Predator's Kiss (3 page)

* * * *

Shift, shift! We’re scaring her
. Ryland directed his silent plea toward his brother.

No kidding, fuckwad? We’re fucking bears.

Ryland ignored Soren’s tart reply and allowed himself to shift back into human form. He looked down at himself. Damn.
Naked
human form.

This might not terrify her any less.

He sensed the change in his brother as Soren shifted as well. The poor woman on the other side of the clearing was still doing her best Janet Leigh impression, and the birds careened out of the trees because of the shrillness of her screams. Ryland fought the urge to cover his ears. This insane woman could bring a house down with her shrieks. If she didn’t stop hollering, he’d have every guest in the resort looking to evacuate in fear.

“Ma’am,” he shouted over the din. “We’re not going to hurt you, I promise.”

She was too far gone. She hadn’t even noticed they’d shifted back. She just continued shouting, staring at him, her pretty eyes unseeing. “Aah! Aah!”

He looked over at Soren. His brother merely rolled his eyes at the proceedings and sat down on a log, next to where he’d dropped his luggage. Looking bored, he picked up his drumsticks and proceeded to play air drums.

Ryland took a step toward the woman, wincing at the sound coming from out of her trembling lips. Surely her throat must be sore by now? “Miss. Miss?” He scooted closer, and gently shook her arm.

At his touch, she jumped and stopped screaming. While she made little whimpering noises, her eyes took him in and she tried to speak, clearly struggling to make sense of what she’d seen. Her gaze dipped down toward his crotch and her eyes widened. Her jaw clapped shut and she stood still, her gaze locked on his dick.

Ah, hell
. He covered his cock with his hands. Shit. How could he manage to be aroused in this situation? He struggled to cover his inflated parts. “We won’t hurt you. Okay?”

The woman blinked at him. She turned slowly to Soren. His brother, just as frustratingly nude, smiled at her and waved.

Ryland watched as her eyes rolled back into her head and as her body crumpled. He caught her as she fell, cradling her head.

He glared at Soren. “You are such a shit. Do you ever stop flirting?”

Soren grinned and picked up her fallen backpack. “Never waste an opportunity, big brother. That’s my motto.”

Ignoring Soren, Ryland carried the woman into Cabin 12.

* * * *

Despite his attempt to appear unfazed, Soren’s mind raced.

A few short moments ago, he was ready to take out his frustrations on his holier-than-thou brother before they got interrupted by what appeared to be a teeny human woman racing through the woods, on the run from something.

Now, his brother was carrying all 5’3” luscious inches of woman in his arms. And they were naked. He’d found himself in similar situations before, but never with his brother.

Interesting, but off-putting, to say the least.

What was weirder was he’d shifted for the first time in at least five years. He was startled at how good it felt to let loose. Such freedom. He’d spent years learning how to channel and master his instincts and urges, making him a better musician, one who could summon those emotions on demand. It had been a long time since he’d just let go and gave himself the liberty to be what he truly was.

He didn’t know whether to be aroused or alarmed. Had he been mistaken in denying his bear for so long? Probably.

Ryland wasn’t far off the mark when he said Soren deserted his kind. He’d avoided the shifter world for years, ignored the nagging voice inside his head constantly reminding him of how he neglected his own people. It was just less complicated that way. He didn’t like to be with people who made him think of the inner beast he’d forsaken years ago.

It was easier living among humans, pretending he was human.

The woman in Ryland’s arms was human. And she’d definitely make a good bed companion. With her soft belly, swelling bosom, and perfumed hair.

Soren watched as Ryland brought her into the cabin and gently laid her on the bed without saying a word. He covered her with the plaid duvet.
Christ, more plaid
. Ryland stroked her clammy brow.

“Damn humans,” he muttered.

Soren noted the change in his brother immediately. Ryland’s tone might have been gruff, as always, but Soren had seen the gentleness of his caress.

Well, well. What have we here?

Ryland always liked to play preacher. Even when they were kids, dealing with the emotional upheaval of being shifters, Ryland always maintained his pride. He’d never wavered, even when he and Soren were getting the snot kicked out of them by human kids for seeming different from them. He knew Ryland had a disregard for anyone who couldn’t transform into something warm and fuzzy.

And he loved to extol the virtues of shifter women. How beautiful they were. How loyal they were. Around human women, Ryland was the untouchable one.

But Soren knew Ryland’s emotions ran deep. And he already looked oddly curious about this woman.

Of course, she was gorgeous. Soren dragged his gaze to her. She had long, light brown hair down to her shoulders. The kind of hair that would make a sexy blanket for your chest, your stomach, or lower. And although her eyes were closed, he remembered their captivating color. A brown so light and clear they were almost amber.

He took in other details, as well. The duvet might be obscuring them, but he could still make out the pleasant mounds of her full breasts. And he recalled the tempting sight of shapely legs and a round ass encased in tight jeans.

He swallowed. What was wrong with him? What kind of sick impulse made him always want to steal women away from his brother?

It was what he’d always done, good or bad. He stole women, period.

Of course, this woman didn’t belong to Ryland. Hell, she might not be with anyone. The road could be free and clear. He glanced at her left hand and was pleased to see she wore no ring. Not that it meant anything.

He watched as Ryland gently brushed a hand over her hair, making her shudder in her unconscious state.

And noticed his brother’s reaction. Ryland frowned. As if he was worried he’d caused her pain.

“Well, damn.” He snickered. “Looks like big brother has a little crush. Isn’t that sweet?”

He waited for Ryland’s usual “piss off, shit-for-brains,” but the curse never came. His brother was too busy glaring at the woman.

Very interesting, indeed.

And she was a regular, run-of-the-mill, nonshifting woman. No bells and whistles other than her obvious physical charms and supernatural talent for screaming. Exactly the sort of woman Ryland thought he despised.

Wouldn’t it be fun to mess with his head a little bit? Grinning as a plan hatched in his brain, Soren wondered what it would take to push Ryland into her pretty arms, to prove nonshifters were just as worthy as shifters.

Some brotherly competition might do it. It was time to turn on the Soren Snow charm.

*

She was already reviving a few minutes later. Ryland let out a sigh of relief.

Thank God. When he’d first seen the petite woman hurtling through the trees, he’d worried someone was after her. But no one else had barreled behind her. And yet she’d seemed so scared.

They hadn’t helped, presenting her with a couple of snarling bears.

She moaned a little, and the soft sound warmed him, making him hard again. Damn. He glanced around the room, remembered he didn’t exactly tend to stash clothes in guest cabins, and raced for the bathroom. He grabbed a couple of clean towels off the rack and tossed one to Soren. “Cover yourself.”

Soren grinned like a devil and motioned to his nude bottom half. “I can conduct my flirting business much more efficiently this way.”

Ryland glared as he wrapped his lower half in the towel. “Cover yourself or I’ll strangle you with it, lover boy.”

His brother placed the woman’s backpack on the floor and threw the towel about his waist. “Such animosity is really not in keeping with your sainthood, Brother Ryland.”

Ryland ignored him and turned back to the woman. He didn’t know why it mattered so much she recover and feel comfortable in his presence, but it did. Of course, as owner of the lodge, it made sense he didn’t want to see anyone scared or hurt.

Yeah. That’s it. That’s all
.

His rationalization did nothing to quell the nervous tremors in his gut, though. Or his excruciating hard-on.

Okay, she’s sorta pretty and has a body made for sin. So what? Get over yourself
.

Clearly it had been too long since he’d allowed himself to get lost in a woman’s body for more than a quick fuck. And this woman’s body deserved slow, leisurely loving. Greedy licks. Sensual tugs. Why, her breasts alone were so full and perfect, they just begged one to suck. To say nothing of those rounded hips and soft, womanly ass.

Ryland ran a hand over his face, feeling overly hot.
Jesus Christ. Stop thinking like a horny teenager
.
You sound like Carter
.

Besides, she was nothing like him. Human. And if time had taught him anything, it was the pursuit of romance with a nonshifter was a fool’s errand. She didn’t belong here on his resort, on his island. He needed to revive her and get her out of there.

Desperate to relieve the sudden, raging desire shooting up through his body, Ryland forced himself to look away from the woman. In doing so, he caught a glimpse of his brother. Soren was sitting next to her, his gaze contemplative, his eyes trained on her boobs. Ryland realized he didn’t like the way baby brother was looking at her. “Hey.”

Soren looked up. “What?”

“What are you staring at?”

Without batting an eye, Soren turned back to their unexpected guest. “Her. Can’t I stare?”

Ryland’s eyebrows shot up. “Staring at women has already gotten you into trouble. Maybe you should find a new hobby.” He stifled the low growl building in his throat. Now wasn’t the time for brawling, but he didn’t appreciate the way his brother gawked. His cool eye, appraising, as if he’d never seen anything like her before.

“You were checking her out too,” Soren replied.

“No, I wasn’t. I’m not interested in this … person,” Ryland retorted. As he uttered the words, he bit his tongue hard by mistake, as if confirming the words were a lie. “Damn,” he whispered, tasting blood.

“Do you think someone was chasing her?” Soren asked in a pensive tone, picking up one of his drumsticks and stroking it as if it were a lover’s finger.

“I don’t know.” Ryland sat on the other side of her small body and looked her up and down as she lay under the covers. Despite his mistrust of humans, he couldn’t help wondering who would frighten such a tiny, delicate thing. Had someone tried to hurt her? The very idea made him want to bash his head against the wall. Or better yet, bash any lowlife who dared to touch her.

No one touches her but me
, his heart declared.

What?

As another stress headache shot through his brain, he wondered at the ferocity and lunacy of the feeling.

Okay, he’d clearly been working way too hard. Sure, the Ursa Fishing Lodge wasn’t exactly the Ritz, and Gemini Island was nothing like the big metropolitan cities his brother breezed through. Still, it was home. Yes, most of its inhabitants liked their fish raw and writhing, but they were good people. So why did he suddenly feel self-conscious with his superstar, golden-boy brother in the room?

Maybe he just needed a little vacation. Yes. Once Soren disappeared, as he always did, he would book a nice, long holiday of his own. Yeah, a secluded beach. Lots of beer. No Soren. He could see it now. Maybe a pretty Hawaiian girl to give him a long back rub.

His gaze flew back to the woman in the bed, and he realized the Hawaiian girl in his vision had the woman’s face.

Man, I don’t need this right now
.

He shouldn’t want the stranger lying before them. He only wanted two things in his life. To devote himself to life at his lodge and to stay out of Soren’s troubles as much as humanly possible.

So why did he have the distinct feeling this woman was about to put a wrench in both of those plans?

She needed to leave. Pronto.

Soren’s voice interrupted his strange reverie. “You know someone is after her. She was terrified even before she saw us. What if he comes looking for her, Ry?”

Ryland started at the nickname he hadn’t heard his brother utter in years, but pretended not to notice. Instead he gazed back down at the strange woman as unfamiliar emotions cut through his core. “I’ll get to the bottom of that. And she can stay here … until it’s safe for her to leave.”

Come again? Surely
he
wasn’t the one who’d uttered those insane words? He hadn’t welcomed a nonshifter to Gemini Island in ages. There was a reason for it. Ryland wasn’t a religious man, but the rule was as close to a commandment as he got. Why the closest they got to nonshifters in the place were people like Marci, who were the product of a shifter/human relationship, and who became shifters by default. Everyone in the lodge understood the need for discretion among their people.

Soren nodded, his eyes lit with amusement. “I agree. She can be my roomie here in Cabin 12.”

Ryland smirked as a snarl of possessiveness built up in his throat. “Funny, I haven’t seen any icicles in hell lately. No way. Not while the flowery dude is gunning for your ass. She comes to the lodge.”

I’ll take care of her
.

She mumbled and opened her eyes. Ryland felt his heart jump upon seeing their amber beauty. He struggled to swallow, struggled to find words. He’d never been quite so … flummoxed by the sight of a nonshifter female. He wanted to say something to demonstrate his sense of empathy and natural sophistication. All he could think of was, “Um. You okay?”

*

Lia stared at the two seminude men before her, and tried so hard to remember how she got here … in someone’s bed. But as she took in the sight of the two gorgeous men, she had troubling recalling even her name, rank, and serial number. They were both dressed, strangely enough, only in plush towels. For a second, Lia wondered if she’d interrupted some sort of gay love affair.