by Rosanna Leo
“That was awesome!” She cackled. “Did you see their faces? It was priceless.”
“I must admit, it was the most fun I’ve had in a long time. Although I’m not sure I’m cut out to be a submissive.”
“No? I guess that makes you a good actor.” She landed a good-natured punch on his arm. “When you threw me up against the bar and kissed me…amazing. I honestly thought Clare was going to faint into her martini.”
“I thought you were going to faint into her martini.”
“You could give a girl some warning next time.”
He cocked a sandy eyebrow. “Next time?”
Heat swarmed her body, rising up her neck to her face. “You know what I mean.”
He stared at her for what felt like an eternity, even though she knew it must only be seconds. The turn of his lip became less jovial and his smile seemed somehow predatory in the faint light of the parking lot. For a moment, Fleur wondered if this would be the moment they both lost out to their harried senses. It would be easy enough. They could even blame it on their one alcoholic drink later.
As soon as she spied the carnal need in Jani’s eyes, he blinked and it disappeared. He cleared his throat.
“Come on,” he said. “We’d better head back to the island before I get you into any more trouble.”
She followed him to the truck, her feet shuffling with reluctance. “Trouble. Right. Wouldn’t want any of that.”
Chapter 4
ON their way back to the cabin that night, Jani was still grinning. It had pleased him to stick it to those snobby shifter women.
It had pleased him even more to kiss Fleur.
The moments their lips made contact, a cacophony of approval had erupted from his tiger. The great beast had vaulted out of its corner, raging toward the woman it craved, pawing at Jani’s innards. Jani hadn’t even deepened the kiss, although he now dreamed of doing so. As much as he’d wanted to slide his tongue between her lips and taste her properly, he’d resisted for some reason that no longer seemed to make sense.
He supposed he understood if he allowed his tiger free rein, he’d never be able to harness the creature again. It was too hungry for her and it was growing harder to deny the cat what it wanted.
What he wanted? Was this really just a matter of his tiger acting the animal? It was growing harder to convince himself.
As they continued along the wooded path to his temporary home, he snuck a glance at Fleur. Quiet and pensive, she walked through the fallen leaves, her eyes locked on the forest floor. A slight smile decorated her face and every so often, her fingers strayed toward her lips. She remembered his touch and the memory pleased her. Any fool could see it.
He turned away to clear his head. Despite his best efforts to remain friendly, he wanted to push her up against the nearest tree and suck her pretty bottom lip into his mouth.
What am I thinking? This is Fleur. Most people he knew would agree she was bad news. She was hot-headed and damaged and petulant…and vulnerable in a way that made him want to protect her from all the evils in the world. Despite the obvious aggravation their relationship had brought him, in all honesty, these were all qualities that attracted him to her. She had spunk and certainly demonstrated it this evening. She just needed to learn how to channel it better.
Who better to help her? He had patience and determination. His own parents had told him so from a young age. Born into a noble shifter family, esteemed cousin to a prince, Jani had been educated and tested time and again. He had surmounted every obstacle in his way. He had won every fight. He had emerged victorious in all aspects of his life.
But one.
He couldn’t save his sister Hanna. That one failure on his part continued to haunt him. Because he’d failed Hanna, he was determined to do right by Fleur.
Which meant he could not allow himself to get distracted by kisses and libido and a feeble-minded tiger who liked playing “slave.”
“You’re quiet all of a sudden,” Fleur said.
“I was thinking of my sister.”
“I didn’t know you had a sister. Is she younger or older than you?”
“Younger, by five years. That is, she was younger. She’s dead.”
Fleur stopped walking and turned to him in the darkness. Her smile turned down at the corners. “What happened?”
“Drug overdose three years ago. Hanna was addicted to many things. That addiction drove her to seek new highs. Being a shape-shifter, she thought she could handle it. She thought she was strong. It made her reckless. She took too many risks. On the night she died, there was enough poison in her system to take down a dozen elephants.”
She reached for his hand. “I’m sorry, Jani. Were you close?”
“At one time, yes. I liked playing older brother. I doted on her. And as much as she complained, I believe she liked having me around. Hanna was always a curious girl, so full of questions. There were days when she drove me crazy because she never stopped asking questions. But then one day, her curiosity got the better of her and she fell in with the wrong people. I missed her then. Now I would give anything to have her pester me with her incessant inquiries.”
“I’m sure, in her own way, she missed you too.”
“Apparently not enough. I couldn’t get through to her.”
Fleur released his hand and turned her gaze toward the ground. “I know the feeling.”
He stepped closer and put two fingers under her chin, tipping up her face. Her dark eyes filled with tears. Thank Christ she blinked them away. Because if she allowed them to fall, shedding tears for his lost sister, he’d be tempted to do something stupid like wipe her tears for her. And if he wiped her tears away, he’d want to follow that pathetic move with a kiss.
And if he kissed her again…
To save his sanity, Jani removed his hand from her soft skin and took a step back. As if in sync with his thoughts, Fleur sniffed and turned her head.
“You remind me of Hanna,” he said, in an attempt to lighten the conversation. “She was headstrong and defiant until the end.”
“Sounds as if it was a weakness, not a strength,” Fleur replied in a strange, quiet voice.
“For you, I think it can be a strength.”
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what? I gave you a compliment.”
“You think I need saving, just like Hanna needed it.” She held her head high. “You think I’m no better than a junkie. Only, instead of drugs, I’m addicted to bad men. Men who hurt me. You’re worried I’m going to end up dead in a ditch someday, a victim to my own pathetic impulses.”
“Fleur…”
“No, I get it, Jani. I think I understand now why you’re so keen to rehabilitate me. You couldn’t fix your sister so I’m the lucky one who gets all your attention now. Let me remind you I’m not the same person she was. She died, but I’m still here, alive and kicking.”
“You’re putting words in my mouth.”
“Am I? Do you deny it?”
“That I want to help you?” Jani countered. “No, I don’t deny it, but I’m not comparing you to a drug addict.”
“Oh, please,” Fleur replied, her voice higher now. “You don’t even trust me to stay in my own apartment. What’s wrong, Jani? Worried I’ll run out, looking for the next fix? Worried I’m still praying before August Crane, god of evil?”
“Seeing as you brought the bastard up, let me ask you a question.” He tried to calm his suddenly raging blood pressure by clenching his fists, but it only succeeded in making him more aware of his shaky pulse. “You have a tattoo on your hip. A.B. What does it stand for, Fleur? Alpha Brethren?”
Her eyes grew impossibly large with surprise. “How do you know about my tattoo?”
“We’re shifters. We’ve been in battle together. I have seen you naked before.”
“Try again. The tattoo is new. You wouldn’t have seen it when we took down the Brethren.”
&nbs
p; Oh, shit. Might as well come clean. “Fine. If you must know, I walked into my room when you were sleeping in my bed. I didn’t know you were naked or I wouldn’t have gone in. And I…saw everything.”
“Everything?”
“Well, enough. And I saw the damned tattoo. So, tell me. Did you get it in honor of Crane?”
No matter how dark the forest was around them, the black incredulity in her eyes seemed even darker. The shock in her expression told him in no uncertain terms he was mistaken about the ink but he needed her to say the words. Crane had wound his insidious influence through every fiber of Fleur’s being and Jani needed her to refute him out loud.
“I can’t believe you’d think I’d put a permanent reminder of that man on my skin. My fucking skin!”
“What does A.B. mean, Fleur? Just tell me.”
She turned her back on him so violently, her hair flew. “You don’t deserve to know.”
He grabbed her elbow and tugged her around to face him, ignoring the steam coming out of her nostrils. “Humor me, then.”
She yanked her arm out of his grasp. “It’s for my grandmother, you asshole! She was the one good influence in my life, the only member of my family who ever treated me with kindness. I needed something to help me stay on track so I got the tattoo in her memory. A.B. for Annie Bissette. Are you satisfied?”
Her grandmother. A wave of relief washed over him. Thank God. He couldn’t handle the idea Crane was etched into her skin forever. “Yes. I needed to know the truth.”
“It wasn’t any of your fucking business.”
“Oh, really?” His spirit animal bounded to the front of his being, demanding to assert its dominance. “After everything we’ve been through, you don’t think it’s my business? After that kiss, you still don’t think it’s my business?”
“That kiss meant nothing. It was all done for show and you know it.”
Blood raced through Jani’s veins, clouding his vision in a scarlet frenzy of lust. His cock slammed to attention and his tiger roared. “Well no one’s watching us now, and this kiss won’t be for show.”
Before he could talk himself out of it, he hauled her up against his body and wrapped his arms around her so she couldn’t run. All he knew was greed in that moment, undeniable greed, and he had to feed the beast. He slanted his mouth over hers and swallowed her cries of outrage. Her lips, tight with indignation, still felt soft and welcoming. She pushed at his shoulders but he held her fast. Even though she appeared to be fighting, her hips rolled against his and she didn’t turn her head. She kissed him back. Even still, hot tears trickled from between her eyelids and into his mouth. As much as he felt he should kiss them away, he couldn’t separate their lips. She tasted too good.
Like dessert.
Even as she squirmed, he demanded entrance. Her chest rose and fell against his as she struggled half-heartedly, but before a couple of heady seconds had passed, her mouth relaxed and opened. Forgetting his intentions to show her sweetness and gentility, he ruthlessly claimed her mouth. Lips, tongue, teeth, he took them all. With his kiss, Jani sought to erase August Crane from her memory. By the time he was done, she’d swear he’d tattooed his own scent and name on her body.
In a strange twist of fate, as she surrendered to his kiss, he became her slave.
Her body finally stilled and he ended the kiss, needing to draw a breath. Fleur’s mouth hung open, her lips pleasantly swollen. He ran a thumb over her puffy bottom lip and grinned. “It’s okay, little wolf. We both needed that.”
She pulled out of his grasp. “Jani Fodor, you don’t have the first clue what I need.” She reared back and slapped him so hard his opposite cheek stung.
“Baszd meg! What was that for?”
“Because you need to start giving me some credit. If you honestly think I’m still pining for Crane, then you don’t know me at all. If you think so little of me, you might as well go back to Hungary.” She turned on her heel and stormed away from his cabin.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m doing what you wanted,” she shouted. “I’m making a goddamn friend.”
She dropped to all fours, shifted into her wolf in an angry display of tattered clothing, and tore into the woods.
* * * *
Fleur raced through the trees, conscious of Jani’s heavy feline footfall behind her. She knew he’d never leave her alone, but her wolf could at least outrun him. Her kind were built for endurance and her sleek, canine body moved with greater grace through the trees than his bulky cat. It was a good thing she could handle a long-distance run because her destination lay on the other side of the island. It had been a couple of weeks since she’d visited the cabin shared by twin brothers Percy and Byron Moon and their shared mate Suzan, but as she ran, she picked up the trio’s scent.
As Fleur raced through the forest, she fancied she also smelled traces of smoke. Crane’s legacy of destruction on Gemini Island had begun with the fire that had razed the main lodge. Of course, she knew any acrid smells had faded, but his vile actions haunted her still.
How had she ever thrown her lot in with that man? How had she lost so much of her humanity?
Never again.
When she spotted the Moon cabin up ahead, Fleur didn’t slow her pace. Rather, she inhaled and bolted toward the door. Suzan and her mates might not exactly welcome a visit at night and certainly not from Fleur. She hadn’t been very nice to Suzan when the other wolf woman was captured by Crane and held captive at the Alpha Brethren compound. Even afterward, when Suzan did her best to patch things up, Fleur had remained distant. The woman made her nervous. Because Suzan was an empath, she understood Fleur’s feelings, even better than she did herself. Even though Fleur wasn’t keen on sweating under Suzan’s knowing gaze, she had nowhere else to turn.
She prayed she wasn’t getting them at an awkward time. God only knew what they might be doing. If she intruded while they were enjoying some sort of jaguar/wolf love fest, she wouldn’t know where to look. If she allowed herself to imagine the scene, she couldn’t be sure whose arms and legs were whose.
Stopping on the stoop, she shifted into human form and banged on the door. Only then, did she remember her nakedness. “Crap. What if Percy or Byron answer?” Grunting in embarrassment, she looked over her shoulder, realizing Jani might appear at any second.
The door opened. A flash of red hair appeared. Thank God. Suzan’s jaw fell open. “Fleur? What are doing out there…naked?”
“Yeah, sorry it’s so late. I, um, can I come in?”
“Of course.” Luckily, Suzan wore a long cardigan over her shirt, the type that came down to her knees. She took off the garment and wrapped it around Fleur’s shoulders. “What happened to your clothes? Are you okay?”
A distant pounding echoed in the woods. Jani’s tiger. “Can we just shut the door, please?”
Suzan focused on the trees in the distance and her nostrils flared. The woman didn’t need to employ her empath abilities to know Jani was on the warpath. She offered Fleur a hint of a smile and nodded, ushering her into the foyer and closing the door. “You know he’s right behind you.”
“Yeah, but I don’t want to talk to him. Please, could we just go somewhere quiet? I can’t deal with Jani right now.”
Suzan’s jaguar mates Byron and Percy appeared from one of the back rooms, their twin gazes locked on their woman and Fleur.
“Fleur,” began Byron in a wary voice. “We weren’t expecting you.”
Percy took up a position right behind Suzan. “Jani went looking for you two weeks ago.”
Fleur wrapped the cardigan more tightly around her waist. “He found me.”
Just then, a frantic shuffling sounded outside the cabin and Jani began pounding on the door. “Fleur! I know you’re in there. Percy. Byron, let me in.”
Fleur put out a hand toward the twins. “I don’t want to see him. I know he’s your friend but I just need some time to think.”
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Byron, Percy, and Suzan traded looks.
“Fleur! I just want to know you’re okay.” Jani rapped on the door again.
“Please,” Fleur begged Suzan, reaching for her hand. “I know I was horrible to you and you don’t owe me a thing. You should turn me out on my ear. But, please.” Her throat itched and her words caught. “Just five minutes and I’ll get out of your hair.”
“No one’s going to turn you out.” Suzan motioned toward the hallway leading to the bedrooms. “You and I can talk inside. Percy and Byron will talk to Jani…outside. Okay?”
Fleur nodded in gratitude.
Suzan turned to her mates. “Maybe you can take Jani for a little walk. He sounds agitated.”
Byron grinned and dropped a kiss on Suzan’s cheek.
Percy squeezed Suzan’s waist. “You’ll be okay?”
“Fleur and I will be just fine. I think we may be overdue for some girl time.” She led Fleur into the hallway and the nearest bedroom, closing and locking the door behind them.
Fleur looked around the room, conscious of three sets of male voices outside. Jani’s, raised and frustrated. Percy’s and Byron’s, calming. The men exchanged a few words and then she heard the front door shut. Only then did Fleur realize she was holding her breath.
“You can breathe now.” Suzan smiled and indicated the bed. “Have a seat.”
Fleur gave her the side eye. “How did you know I was holding my breath?”
“I just know.” Suzan shrugged and tapped her temple. “Plus your chest wasn’t rising and falling. So are you going to tell me why you and Jani were out for a night-time run?”
Fleur plopped herself on the edge of the bed. “You’re the empath. Haven’t you figured it out?”
“I have a pretty good idea, but maybe it would help for you to talk about it. You know, instead of getting snarky with me after I let you into my home.”
Remorse, shame, and wanton need battled inside Fleur, as her emotions finally came to a head in a wave that brought her to her knees. She fell from the edge of the bed and crumpled on the floor, covering her face with her hands. “I’m so sorry!”