Predator's Refuge (12 page)

“We need to talk about that. About going home.”

Gabi stared hard at him, and then ushered him into his cabin. As Anton took a seat on a chair, Gabi paced. “You know I can’t leave yet. Istvan’s hounds will be on me before I get off the plane.”

“I’m not suggesting you do. But we need to decide how to tackle this issue. Together.”

The lines around Gabi’s mouth sagged and he took a seat on the edge of his rumpled bed. “Things have changed since you were last at home, Anton. Those who supported us have slowly begun to disappear. No one wants to live in Istvan’s world, but no one will say so. Those who were friendly to us have escaped, some as far as Romania and Austria. I watched many of them leave myself. Some begged me to join them. I kept deluding myself things would improve, that Father would one day see sense and banish our brother.” He stared at the carpet as if it were the dismal face of their parent. “I don’t know why I bothered.”

“I shouldn’t have left you alone there. I should never have gone to the monastery.”

“I understand why you did. Don’t you think the nightmares haunt me too? The need for revenge runs deep in me as well. It’s amazing I didn’t kill our father. You had no choice. You didn’t want to be in a position where you might be tempted to hurt someone. I know how much it bothered you to think you might kill the Grand Prince for what he did to us.” Shadows turned his green eyes almost black. “No, you were wise. I should have followed you to that place.” He chuckled quietly. “If they’d allowed in some girls, I would have.”

Anton couldn’t fake a smile. “If we do go home,
when
we do go home, you realize it will be a fight to the death.”

Gabi searched his gaze. “Just what Father always trained us for.”

For a long time, they just stared at each other, and Anton could swear they were boys again. Trapped in a cage with their vicious brother, just as desperate to get out as they were to please their unappeasable father. “Well,” he mumbled. “For now, we stay here until we devise a plan. Our people don’t want Istvan in charge. You deserve the honor.”

“But you are the eldest son. By rights, the position should go to you.”

Anton dismissed the notion with a wave. “I would have to think long and hard about it. I’ve never had an interest in becoming the
kende
. It’s one of the reasons I left. But at the same time, I hate the idea of our people floundering under Istvan’s rule. They deserve better. They deserve someone who will always have their interests at heart.” He considered the idea of becoming Grand Prince. Did he really want to live that life? After so many years of refusing his heritage, he was starting to wonder if he’d been wrong. “No, Gabi, you should take over.”

“You don’t sound sure.”

“I’m not sure of anything anymore.”

“Well, whatever you decide, it must be your choice. You must write your own history.”

“I know. And we’ll settle this somehow. I don’t want you returning to a Budapest in chaos. For now, just try to relax and reach out to anyone you think might still be loyal. And in the meantime, try not to sleep with too many waitresses, okay? For the time being, at least, this is my workplace and I like it here.”

Gabi’s shoulders lifted in a scornful laugh, no doubt at the thought of him working at all. “I’ll try to be good, brother, but I make no promises. Once a Gaspar, always a Gaspar. There are aspects of the family philosophy that still appeal to me.”

Anton grinned, but then turned away as he considered the troubling implications of that statement. He knew full well his family legacy haunted him too. His behavior with Marci in the boat just proved it.

He’d be certain not to repeat it.

Sadly, the heart-stopping kiss featured in almost every thought as he headed toward his cabin for the night. To say nothing of the way it colored his dreams.

* * * *

The next morning, Anton awoke in a resolved mood. He would seek Marci out first thing, and let her know their kiss was a mistake. He couldn’t have her dreaming up a relationship for them when one was not possible. He would stick to the plan conceived for him by kind Brother Ferenc at Pannonhalma.

His tiger snarled.
That pious idiot has never seen a woman like her. He wouldn’t know what to do with her. But I do
.

Dressing in a hurry, he ignored the beast inside him.
Go to hell, tiger.

I am already there, ingrate
.

Knowing Marci would likely be circling the front desk, he marched through the woods to the lodge. Normally, he would have taken note of the beautiful amber-colored leaves on the trees, and might have taken time to breathe in the fresh Ontario woodland air. Today, he had time for none of these things, not when he needed to persuade Marci their strange liaison could never progress.

She was right where he expected her to be, wearing another one of her cute businesswoman suits that fit her to a delicious T. As she stepped around the counter to retrieve a fallen paper, he admired the way the navy suit hugged her every curve. Once again, the sight of her shapely legs under her skirt made him hard, and the way the jacket nipped in at her waist made him want to grab her right there and devour her.

Surely this penance would kill him. How long would jacking off satisfy him? Hell, it didn’t satisfy him now. At the monastery it had gotten him through the night, but since meeting Marci, strangely enough it only made him hotter for her.

His tiger aimed its glowing gaze at her, drooling like the animal it was. Swallowing his own suddenly plentiful saliva, Anton approached the desk.

Before he could pull her aside, the phone in front of her rang. He watched, tapping his foot with impatience while she answered. As she listened to the other person, she looked at him and acknowledged him with a shy smile.

Damn, that smile did things to him. It sent planets and stars hurtling through his sky.

Her face fell. As a message was relayed to her, her hand flew to her mouth. The healthy glow to her skin faded and she turned white. Just as she looked ready to fall, Anton stepped behind the counter and gripped her upper arm.

What the hell was going on and who was distressing her like this?

He didn’t have time to contemplate the matter. She ended the call, asked a coworker to cover her, and looked at him.

“I have to go.”

Anton followed as she shuffled out of the lodge. As soon as she was outside, she kicked off her high heels and picked them up. And then she ran like hell.

He tried to get some information out of Marci as she ran, barefoot, to the other side of the resort. As he chased her, he spied the bottoms of her feet getting blacker and blacker with dirt. A twinge of tenderness pinged inside him as he mused about getting her into a bathtub full of bubbles and hot water and cleaning her feet for her. Shaking his head, he dismissed the tantalizing imagery, knowing something was seriously wrong.

She didn’t say a word. Not that it mattered. He could see from her pinched face and nervous furrows on her brow the news hadn’t been good.

As his heart went out to the little lynx, he prayed the bad news she’d received wasn’t of a personal nature.

They darted toward the woods, past Ursa’s Muzzle and toward a network of caves deep in the forest. Marci, her hair blowing behind her like a sorrel veil, moved as if she was born to run. Out of respect, he kept behind her, even though he could have overtaken her.

As they delved deeper into the woods, he smelled it: blood. Shifter blood.

Dear God, let the hare girl be safe
.

They passed a patch of thick oaks and came upon a small group of staff members from the lodge. Connor and Lloyd from security were all there, as was Killian. They were huddled around a bleeding woman on the ground. It wasn’t April.

It was Charlotte. Her eyes fluttered, no doubt due to the pain caused by the huge bite mark on the back of her neck. Anton stopped moving and breathed in.

At least, he smelled no death. He took a moment to lock all his senses on her wound, doing a visual triage. The lacerations were messy but looked worse than they were. A strong shifter like her would heal, he could see, but a few more seconds with her attacker would have proven her downfall. He got the sense the mauling had been interrupted. Her clothing was ripped but still on her body. With his keen eyes, he could see blood under her fingernails. Thank God the wolf woman had tried to fight back.

Marci stood still, eyeing her best friend, and blinked feverishly. For a moment, she wove on her feet, and he wanted to reach out for her. However, she surprised him by inhaling deeply, shaking her head, and crouching by Charlotte. He joined her.

The sound of crashing through the trees made them all look up. Bart raced into the clearing, a walkie-talkie in his clawed hand, his eyes wild. He took in the scene, paled, and threw himself down on Charlotte’s other side. “Charles. Oh, shit. Oh, fuck.”

Marci ran a hand over the woman’s hair and bit her trembling lower lip. “Charlotte, what happened?”

She touched a weak hand to Marci’s arm. “He attacked me from behind.”

“Who did?”

“I don’t know.” She began to cough.

Bart quickly retrieved a bottle of water from his pack and dribbled some into her mouth. “Shh, don’t talk.”

She swallowed in acknowledgment. “It’s okay.” She turned her head to look at Marci. “I felt like going for a morning hike. I know I should have stayed near the lodge…”

“Yes, you should have,” Bart all but shouted.

Marci shot him a calming look and interjected, red in the face from her own horror. “Why would you head out alone? Have you forgotten what happened to April?”

“She’s a bunny rabbit,” Charlotte scoffed. “I’m a fucking wolf! I figured I’d be okay.” She grimaced. “Ow. This wound feels like shit from the devil’s ass.” She sat up a little, and Bart moved immediately behind her to support her shoulders. “Anyway, I heard the snarl of a great cat. Before I could turn around or shift, this massive weight was on me, and I felt his jaws circling the back of my neck. I reached back and clawed at him, but he was really strong.”

Killian eyed Anton with suspicion. “A great cat, huh?”

He refused to dignify his comment. Other cats dwelled on the island. Hell, Killian was one himself, to say nothing of all the lynx and mountain lion shifters. Why, even Connor in security was a mountain lion. And by his pissed-off stance, Connor wasn’t pleased with Killian’s comment either.

Marci grabbed the water bottle from Bart and offered another drink to Charlotte. “You don’t have to talk anymore right now. We’re going to find who did this to you, sweetie, and I’m going to personally rip his balls off.” She inspected the wound, her chest rising and falling with a sigh. “I think you’re already starting to heal, but we should get you back to the clinic and wash you up.”

Bart had her in his arms in a flash. “I’ll take her.”

Anton spied water in Marci’s eyes, but she somehow kept it at bay. “Be careful with her, Bart.” She watched as he took her to a waiting Jeep. Anton followed her as she regrouped with Connor, Lloyd, and Killian. “What the hell is happening here?”

Connor was the first to respond. “I still agree with the police. I think we have a teen shifter who gets sexed-up and overexcited. We have a lot of kids here who still don’t have control over their instincts.” He nodded at Anton. “What about that kid Shawn? You’ve been talking to him. He looks frustrated enough to do something like this, and he’s a mountain lion.”

Anton stayed silent on the topic of Shawn. He didn’t know what to think.

Killian stared at him. “Looks more like a tiger attack to me.”

Anton sniffed. “If you’re insinuating that I did this, you can put your head back up your ass.”

“I’m not insinuating anything.”

“Guys,” Marci interrupted. “This isn’t helping.” She turned to Connor. “You really think this is some sort of hormonal explosion?”

Before Connor could reply, Anton stepped forward. “That’s crap. Whoever did this to Charlotte and April knows exactly what he is doing.”

“And what makes you think so, Sherlock?” Killian demanded.

Anton opened his arms to indicate the scene of the crime. “Look around. None of the bushes are disturbed. There’s no tattered clothing on the ground. Nothing to indicate a shifter exploded in anger or lust. This was a planned attack. Someone stalked her and waited for the right opportunity to pounce. My guess is if he hadn’t been interrupted, the attack would have been much worse. He lunged from behind so she couldn’t see him. A coward did this.”

“But—” began Connor.

Marci stepped toward him. “I think Anton’s right. Charlotte was followed out here. It’s just a shame she didn’t see what sort of cat did this to her. We need to call the police again.”

Anton offered her a grateful grin. It felt good to have her take his side. Too good.

As Connor stepped aside to call the police, Anton turned to her. “Did you see the way her clothing was ripped?”

“Yes. Her yoga pants were torn.”

He nodded. “Exactly. I think, if things had progressed, this might have become a rape.”

Her fretful gaze flew away from him in dread. Even Killian ceased his grumbling, illustrating his concern.

“This is horrible,” she whispered. “I need to fix this.”

Anton laid a hand on her arm, wanting to comfort her. Hell, he wanted to drag her into his clutches and never let go. Suddenly he felt the need to spirit her away from the island altogether. Seeing Marci’s friend injured was altogether too disconcerting. It hit too close to home.

Clearly not ready to give up the fight, Killian spoke up. “Doesn’t anyone else care that this has all the hallmarks of a tiger attack?”

Anton turned to him, clenching his fists. “Care to elaborate?”

Killian shrugged. “Tigers are known for attacking from behind. They often drag a carcass into the brush.” His golden brow arched. “I think the police should question all the tigers on the island. Oh, wait. There’s only one.”

Anton held back from hitting him. He knew in his soul that he would one day let his fist crack against Killian’s skull and that it would feel awesome. “Actually,” he replied calmly, “we now have two. My brother Gabi just arrived. And you can question us all you want. Although a different breed of cat could still have done this. Tigers aren’t the only ones who attack using this method. Personally, I think we should question all the cats on the island. You included.”