Authors: Katie Reus
Primal Possession
Praise for
Alpha Instinct
“Reus has an instinct for what wows in this perfect blend of shifter, suspense, and sexiness. Sexy alphas, kick-ass heroines, and twisted villains will keep you turning the pages in this new shifter series.
Alpha Instinct
is a winner.”
—Caridad Piñeiro,
New York Times
bestselling author of
The Lost
“Reus shows great promise and you’ll look forward to visiting this world again soon!”
—
Romantic Times
(4 stars)
“
Alpha Instinct
is a wild, hot ride for readers. The story grabs you and doesn’t let go.”
—Cynthia Eden, author of
Deadly Heat
“If you’re looking for a new shifter romance to sink your teeth in, then look no further.
Alpha Instinct
is action-packed with a solid romance that will keep the reader on the edge of [her] toes!…Highly recommended for fans of Rachel Vincent’s Werecat series.”
—Nocturne Romance Reads
“
Alpha Instinct
is a strong book full of mystery, intrigue, and a new world to explore…. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, as I suspect lovers of the paranormal romance genres will do as well.”
—Ramblings from a Chaotic Mind
“A well-plotted, excellently delivered emotional and sensual ride that grabs hold and doesn’t let go!…. Ms. Reus delivers mystery, suspense, and a romance nothing short of heart pounding.”
—Night Owl Reviews
Also in the Moon Shifter Series
Alpha Instinct
Lover’s Instinct
(A Penguin e-Special)
PRIMAL
POSSESSION
A Moon Shifter Novel
K
ATIE
R
EUS
A SIGNET ECLIPSE BOOK
SIGNET ECLIPSE
Published by New American Library, a division of
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,
New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto,
Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
Penguin Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2,
Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)
Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124,
Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)
Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park,
New Delhi - 110 017, India
Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632,
New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)
Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue,
Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
First published by Signet Eclipse, an imprint of New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
ISBN: 978-1-101-59961-7
First Printing, September 2012
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Copyright © Katie Reus, 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
SIGNET ECLIPSE and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Printed in the United States of America
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
ALWAYS LEARNING
PEARSON
For Kari Walker, quite possibly my biggest cheerleader:
I cherish our friendship and you. Thank you for always
being in my corner and for loving the Moon Shifter
world as much as I do.
Chapter 1
D
ecember McIntyre managed to smile at her date as he pulled out her chair for her. Her cheeks hurt from all the fake smiles and forced laughter. She should never have agreed to this date when she’d rather be anywhere else. With
someone
else. But she and Liam had no future, and going out with a random guy was the only way to show Liam
and
herself that she was serious about that.
“Have you been here before?” her date—Mike something—asked. As a tourist from the nearby ski lodge, he wasn’t a local of her smaller mountain community, so it made sense he’d never eaten at the cozy Italian restaurant.
She nodded. “The
bucatini puttanesca
is really good. So is the
pollo caprese
. Actually, everything on the menu is good.” The Russo family had settled in Fontana, North Carolina, decades ago, many years before she’d been born, and Russo Ristorante had become a staple in the mountain community. The locals loved it and so did the tourists. Occasionally they even got tourists from not just
Fontana Mountain but their neighbors, Beech and Sugar mountains.
Almost immediately after they ordered drinks, her date excused himself. He was a broker or something and had to take an important call. Normally that would have bothered her in a date, but she didn’t really care about this one. The brief reprieve was fine with her. She wanted to get through the meal, get home, and just go to bed. Going out with this guy had been a colossal mistake no matter how nice he seemed to be. She’d known it the second after she’d said yes. Regret had surged through her, but it had been too late then.
All she could think about was Liam. Liam with his broad shoulders, dark hair, and coffee brown, deep, knowing eyes. When that man looked at her, she got shivers. The good kind. Heat bloomed between her legs when he was around. He didn’t have to do
anything
other than train that heated gaze on her and she wanted to melt into his arms. He might be built like a linebacker, but his hands were gentle. At least the few times he’d caressed her face, they had been.
Her image of him was so clear she could almost see him now. In front of her. As she stared into space, she frowned. Then blinked. Good God, he
was
in front of her. Walking straight toward her.
“Crap,” she muttered. Tensing, she braced herself. She’d thought if he saw her leaving her bookstore—because she’d seen him watching—with another guy on a Friday night, he’d get the hint and leave her alone. If it was anyone else, she might think he was acting like some sort of creepy stalker, but she knew him better than that. As one of the few lupine shifters who lived in their town, Liam had tried to warn her about some crazy fanatic group that wanted to hurt humans involved with shifters.
At twenty-eight she’d been taking care of herself for a long time—and besides,
they
weren’t involved, so there was no reason for some fanatics to come after her.
Should have known Liam wouldn’t give up so easily. The maître d’ led him and another huge guy directly to the table next to hers. There was a decent amount of space between them, but for the way he was drilling his gaze into her, he might as well have been sitting at the same table.
“Hello, December.” Liam’s deep, intoxicating voice forced her to acknowledge him.
She flicked a quick look at his dark-haired friend, who cracked a small, almost amused smile until she glared at him—then she focused on Liam. “What are you doing here?” she asked through gritted teeth. It wasn’t for the damn food. That much she knew.
He shrugged as if it should be obvious. “Eating.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “You know what I mean. I’m on a
date
, Liam.”
At the word “date” those espresso eyes of his got even darker. Under normal circumstances she might have thought it was the light playing tricks on her, but she knew better. She’d seen him enraged once before when a man had tried to mug her. His eyes had changed then. The whites had almost disappeared and she’d found herself staring into not-quite-human eyes. He’d later explained that it sometimes happened when his inner wolf wanted to take over. It had scared her then but not now. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her. Not physically. He might be dominating and sometimes too pushy, but he cared for her. In another world she might allow herself to care for him too. But they had no chance and she wasn’t going to risk getting her heart broken and losing her only family due to involvement with Liam. Especially when anything
that happened between them couldn’t last. He barely looked thirty, but she knew he was over a hundred years old.
“Get rid of him.” He didn’t raise his voice, but there was a razor-sharp edge to it.
Maybe his tone should have made her nervous, but it just infuriated her.
He
infuriated her with all his arrogance. “Or what?”
“Or I’ll do it for you.”
She balled her hands into fists under the table. “You are so…so…”
In a fluid, graceful motion that reminded her he was more than human, he stood up and slid into the chair across from her. As if he had every right to do so. He half smiled and her traitorous libido roared to life. Why did the soft candlelight have to play off his features, making him even better looking? “Charming, handsome—”
His smart-ass response annoyed her even more, but it also allowed her to find her voice. “Arrogant and
annoying
,” she said in a loud whisper, barely containing the need to shout at him. “Why would you think on any level of normalcy that it was okay to interrupt my date when I’ve made it perfectly clear nothing is going to happen between you and me?”
His eyes darkened. “I’m not interrupting. I’m just eating. Or don’t you think shifters should be allowed in the same restaurants as humans?”
His words were like a slap. Shocked, she jerked back. She had issues with his kind—issues he didn’t even know about—but the thought of restricting someone, anyone, access to a public place was horrifying.
Her dismay must have shown because he cursed under his breath. “I didn’t mean that, December. I know you don’t think like that.”
“Then why’d you say it?”
“Because you’re driving me crazy, woman. Why are you out with this loser?”
“He’s not a loser.”
“He’s a fu—loser for leaving you all alone. And he’s not me. He’ll never be able to give you what I can. I can smell how much you want me even now. Just give us a chance, December.” His voice dropped slightly, taking on that sensuous quality that made her legs tremble and heat spread across her lower abdomen.
“Liam, we’re—”
“Too different. Yeah, that line is getting really old, Red.”
A flush hit her cheeks. “Don’t call me that.”
“Why not?”
“It’s too…familiar.” Unfortunately she very much liked the intimate way the nickname rolled off his tongue. And that was bad.
“I plan to get very familiar with you soon,
Red
.” He reached out and fingered one of her bright red curls.