Shifter Crown: Valley of Truth and Denial (The Shifter Crown Series Book 1)

by Desni Dantone

  “I’m not going to be a pawn that you use to make another guy jealous,” he says.

  “I’m not—” I spin around defensively, then sigh when I realize that is probably how it looked to him. “That had nothing to do with Steve. That was . . . Jill.”

  He doesn’t look convinced. “What about her?”

  “Didn’t you see the look in her eyes?”

  “I only saw the look in his eyes,” Luca sneers. “He’s lucky to still be breathing.”

  I gape at Luca, unsure how much of his statement should be taken seriously. From the severe look on his face, I assume he means for it to be taken literally.

  Not good. Time to defuse the situation.

  “Steve is . . . harmless,” I explain quickly. “You don’t have to kill him on my account.”

  “That’s your opinion,” he grunts.

  “He’s not important,” I reason. “He doesn’t matter. He has nothing to do with . . .” I trail off when something Luca said earlier comes back to me. Someone close to me is a threat. Surely, that someone isn’t my ex-boyfriend. Right?

  “Luca?” I step closer to him. “Steve is just a human, right? He’s not . . .”

  “No. He’s not a shifter,” Luca grits. “I still don’t like him.”

  “But we have bigger things to worry about than him,” I remind Luca.

  “Like your step-sister?” He smirks.

  I turn away from him with a groan.

  “Why did you tell them that?” he asks.

  “What?” I fake innocence.

  He doesn’t buy it. “You know what.”

  “I don’t know why I said that,” I admit glumly. “If she thinks . . .”

  “I’m your boyfriend,” he supplies when I can’t utter the words.

  “She’s only going to try harder now,” I say. “That’s her thing. She always has to do better, be better, than me. It’s like a competition with her—one that I have no interest competing in.”

  “So why did you say it?”

  I stare at him, unwilling and unable to tell him the truth. That jealousy forced the words out of my mouth. That I didn’t like the way Jill looked at him, and I didn’t like the way it made me feel. That even if he isn’t interested in me in that way, I fear the way my body involuntarily reacts to him means that I am more interested in him than I want to admit.

  “I don’t know,” I lie. “It doesn’t matter. I screwed up. She’ll be coming for you now.”

  “She can try,” he says. His voice is much softer now. I like it better like this—except for the fact that it makes my stomach all twisty and achy.

  “Whatever.” I shrug to downplay the confusing emotions rolling through me. I can’t even begin to figure them all out. There’s too many. Jealousy. Intrigue. Disappointment.

  Always disappointment.

  I turn away to conceal the evidence written all over my face. Surely, there is another picture on my wall that needs straightened.

  “Sav?” His voice is closer.

  I can’t bring myself to look at him. “What?”

  He crosses the room to stand directly behind me. “Those shifters are after you for a reason.”

  I mull over his words silently and reach the only conclusion I reasonably can. “Yeah, because I was your girlfriend three years ago. That’s a pretty crappy reason if you ask me.”

  He’s quiet while I adjust a picture that doesn’t need adjusted. Seconds tick by, and I wonder if he has more to say.

  Or I hope he has more to say?

  The optimistic romantic in me wants him to tell me it’s more than that, and that our history isn’t the only reason he is here. That something more than guilt and duty drive him. That he does like me, and what happened last night was one big misunderstanding.

  The rational part of me insists there can be no other explanation.

  Ration obviously wins, because he says nothing. After a few agonizing seconds, he walks away and opens the door. I start to ask him where he is going. Then Ryse and Ryder waltz into my room.

  “Perimeter is clear,” Ryse announces. “Aside from a bickering couple in the driveway, no one is within half a mile of here.”

  I whip around. “Jill and Steve? Did they see you come into the house?”

  Ryse spares me a glance but doesn’t answer.

  “Why does it matter?” Luca asks.

  “Because there are three guys in my bedroom right now,” I state the obvious. It must not be obvious enough, because I get three blank stares in response. “Do you have any idea what kind of rumors they can conjure up to explain why the three of you are in here? Ever heard of a smartphone? They have built-in cameras. Pictures often find their way onto social media. Do you have social media in your realm?”

  “We’re too busy fighting off rogue shifters to worry about social media drama,” Ryse snaps.

  He has a point, but that doesn’t make this any easier to swallow. They don’t know how vile Jill can be, while I have firsthand knowledge. Only time will tell what kind of damage my reputation will take once Jill drags it through the mud. I can only hope Dad doesn’t believe the lies.

  My defeated gaze briefly meets Luca’s before he turns to Ryse with a nod. “Go on. Make sure they see you leave.”

  Ryse hooks one intimidating brow. “You can’t be serious.”

  “I am.” Luca crosses his arms. “She has to live with them when this is all over.”

  Ryder peers at me with a bewildered expression while Ryse narrows his eyes on Luca.

  “We have orders,” Ryse tells Luca. “Your protection is—”

  “I don’t need protection,” Luca growls. He looks between the two of them before adding, “Maintain a perimeter outside the house. Don’t allow yourselves to be seen after you leave.”

  While Ryder inches closer to the door, Ryse squares his shoulders to face Luca in a silent challenge.

  I want to speak up, to tell Luca it doesn’t matter. I’ll gladly accept a smear campaign to prevent a bloodbath in my room. The subtle shake of Ryder’s head from the other side of the room encourages me to keep my mouth shut.

  Seconds drag by, and I worry that I’m about to be trapped in my room with a couple of angry wolf shifters. Then something happens.

  I don’t know what, since neither of them actually speaks, but Ryse backs down.

  “Fine.” Ryse tosses an angry glare in my direction. “But we won’t be far.”

  Luca steps to the side, blocking me from his friend’s view. “Now, Ryse.”

  Ryder quickly ducks out of the room. Ryse is a little more hesitant, but he eventually follows his brother. I don’t breathe until I hear their footsteps on the stairs.

  “What was that?” I watch Luca as he rubs a hand over his jaw. “I mean, I get it. Sort of. I would cut a bitch if Vi got hurt, but your friends seem a little . . . overprotective.”

  Luca redirects his glare—on me. “I don’t need their protection.”

  “I didn’t say you did.” I throw my hands up in surrender. “They seem to think otherwise.”

  “They’re just . . . following orders,” Luca mutters. “They’re good at what they do, otherwise they wouldn’t be here. But Ryse . . .”

  “I don’t think he likes me,” I say quietly.

  Luca’s features soften. “It’s not that he dislikes you. He just . . . doesn’t understand.”

  “We have that in common.” I offer Luca a faint smile. Seeing his confusion, I add, “I know you feel some sort of obligation to help me, because of a past . . .” I trail off when I register the abrupt change in his expression.

  It’s not exactly anger—not like before. Irritation, possibly. Frustration, definitely.

  “You’re the smartest girl I know, but you sure do think some dumb things,” he grumbles.

  “What?” I balk.

  “Nothing.” He shakes his head. “I’m hungry. Let’s get something to eat.”

  My head spins from the sudden change in his demeanor. From murderous to hun
gry in under a minute. Who wouldn’t be dizzy from that?

  “I don’t . . . um . . .”

  “How about a pizza?” He sounds exhausted. Maybe bored.

  I’ve never been more confused. I stare at him, unable to speak.

  In my silence, he closes the distance between us and gently curls his fingers around my wrist. With a surprisingly gentle tug, he leads me out of the room.

  I guess I’m having pizza again tonight. Hopefully, this one won’t end up with bird poop all over it.

  Chapter 17

  Luca drives. I call in the order along the way, and we park in the rear lot when we get there. Though I’m certain we’re both thinking about it, neither of us mentions the rainy night Luca, in wolf form, rescued me from the mountain lions.

  The dining room is packed with nearly every table taken when we enter the restaurant. It doesn’t matter how busy they are. Dom is waiting, as he usually does, at the counter with the pizza and a smile.

  His gaze drifts to my side as I approach with Luca, and his smile fades.

  “Friend of yours?” Luca mutters.

  “Yes,” I hiss under my breath. “Be nice.”

  Luca grunts as he steps up to the counter. It’s not a convincing sound, so I cut him off before he can say anything to make an awkward situation worse.

  “Evening, Dom. I’m back for another one.” I smile brightly at my friend while simultaneously elbowing Luca to the side.

  Dom flashes me a fleeting smile, but his gaze hangs on Luca. And vice-versa. The two regard each other like a couple of territorial grizzlies that just stumbled into the same cave. I may as well not even be here.

  I lay a twenty on the counter with a groan. Dom doesn’t seem to notice, so I add, “That should cover it, right?”

  Dom finally notices the money and gives me a lopsided grin. “Yeah. Sorry, Savannah.”

  Before he can take the cash, Luca nudges me aside. He whips out his credit card, replaces it with the twenty, and slips the cash into my pocket in one smooth move. “I got it,” he tells me quietly, his steely gaze not once wavering from Dom.

  I glance between the two, dumbfounded by what is going on between them. In public. With witnesses. None of the customers in the dining area seem to notice the tension, but the employees do—and they’re all family of Dom’s. The cook postpones his pizza-tossing while the waitress hovers near the soda machine with empty glasses. A shadow moves near the back of the kitchen, and I wonder if Dom’s dad is in his office.

  By the time Dom hands over the receipt with Luca’s card, I’m so eager to get out of there that I nearly forget the pizza. Luca picks it up with a parting sneer directed at Dom, and he follows me to the door without a word.

  The tension follows us into the parking lot. Speed walking to the Range Rover doesn’t put it behind us—not when Luca is in no particular hurry to leave.

  He unlocks the vehicle, opens the back door, and slides the pizza onto the seat. I watch him, waiting for an explanation that never comes. When he shuts the door and proceeds to casually lean against it, I snap.

  “Care to explain?”

  He nods toward the rear entrance to the building, and says, “You’ll see in a minute.”

  “Why don’t you tell me now?”

  Luca spares me a glance. “When did the Bianchi’s take over the restaurant?” I gape at him, and he shrugs before shifting his focus back to the door. “I’m curious when they expanded. It’s not a big deal.”

  Before I can begin to make sense of his words, and puzzling behavior, the rear door bangs open. Luca straightens as Dom, his uncle, and his father, Dom Senior, walk toward us. Gone are the smiles I am accustomed to seeing on their faces. They don’t even look at me. All three of them glower at Luca.

  “This is Bianchi territory,” Senior says when they stop a few paces away.

  “I’m aware of that.” Luca folds his arms across his chest before adding, “Now.”

  “Then you know not to return,” Senior adds. “We do not cross onto Caspan land, and we expect the same courtesy.”

  Understanding sets in, and I glance at Dom in surprise. He’s already watching me and offers me a timid smile when our gazes connect.

  It doesn’t help. My pulse hammers faster and harder.

  He’s a shifter. They’re all shifters. I’m surrounded by them. In the parking lot of my favorite pizza joint, of all places.

  Luca shrugs casually, like being outnumbered three-to-one doesn’t faze him. “I’m just here to get a pizza. It came highly recommended by my . . . friend.” He glances at me with a lopsided smile.

  A shockingly terrifying noise comes from Dom.

  My wide eyes meet Luca’s with a silent plea. I want out of here. Now.

  Luca holds up a finger to let me know he’s not done. “Since we’re all here . . .” He steps away from the Range Rover and glides closer to the Bianchis with a calmness that terrifies me. “I have a few questions I want to ask you.”

  “Perhaps we have not been clear enough,” Senior snaps as he edges forward to meet Luca. “You are not welcome here.”

  “I’m not looking for trouble,” Luca assures him—though his clenched teeth don’t help matters. “I just want to talk.”

  Dom glances at me. “What about?”

  Luca follows the direction of Dom’s gaze, and his eyes narrow on me. One hand furls into a fist at his side before he turns to Dom with a leer. “Not her.”

  “You have five minutes, Caspan,” Senior declares.

  The tension in Luca’s shoulders eases when he shifts his attention to the eldest Bianchi—their leader, it seems. Luca seems to prefer him to Dom Junior, for some reason. His fist is still clenched tight though. “Are you aware that two rogue lions were in your parking lot last week?”

  Senior crosses his arms. “Impossible.”

  “Not impossible,” Luca returns smoothly. “I saw them, because I was here, too. So was Sav.” He nods his head in my direction. “She can tell you more since she was the one attacked.”

  All three Bianchi men turn their eyes on me. Dom looks like he might puke at any moment, and I determine that this is news to him.

  “I don’t suppose you know anything about that?” Luca asks.

  Senior tips his head toward his brother, who answers his unspoken question with a barely discernible shake. To Luca, Senior says, “We were not aware.”

  “What about the string of rogues passing through town lately? You aware of them?” Luca presses.

  “There are always rogues passing through this area,” Senior states. “We permit them to do so as long as they do not overstay their welcome, or cause any trouble.”

  Luca smirks. “I’d say there has been some trouble lately. It’s hard to believe a big pack, such as yours, hasn’t noticed.”

  “What is the point of this?” Dom steps forward, hardened eyes leveled on Luca. “Isn’t your family too busy attending to royal affairs in the Kingdom to worry about some rogues passing through the valley?”

  While I don’t understand much about this world I now belong to, and I’m not yet fluent in shifter language, I recognize an insult when I hear one. Shade is shade, no matter what species is throwing it around.

  I hold my breath as I wait for Luca’s response, and I can only hope he doesn’t start an all-out brawl. Not when he is clearly outnumbered in enemy territory.

  His knuckles pop, but he doesn’t swing at anyone. Not yet. Instead, he gets straight to the point. “Sav has been attacked by rogues three times in the past two weeks. You want me to believe you haven’t noticed?”

  Dom’s wide eyes swing to me for a moment before narrowing to Luca. “What exactly are you accusing us of?”

  My attention snaps to the blood vessels popping out on Luca’s forearm as his fist tightens. Not good.

  “Nothing.” I jump forward and grab Luca’s arm before testosterone makes him do something stupid. “No accusations. We just want to know if you might have seen anything suspicious.”

/>   Dom’s eyes soften when they settle on me. His lips part and I suspect he has something to say, but he lets his father do the talking.

  “We have not encountered these rogues,” Senior says. “We have merely caught their scent. Nothing more.”

  “We thought they were passing through,” Dom adds. “If I had known . . .”

  Luca’s arm hardens like a four-by-four under my grip. “Are there any friendly rogues in the area that you are on speaking terms with? Anyone that might have heard something?”

  “No.” Senior shakes his head. “There is only our pack, and yours.”

  “Someone is trying to hurt her.” Luca tips his head toward me. “I’m not asking for my family, or for myself. Is there anything you know that may help to keep her safe?”

  Senior shakes his head. “Not at this time. I will inform my pack to be leery of the rogues they encounter.”

  I take that promise as a win. After stepping blindly into this uncomfortable situation, I am grateful to end the conversation on a reassuring note. “Thank you,” I tell Senior, and give Luca’s arm a tug.

  He doesn’t budge. Apparently, he doesn’t think Senior’s answer is good enough. “That’s it? That’s all you have to say?”

  “No. That’s not all.” Dom steps forward, taking his father’s place. “I think we all know what the real danger is here . . .”

  A growl vibrates low in Luca’s throat. He doesn’t like listening to Dom speak, regardless of what he is saying. I, on the other hand, want to hear what my friend thinks.

  “What is it, Dom?” I ask, genuinely curious.

  Dom sneers at Luca. “It’s you. As long as you continue to place yourself near Savannah, her life will be in danger. You must realize that you are the target. Not her.”

  Luca shakes with barely contained rage. I attempt to calm him with a gentle squeeze of his bicep, but I don’t think he notices. Not when Dom continues to throw his vapid accusations.

  “I’m sure you’ve already thought of that,” he says to Luca. “Yet there you stand, your presence in her life still posing a threat. You knowingly continue to endanger her, but I expect nothing less of a prince bred in the Kingdom’s shadow. You were raised to think only of yourself, after all.”