Predator's Refuge (26 page)

She knew getting down could be tricky for tigers. They didn’t have the dexterity to descend headfirst. They usually had to scramble down backward. Not stopping to analyze Gabi’s technique, Marci tore into the woods.

Her heart hurt and she wanted Anton. Oh, how she wanted Anton! In desperation, she let out the keening cry that was one of the lynx’s only vocal expressions. The shriek rang throughout the forest, and as she dashed onward, already exhausted, she prayed Anton heard her.

* * * *

At the edge of the lake, Anton’s tiger roared upon hearing its mate’s unusual cry. He froze and shifted back to human form. Killian followed suit.

“Did you hear that? She’s in the woods.” He pointed to the east end of the island. “Over there.”

“I don’t think so,” argued Killian. “I could have sworn it came from behind the cabins. Maybe it was another lynx.”

“I know the cry of my mate. Let’s split up. I’m heading into the woods.”

Killian nodded, shifted into his snarling jaguar, and raced to the living area. Anton sprinted into the woods. As he traveled, he tried to tune in to Marci, begging her to talk to him. Mated shifters could often communicate by telepathy, but she had only done so with him once, and under slightly less stressful conditions. Would she be able to harness this ability now?

Marci, kitten. Where are you? I heard you cry, baby
.

Nothing.

Cursing, he ran toward a clearing, peering into the mess of maples and silver birches before him. The forest went on for miles. He closed his eyes and concentrated on her smile, on her melodious voice, on her awe-inspiring scent.

Marci, please talk to me
.

Once again, the lynx’s cry erupted from someplace deep in the woods. She sounded terrified. It was likely her fear overrode her telepathic abilities.

If anyone hurt her…

He bounded in the direction of her pitiable noise, crashing into tree trunks along the way. Woe to the animal who got in his way right now, for they would be trampled. He didn’t care. He just wanted her back.

As he ran, another memory crashed into his brain, something he’d once glimpsed, but to which he’d never given thought. He recalled being at a New Year’s party one year at the castle. Istvan had been entertaining Father’s cronies, and Anton had quickly grown tired of the whole affair. He remembered stalking the halls of the castle, needing an escape. As he’d slipped from one hallway to another, a door had opened and Gabi had emerged, laughing and slapping the ass of a woman. Although Anton had never seen the woman’s face, he recalled the unique shade of her red hair.

Mariska
.

Oh, hell. Had she bedded Gabi too?

As disgust hurtled through his system, so many things became clear. The way Gabi used to glare at Istvan. The way Anton sometimes found Gabi glaring at him too. And, in particular, the manner in which Gabi used to follow Mariska around.

If he’d really loved her, would he have been angry enough to seek revenge on anyone else who’d slept with her, including his brothers?

Anton!

Her voice. He could hear her voice!

Good girl, baby. I can hear you now. Where are you?

I’m just approaching Ursa’s Fortress. He’s chasing me and I’m so tired. I can’t get away. He blocks me at every turn.

Ursa’s Fortress. He knew the craggy mountain that sat at the far end of the island
. I’m coming.

Oh, Anton. It’s your brother!

I know. And I won’t let him get you. I swear it on my life. Please keep moving, Marci. He’s bound to be tired too
.

I can’t keep this up…

The soft voice in his head trailed away. Fuck. She was ready to drop.

Channeling all his rage, which had grown considerably in the last few minutes, Anton leaped into the air, landed on his feet, and sped toward Ursa’s Fortress.

He’d kill Gabi for this.

* * * *

Marci backed toward the lake’s edge. Ursa’s Fortress sat near the edge of Lake Gemini on the opposite side of the island. If she needed to, she could jump in the lake. Thanks to their broad paws, lynx made excellent swimmers. She couldn’t remember if tigers could swim or not. She looked at Gabi, who advanced in his human form, a cocky grin splitting his face.

Clearly, he didn’t doubt his own swimming prowess. He stepped toward the water’s edge, dipping his toes in the lake. “Gorgeous day for a swim, isn’t it?”

Arrogant bastard. He faced her full on, nude and intimidating, his body a veritable wall of muscle. Formed just like Anton, only dead in the eyes.

Maybe she could get him to talk and stall for time. She dipped down in the water and shifted into human form. She crouched so the water would cover her breasts from his harsh gaze. “Why are you doing this?”

“So your tiny lynx brain hasn’t made all the connections yet? A shame. I always cautioned Anton about associating with inferior creatures. And yet he rutted with you.”

Oh, he’d pay for that one. Despite her desire to splash water in his appraising eyes, she remained calm. “Why do you want to kill your own brother? It’s unthinkable.”

“On the contrary, Ms. Lennox. I think of nothing else.” His neutral, offhanded tone frightened her more than a crazed war cry.

“Shouldn’t you be more worried about Istvan? After all, he’s the one on the throne.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Actually, Istvan’s dead. I’ve already taken care of him.”

As the truth slapped her across the face, she struggled to remain upright in the water. “You lied to your own brother? How could you?”

His cold laugh chilled her through, more effective at lowering her body temperature than the lake water. “You say that as if lying is a dreadful sin. Marci, there are much worse sins, and I’ve committed them all. Patricide, matricide, fratricide … isn’t it charming how they all rhyme? Just like a song.”

“You’re sick.” She inched deeper.

He took another step into the lake. “Allow me to fill you in. Did my brother tell you about Mariska?”

“His former lover.” She nodded. She’d never forget.

His eyes blazed. “
My
former lover! She was my lover before Istvan ever put his filthy hands on her. But our father, my beloved parent, decided Istvan could have her, and she was taken from me. I never forgave him, either of them. Imagine my surprise, when I discovered afterward when Anton, the brother who said he loved me, took her to his bed as well.”

“He said she instigated it.”

“And he should have put a stop to it.” Gabi grimaced and mumbled in Hungarian, shaking his head. “She was a passionate woman, too passionate for her own good. When I found out she was cheating with Anton, I had no choice. I had to end her life.”

“You let Anton think Istvan killed her!”

“All part of my plan to turn people away from Istvan. He was no leader. He was an imbecile with muscle and an empty space where his brain should have been.” He considered. “He was easier to kill than I expected him to be. Of course, he’d never expected me to fight back. You see, Marci, it’s good to be the underdog. No one ever suspects the underdog of treachery. But treachery was all I knew. I learned it at my parents’ knees.” He laughed out loud. “And guess what? I find it oddly fulfilling.”

“You killed them all. You’re a monster.”

“I am the Grand Prince of the federation of the Hungarian tribes, and I will not be defied!”

Marci took small, measured steps, circling backward toward the beach. If she could quickly hit the beach, she’d be able to shift and make another run for it. Gabi didn’t seem to see her anymore; he was looking past her, no doubt at the invisible scenes playing out before his eyes.

“Anton is the elder brother, it’s true. While he lives, my people will never revere me as they should. And I will stand for nothing less than complete obedience, just as my father had.”

“Your father was horrible. He locked you and your brothers in a cage and made you fight each other.”

He locked his now-clear gaze on her. “And did Anton ever fight back? No. He just took it. He was no help to me.”

“He was a scared child.”

“As was I.” He shook his head. “No, Anton has to go. He ruins everything. He thinks he can return to Hungary and claim the throne on a whim? I don’t think so. He doesn’t deserve it. I’m sure he also thinks he can drag your peasant carcass back with him and make you a princess. Well, let me assure you, darling, you are no princess. And Anton has sniffed around enough cunts to know better.”

Marci bit back a curse at the rude dig and slid her feet backward until she hit the shore once again. The flames of embarrassment spread through her limbs upon being naked in front of Gabi, but he didn’t seem to notice. He was too busy cursing Anton, stomping in the water.

The man was mad. She didn’t want her mate anywhere near him.

Marci! I’m in the area. Tell me exactly where you are
.

No. She purposely cut her telepathic connection to Anton. She didn’t want him to see his brother like this. It would break his heart, especially after everything else his family had made him suffer.

Marci…
he threatened, before his voice cut out.

She stood up straight. She would deal with this. “I love you, Anton,” she whispered. She aimed her furious gaze at Gabi. “Did you hurt April and Charlotte?”

“Who?” he answered, frowning in genuine confusion. “Oh, those sluts? Yes, I suppose so. Just honing my hunting technique. Unfortunately, in both cases, I was interrupted before I could finish.”

“You evil shit. I won’t let you hurt anyone else.” As a furious cry exploded from her, she shifted once more into her spitting, clawing lynx.

As Marci raced toward him, splashing through the water again, Gabi shifted into his tiger. Their animal bodies propelled themselves at each other. She knew he outweighed her, but didn’t care. She knew she could never take him down, but didn’t let it stop her. He’d hurt innocents on her island and had terrorized his own family, and so help her God, she would make him feel pain.

Over four hundred pounds of bulk tackled her eighty-five pounds of dainty lynx. As Gabi hit her, all the air flew from her body. He knocked her into the water and pinned her under, snarling and snapping at her.

As she began to swallow lake water, Marci panicked. He was too heavy, and her body had already been pushed to extremes during their mad chase. She fought to bite him, but he remained out of reach of her teeth. Doing the only thing she could think of, she kicked her strong back legs forward and gouged his tiger balls.

Gabi hurled himself backward into the lake, almost doing a backflip. She emerged and gasped for air. Her fur, so drenched and heavy, made it even harder to move, but she forced herself back to the beach, sure every step would prove her last.

She didn’t look back, even though Gabi was already lurching out of the lake after her. Marci sprinted over the beach toward the veil of trees.

It was only when she went flying through the air that she realized she’d stumbled on a piece of driftwood. She fell and rolled, and was conscious of Gabi roaring triumphantly behind her. For a second, her fear got the best of her, and she closed her eyes.

He pounced, and then
whoomp!
From out of the trees, another tiger leaped high and raged toward Gabi.

Anton!

The horrible pummeling noise made when the two predators slammed against each other was one Marci knew would haunt her the rest of her days. The ground shook, leaves fell off nearby trees, and she could have sworn it registered on the Richter scale. Dazed, and pretty sure she was bleeding from many different places, she looked on as Gabi and Anton rolled all over the beach. At one point, Anton was on top and seemed poised to kill; at another moment, Gabi appeared the victor. The brothers were so well matched in size and strength, she wondered if the fight would continue indefinitely.

She had to do something, but they moved so swiftly it was sometimes difficult to see who was who. Their tiger forms could not have been more similar, both a striking orange with white patches, identifying their Siberian heritage. She thought, in her delirium, that Anton’s teeth appeared sharper, but Gabi’s claws looked longer. Who the hell would ever come out on top?

Feeling light-headed, Marci shifted into her womanly form and looked down at her belly, only to find a huge gash there. Damn. When had Gabi done that? Crumpling, her eyes fluttering, she hit the sand.

No!
Anton’s voice shot into her brain. She tried to open her eyes and was vaguely aware of him wrenching himself away from Gabi, only to bolt over to her side. But then her head nodded, and she stopped seeing him.

Cicuskám
,
stay with me
. He nudged her face with his wet tiger nose.

In that split second, Gabi struck, knocking Anton to the ground. Her mate’s haunted cry of agony compelled her to open her eyes, and she spied Gabi atop him, his massive teeth clenched around the back of Anton’s neck.

As time stood still in that nightmarish moment, it seemed to her she’d never seen blood so thick and red. Crimson rivulets penetrated his beautiful coat, changing it into something garish and surreal.

Her mate would die from his brother’s bite. Deep inside, Marci and her lynx knew they had two choices: watch Anton slip away, causing her to die a thousand deaths herself, or fight until her last breath.

She opted for the latter.

Forcing herself to stand, she dragged what already felt like a corpse toward Gabi. Summoning her last ounce of power, she forced her mangled lynx to come forward as she shifted, and pounced on the larger cat. She sank her teeth into the back of his neck. Crunching through matted fur and sinew and bone, Marci tore at his flesh and felt his royal blood seep into her mouth. How she wanted to spit it back at him. The predator in her raged and clawed. Underneath her, Gabi stilled, and his hold on Anton relaxed. He twitched and she sank her fangs into a few very important veins, and ripped.

It got his attention.

With a savage cry, he released Anton from his stranglehold, tossing him behind. Roaring, he threw himself backward, crushing her smaller body underneath his. As white-hot pain tore down her spinal cord, she lay on the beach and apologized to her poor, battered lynx for not protecting her better.