Hearts Unleashed: A Limited Edition Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Collection

by C. D. Gorri

  He explained that it comes over every shifter that is born to lead a pride. But when she lost her entire pride at such a youthful age during the Civil Were War, she had no one to lead. And before Takoda discovered her, the thought of going rogue terrified her. It was the only reason she agreed to have Nayati take her as part of his pride until Takoda welcomed her into his own fold. She hoped by the time she was of age, she’d feel differently about leading a pride of her own.

  The vibration humming inside of her stirred something in her she never thought she had the power to do—which was resisting the Alpha that was currently slapping her in the face. Treasure locked her eyes on Nayati and spit in his face as soon as he came within close enough range. She knew that would earn her another slap from the man, but as far as she was concerned, it was worth it.

  “You are not—nor will you ever be my Alpha!” Her eyes narrowed as she gave him a smug grin.

  Nayati slapped her again, but this time harder. Heat radiated from her cheek as if a bruise was forming the instant his hand left her face.

  “You will learn to bow down to me sooner or later,” Nayati said as he wrapped his hand around her throat.

  Treasure still had her eyes locked on his. She refused to glance away, and she refused to show weakness in her voice from his grip.

  “I’m unbreakable, bastard.” She shot another smug grin in Nayati’s direction.

  “You should take heed,” Lenox said as he stepped into Treasure’s view before continuing. “He’s very good at making Omegas submit like the bitches they are.” He said as he leaned into her ear.

  Nayati released his grip from Treasure’s throat and slapped the side of her face again. Something sticky and wet began to roll down her chin from the corner of her lip. From the copper scent that now permeated the room, Treasure could assume with certainty that Nayati broke skin.

  “Scout Kimana, guard this door and make sure the Omegas do not feed this traitor to her people.” Nayati barked as he backed away from Treasure.

  “Yes, my Alpha.” Said the scout as she bowed her head to him.

  They all left the tiny cubical of a room and he slammed the door on Treasure. The bang echoed through the small chamber they shackled her in. The echo reminding her of the sharp change within Nayati. Not one ounce of warmth remained in the hollowed eyes that glared at her now. Nothing about him reminded her of the caring person he once was.

  All was wonderful until this past year. Nayati’s attitude towards his people, Takoda, and she had changed on a dime. All of it changed the minute that Lenox became one of the Elders of their pride. At any other point in shifter history, no werewolf would have been accepted into a cougar pride—let alone become an Elder of one, but the Civil Were War had changed all of that. Prides and packs were decimated and the only way to gain strength in numbers was to break the 14th Century Peace Treaty and allow all the shifters to become one large proverbial melting pot of a race.

  In theory, there wasn’t much of a foreseeable problem with that, especially when Alphas, Lunas, Betas, and Deltas all agreed to train any rogue they came across as an Omega of their tribe. A sorcerer, known for founding the treaty, was living out the second half of his life in New England. He was called Zhang, and according to the legends Nayati told her, Zhang agreed to teach the shifter community how to train the newbies so they would be less threatening to the magical community once the war was over.

  Zhang helped in eradicating the old treaty because he had a part in creating it in the first place. Magic back then was far less understood. Back then, any mixing of magical races was prohibited under law. No shifter or witch could marry a vampire. Such a union was punishable by death. But now, with the advancement of culture, even shifters had a better grasp of their powers. To the rest of the magical community, shifters were considered the most barbaric out of any magical race, but no one saw this coming.

  Not one part of the old or now new treaty helped when it came to Lenox’s betrayal of council law. At first, she was in the dark, like Takoda. She just thought that Nayati was becoming just as power-hungry as the werewolf alpha. But now that she was a prisoner in her own caretaker’s pride, she now knew the truth. Lenox appeared to have learned more than just a spell to reverse his son’s magic.

  Lenox was always at Nayati’s side—no matter what the task was in the pride. Even for something as trivial as her being locked up, Lenox was there. And he was never without his staff. At first, Treasure thought it was just a walking stick, but once Lenox leaned into her ear, she was able to get a closer look at it. The thing contained red feathers, the shell of a small turtle, and bones from what appeared to be a small animal in nature at the top of the stick. This combination only meant one thing, the stick wasn’t a stick at all. It was a shaman staff.

  Most shifters, especially werewitches, used shamanic magic for healing. But in Lenox’s case, it was more than less likely used for the dark arts. And she was convinced the staff was to blame for Nayati’s complete 180. She had to figure out a way to escape her cubical confines, find the staff, and then destroy it.

  Another vibration hummed through her body. But this one differed from the first. It was warm, comforting, protective. Her eyes widened the minute her brain connected the feelings with the person she always experienced them with.

  Takoda!

  She sensed his essence approaching the compound, and a pang hit her gut as her heart pounded out of her chest. Beads of sweat formed on her back, and the cool night air made her shiver as she came to a deadly realization. If she could sense his presence, Nayati most likely did too, and that horrified her. She was grateful that Takoda was coming for her, but it would kill her if anything happened to him. For the first time in her life, her heart tugged for another. She needed to protect him from Nayati and the spell he was under.

  She looked at the shackles they had put her in and they appeared to be magical in nature. Which meant only one thing. She wouldn’t be able to shift to get out of them, but she had been blessed with small wrists. If she could make her thumbs tighten into her palm enough, she’d be able to escape the shackles and cause a diversion with the pocket lighter she’d always carried with her. She was like a boy scout, always carried one along with sage and bay leaves for an emergency smudging. Burning the combination could sedate the guard long enough to escape before Takoda set foot on the compound.

  She quietly started to tighten her thumbs into her palms, and within a few short moments, she was freed from the shackles. Treasure then fumbled around in her jean pockets and pulled out the bay leaves and lighter. She lit one end of a large bay leaf and fanned the smoke underneath the crack in the door. After burning five or six leaves, she heard a loud thud, signifying the guard was thoroughly sedated. She slowly opened the door and saw the guard out cold. Treasure tiptoed over the guard’s body and peered around the corner into the hallway. Surprisingly, no one else was in the main compound. She quickly when out the door and snuck into the shadows to avoid being seen.

  After she double-timed it into the thick of the forest, she let out a breath she’d been holding in for what seemed like forever.

  Now I just have to find Takoda!

  She closed her eyes to concentrate on his presence and sucked in a deep breath in the process. Once her mind was clear enough, a faint hint of Italian bergamot and Sichuan pepper hit her nose.

  Takoda!

  She immediately shifted into her cougar form and followed the scent for several miles until she came upon a clearing. The cologne was distinct, but all she could see from her vantage point was a man unfamiliar to her. She sensed he was a shifter, so she remained hidden in the shadows until she could determine whether the dark-haired man was a friend or foe.

  It did, however, seem odd to her that he was taking pictures at such a late hour in the evening and so close to Nayati’s compound. After a few moments of observing the man, Takoda came into view. Her cougar immediately resonated to his essence, and a hum came over her body once more before she
shifted back into her human form.

  Takoda looked in the general direction of where she was hiding in the shadows, and Treasure took that as a sign of being able to show herself.

  “Takoda!” She hissed in his direction, hoping the louder than normal whisper would alert none of Nayati’s Scouts who were most likely patrolling the parameter of the compound.

  She could see his head snap towards the large boulder she was hiding behind. His face softened from harsh undertones once she peeked out from behind it.

  “Treasure!” He hissed back as he rushed towards her.

  His arms wrapped around her before she could take even one step towards him.

  “My gods!” He said as he raised her chin towards the moonlight. “I’ll rip his heart out for harming you!”

  She splayed her palms over his chest and took in his Sauvage scent to calm herself before answering him.

  “It’s not his fault, Takoda. I’m now certain of it. He’s under some sort of spell. I think Lenox is using the dark arts on Nayati. Some sort of persuasion spell, perhaps? It’s got him brainwashed into thinking that we are the enemy. Lenox has this staff—we need to destroy it to break the hold it has on Nayati!”

  “That would explain why he’s done a 180 in the past six months, and that would also explain the council agreeing to a lot of what Lenox wanted.” Said Donovan as he came over and extended his hand. “Hi. I’m Donovan, I’m a—”

  “Wolf-shifter. I have heard of you.” Treasure said, as she took his hand and gave it a shake.

  “Well, since we got what we came here for and the introductions are done, can I suggest we leave before they discover she is gone? We can then figure out what to do with all of that staff stuff once we are back at my place. I’d say let’s go to yours, Takoda, but yours would be the first place Nayati looks for Treasure. And at least with my place, I have the porch where I can see them coming.”

  “That sounds like a good idea, Donovan.” Said Takoda before his eyes fixed back on Treasure. “Can you walk or do you need me to carry you?”

  “I’m okay—really. It looks worse than it really is, and you know my shifter powers will have me heal quick.”

  *.*.*.*

  Once they reached Donovan’s place, Takoda turned on a light in the living room.

  “Let me get a better look at that bruise on your face.”

  “Takoda, really—I’m fine.”

  He peered at her face and then looked at her neck.

  “There are bruises on your neck too. How could he?” His voice trailed slightly before he drew her into his arms. “I won’t ever let him hurt you again.” His voice grew more shaky with each word he uttered.

  “Really, Takoda, I’m okay. I promise.”

  “This is all my fault.”

  She pushed back from him slightly to meet his eyes.

  “How can you say that? You couldn’t possibly know that Lenox was going to put Nayati under a spell. Besides, if his pack hadn’t jumped us, I’m sure you

  and I could have taken him on.”

  “With all due respect, Treasure, only another Alpha or a Luna could have helped Takoda take on that pack. And from what I know, you weren’t the Alpha of your pack.” Said Donovan as he crossed the threshold and closed the door.

  “I may not have been the Alpha, but I am the daughter of one.” She said as she pulled away from Takoda’s embrace.

  Donovan and Takoda locked onto her gaze, mouths slightly agape and eyes widening at each word.

  “Don’t act so surprised! Why would I have told any of you when you first came across me? We were in a Civil War. You would have killed me on the spot if you found out I had Alpha blood running through my veins. I had no choice but to protect myself by making myself look weak.”

  “Okay, I can understand that back then when I had Nayati take you in, but why wait until now to tell me?”

  Treasure shrugged her shoulders before responding.

  “Honestly, I didn’t think about it all that much for the past decade. I’m basically an orphan and I thought it was normal to not feel an allegiance to Nayati’s pride. But something strange happened to me when I was in that tiny cell. It’s hard to explain—it felt like an energy was coming over me. Kinda like I was gaining new self-confidence or something. I mean, the young me would have been terrified and probably wouldn’t have tried to escape on my own.”

  “The Awakening!” Takoda said with widened eyes.

  “What’s that? I’ve never heard of it before.” Treasure asked with a knitted brow.

  “Well, most of the packs and prides are established these days—at least around here. There hasn’t been a need for the next generation to come into their rightful power as a ruler.” Said Takoda.

  “Except till now.” Donovan interjected.

  Treasure and Takoda’s eyebrows knitted at Donovan’s response.

  “Isn’t it obvious to the two of you?” Donovan asked with a chuckle as he gestured a hand between the two of them. “She’s your Luna, Takoda.”

  They still had a puzzled look on their faces as they searched Donovan’s eyes for clarification.

  “Oh, come on! Her father was an Alpha!”

  “I still don’t think we follow, Donovan.”

  “Takoda! If her father was an Alpha, that means she has royal blood! And this is our way out of a war with the council—well, once we can break the spell that Lenox has over Nayati, of course.”

  “Still not following.” Treasure said as she shook her head.

  “It’s simple. You are a mateless Luna. As a royal, you must mate with an available Alpha—it’s in your blood and in your nature to do so. Therefore, you can’t stay in Nayati’s pride because he already has a Luna he has mated with. By law, once a Luna comes into her powers, she must bond with her fated mate by the first full moon. Thankfully, we already know who that fated mate is.” Donovan said as he patted Takoda on the shoulder. “The council will have no choice but to accept that you are Takoda’s mate and will force Nayati to hand you over to Takoda.”

  “Okay, but he’s Shoshone and I have Cheyenne blood.”

  “Exactly, and that’s why this is the perfect solution to our problems! What’s the one tribe the council is recognizing right now in Wyoming?”

  Treasure’s eyes widened.

  “Donovan, you are a genius!”

  “I know.” He said with a toothy grin. “Why don’t you both get some sleep. The guest room is just down the hall and to your right. Fresh towels are in the adjoining bathroom and I’ll grab you one of my tees for you to sleep in, Treasure. Think I’ll take first and second watch since you both have some catching up to do.” Donovan said with a wink.

  Treasure’s cheeks flushed, and her eyes immediately darted towards the floor.

  “Sorry, Treasure! I’m merely trying to get Takoda’s goat. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  Her lips curled up slightly in Donovan’s direction. “It’s okay.” She said before she headed towards the guest bedroom.

  Chapter Six

  The last thing on his mind was to share a bed with her. Those bruises, though almost fully healed, still looked painful. He still found it hard to fathom that Nayati hurt her like that. The man didn’t have a bad bone in his body, nor did Takoda. All he wanted to do was take her in his arms and protect her from all the negative of the world.

  Just barring witness to the bruising made his own face flush with anger. His body shook, and he tried to steady himself as he pressed his palms into the countertop of the sink in the bathroom. After a few deep breaths, he turned on the faucet and splashed some water on his face. It was a weak attempt to try to calm his anger. As he toweled off the droplets, he heard the door to the bathroom open.

  She sauntered into the bathroom and turned on the shower. The water pelted the shower wall and steam began to roll from above the glass and nickel framed door. She started the process of removing her clothing. It was a sight he found hard to break his eyes away from. He gazed at her
reflection in the full-length mirror and swallowed hard as each article was removed in a deliberate fashion. With each piece of clothing she removed, she began to fold it carefully and placed it all in a small pile on the floor next to the shower stall. His cock strained against his pants and he found himself tearing his eyes away from her reflection, busying himself with placing toothpaste on his toothbrush. He couldn’t continue watching if he had any hopes of keeping his wits about him this evening.

  Each of her motions became more deliberate than the prior one as she removed her shirt first, followed by her shoes and pants. The last thing to come off was her socks before she was stripped down to only her black bra and matching panties. Toothpaste dribbled from his mouth as he watched all of her fluid motions of unhooking her bra from behind her back. Her hips swayed as she shimmied out of her undies.

  She caught a glimpse of him gawking at her as she stepped into the warm shower.

  “What? It’s not like you haven’t seen me naked before.”

  A drip of paste fell onto the counter. He quickly spit out the rest of what was in his mouth and wiped the remaining paste from his lips and chin with a nearby hand towel.

  “Well, yeah, I know, but?”

  “Shut up and join me—will ya?” She said with a wry smile plastered across her face.

  “But?”

  “But nothing! I promise I am fine, but I won’t be if you become just as complaisant as you were before when it comes to making me yours.”

  His brows knitted as he looked at her through the glass.

  “It’s only a matter of time before Nayati knows that I’m missing. It’s better for all of us if you claim me now. Because by law as it is now,” her voice began to trail as she placed her head under the shower and let out a sigh before shaking her head. “Look, I can’t bear the thought of losing you. Take me, Takoda. I need you more than anything in this world.”

  Her face looked like it was about to fall, and that made his heart sink south. No matter what—even if their world was crashing around them, he couldn’t disappoint her. Especially since she was right about council law. He began to peel his clothing off and while he placed each article next to her own, her eyes darkened. Once he was fully naked, he got into the shower and brought her close to him. Her pert nipples pressed into his chest, and the sensation alone made his rod thicken with desire for her sex wrapped around his cock. He cupped her backside and pressed his manhood against her inner thigh. A moan escaped his lips before he crashed them upon hers.