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  Predator’s Trinity

  Island Shifters, Book 6

  Rosanna Leo

  Published: 2015

  ISBN: 978-1-62210-247-1

  Published by Liquid Silver Books. Copyright © 2015, Rosanna Leo.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

  Manufactured in the USA

  Email [email protected] with questions, or inquiries about Liquid Silver Books.

  Blurb

  Librarian Suzan Marsh is an empath who has always felt assaulted by the feelings of others. She has had to distance herself from the people in her life, raising a mental barrier to ward off unwanted emotions. When wolf shifter August Crane abducts her, he breaks through the walls she constructed, forcing her to accept a frightening new truth.

  Jaguar shifter twins Percy and Byron Moon are familiar with the evil ways of August Crane. Because of him, their childhood was destroyed. Because of him, their way of life at the peaceful Ursa Fishing Lodge and Resort is threatened. And they won’t rest until he is dead.

  When Crane drags Suzan into his cult and decides to make her his “concubine,” Percy and Byron know they must save the human woman. Their connection to her is strong, and they cannot deny the dream they always held close. That they could share a woman and make her their mate.

  But even after rescuing Suzan, none of them are free from Crane’s clutches. The wolf shifter has plans, ones that involve the demise of every shape-shifter at the Ursa Resort. Not only must Percy and Byron keep Suzan safe, they must convince her to accept them both. In order to stop Crane from hurting everyone they love, they must learn to fight together.

  Dedication

  To my husband Doug. You’ve supported me throughout this incredible journey and I couldn’t love you more.

  Acknowledgements

  My heartfelt thanks go out to author and friend Monette Michaels for providing me with such a valuable and honest critique in the early stages of this book. Monette understood I wrote this story at a difficult time and she offered her feedback as well as much kindness. Thank you, Moni.

  Thank you to the readers who demanded another Gemini Island Shifters book. Because of you, the saga will continue.

  Thank you to my editors Christine Henderson and Rory Olsen for polishing my work and reminding me what is most important in a manuscript: clarity and simplicity.

  And thank you to Suzan Lacey, for not only being a dedicated reader, but for allowing me to make use of her name. I hope you like your heroine namesake.

  Chapter 1

  “MAY I have your attention, please?” Suzan Marsh’s quiet voice reverberated over the PA system. “It is now nine o’clock and the library is closed. We will open again tomorrow morning at ten. Thank you for using the Lake Gemini library.”

  The facilities manager Mike leaned on the information desk and cocked an eyebrow. “You know the last customer left an hour ago. You don’t really need to make the formal announcement.”

  She smiled, having heard this particular speech before. “It’s procedure. I’ll lock up. You go ahead.” She put up a preemptive hand in anticipation of his objection. “I mean it. It’s not every day you get a date night with your wife.”

  “I don’t feel right leaving you alone at night.”

  She tipped her head and smirked. “Mike. This is the Lake Gemini library, not Fort Knox. We barely get any customers during the day, never mind the evening. I think I’ll be able to close up shop on my own.”

  “But with all the animal attacks happening lately…”

  “I’m a big girl, and I have a baseball bat in my trunk. If I encounter a hungry predator in the parking lot, I’ll…play dead or whatever it is you’re supposed to do.” She nodded toward the door. “Go. It’s a beautiful night. Say hi to Louise for me.”

  Mike gave up and patted her on the back in thanks. She sucked in a breath as his emotions invaded her sacred personal space. Waves of worry, but also relief, poured off him, slamming into her brain.

  Wincing, Suzan stepped aside, hoping it wouldn’t look like she shrunk away from his touch.

  He pulled his hand away. “Oops, sorry. I try not to be touchy-feely but you remind me of our daughter. I forgot you’re a germaphobe.”

  “You know me.” She gave him an aw-shucks grin. As the flare of his emotions faded, so too did the ones rattling her core. She breathed in and out to steady her nerves. Better her coworkers thought her a germaphobe than the truth. “See you tomorrow.”

  Mike nodded and turned, heading toward the staff stairs leading to the library basement. As soon the door clicked shut, Suzan took another deeper breath and let it fizzle from between pursed lips. She sat still for a moment at the information desk, relishing the quiet of the library at night. Other than the hum of the central air conditioner, silence reigned. Now that Mike and the last customer had filed out, her heart was no longer jarred with foreign emotion. Alone, she could breathe and enjoy the total lack of feeling in her breast.

  Peace. She enjoyed so few moments of utter peace. Having a library job helped, especially a library in a small Northern Ontario town, but it wasn’t as if she worked in solitude.

  With a small sigh, Suzan rose from her chair and did her final walkabout. Of course, library procedure dictated she walk around the library in the last fifteen minutes before they closed to make sure all customers had vacated the space, but she preferred to double-check. It wasn’t unusual for people to get comfortable in the plush chairs and fall asleep. Mike had already done his own circuit, but she loved patrolling the library at night.

  Only then, after everyone had left, could she could truly visualize her master plan for the facility. She’d already made so many changes since she took the job last April, but she planned to drag the Lake Gemini library into the twenty-first century, even if it went kicking and screaming.

  She’d had a bit of resistance from the board, comprised of three elderly librarians who didn’t quite see the need for a Makerspace or updated computers. However, she’d convinced them they’d never bring in newer, younger customers until they invested in technology.

  As she strolled into the colorful children’s area, she appraised her new display with a smile. The theme for story time this week was fairy tales and she’d arranged the display around the same theme. The tall bookshelf, laden with books about hapless pigs and the big, bad wolf, was bright and shiny, thanks to the coat of red paint Mike had applied. The story time space, a sunken area filled with comfy pillows and stacks of puzzles, was cute but dated. She wanted to knock down the half wall separating the space and the picture book area, in order to make it more inviting.

  “Now, now, girl. Don’t drool over future renovations. Your budget can’t take too much action at one time.”

  She couldn’t help getting a bit excited. She’d always known she was drawn to the Lake Gemini area for a reason. A believer in destiny, she’d known the library would play a part in her fate, right from the first moment she saw it.

  Shelving all thoughts of fate for another day, Suzan ambled back toward the adult section. Maybe she’d grab a book and call it a night.

  She headed into the fiction section. “What’s it going to be? Political thriller? A classic?” Heck. Maybe she’d go wild and check out that new erotica bestseller everyone was talking about, the one by Lia Goodblood. Someone had told her the author was a local. Maybe she could reach out to Ms. Goodblood and arrange a book talk. That is, if the sleepy community of Lake Gemini could handle having an erotica author in the library. The board members would have a collective fit.

  Laughing to herself, Suzan grabbed the lone available copy of Love In Chains and began to flip through the pages as she meandered back to her desk.

  As she approached the information desk, already absorbed in the book, a cold, male voice sounded in front of her. “I wouldn’t read that one. I’ve met the author. She’s a piece of trash.”

  Startled, Suzan dropped the book. Her heart pounding, she recognized the man. August Crane, one of her regulars. He’d been visiting the library for a few weeks now, doing genealogy research on families in the area. Given his copious note-taking, she’d assumed he was a writer. God only knew with the sort of detailed research he’d done, he had enough information for a history of Lake Gemini. She’d helped him use the microfiche a few times and had made a couple of recommendations from the electronic database.

  He’d struck her as nice enough at first, and very handsome with his pale eyes and black hair, but way too intense. The way he stared at her made her nervous. She couldn’t help wondering if she’d met him before. In fact, she had a sneaking suspicion she knew him. Even worse, that he somehow knew her. Knew everything about her.

  It unnerved her, which was why she’d said no when he’d asked her to dinner a while back.

  “Mr. Crane.”

  He leaned on her desk. “I told you to call me August.”

  “Very well, August.” She swallowed past the lump in her throat and tried to remain calm, even though the lack of emotion emanating from him threw her for a loop. She had been
able to read emotions since she was a child, but Crane had always confused her. When she opened herself up to his feelings, she encountered a wall, as if he’d thrown up a mental barrier. Never having run into such a blank slate of a soul, it put her on guard. “You can’t be here after closing. Did you forget something?”

  “You could say that.” He tucked a chunk of longish hair behind his ear and allowed his gaze to pan slowly from her face, down to her shoes, and back up again.

  She reached for the fallen book and clutched it to her chest like a shield. “How did you get in? The door’s locked.”

  “Locked doors. Funny.”

  Okay, Suzi, don’t freak out. She mustered up her best authoritative librarian voice. “You need to leave.”

  His white-blue eyes glimmered and his smile widened. In the shadows of evening, his features seemed longer, more canine. In fact, she could swear there was a distinct point to his teeth.

  “Sure, Suzan. I’ll go. Only you’re coming with me.”

  With those words, two more men appeared behind him. Big men. Men whose unfeeling laughter echoed in the library, sounding an awful lot like growls.

  “When I asked you to dinner, I thought I was being nice. I’ll be honest with you. I’m not really a take-a-woman-to-dinner kind of guy. I prefer to get straight to the point. So let me make this clear. I want you and I’m going to have you. I have plans, you see, and you’re going to help me fulfill them.” August approached with a casual air but stopped short a few feet in front of her. His keen gaze pinned her to her spot and his nostrils inflated as he breathed in. When he exhaled through his mouth, the breath came out on a shaky exhalation. He swallowed. “Your fear. It’s delicious. Intoxicating.”

  She forced her feet into action and took two steps back. “Don’t.”

  He tilted his head as if regarding a stubborn child. “Now, Suzan, we can do this the easy way or the hard way.”

  The wall to his emotions finally tumbled and evil thoughts swarmed toward her, engulfing her in dread and darkness. All she saw was hatred and more hatred. Sinister intent and a love of inflicting pain. Blackness and bile and emptiness.

  And that same terrifying familiarity, ominous and intimate. It almost made her wonder if he’d always known her. The same chill she might feel upon learning he’d been watching her shower all her life.

  Giving into panic, Suzan threw Love In Chains at him and ran, dashing into the stacks. Screaming for anyone who might hear, she tried to find shelter in her beloved library, already comprehending the futility of her response.

  His cold voice boomed after her. “Awesome. I love the hard way.”

  His heavy footsteps seemed so close. Another sound shattered the quiet of the space, one that struck her numb with terror. Trembling, she tried hard to convince herself she hadn’t just heard the howl of a wolf.

  * * * *

  “You need to eat.” Crane set the tray of food on Suzan’s lap. As he did, he fondled her knee, circling her kneecap with a finger.

  Tears sprang to her eyes but she blinked them away. The sight of his hand on her leg made her want to scream, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

  He’d love it too much.

  For two days he’d been promising to “claim her,” and she knew what that meant. He could gussy up the term all he wanted but it was still rape. So far, he hadn’t touched her. But as he caressed her knee with such proprietary ease, she got the sense his patience was waning.

  She needed to keep her wits and not allow his dark emotions to wallop her. She needed to stay strong.

  Although she was tempted to look away from Crane, she met his gaze, harnessing her spiritual energy for the moment she would leave this wretched place. She could get through this. She just needed to remain distant, but alert. And try not to fall apart.

  “I won’t have my concubine turn into a skinny mess of bones,” Crane persisted.

  I am not your concubine. Over my dead body.

  He grinned. Of course. She knew he understood her thoughts, just as well as she now understood his. And she hated him for his awareness.

  “Look,” he said. “I brought your favorite. An egg salad sandwich.” He moved the plate on the tray, bringing it closer to her.

  She shrunk away, afraid to see his hand anywhere near her body again.

  He noticed and huffed in disgust. “I’m trying to do something sweet here. Remember when I came upon you at the library eating your lunch? I noticed you liked egg salad sandwiches and I remembered. Most women would be flattered to have their man recall such a trivial detail.”

  You’re not my man. Never. Ever.

  “Oh, yes, I am, sweetheart. The sooner you get used to it, the better.”

  He crouched before her chair now and smoothed a strand of hair behind her ear. The touch, so intimate, was inappropriate and made her feel exposed and vulnerable. The only way she could feel any worse was if he’d stripped her of all her clothes. She tried not to bristle, even though his touch made her want to vomit. Her eyes stung, hot and moist, and her throat prickled.

  “You’re a stubborn girl, Suzan.” Crane lowered his voice and ran a finger up her thigh. “But you’ll learn soon enough I can be stubborn, too. I’ve been very nice to you. Nicer than I’ve been to anyone else.”

  Maybe if she tried to reason with him. “Right. Abducting women from their workplaces is nice.” Her voice fractured as she spoke, breaking with anxiety.

  He grinned. He loved feeling her pain.

  “Don’t think of it as abduction. Think of it as starting a new life. A better life.”

  “I liked my old one.”

  “That’s because you have no idea what you’re capable of. And you haven’t seen what I can do.” He stood and called to his bruiser buddies standing outside the door. “Tyler, Denny, Brock. Get in here.”

  Three large men entered the room and lined up before her.

  Oh, God. Was this the moment? He’d been calling her his “chosen concubine” since he took her from the library. Did he want to rape her now? And were his friends going to watch? Jesus. Were they going to have a go at her, too? Terror made her jump from her seat, upending the tray of food.

  She made a dash for the door and screamed, but Crane already had his hands on her. Oh, God. His hands. Anything but his hands…

  As he forced her back into her chair, his buddies closed the door and stood before it.

  Crane shook his head. “What do they say in those bad sci-fi movies, Suzan? ‘Resistance is futile.’ That’s it. So stop resisting. Now, I’m going to tie you up. It’s for your own good.” One of the men handed him a thick rope and Crane proceeded to wrap it around her, tying her to the chair. “You’re about to see something miraculous. Something you should have seen a long time ago. Think of it as my gift to you.”

  August tied the last knot and went to stand with the other men. A quiet sob made Suzan’s chest heave and her tears finally spilled. When the men all started disrobing, removing even their underwear, she began to blubber. “Please. Just let me go home. I won’t tell a soul.”

  A furious crackle sounded in the air, like a giant stomping on a cluster of brittle branches. Suzan’s breath caught in her throat. They weren’t going to rape her, not yet anyway.

  Something else was happening, but her hackles still rose in dread.

  The four men let out shouts, dropped to their hands and knees, and the room echoed with animal growls. From his hunched position, Crane raised his head to look at her. She’d always fancied his features to be a bit canine, but before her eyes, they lengthened and sprouted dark hairs. Within seconds, the same hairs covered the rest of his body. His muscles moved under his skin, as if fighting against themselves. The crackling noise continued as his bones assumed hideous, new proportions. Nightmarish and far bigger than any regular dog, he loomed before her.

  He’d become a wolf.

  The other men transformed just as quickly, taking on the shapes of a tiger, a bear, and another wolf. They prowled before her, making the sorts of noises one should only hear at the zoo or in a National Geographic documentary.

  “What the hell?” she whispered. “This can’t be happening…”