To Love a Shifter: A Paranormal Romance Boxed Set

by Marian Tee

  Misty’s lips parted in a silent scream as she joined him in his release, her body bucking underneath his at the strength of her own orgasm.

  Hours later, after their fourth bout of lovemaking, Domenico played with a curl of his wife’s hair as he asked, “How do you feel?”

  “Like I should have dragged you to bed a long, long time ago,” she admitted.

  He laughed. “Misty…”

  “I know,” she said glumly. “I’m such a sex addict.”

  He shook his head and gave her a breathtaking kiss, his hand squeezing the curve of her waist. The touch alone made her toes curl and wish for another round of lovemaking.

  “I’m just as addicted,” he said huskily as he nuzzled her neck. “More so, probably.”

  “How do you feel?” she asked shyly after a moment.

  He smiled down at her. “Blessed.”

  Her cheeks warmed. “That’s nice.”

  “Misty…”

  “Mmm…”

  “Tomorrow or someday, people may ask you if we’ve mated --”

  “What?!” She sat up at that, shocked that people would actually ask something that was so intimate and none of their business.

  Smiling at her reaction, he pulled her back down and his smile widened as she automatically snuggled close to him.

  “Don’t be troubled. It’s a --” Domenico sought for the right words to explain the dilemma, knowing he had to tread carefully if he didn’t want Misty to be hurt again. “It’s a Lyccan tradition. So just tell them the truth. We’ve mated.”

  “That’s so weird,” Misty grumbled.

  “They may even ask you how you feel about it.”

  She looked up at him. “And if I tell them that it’s wonderful and something I totally didn’t expect?”

  He looked down at her soberly. “That’s exactly how I feel, too.”

  When the plane touched down and they descended the stairs, Domenico’s sudden tension communicated itself to her. She looked up at him. “Domenico?”

  “Something’s wrong.”

  She finally noticed the swarm of security waiting on the ground. There were more of them than usual.

  “Sir.” The man bowed to Domenico and then to her, which surprised Misty.

  “Get straight to the point,” Domenico said curtly.

  “There has been another attack.”

  “Where?”

  “At your reception.”

  Misty cried out in shock.

  Domenico immediately placed a protective arm around his wife’s shoulders, curving her into him in the hope that he could absorb her fears. “Casualties?”

  The guard avoided his gaze. “Matteo is dead.”

  Misty whitened.

  Matteo was dead? She looked up at Domenico, knowing she could only imagine the agony he was in right now. She gripped his hand tightly, willing him to draw comfort and strength from her. He squeezed back but said nothing.

  “There’s one more.” The man suddenly looked at Misty and she paled. “Your brother is critically injured.”

  Chapter Ten

  Dear Diary,

  Kevin is hurt and I can only blame myself. Have I truly made the right choice, letting them step into a world they don’t know a thing about? If it’s not, will I actually be able to give Domenico up? Will I ever be forced to choose? I love him too much already that the thought of leaving him breaks me apart.

  If I go, I want to have just one last night with him – one night to show Domenico how much I love him, how I would always die an exquisite death every time he enters my body, how I love the sometimes savage way he would possess me, his massive cock nearly splitting my cunt wide open when he is frantic with need.

  I love every moment of it, the roughness and the sweetness. I love it because I love him. I just wish he would feel the same way for me.

  “Before we arrive back at home, I want you to understand one thing, Misty.” The attendants had left them alone in the lounge area of the plane, and almost all the lights had been turned off except for the pin lights above the wine bar across the cabin

  She nodded, waiting for what Domenico had to say.

  “No matter what his injury is, it can be healed with our blood.”

  Misty slowly felt the tightness of her chest easing.

  “But if we share our blood with him, then he will be a Lyccan as well and therefore subject to our rules.”

  “I don’t care, as long as he’s saved,” she said passionately.

  He shook his head. “It’s not that easy. Since he’s not marrying into the pack, his transformation must be subject to council approval.”

  Misty almost sagged in her seat. “But what if…what if they don’t approve?”

  “They will.”

  But he had not answered her, and they both knew it.

  Neither Domenico nor Misty had slept throughout the flight and they were both silent when they went to the hospital. It was Domenico who decided that they visit Kevin first.

  Gazing down at Kevin’s unconscious form, she couldn’t believe how pale her brother looked. This was all her fault. She should have been honest with them from the start. If she had, they’d be more aware, more --

  “Stop blaming yourself for something that’s not your fault.”

  “But it is my fault.”

  Domenico took her hand and guided her to the leather couch at the far end of the room.

  When Domenico settled next to her, she looked at him unhappily. “I should have warned them, Domenico, even just a little. I should have --”

  “If you are going to insist on blaming yourself then I must share in the blame. I didn’t give you permission to tell them about what I am. I didn’t --”

  Misty let out a tired laugh. “You win.”

  “Come here.” He pulled her into his lap.

  The doctor’s prognosis had not been good. It was beginning to get clearer and clearer that he had to be transformed.

  If it had happened at any other time, Domenico was confident he would get approval. But the recent fiasco in Lyccan Hall was still fresh on everyone’s mind and Domenico didn’t want to push things. Nevertheless, if he had no other choice, he would.

  “Everything is going to be alright,” he murmured.

  “And you can make sure it is because you’re Superman, right?”

  “At least you didn’t compare me to Wolverine,” he replied grudgingly.

  Misty smiled against his chest and wrapped her arms around him more tightly. She closed her eyes and began to pray.

  The next day, Domenico and Misty, together with their respective siblings, briefly left Kevin’s side to attend Matteo’s funeral. She couldn’t believe Domenico’s old friend and confidant was dead. Murdered. In cold blood.

  Her siblings, now fully aware of what they were up against, were unusually quiet. She waited for them to blame her but they didn’t. Finally, she couldn’t stand it, and when they were left alone in one of the private parlors, she burst out, “I’m sorry.”

  Nicole shook her head. “We knew you’d feel this way, but really...you’re not to blame, Misty. You couldn’t have known this would happen. Even Domenico, who’s a god, didn’t expect this.”

  “I think there’s an insult there somewhere,” Kelly commented, making them laugh. She wrapped her arms around Misty. “Trust me when I say that I speak for Kevin as well when I tell you that you’re not to blame.” Her eyes darkened. “But whoever did this, he’ll pay.”

  Seated temporarily next to the Moretti twins at Matteo’s wake, she noticed a slight commotion when an old man arrived, escorted by a heavily armed entourage.

  “Who is he?” she asked the twins.

  “Pack leader of the Castellanos,” Alejandro answered quietly. “He holds great influence over the senior Council members.”

  “Then if we ask him to approve Kevin’s --”

  “Unfortunately, he’s also notoriously anti-human. His son committed suicide because he had been rejected by his human l
over upon learning the truth about his nature.”

  Misty’s hopes were crushed at Alejandro’s words.

  “Don’t worry, Misty. We’ll find a way,” Alessandro, the older of the two, assured her with a squeeze of her hand.

  “But if that man will block our every step…”

  “Trust in Domenico, Misty.”

  A reception at a nearby Lyccan function hall followed the funeral that afternoon. No one had extended their condolences to Misty except for the few faces that were familiar to her like Jayme, Penny, and Matilda.

  Unable to bear the stifling air inside, she excused herself from the family and went to the gardens.

  After a while, she realized she was not alone.

  A large dog, with streaks of dirt marring its grey fur, was staring at her.

  She was not going to be fooled this time, and the memory of the one time that she did made her smile faintly. This was no Lyccan for sure. It was incredibly unkempt. She could not imagine any Lyccan allowing himself to be dirty like this. And those wounds!

  Her heart went out to the dog. “Hey, doggie…”

  It barked.

  She stood carefully and took a small step closer. “Promise, I won’t hurt you…”

  She took another step closer, gauging its mood, but it only continued to stare at her.

  When she reached its side, she bent down to touch its head.

  It bit her instead.

  She yelped and her hand went up.

  Misty was intending to check her wound, but when the dog tensed silently in front of her, Misty realized that it expected her to hit back.

  Somehow, the defensive stance of the dog brought tears to her eyes, reminding her of how it was up to Domenico and the rest of them to hit back against Matteo’s cold-blooded murderers. And Kevin – what would happen to her brother if the Lyccan Council refused Domenico’s bid for his transformation?

  She wiped the tears away. Glancing down at the dog, Misty said softly, “I’m not going to hurt you. I know you’re wary and afraid...whoever it was that did hurt you, I hope he rots in hell.”

  She checked her gash and was thankful it wasn’t bleeding. Only a bit of skin had been torn away.

  Somehow, she could imagine that the same man who had hurt this dog had hurt Kevin…and killed Matteo.

  Without knowing it, she slid to the ground and cried.

  “I can’t believe they killed Matteo. He was a good man…and my brother…he didn’t do anything…”

  She covered her face and wept soundlessly.

  When her tears had dried, she looked up, but the dog was gone.

  Seconds later, she heard leaves rustling and then Domenico was there, crouched in front her, and she reared back in shock. She should be used to his speed by now, but she wasn’t.

  “What are you doing on the ground, darling?” Domenico asked gently.

  She shook her head.

  He had a faint idea why but decided not to pursue it. Instead, he simply helped her up. “Stick by me, hmm?”

  She nodded, silent as he dusted off her dress before walking back inside together.

  Domenico kept her at his side as promised, sometimes holding her hand, other times with his arm curled around her waist, his hand resting on her hip. She could feel everyone staring at her but did her best to stay composed. She still didn’t understand what her role in Lyccan politics would be, so for now she was simply observing.

  Possibly the most intriguing thing that happened was when the Castellano pack leader went to Domenico and offered his condolences. She had expected him not to acknowledge her, maybe even treat her rudely because of what had happened to his son, but he had not. He glanced at her, so briefly that she wondered if she had just imagined it, before concentrating fully on Domenico.

  The next day, Misty accompanied Domenico to a meeting with his investigators.

  “We suspect the same group of assailants behind recent Lyccan murders is behind the incident four days ago.” The investigator’s name was Harlan, a barrel-chested half-Lyccan who was also a former Navy SEAL.

  “There is evidence then?” Domenico asked.

  “Yes. We’re confident we’ll be able to provide vital clues tomorrow at the latest. They were unusually sloppy that night. It was as if they were taking advantage of the fact that you were gone. Their movements were not as coordinated as their other attacks, not as planned.”

  Harlan sighed. “Our earlier theory appears even more credible than ever. There is a Lyccan traitor involved – even if he or she is not the one who murdered the victims.”

  When they were alone inside the limousine, Misty couldn’t help thinking about how Matteo used to be with them in the car at all times. Tears rushed to her eyes once more, but she blinked them away rapidly. She did not want to be weak in front of Domenico. He was doing his best for her and everyone was depending on him. She wanted to be his strength rather than being just another burden to him.

  “Domenico?” she said when she had recovered sufficient control over herself.

  “Yes?”

  “Who do you think is behind the attacks against Lyccans?”

  “Not humans, definitely.”

  Her eyes widened at the implication of those words. “A new species?”

  Domenico smiled briefly at her surprise. “If we existed, don’t you think other non-human races could as well?”

  “And why are they targeting your species, whoever or whatever they may be?”

  “How do wars start?”

  “Greed?”

  He shook his head. “Insanity. There’s always this one person who’s insane enough to think that he can control the whole world. When one person starts to believe that, then war starts.”

  She bit her lip. “And marrying me? Are you sure marrying me didn’t hurt your chances of saving your race from war?”

  Domenico turned to look at her, touching her face with gentle fingers. “Misty, you and only you are the key to my success.”

  She held his hand and kissed it. “I’m scared,” she admitted in a shamed whisper. “I want to help you find the person who killed Matteo and hurt Kevin, but I don’t know how to start.”

  His heart constricted at the love blazing in Misty’s eyes.

  Why did her every word, her every touch and action move him so? Domenico pulled her onto his lap, hugging her tightly to him, kissing her hair. “You help me just by staying at my side.”

  She hugged him back just as tightly. “I’m sorry about Matteo, Domenico. I know he was a long-time friend of yours.”

  Domenico closed his eyes, the memories he had of happier times with Matteo when they were kids going through his mind. Each one of them hurt. “He was more than a man who had worked for me. He was my confidant. He knew and understood what I was about to do even without me saying it.”

  Misty squeezed his hand, hearing and feeling his pain. “We’ll find his killer, Domenico. I trust in you.”

  That night, hundreds of Lyccans had gathered around the family cemetery, paying their respects to the Morettis’ for their loss.

  Misty inhaled deeply as Domenico stepped behind the podium. With the moonlight shining behind him, he appeared to glow like an avenging angel with the darkness’ blessing.

  “Matteo was more than a man who served me and my family. He was a man I grew up with and who shared in my triumphs and pains. His death marks a turning point in the unspoken war we have been battling in the past. All of us know about it, but we do not speak of it.”

  He shook his head. “Today, it has become personal. We are fighting a war against an invisible enemy. We are being targeted, one by one, and it is vital that we join forces with those who can help us, even if they are different and unknown to us.”

  Murmurs rose from the crowd and Misty automatically turned to the twins questioningly.

  Caros.

  Misty heard the word whispered over and over.

  She frowned.

  Darlings? Caro was the Italian male form for da
rling.

  Alessandro leaned close and whispered in her ear. “Vampires, the good kind.”