Predator's Kiss (20 page)

Knowing he didn’t have the luxury of falling to the floor and ripping out his hair with insane worry, Ryland rallied and ran an unsteady hand over his face. At that moment, a confused guard dashed into the room.

“What the…?”

“What happened?” shouted Ryland at the man. He lunged. Soren held him back, seeing he was about to tear the man’s head off.

The guard reddened. “I had to take a leak. I thought it’d be okay as long as I was just a few minutes.”

“A few minutes?” Ryland stared at the man, enraged. Knowing he shouldn’t waste precious time throttling his soon-to-be ex-employee, he rallied. He quickly alerted the rest of his security team. He then looked at a pale Soren. “If anyone hurts her, I swear I’ll rip the bastard’s arms off with my bare hands.”

“It won’t come to that,” Soren reassured him with a hand on Ryland’s shoulder. “You can sense her, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. So talk to her in your head. Tell her we’re coming. Tell her to hang on.”

As they raced out of the room, not quite knowing where they were headed yet, Ryland did just that. He told Lia he loved her and he was coming to save her.

* * * *

Lia woke up in darkness, her head pounding. As much as the pain was making her want to close her eyes again, she couldn’t. Not when she heard the strange noise.

She looked around. As her eyes adjusted, she realized she was no longer in the cart, but in what looked like a cave. She was still bound at the wrists, and could hear Ryland’s voice in her ear, although he didn’t appear to be in the cave with her.

Lia, baby, hang on. I’m coming
.

How hard did that guy hit me? I’m hearing voices
.

As she wondered at her apparent ability to pick up Ryland’s voice, she heard another low sound. From somewhere in the black cavern echoed the ominous growl of a bear. It didn’t sound like Ryland’s bear either. There was a menacing timbre in this bear’s snarl that made it sound distinctly unfriendly, and the fearsome noise seemed to be directed toward her.

Suddenly Lia heard Ryland’s voice again, but it was just a memory of something he’d once said to her.
When a bear growls, you know you’re in trouble
.

Somehow she didn’t think this was the fun sort of trouble.

The growling was now accompanied by another foreboding sound. It was the shuffling of big paws on the ground, coming closer.

Lia stared into the darkness, straining to see anything, yet terrified to see what she knew was there. Little by little, as the beast approached, Lia was able to make out its hulking form. This bear wasn’t quite as large as Ryland’s or Soren’s alter egos, but what it lacked in size, it made up for in clear animosity. The creature’s wet lips were pulled back in a sneer and there was foam at its mouth. Lia shivered each time she heard the click of its sharp claws on stones littering the cave floor, knowing the animal could rip out her heart in a matter of seconds.

She contemplated talking to it, but realized she had no clue if this was a bear or a shifter. Considering she was hauled away in a cart, she took a chance it was a shifter. Trying to rein in her old fear of animals, concentrating instead of Ryland’s kindness to her, she spoke to the beast. “Who are you?”

It made a rumbling noise in return. Lia could have sworn it was a vicious laugh. The thing was laughing at her.

That got her goat.

Lia sat up and struggled against the bonds that still held her arms together. “I know what you are,” she called in frustration as her headache grew. “I demand you let me go now.”

The shifter continued to taunt her with its ursine chortle.

“If you don’t let me out of here, you’ll be in big trouble. My boyfriend will not be impressed, and he’s really good at hitting things,” she garbled, knowing she must sound drunk.

At the word “boyfriend,” the bear roared. As much as she was attempting to put on a show of bravery, Lia quaked at the roar. There was such vehemence to the earsplitting sound, as if the animal were holding a grudge, and Lia worried the next few seconds would be her last. If her headache didn’t kill her first.

The bear paced in front of her. Lia watched as each step made by those big paws sent another shiver of fear down her spine. She flailed in her bonds, trying desperately to free herself, but only succeeded in cutting into the skin on her wrists. She stifled a cry as the ropes chafed the delicate area, making her bleed. Her hands were bound in front of her and she dared to look, wondering how bad the cuts were. She couldn’t see much in the darkness, but could make out the spreading wet spots on her arms and could feel a trickle of blood on her palm. Sickened, she continued to wriggle against the thick ropes.

Just as she thought she might faint, she heard Ryland’s voice again. She raised her head, hoping he was there, but it was merely the voice in her head. Teasing her. Was he simply a figment of her overwrought imagination?

Lia, can you tell me where you are? Don’t speak it. Just think it and I’ll hear you
.

What? That didn’t sound like imagination.

Even though she felt a little silly, Lia responded silently, doing as he asked.
How?

We’re connected, sweetheart. And nothing’s keeping me away. Where are you?

She darted a quick glance about the cave, looking for some sort of identifying feature. There was nothing.
I don’t know. I’m in a cave
. She could almost sense Ryland absorbing this info. For a moment, she couldn’t hear him and grew frantic.
Ryland?

I’m here, baby. I swear.

Although she was terrified to tell him the next part, because she knew he’d be insane with fear for her, she figured he needed to know.
Ryland, there’s a bear here. I think it’s a shifter. He’s not happy with me
.

She had an image of her lover gnawing his lip.
Okay
, he said.
Don’t make any sudden moves. Just stay quiet. Lia, I promise I’ll get you out of this
.

Biting back a whimper, Lia felt her heart about to explode. She wanted so much to tell him how she felt about him, that in a short space of time he’d become her world. That she never wanted to do anything without him. That she wanted to make baby bears with him.

That she loved him. She had to say it. She might not get another chance. As much as he was putting on a good front for her, he didn’t know where she was, she just knew it. She had to face the sad reality she might not see him again, or feel his strong arms about her again.

Ryland, I love you
.

Even though they were communicating by telepathy, Lia heard a crack in his voice all the same.
Oh God, Lia. I love you, too. And once I find you, I’m going to show you just how much. Over and over again
.

In spite of the situation, she laughed softly.
I’m counting on it. Hurry
.

She felt a shift in the energy just then, like the crack of an eggshell on a porcelain bowl, and knew he was on the move. Lia looked at the bear, who was still pacing, almost as if planning its attack.

Blinking away the tears that insisted on falling, Lia sat still and waited.

* * * *

“She’s in a cave somewhere on the island,” Ryland told Soren and his team of shifter guards. “With a bear shifter.”

Lloyd from the security team spoke up. “Ry, we have a full resort, plus the kids and families from the mentoring program. She could be with any number of shifters. We have hundreds on the island right now.”

One of the other security staff, a wolf shifter named Bart, sniffed. “We just have to figure out which among them has a grudge against Ryland or Lia.” He turned to Ryland. “You don’t think that stalker found his way back here?”

“No,” said Ryland. “He was definitely human. This is someone who can hide their tracks. I haven’t been able to sniff out any new scents.”

“Where do we start?” asked Lloyd. “There have to be dozens of caves on this island.”

“We just need to search the ones big enough to hold a bear,” interjected Bart.

“Still dozens,” Ryland said quietly, trying so hard not to lose hope. He breathed in and out. “I say we split up. We each take a corner of the island, stay in contact with each other, and hurry. What do you think, Soren?” He looked at his brother.

Soren had been strangely quiet during the exchange. Now he was staring off into the distance.

“Soren?” Ryland prompted. “This isn’t the time to get spacey on me, bro.”

Soren looked at him, his eyes bright and fully aware. “Ry, I know where she is. And I know who has her.”

Ryland, ready to crumple, almost hugged his brother. He grabbed Soren by the arms. “Where? Who? I’ll kill them.”

Soren was more serious than he’d ever seen him. “No, Ry. There won’t be any killing today. We have to tread carefully on this one.”

When Soren proceeded to tell Ryland and the others his theory, at first Ryland didn’t believe it could be true. But after the initial moment of shock wore off, he accepted it as a distinct possibility. Certainly it was the only lead they had. They’d be fools to ignore it.

As they made a few quick arrangements, Ryland sent a mental message to Lia, assuring him of his love, and telling her not to give up.

They were on their way.

Chapter 16

Somewhere in the darkness, many moments since she stopped struggling, Lia realized the bear had stopped moving too. She dared to look toward the animal and wondered if she’d been wrong about the whole shifter thing. Of course, if it had been a real bear, she supposed she’d be on her way to its digestive tract by now. Wincing at the horrifying image, Lia peered at it to see what it was up to.

The bear was still in the far corner of the cave. The only sound was the gentle huff of its breathing, still too beastlike to put her at ease. She couldn’t afford to drop her guard on this one.

Why wasn’t he attacking? Why was she still in one piece? Could it be the shifter was reconsidering this madness?

After a few more moments, the calm was more torturous than the roaring had been earlier. Lia felt the need to do something. She cleared her throat softly. “Um, are you okay over there?”

The animal merely shifted its massive weight in response.

Lia tried again. “Look, if I did something to hurt you, I’m sorry.” She wondered at the strange beast’s human identity. “Are you an angry reader? Because I know not everyone liked how I ended my novel, but it made sense to me. And I’m writing a sequel!” Feeling idiotic, Lia shut up.

She grasped for something else to say to her abductor, anything, but couldn’t think of words that would help her reach out to it. It was then that she heard the strange popping noise, a sound she’d only heard a couple of times before.

The sound of body parts shifting.

She watched, her eyes wide, as the bear took on human form. In the cave, it was hard for Lia to see each feature but the general size and shape led her to believe her adversary was another woman. Although she couldn’t help feeling a little relieved, believing it might be easier to overcome another female rather than a huge male, Lia still reminded herself to be wary. She had no idea who this woman was, and what her beef was with her. She could still be very dangerous.

The nude woman took a step toward her and spoke in a jittery voice. “I haven’t read your smut. You’re not here because of that.”

“Then why am I here?”

“Because it should have been me with him. You took my place.”

Lia racked her brain for any comments Ryland might have made about vengeful ex-girlfriends but couldn’t recall any. “Were you with him before?”

“I should be with him now. He needs to see that.” The woman took another step forward. “When you’re gone, he’ll understand.”

“You do realize he’s coming for me?”

The woman laughed. “Let him come! That’s what I want. And when he gets here and sees your mauled body, he’ll comprehend what I did for him. So he and I can finally be together.”

Lia swallowed. Okay, this person was officially off her rocker. She needed to stall for time so Ryland could get there. “What’s your name?”

“None of your business, slut.”

Lia grimaced. “I’m really not a slut. I just write sexy books.” Maybe she could appeal to the woman on another level. “A lot of people tell me they enjoy my book. I’d be happy to autograph one for you.”

The woman howled, very much resembling the noise she’d made as a bear, startling Lia. “I don’t want your autograph! I want you dead.”

Lia retreated into herself a little. “Okay, noted. No autographs.” She sighed. “Look, I understand if you love him, but I love him too. He’s a good man and he doesn’t deserve to be going through this right now. He’s in pain because of this situation, and I’m sure you don’t want him to feel that way. If you could just take these ropes off me, we can talk. I’m sure we both want what’s best for Ryland, and I’d do anything to ensure he was happy. Wouldn’t you?”

The woman walked right up to her and Lia finally had a good chance to look at her. It was easier to see her up close. She was tall for a woman and had a pretty face, although she seemed a bit pale, even in the obscurity that was the cave. Her body was good, elegant even, but Lia would have expected that of a shifter. She hadn’t seen any ugly ones yet. They were all well-formed. Sadly, there was a strange light in the woman’s eyes. A desperation, a woefulness. And where Lia had been angry at her before, for some reason she just felt bad for her now.

“Ryland?” the woman asked, confused. “I’m talking about Soren.”

“Soren?”

There was a noise at the cave entrance. “Right here, ladies,” said Soren in a flat voice, without his usual lusty charm. “At your service.”

Lia tried to make a dash for the entrance when she saw Ryland standing there with his brother as well as Lloyd and a couple of other men from the lodge. “Thank God!”

“Lia,” said Ryland on a breath. He stepped toward her.

The woman shifter yanked Lia back before she could reach the men and thrust her behind her. Damn. She was strong, this lady shifter.