“We’ll talk later. Maybe then you can point out exactly what you like best.”
“Go.” She laughed. “You egomaniac.”
Connor opened the door and headed outside. Two huge predators awaited him outside, and neither was known for their patience. The bear and the tiger prowled the area in front of the cabin, their eyes shining in the night. As he shut the door and shifted into his mountain lion, they greeted him with muted growls. Connor looked back once, to make sure Elaine locked up behind him. As soon as he saw her blonde hair in the window and heard the click of the door lock, he followed the others into the black woods.
His flirty mood had disappeared the moment he stepped foot outside the door.
Right now, Connor wanted blood.
After reining in his temper for the better part of the day, when what he really wanted to do was tear up the island in search of the little shit who’d tried to shoot them, he was now eager to check his good manners at the door.
The shooter could have hurt Elaine.
He knew without a doubt the bullet had been meant for him. In rooting out troublemakers over the past few years, he’d made one or two enemies. In keeping the Ursa free from mischief, it was par for the course. It was possible someone held a grudge.
However, if he’d learned anything in security, it was to trust his instincts. Right now his gut was on fire.
His mountain lion told him, in no uncertain terms, that although the shooter had been gunning for him, the real target was Elaine. He couldn’t explain it and would need proof, but he couldn’t shake the sensation someone meant her harm.
Of course, he couldn’t think of a soul who’d want to hurt her. She’d never been the cause of anyone’s misery and only had friends on the island.
Perhaps this had something to do with the harvesting of animal organs. Maybe the hunter had wound his way to the island, arriving without detection. The shooter had probably witnessed their frantic run through the woods and had taken a shot, intent on bagging their spirit animals.
The theory bothered him for more than one reason. No human could have made it onto Gemini Island without at least one of the shifters noting his presence. In general, humans didn’t find their way to the Ursa Resort. Only shape shifters did. In fact, the last humans who wandered onto the island were Lia and Nina, but neither of them had understood the nature of the place.
For that reason, the shooter must be one of them. Perhaps not a member of the staff, or one of the guests, but the huntsman had to be a shape shifter.
The prospect sickened Connor.
When he’d shared his theory with Ryland and the others, they’d felt the same way. When the Alpha Brethren had burned the lodge to the ground, killing a number of their friends, they all thought they’d seen the last of their troubles. This time, it seemed even more of a personal affront, whether or not the shooter intended it to be one.
He would pay for turning his gun in their direction.
Even now, as he and his friends traversed the paths, taking note of the various scents nearby, Connor begged Lloyd to give him some guidance. Lloyd didn’t appear, though. Somehow Connor knew his friend had finally moved on.
They headed back to where Connor and Elaine had been standing when the gun was fired so he could double check his directions and retrace his steps. He’d raced off so quickly after the gunshot and didn’t want to make a mistake. Once there, the three men changed back into human form in order to communicate. Although shape shifters could speak telepathically with their mates and those in their immediate families, Connor didn’t have that sort of connection with Jani and Ryland.
“This is the spot?” asked Ryland.
“Yeah,” said Connor. “When the bullets whizzed by, they seemed to be coming from the east.” He pointed toward a copse of linden trees.
“Aren’t there some caves in that area?” asked Jani.
Ryland nodded. “There are caves all over the island, cut into the rock face. When I first bought this land, I heard lots of stories about how this island has always been sacred to shape shifters. Early people used it as a place of sanctuary. The many caves provided them with shelter and with an escape route. I was told you could even find native writings on some of the cave walls, but I’ve never found any, and I’ve gone through most of them.”
“We should split up and cover the ground in the immediate area.” Connor pointed out the directions he wanted to search. “If someone discharged a gun anywhere near here, we should still be able to detect the smell of gunpowder.”
Nodding, Ryland and Jani each shifted back into animal form and headed off in different directions.
Connor transformed into his mountain lion and headed east, toward the closest caves. As he stalked through the woods, his pads chilling on the cold ground, his great cat issued several low, gargling growls.
The beast wanted revenge. It had grown fond of its lady bear. It appreciated her round haunches and her soft fur. It liked the way she moved and smelled. Connor knew the cat would kill anyone who tried to harm Elaine’s spirit animal. It wanted to be a guardian to her bear cubs. Although, in the wild, male mountain lions left their females after mating, Connor’s cat had adopted its human’s emotions. It saw Layla and Andy as its own kittens, different species notwithstanding. It wanted to shelter them, to teach them how to hunt. It wanted to bring them meat and help them grow.
It wanted to create new hybrid cubs with their mother.
Whoa. Connor admonished the animal.I’ve barely kissed her, dude. Calm down.
She is a strong bear woman, the cat said on a silent snarl.She will produce powerful offspring with us.
