MemoriesofParadise (16 page)

Leaning forward, she held her head in her hands. Now she knew why she didn’t want to remember Holly’s father. Just after she’d turned sixteen, she’d been raped over and over by more than one man. No wonder she’d blocked it out.

Not only was Holly’s father a cruel rapist and defiler of children, but she had no idea which of the six men he had been.

Riana sobbed into her hands, the memories making her skin crawl. She needed a shower and she needed one now. Standing, she screamed when she noticed the man who ran into the room.

He looked around as though expecting to find someone else in her with her. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing…” She broke down. “Everything!” Gods, how could she live with herself knowing what had happened? How could she ever look her daughter in the eyes and tell her she loved her? How could she not? Holly was the innocent one in the mess that was her life.

Clay didn’t waste time. He leapt across the room and gathered her in his arms. “Shh, baby. It’s okay. Everything will be okay.”

How many times had she wished for someone to tell her that every time she moved? How many times had she prayed for someone to love her enough to hold her in their arms while they kept their hands to themselves?

Why did she have to find Gunter and Clay now? Why, after all of these years did she have to remember when she had finally found someone who could love her? What would they think of her now?

Pain burned the center of her chest. She would have to tell them what happened and they would hate her for it. They would hate Holly for her parentage and Riana would continue to hate herself for not having been strong enough to stop what happened to her all those years ago.

She hadn’t even realized she had said all that out loud until Clay drew her closer, rocked her in his embrace and said, “Oh, baby, no one hates you. You were a girl, little more than a child. How could you stop grown men from doing anything?”

No wonder she never trusted men all these years. No wonder she shuddered every time a man touched her or smiled at her. She sucked in a deep breath, then pulled from Clay’s arms.

She looked up at him and swiped at her eyes. “Why do I trust you?” She looked around with a frown. “And why do I trust Gunter? Where is he, by the way?”

Clay cleared his throat and looked away as though not wanting to tell her something important. “He’s doing a perimeter check.”

She tilted her head and licked her lips. “Why?” She looked around, finally realizing they were back in the hotel room. They obviously brought her back here after she’d had her meltdown at the carnival. “Where’s Holly?”

“She’s still at the carnival. We thought it best to leave her there with the men of Paradise. As your child, she has the protection of the entire town.

“But I don’t trust the entire town! I trust you and Gunter.” She started for the door, but he grasped her arm and pulled her to a stop.

“Don’t you trust your sisters, your grandparents? They’re there as well and they will protect her from harm.”

“Harm.” Riana’s heart pounded and she tasted bile at the back of her throat. “The evil has followed us here, hasn’t it?”

“It would appear so.” Clay’s grip grew tighter when she would have yanked her arm away. “You must stay here. Every man is at that carnival protecting your daughter.
You
only have Gunter and me to protect you. Don’t do something stupid like run outside looking for trouble.”

“I wouldn’t be looking for trouble.” She almost snarled the words. How stupid did he think she was? She only wanted to go to her daughter.

“Just walking out that door is looking for trouble. Whoever it is that stalks you is here in town. If they get you, they can challenge Adam’s role as alpha. You are the eldest heir of the second ruling house of Paradise.”

Pain sliced her chest as Riana realized every implication of what he said. “That’s why you want me here, isn’t it? You want me because of what I am, not
who
I am in here.” She slapped the center of her chest hard. So what if it hurt? Maybe it would distract her from the agony of her heart breaking in two. She yanked her arm from his grip and backed away, shaking her head. “You knew who I was all along.”

“No, Riana. We had no idea who you were. We had no idea you would be on that plane when we pulled you out.” He moved closer, stalking her as she backed away. “I’ll have to admit that we suspected you were a shifter when we made love to you.”

“Ha! I knew it.” She spat the words with a wave of her arm. “I guess I should be glad you’re willing to admit it.” She wasn’t glad, though. Riana looked up at him and wished with every part of her breaking heart that he would have denied it.

“Why should I deny it? Why should I deny the fact that I knew you were my mate and the love of my life when I made love to you? Why should I deny that being with you, loving you and just plain sleeping with you in my arms was the best thing that
ever
happened to me?”

“You’re lying now.”

Clay shook his head. “No, Riana. I’m not lying to you. Both Gunter and I would die for you.” He raked his fingers through his hair and shook his head. “Where do you think Gunter is now?” He gestured to the window. “He’s out there somewhere searching out those who would take you and Holly from us and he’s doing it alone. He could be out there dying alone. We would die before we let another man harm you ever again.”

Riana fell to her knees, put her head in her hands and sobbed. “He can’t die.” She looked up at him, her tears blurring her vision. “
You
can’t die. Gods forgive me, but I love you both!”

How could she feel so much for them in such a short time? She remembered about mates now. She should have one true mate, or so the counsel proclaimed. Why did she love both of these men and why had she fallen so completely and inexplicably in love with them so quickly?

Did it have something to do with the mating heat her mother had told her about all those years ago when she had her first cycle?

“Forgive me, Clay, but I love you both. I can’t choose between you.”

Clay knelt in front of her, cupping her cheeks in his hands. “There’s nothing to forgive, love. We want you to love us both. Once Adam took over as alpha in Paradise, we discovered that a truebond is the way we were meant to mate. A truebond has two males, if not more.” He smiled and kissed her gently. “It’s lucky for you, you get two men to dote on you and make you happy.” He pulled away and gave her a solemn look. “It also means that you get two males to help keep you safe.”

The window behind Clay exploded. Glass flew everywhere as he covered her body with his own, proving to Riana that he meant what he said when he told her he would protect her.

Three large jaguars leapt into the room, their deadly gazes locked on Clay. Riana screamed, finally remembering the last little bit of her life before. That was what she was. That was what everyone who lived in Paradise was. They were shape shifters and they fought to the death for their mates.

She recognized the repugnant odor of these three males. They were three of the six that had defiled her on that fateful night her daughter was conceived. Her skin crawled at the memory, but she pushed it back. Tonight wasn’t a night to cower under the power of old memories. Tonight was the night she would finally get her chance to fight back.

“Run, Riana. I’ll hold them here as long as I can.” Clay pushed her behind him, fully intending to die for her if necessary. She could see the intent in his eyes.

“I won’t let you do this. I won’t let you die for me.” Too many had already died for her. She remembered the night of her escape. She saw five people fall in battle protecting her and her family as they ran from this town. She saw her parents die protecting their children as others whisked them away to safety. No. She wouldn’t leave this time. “Too many people have already died protecting me. It’s time I learned to protect myself.”

Concentrating on her jaguar, Riana called her forgotten beast forth for the first time in over a decade. Her face elongated, her legs shortened and muscles grew more compact. Riana’s jaguar burst forth quickly as though impatient to be set free. She snarled at the three males, daring them to touch her.

Oriana McWerty was no longer a child. She was a grown woman with a child of her own and she would damn well show them that they had created a force to be reckoned with.

Chapter Twenty-seven

“Go, dammit!” Clay barked the order at Riana before he shifted.

Gods, Clay. Why didn’t you tell me you were a lion?

We didn’t say anything because we thought you were human. We didn’t want to scare you away,
Clay replied as he moved his body in front of hers when she attempted to stand beside him.

I can take these males without your help.

Arrogance will not help you now.

Clay snarled at her. It wasn’t arrogance he felt, but a deep-seated need to kill the men who threatened her, then to spank his unruly mate for her disobedience.

The three intruders attacked when his attention was on her. One landed on his neck, its claws digging deep, the other two landed on his back.
Do you see? A female is weaker than they are. They don’t even consider you dangerous.

That’s their mistake.

Riana circled around as the four cats wrestled, bit and clawed each other. As much as Clay wanted to believe he could take on the three cats, even in his lion form, he just wasn’t big enough to do it on his own. When the fourth, fifth and sixth jumped through the broken window, Riana snarled and joined in the fray.

Two of the newcomers took on Riana who fought valiantly, but knew very little about her other half. As hard as she fought, the two had her pinned. Had she taken on one, Clay believed she could have won, but against two, she had no chance of victory.

Where the hell are you, Gunter? We’re under attack and Riana refused to run. She stayed and now two have her pinned while I take on four others.

I’m on my way. It took me a while to realize the scent I followed circled back to the hotel. They managed to dupe me and I’m not happy about it.

Just then, Gunter leapt through the window. The floor shook when he landed. Clay’s attackers split while one of the beasts holding Riana to the floor leapt on Gunter’s back, its claws raking deep furrows in the lion’s flesh.

With a roar, Riana flipped over, brought her feet under her and stood. Unsheathing her claws, she swiped at the shifter trying to dominate her. Deep slashes appeared on his face and he howled with rage, fighting her back.

Clay lost sight of her when another cat leapt on his head, its teeth sinking into his neck as its back legs dug relentlessly at the front of his neck and chest.

What a stupid move.
With a chuckle, Clay lowered his head, pressed the other cat to the floor, and opened his mouth. By the time the other male realized what he meant to do, it was too late. He had already closed his mouth around the cat’s body and eviscerated it.

A high-pitch scream drew his attention to Riana. Thank the Gods for Gunter’s aid, the alpha lion had already taken out his three and Clay’s spare. The only male jaguar left alive stalked Riana with no regard for his backup. It seemed that the male was confident that his team had triumphed, because he didn’t even look their way.

He had Riana backed into a corner. She spit and snarled, swiping her deadly claws as he dodged out of the way.

He’s playing with her.

Gunter stared into Clay’s eyes for a moment and Clay knew he would never want to find himself an enemy of that deadly glare. Silently, Gunter walked up next to the jaguar and pushed him away. Turning, he knocked the cat down with a swipe of his huge lion’s paw. Grabbing him by the neck, he flung the other around like a rag doll until the cat stopped squirming.

Clay closed his eyes. He almost wanted to cry. Just because Riana knew she was one of them, didn’t mean she would accept their way of life, especially now that she’d seen them at their worst.

He concentrated on his human half, bringing his human self forward in his mind. Again, bones snapped and popped as they reshaped and muscles shrunk to fit over the humanoid bones.

“You’re free now,” he said to Riana who shivered, naked in the corner. She had managed to change back into her human form, but apparently didn’t remember how to use their magick to dress herself again. “You can go anywhere and do anything without fear of having a stalker.”

“I know,” she said with a nod. She held her head down, refusing to meet their gaze. “Those were the six that…that—” She couldn’t finish her sentence.

Clay smelled the scent of shame roll off her. Both of them hurried to her side. “You have nothing to be ashamed of, Riana.” Did she believe they would hold her responsible for the acts of insane men?

“Yes,” she said with a nod, “I do. I had a chance to kill him and I didn’t.” She gestured to the male who taunted and played with her before Gunter killed him. “He smells a lot like Holly. I just couldn’t…” She looked up at them through her tears. “Can you forgive me?”

“There’s nothing to forgive, love,” Gunter said as he drew her into his arms. Clay moved around behind her and added his body heat with the hope of reducing her shock-induced tremors. “We aren’t angry because you have a heart. Your heart is what draws us to you, why we have fallen so deeply in love with you in such a short time. Yes, the mating heat draws us together, but it’s your heart that has us so fully enthralled.”