Predator's Refuge (Gemini Island Shifters, Book 3) Read online

  Predator’s Refuge

  Gemini Island Shifters 3

  Rosanna Leo

  Published 2014

  ISBN: 978-1-62210-068-2

  Published by Liquid Silver Books, imprint of Atlantic Bridge Publishing, 10509 Sedgegrass Dr, Indianapolis, Indiana 46235. Copyright © Published 2014, Rosanna Leo. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  Liquid Silver Books

  http://LSbooks.com

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

  Blurb

  Lynx shifter Marci Lennox has worked at the shifter-friendly Ursa Fishing Lodge and Resort all her adult life. It’s more a home to her than a job. When her boss goes on vacation, putting her in charge, Marci is thrilled. Finally a chance to prove she has the mettle to run a resort.

  Her confidence is shaken when new employee Anton Gaspar appears. One look at the mysterious tiger shifter spells trouble for Marci and for her sex-crazed lynx. Anton is judgmental, condescending, and a little misogynistic. Unfortunately, Marci’s lynx thinks his tiger is more delicious than an oversized bag of Maltesers.

  It becomes difficult for Marci to remain neutral near Anton, especially when she learns of his troubling past and unusual family circumstances. However, when dangerous incidents occur on the resort, the lynx woman and tiger man join forces to combat the threat to the lodge and its guests.

  Harder still is the quest to combat their explosive feelings for one another. As they explore their mutual passion, they realize the danger at the resort is more insidious than they ever envisioned. Their dreams, their love, and their very lives are at stake.

  Dedication

  For a wonderful author and friend, Monette Michaels. Moni has not only shared her expertise and time with me, she’s encouraged and taught and inspired me. If I can ever learn to write a sentence as effectively as she does, I will be happy.

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you so much to my terrific family at Liquid Silver Books for all their faith and belief in my writing. Thank you to my amazing editors Allie Hart and Terri Schaefer, who continue to cross my t’s and dot my i’s better than I ever could. Thank you to authors Daisy Banks and Allyson Lindt for providing me with some useful, early critiques in my writing process. Thank you to my family, who encourages me every step of the way, even though I sometimes have to explain why a shape-shifter is indeed an appealing character. And, as always, to my incredible readers. You have shared your feedback and comments and I learn from them every day. I appreciate every single share and review and compliment, and I vow I will create more and more sexy heroes for you. As an aside, I would like to add that there is indeed a Benedictine abbey in Hungary named Pannonhalma, but as far as I know, no shape-shifters reside there.

  Chapter 1

  Hot damn! He’s putting me in charge.

  Marci Lennox stared at her boss and her heart palpitations indicated equal parts excitement and dread, as much as she refused to show it.

  Ryland Snow, owner of the Ursa Fishing Lodge and Resort offered her a deadpan expression. “You won’t burn the place down, will you?”

  She threw her head back with what she hoped was a graceful laugh, even though the noise that emerged from her throat sounded staccato and harsh to her own ears. A laugh to make Fran Drescher proud. “Tell you what. If I do, I’ll make sure to tidy up the char marks.”

  Ryland grimaced. “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea. The day-to-day running of the lodge is enough to make any sane shifter loopy. It’s a lot of work for one person, Marci. Believe me, I know.”

  She put out a hand, reaching over her boss’s desk, and shook his arm. “Look, I promise not to destroy the resort you built with your own two hands.”

  He peeled his hand out of her friendly clutch and dragged it through natural waves most women would kill for. “Since I opened this place, I’ve never left it with anyone else. I’m not doubting you, Marci. I’m just worried if I look away for five seconds, the inmates will take over the asylum.”

  She searched for a reply that might settle his mind. Her boss, a worrier on the best of days, deserved a break, despite being an ornery bear shifter. Sure, it would be tons of work, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle. “Ryland, since you mated with Lia, you’ve never taken any time off. You two deserve a proper honeymoon. If you stay here, instead of heading to that sweet five-star hotel in Fiji, she’ll never forgive you.”

  “She’ll have my balls,” he joked. “She’ll mount them on a plaque that says ‘Worst Mate Ever’ and hang them in the lobby over the fireplace.”

  “Ryland.”

  “I’m kidding. Lia’s been…” He sighed. “She’s been amazing. She knows how important this place is to me. If I told her I needed to stay, she wouldn’t say a word. Which is just another reason I want to give her this trip.”

  “It’ll be a beautiful honeymoon.” She smiled at him. “Didn’t you say something about a private pool on your deck?”

  His gaze glassed over, but then focused on her again, frowning over smiling eyes. “None of your business, missy. That’s between my mate and me.” He chuckled, but his gaze turned foggy again as he no doubt pictured what they could get up to in that pool. Quickly, he shook his head and the lust clouds disappeared from his eyes. “Anyway, you know I trust you, Marci. I just don’t want you to get stressed.”

  She sighed. Since she’d first arrived at the lodge as a geeky teenager, she’d worked her way from clerical duties to being in charge of customer service. And because it was a relatively small operation, that meant she did a little of everything, from fixing up rooms when they were short on maids to helping Ryland with staffing issues. He relied on her a lot, but he knew, better than most people, she didn’t really have a history of calm and collected responses. She’d spent many a year being a frightened mouse of a girl rather than the proud lynx shifter she ought to be.

  It came with being such a late bloomer. Most shape-shifters possessed a natural finesse, one that hadn’t quite finished inching its way into her system yet. Even as a full-grown woman, she still felt like an awkward girl some days. It ran in her family, apparently. Her mom had told her many stories of female family members who’d come into their own while in their twenties, rather than shifting like others did in their teens.

  Her boss wasn’t being demeaning in bringing it up. He cared. He’d spent hours with her, coaching and developing her skills, and wouldn’t waste all his hard work with a baptism by fire. Ryland wasn’t that sort of manager. He’d want to make things comfy and cozy for her.

  Well, comfy and cozy didn’t always do the job. This chance meant she had an opportunity to prove herself. The spirit of a lynx purred inside her. Self-sufficient and agile and dignified.

  And she had the claws to prove it.

  She needed more. For some time, she’d been aching for new challenges and eager to tackle new obstacles. She knew her job inside and out and couldn’t help feeling more important adventures hovered somewhere over her horizon. That feeling could only be her need to advance at the resort.

  “I can handle myself, and I can handle anything this resort throws at me,” she affirmed, as much for her own benefit as for his. Silently, she tucked the sentence away as a little mantra,
to be repeated later. “I meant it when I said I want to be your right-hand man. I mean, woman. You’ve trained me and shown me all the inner workings of the lodge. It’s time to cut the apron strings.” She paused for a quick breath. “It’s time to let baby bird fly, mama bird.”

  His black eyebrows shot up. “Mama bird?”

  “You know what I mean.”

  He eyeballed her for a long moment, and then curled his lip in a half smile. “Fly, then. And if all goes well, Marci, I’ll make you assistant manager.”

  “Pardon?” Joy bubbled up inside her. Even though she wanted to jump out of her seat, hug him, and let out a high-pitched squeal, she maintained her professionalism and smiled. What voice she could find emerged as a whisper. “Thank you.”

  Ryland laughed as the corners of her mouth touched her ears. Surely they were touching her ears. “Oh, and baby bird. Promise me one thing.”

  “Anything.”

  “Don’t crap on my head as you fly over.”

  She straightened in her seat, sitting so straight her head might have been touching the clouds. “There will be no crap on my watch.”

  He stood and motioned to the door, and walked her toward reception. Shadows gripped his handsome features. “Oh, and a reminder. We have a new employee starting in two days. I told you about him a while back. Anton Gaspar?”

  “The new mentor?”

  “He’s the one. I’d prefer to be here to get him settled, but it can’t be helped. You’ll get him sorted in HR and introduce him around? He already knows what to do.”

  “You bet.” She’d helped other new employees get oriented. She could do it with her eyes closed.

  Ryland turned to her, peering into her eyes. “This might be a little different. Gaspar is from Hungary.”

  “Is there a language barrier?”

  “Nope. The man speaks better English than we do. He did a couple of years in one of those fancy English boarding schools. But being here might still be a bit of a culture shock.” He took a moment to scratch his head. “Anton Gaspar is not really like us small-town folk. He’s from an ancient line of Hungarian shape-shifters. He’s sort of, well, royalty.”

  She snorted at what she thought was a joke. “What, like king of Hungary?”

  “Nah. More like a prince, actually.” The twisted lines around his mouth illustrated his own bewilderment at the idea of putting a prince on payroll. “The shifters in his part of the world seem to appreciate the whole lineage business. It seems he’s actually a big deal where he comes from. Even grew up in a castle.”

  “A castle? Why on earth is he coming here to work as a mentor to troubled teen shifters? He can’t be qualified, Ryland. Does he even tie his own shoes?”

  He frowned at her. “Let’s not be too judgmental. Look, the man’s got a lot of interesting talents. He’s proficient in wrestling, fencing, and martial arts. I think our young guests will learn a lot from him. He could be an amazing role model. And Marci, he’s a tiger shifter. I don’t think we’ve ever had a tiger on the island before. Think of the tricks he’ll be able to teach the kids. Think of the muscle he’ll bring to the team.”

  Muscle.

  She was thinking of it. From the gurgle of greed emanating from her spirit animal, she could tell her lynx was already thinking about it a little too much. “Okay. That still doesn’t explain why a prince wants to work in a fishing lodge on Gemini Island. Shouldn’t he be, I don’t know, playing polo somewhere, or ordering his butler around?”

  She forced the curl out of her lip. Having grown up in a democratic household, she didn’t hold much with royalty. She’d spent much of her life listening to her dad offer up very decided opinions on abolishing the monarchy, and frankly, she pretty much agreed. Her background, as strange as it might be to some, consisted of hardworking country stock. She didn’t really trust people who had Bentleys given to them on their sixteenth birthdays.

  Ryland puffed out his cheeks and let the air escape in a slow whoosh. “Well, I don’t want to reveal all his private info, but I don’t think the noblesse oblige thing is working for him. Just treat him like any other employee. At the same time, see if you can take him under your wing. You know, make sure he fits in and that no one finds out his story. He’s trying to make a new life for himself. I can respect that. Anyway, I told him to ask for the person in charge when he gets here, so he’ll be looking for you.”

  A prince who didn’t want to be a prince.

  She’d shown a few employees around but never under such weirdly intimidating circumstances. Was she supposed to curtsy to this guy or assist him with donning his ermine robes? Don’t be silly. Ryland said treat him like anyone else. She clasped her hands in front of her and threw her shoulders back, confident in her ability to do her job and prepare the new staff member. Entitled nobleman or not. “I’ll make sure he gets the royal treatment, boss,” she joked.

  He shook his head, grinning at the pun. “Thanks.” He handed her some keys. “These are for my office. Use them well, grasshopper. Be good, Marci.”

  She gave the bear man a hug, thankful for all he’d done. “You too, Ryland,” she said, excited to earn her wings. “Just not too good.”

  * * * *

  By that evening, as Marci finished up her walkabout inside the lodge, she was convinced she could run the freaking Four Seasons. The dinner service had gone without a hitch, even though one of the new guests demanded vegan options. Despite how badly she’d wanted to clock the so-called vegan shifter, she’d made special arrangements with the chefs to accommodate him. And when a couple of the boys from the mentoring program got too aggressive, pummeling each other on the lawn, she’d personally intervened and sat them down to reason with them. She’d made sure the fishing lodge was stocked with fresh bait and checked on the gas levels in all the boats for rental. Now, she felt so in command of every niche of the resort, she might have been the Richard Branson of the Ursa Fishing Lodge.

  Ryland would have no reasons to regret putting her in charge.

  “Kate,” she called to a colleague down the hall. “Did the pub get restocked with Molson Canadian? We go through that stuff like water.”

  “Yes, Marci,” the woman replied as they passed.

  She smiled and carried on outside toward the security office. Once there, she strode in and addressed the two security guards on duty. “Lloyd, Connor. Any issues today?”

  Lloyd, a burly bear shifter, grinned. “All quiet on the western front, boss. Not even a splinter.”

  “You guys are awesome.” She exited the office with a happy wave, her heart swelling with satisfaction. “Keep on keepin’ on!”

  On her way back to her own cabin for the night, she picked up Ryland’s walkie-talkie and called over to the housekeeping department. “Moira, it’s me. Were you able to send up the extra pillows and blankets to the Vaughan family? Their little girl gets cold at night.” She waited for Moira’s crackly, affirmative response and thanked the housekeeper. “Perfect, thank you. Talk to you in the morning. Over and out.”

  With a click on the walkie-talkie button, Marci reached her cabin door. She unlocked it but took one last look back at the property she’d come to love, probably just as much as Ryland. The old oaks and maples were now fully robed in autumn splendor, and the forest seemed awash in tones of gold and scarlet. She breathed in. With her enhanced lynx senses, she could smell smoke from several cozy fireplaces and smiled at the thought of guests warming themselves inside their cabins. She turned her gaze toward the small portion of Lake Gemini visible from her vantage point, and it glistened under the setting sun.

  The most beautiful place in the world.

  After spending her formative years on the resort, it felt more like home than her parents’ house did. Nothing would give her more contentment than doing it justice while she was in command, so when Ryland returned, it would remain the peaceful haven he’d created.

  She exercised control over each aspect of the business and things were going swimmingly. In
fact, they couldn’t be any better. Safe in the knowledge all was well on the resort, she entered her cabin and closed the door behind her.

  As soon as she was alone, her back still to the door, exhaustion set in and her smile faded. An invasive tickle crept up her spine.

  Immediately her inner voice, that of her lynx, began to taunt her. You might think you’ve muzzled me, friend, but just you wait…

  Go away. A drip of perspiration materialized on her brow and dripped down her temple, landing in her cleavage.

  Marci only shifted for the first time a few months ago, and her lynx seemed to be under the impression she had a different vocation. Specifically, that of a dedicated porn star. Her libido, absent for much of her adult life, had recently kicked into overdrive. Most days, Marci’s temperature ran so hot she wondered if she’d skipped her twenties and gone straight to menopause.

  Even Ryland knew her shame because she’d propositioned his brother Soren. While naked.

  That hadn’t gone over well. Luckily Soren had a forgiving mate, one who’d become her friend since the odd encounter. It still didn’t mean she didn’t grimace internally every time she spotted Gioia around the resort. Thank God the couple was vacationing in St. Lucia right now, meaning one less thing to cause stress in her already overloaded system.

  Marci had spent months sucking back embarrassing pangs of lust in the presence of unmated men. It wasn’t as bad as it used to be, but the ominous purrs of her lynx let her know the animal still sought to appease its hunger. Nevertheless, her job meant the world to her. Determined to remain professional, she ignored the fact her heat-consumed lynx seemed to think every unmated male was a special sexual delivery.

  At least her virginity had been ruled out as an issue. Before she’d lost it, her lynx had been insatiable, causing a dreadful ruckus every time one of her male colleagues happened by, to say nothing of the lodge customers.

  Luckily, she’d been able to rely on her old pal Killian Moon. The jaguar shifter, one of the other mentors in Ryland’s program, stepped in when he’d witnessed Marci’s agony. She’d asked him to take her virginity, knowing there wouldn’t be any awkwardness afterward. After all, they weren’t interested in each other romantically. She’d just needed to scratch a terrible itch. Okay, it might not have been professional to sleep with a colleague, but Killian was the only one Marci trusted to help her through the transition. They’d been friends for years, since their school days on the mainland.