I want to make sure there is a company to go to.”
He nodded. “You said you can’t be in control until you marry?”
“That’s the fine print of my dad’s very fucked up way of trying to control my life via his will. Get married or Peter keeps Rakida.”
“Have you taken this to court?” he asked, not seeming as angry, but still way too serious for her taste.
“My lawyers have been looking for a loophole for years. I refuse to be forced into marriage.” She shrugged. “That means the owners of Raging Falls will need to deal with him until he gets tired or finds another more interesting piece of property, I just wouldn’t hold your breath for that to happen. You need to urge the owners to talk to him, to put an end to this, but please don’t let them destroy my company over anger at him. It’s all I have left of my mother.”
“I need to see about Melissa,” he said. “I’ll be back soon.”
He walked out and his mother waltzed in.
“How are you feeling, Kira?” Luna asked. The older woman reminded her of her mother. With short, wavy black hair and beautiful golden skin much like Kira’s, she appeared much younger than she was.
“Okay,” she said. Frustration was alive and well in Kira’s chest. She wanted to go home and slap Peter upside the head. It was his fault she was in this predicament.
“Is there anything I can do for you?”