The kissing man had blond hair too. Did every man in this goddamn city resemble Josh, or was she just going crazy? He clasped the back of his girlfriend’s head, stroking his tongue against hers.
Marcelle felt transported back to Gemini Island, to the stoop outside Elaine’s cabin. She could envision Josh sitting next to her, his dress pants rumpled, his thigh so large and muscled next to hers. The memory of his grin made her stomach lurch with hunger. His blue eyes glinted with desire as she described the dress she never got to wear for him.
Somehow, the Parisian breeze carried his scent her way. She knew it couldn’t be real, but she smelled him everywhere all of a sudden. He smelled good, warm and clean, free of any fussy fragrances.
Her doe stood up and sniffed the air, searching for the doctor. The animal’s eyes grew wider than ever as it looked around in vain. It uttered a high-pitchedmeee, a sound it made only when it was hungry or needed urgent care.
Marcelle’s pulse sped up.
Somewhere, somewhere very far away, she thought she heard the plaintive call of a male bear. Her doe bucked and cried.
Marcelle’s head dropped to her hand. “I’m in big trouble here.”
* * * *
Gemini Island, Ontario
John Page’s apartment was now apparently cordoned off by police tape.
Royal Hill shook his head in the privacy of his home office, surprised but not surprised. Seb and Vadim had gone looking for Page, only to discover a host of shifter cops at the man’s apartment. Vadim had discreetly questioned the nosy landlady on their way out. The human woman had confirmed the police had taken Page in for questioning. Of course, they hadn’t shared anything with her, but she’d overheard one of the cops talking about charges of attempted murder.
Page was probably squealing right now.
“Shit.” Royal banged his fist on his desk.
He had such a good thing going here. He never thought Page would be the one to destroy it.
It was his own fault for crediting Page with any sort of common sense. He’d wanted to send Seb and Vadim to retrieve Elaine Gleason and her cubs, but Page had assured him they wouldn’t make it past island security. Apparently the people from the Ursa watched all comings and goings. They knew John. They wouldn’t have questioned his presence there.
Royal had made mistakes, and he knew why. He’d been too stricken by Elaine’s resemblance to Jinny. If he’d been smart, he would have found a way to accompany Page to the island. He’d been too lax.
Just thinking of all the money he would miss out on made him ill. An entire island full of shape shifters. Such a good hunting ground. If Royal had played his cards right, he could have quietly picked off inhabitants from the island over the course of several years, and no one would have been the wiser. It would have been as easy as shooting ducks in a kiddy pool.
He glanced at the photos Page had texted him of Elaine and her little ones. Her lovely face, so animated by grief and pain, moved him. Her hair shone with a golden shimmer. Her lips were pink and plump. She was a crowning jewel, almost as lovely as Jinny.
Of course, no one was as stunning as Jinny. Everyone paled in comparison to his dead sister.
He got up from his desk and walked down the hall. Royal loved his house. He’d designed it himself with the help of an architect. It sat far back from the road in one of the more affluent neighborhoods on the mainland. His doctor and lawyer neighbors sometimes chuckled about the fact they had a taxidermist living nearby.
They had no fucking clue his real calling was art.
If only he could share his art with the world. Sadly, it was for his eyes only.
In a way, he didn’t mind. His collection had originated from his private pain, and it only made sense the artworks remained under wraps as well.
He didn’t want to share Jinny with anyone else. Here, she would be his forever. Safe from all harm, her beauty frozen for all time.
He shoved his hands inside his slacks pockets and toward the hallway that ran the length of the house in back. He opened a door at the end of the hall, one that led to a narrow circular staircase. The room at the top of the stairs was one only he entered as a rule. His trusted associates Seb and Vadim were sometimes allowed in but only when Royal needed assistance moving the artworks inside.
Did they think his collection was macabre? Probably but he paid them handsomely enough neither of them questioned him.
As Royal entered, he basked in the glow of the afternoon sun as it streamed through the large windows. The cavernous room had the feel of a gallery, just what he wanted. With its pale walls and many windows, the perfect backdrop for his artworks, it felt light and airy and ethereal.
The perfect shrine.
He’d been trying to capture Jinny’s beauty and mystery for years, dabbling in various art forms. When she’d been alive, he made her sit for him, but she would fidget incessantly.
Coercion had always been necessary with Jinny. She needed him to show her the way.
