To Love a Shifter: A Paranormal Romance Boxed Set (37 page)

Realizing she was babbling, Misty sent Lysander an entreating glance.

He took pity on her. “It’s all right, Misty. As long as you are truly fine with who I am?”

In answer, she tiptoed and placed a shy kiss on his cheek.

He froze at the touch of her lips, the heat uncurling in his body at that innocent gesture stunning him. And when she smiled up at him, the innocence in her eyes challenged his very ability to think straight. This woman was…dangerously addictive.

Fuck.

Lysander had a feeling that he had just bitten off more than he could fucking chew.

“So…this is it.” Misty’s arm was beginning to ache because of the lace parasol she was holding high to accommodate Lysander’s height. He had very gently told her that if she wanted to make amends, she would have to help shield his delicate skin from being burnt by the heat the realm’s shield generated.

Gay men,
Misty thought with a sigh. They were so high-maintenance! How he had supposedly slain a hundred vampires as a child was completely beyond her. What did he do? Fan them to death?

The courtyard was filled with the growing number of Faeries who had signed up to be soldiers of their race. The growth rate was impressive but Misty knew that compared to the number of warriors Lyccans had – and the number of merciless vampire assassins they had to face – the number before her was still pathetically scarce.

Swords fell more times than they clashed, wielded by arms clearly unused to fighting. Laughter rather than shouts filled the courtyard for the Faeries had lived in an age of peace for so long they had forgotten the horrors of war.

Lysander’s lips tightened at the sight.

The swords that Faeries yielded were made of metal found only in their realm, forged in the blood that their ancestors had sacrificed. No bullets, not even those made of silver, could cut through the sword. But was it truly enough to defend their race?

Lysander only owed his loyalty to two things: himself and his race. He would sacrifice his life if that would save his kind from extinction, but Lysander knew such a sacrifice would be for naught.

A fucking bubble,
Lysander thought, bitter at how helpless he felt at the sight of his race’s vulnerabilities. They were living in a glass bubble, so weak against the threat of another war that they had to depend on a human to protect them.

“Would you consider training with us?” Misty asked. The thought of Lysander being under attack had suddenly occurred to her, and she immediately feared for the beautiful gay man next to her. What if he was surrounded by vampires? What could Lysander do? Strangle them with his lace cuffs this time?

Lysander feigned a look of horror. “I am a member of the High Circle, my pretty.” He showed her his hands. “Hold it.”

She gasped when she did. “Baby soft!” She shook her head in amazement. “Even Daryl’s aren’t that soft.”

“I know,” he said complacently. It was all part of his disguise.

“But…Lysander…you have to learn how to defend yourself, even just a bit. I know right now it doesn’t seem that vampires can attack you here, but you just never know…”

He adjusted his cuffs again. “If there’s someone handsome enough, perhaps.”

Misty suppressed a sigh. She wanted to bring up his past, to remind him of how horrible vampires could be, but she also knew now wasn’t the right time to do so. As they looked back at the Faeries in training, she said slowly, “I requested for a Lyccan and Caro trainer to visit us.”

Lysander’s head turned sharply towards her. This was the first time he had heard of her request, and he was immediately suspicious. “Why is that?”

“I talked about it with Milo and he agreed.” She gave him an apologetic glance. “I didn’t get to ask you because I didn’t know you’d be my co-ambassador then. Lyccans have been warriors all their lives and Caros have been fighting vampires from the very start. I think we can learn a lot from them.”

The ‘we’ made Lysander feel extremely good, but he didn’t want to think about why it was so.

A commotion at the end of the courtyard drew his attention. A crowd was gathering, the noise increasing in volume.

“Maybe the trainers are here?” Misty hazarded a guess.

“Perhaps. Let us find out.” He offered his hand, and she took it after a moment of hesitation.

They walked hand in hand, Misty forcing herself to relax. He was
gay, gay, gay.
How many times did she have to remind herself of that?

“I see Magenta,” Lysander, who easily towered over other Faeries, said as they neared the edge  of the crowd.

“An important visitor must have come then,” Misty decided. “Magenta doesn’t…” The crowd parted slowly, and her voice trailed off, shock rendering her speechless when she saw who that important visitor was.

Domenico.

Her body tingled at the sight of him, her throat convulsing at the way he kept his eyes on her while he kept a sedate pace next to Magenta. The aura of command around Domenico was even more tangible now, one that made Misty tremble. And his clothes! She had never seen him dressed this way, geared for battle, his soldier uniform bearing the colors of the Lyccan Council.
It gave her pause. Shouldn’t he be wearing black and silver, the colors of the Moretti pack?

The way his tight-fitted uniform showed off the sleek, hard cuts of his muscles only served to emphasize how different he was from all the men in this realm – or anyone else in the world, any man from any race.

Domenico Moretti was
lethal.

He was a prince who had never depended on his guards to kill, choosing instead to taint his own bare hands with the blood of his enemies.

Misty heard the quickened breaths of women around her, and she knew they were just as affected as she was at the sight of him, the proof of how lethal he was in
other
ways. He was so sinfully handsome, a part of her still could not believe that she had once been...not his mate but a woman who had stayed at his side.

When he was finally near enough to hold a conversation with, Misty knew she couldn’t delay any longer and reluctantly raised her eyes.

His beautiful dark face was devoid of expression, but oh his eyes! They glittered with emotion, letting her know without a word  how much he wanted to devour her. There was something else, too, but it was a feeling Misty did not want to acknowledge.

Domenico sucked his breath in when their gazes met.

Misty.

It was all he could do not to haul his princess to him, to let her know how much he fucking loved her, worshipped the very ground she walked on.

“
Breathe,
my pretty,” Lysander whispered to her.

She gasped, not realizing she had been holding her breath all this time. She saw Domenico stiffen, his gaze immediately swinging towards Lysander.

Domenico’s fists clenched. Who the fuck was the young man next to her, daring to stand too close to his woman? And had he heard the man right? Had this whelp actually called Misty
his pretty?

“It’s good you two are here,” Magenta said calmly, her tone setting a clear precedent of how she wanted everyone to act. “Your Highness, Misty and Lysander here will be co-representing our race in the Alliance.”

Magenta gestured to Domenico next. “Misty, Lysander, the Lyccans have been kind enough to send Prince Domenico of the Moretti pack to help in training our soldiers.”

Lysander.
His gaze narrowed at the younger man, taking in his odd choice of clothing, which was drowning in lace. Was the man gay? He goddamn hoped so or the man would be feeling Domenico’s fist next.

“But…” Misty was in a daze at Magenta’s words, her heart beating madly at the thought of Domenico staying here at the realm…where she was. “That’s not…that can’t be possible! He’s the heir apparent of the Moretti Pack. There’s a conflict of interest---”

“There is none now.” Domenico’s soft voice cut through her words.

Just the sound of his voice was enough to have her entire body shaking, repelled and attracted to the sound at the same time, turning Misty into a mass of heartbroken confusion.
This morning
should have ended everything between them yet here he was again, threatening the new life she had so worked so hard to build.

“What are you saying?” Misty had to force the words out.

“As of yesterday, the mantle of future leadership of the pack has been passed on to the heir next in line, my younger brother Alessandro Moretti.”

Domenico was indifferent to the massive wave of shock that hit the crowd with his announcement. He of course immediately noticed that the younger man called Lysander did not appear surprised at all. It could mean several things, and his agile mind processed every possible meaning behind it. When he looked back at Lysander, Domenico was looking at the other man with a narrowed gaze.

Misty might hate the fact that he was manipulative as hell, and though he would do his best to change that where she was concerned, Domenico knew he would not stop doing so if it meant keeping the people he loved safe. Especially if the danger had to do with the one who held his heart in her hands.

Domenico’s words, delivered so matter-of-factly,  caused Misty to stumble back, unable to believe Domenico would relinquish leadership for any reason. He was not a man greedy for power, but for most of his life he had lived to exercise his birthright. It was the most important thing to him---even their marriage had not been his top priority, she remembered painfully.

Domenico was still gazing at her with an inscrutable expression on his gorgeous face. It was scary, the way she just couldn’t read him anymore. But then – had she ever really known him like a wife should? Like a mate should?

“Why would you do that?” She had to ask the question.

Silence abruptly fell, the crowd just as keen to hear Domenico’s answer. Even the Faeries, with all the years they spent outside the “real” world, were fully aware that being heir apparent to a powerful pack like the Morettis was equal to holding the reins to one of the wealthiest and strongest kingdoms on earth.

And the man who had given it all up answered simply, “Because I’ve come to get back what’s mine.”

Domenico stretched out his hand, palm up, waiting, demanding for Misty to take him---to let him claim her in front of everyone.

Oh God.
Misty found herself moving, her hand slowly lifting up---

In a blink of an eye, Lysander had put Misty behind him, breaking the spell between the two.

Misty’s hand fell to her side, her eyes widening at the horrified realization of what she had almost done. Lysander tipped her chin up, a steady reassuring gleam in his eyes. It calmed her for some reason, and as she continued gazing at Lysander, she was slowly able to breathe again.

Domenico went cold inside even as he allowed his hand to fall back. His first instinct was to strike Lysander down, but looking at Misty, seeing her shaking as she struggled to control her emotions, forced him to keep still. And yet…it was torture to see Misty looking at another man with those wide gray eyes.

Look at me,
he wanted to shout. He wanted to demand and beg her at the same time. Didn’t she know how she was fucking killing him with the way her gaze clung to another man?

“Okay, my pretty?” Only long years of practice allowed Lysander to keep his voice smooth and light. Something powerful and deep had shifted inside him at the look of need in Misty’s eyes. It was all he could do not to drop his long-standing disguise and haul her into his arms and tell her that he was going to take care of her.

Slowly Misty nodded, a grateful smile breaking over her lips. She squeezed his arm, as if thanking him again, and that simple touch inflamed him. He dared not move after, knowing if he did it would be possible for Domenico’s heightened Lyccan to pick up the scent of his arousal.

Misty turned to Domenico, and he followed suit. Lysander snapped his fan open once more, the sound drawing more than one pair of gazes towards him.

He was impressed at how not even a flicker of expression crossed Domenico’s face to reveal what he thought of Lysander. But Lysander knew the other man was on his guard now, more so than before. The man before him was not to be underestimated at all costs, might even be as cunning as he was.

Domenico didn’t allow himself another glance at Misty. If he did – all hell would break loose. He didn’t look at the younger man either since the same outcome would also ensue. Domenico couldn’t yet read Lysander Allard clearly, but one thing was for sure – for whatever reason, he wanted to take Misty away from Domenico. Worse, this Lysander-what-the-fuck had not made the same mistakes Domenico had. Misty did not trust Domenico, but she might trust this man.

As Lysander slowly fanned himself, Domenico locked gazes with him once more. He smiled at the older man for the sole purpose of confusing the Moretti prince.

Oh, this will be so much fun.

~~~

Domenico followed the girl Magenta had assigned to walk him to his chamber in brooding silence. Never had he thought he would have a rival for Misty’s heart. His chest tightened at the thought. Was it why she had been able to cut ties with him?

Domenico knew with every fiber of his being that Misty still wanted him as desperately as he wanted her, but want did not equate with love or even need. Even so, he was not going to give up without a goddamn fight.

The girl in front of him, Ivory, stopped next to a two-door suite at the end of the hallway. “Here we are.” She was dark-haired and doe-eyed. This early he could see she was infatuated with him. Once, Domenico would have no qualms using her infatuation to his advantage, to send her to spy on Misty.

But he was different now. Misty had changed him, weakening him in some aspects but greatly strengthening him in others. Unfortunately, it also blinded him, his normally vigilant ability to sense ulterior motives in other people not as accurate as before. Misty’s kindness had melted the cynicism he had once worn as a cloak. It made him more approachable---and more vulnerable, too.

And the girl before him, appearing like a shy little thing, knew it. The great Domenico Moretti was not so great anymore. He was ripe for the taking, and she definitely wanted him. For years, she had hungered for his touch from afar, envious of all the stories about how he was this magnificent stallion in bed, rutting nonstop until a woman had to beg for a respite from all the orgasms he could give her.

Domenico was completely unaware of the violent, lust-filled thoughts of the girl. He gave her a brief smile of thanks, gesturing for her to precede him. He saw Ivory’s eyes widen, obviously surprised at the honor. She hurried inside.

“Mistress Magenta chose this chamber as it is closest to the courtyard, where our soldiers train. Across this is the Main Hall, where those belonging to the High Circle reside.”

“And Misty?”

“She lives next to Sir Milo. I can accompany you…” Her face fell when he shook his head.

“I do not want to inconvenience you further. But if you would give me directions instead?”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

He listened carefully and nodded his thanks afterwards.

“Would it be all right if I come back in an hour to take you to the dining hall, Your Highness? A ball is being held in your honor.”

He was badly tempted to refuse the honor. The last ball he had attended had ruined his life. “It would be my pleasure,” he finally said, uttering the lie with ease. Domenico paused, a thought occurring to him when he remembered the old-fashioned attire that the man next to Misty had been wearing.

He asked uneasily, “How do you dress for a ball in your realm, Ivory? Shall I have to request for clothing similar to Lysander’s?”

She surprised him by giggling. “Oh, no, that is unnecessary. Most of the elder members of the High Circle dress like that, but Sir Lysander is the only one from the younger set who takes after tradition. His family line is one of the oldest in our race.” Her smile faded. “He is also the last of the Allards.”

Domenico understood the rest of what she hadn’t said. No non-human was unaware of the Great War that had nearly sent the Faeries to extinction. “I am sorry to hear that.”

Ivory bowed her head. “Sir Lysander is a hero among our kind despite his age, Your Highness. As he has no kin left, he has devoted all his life to serving the High Circle.”

A fucking paragon
, Domenico thought. He had a fucking paragon as his rival. This just kept getting better and better.

Ivory curtsied, drawing his attention back to her. “In an hour then, Your Highness?”

“Yes, thank you.” He turned his back on the girl, his mind already focusing on Misty and the unknown man standing in his way. As he did, he completely missed the malicious gleam in the girl’s eyes.

It has started, Master
, Ivory whispered the words in her mind.

A smooth, ageless voice answered.
And so it has. You may proceed as planned.

~~~

“Your prince is a truly beautiful man,” Lysander murmured as they watched Domenico stride into the dining hall, dressed completely in black. Even the couples on the dance floor stopped to stare at him as he walked past. His commanding and innately sexual presence, combined with the power he kept on a careful leash, had almost every woman in the room swallowing at the way desire licked their skins at the mere sight of him.

Misty swallowed herself even though she hadn’t yet raised her gaze again to see where Domenico was. It was just impossible to be indifferent to Domenico when he went all out like this. Usually, Domenico kept his Lyccan side under wraps, preferring to use his billionaire persona to intimidate people. But tonight it was as if he wanted to be stared at, and Misty felt like he was challenging her – daring her not to look at him.

I’m not going to look,
she told herself. She had already realized the seats across them were reserved for the two. She would look at them then but not now, not when she still had a choice to pretend Domenico wasn’t back to wreck her life all over again.

“Your prince is approaching.”

“He’s not my prince,” Misty mumbled, busying herself by stuffing her mouth with salad.

“What do you like most about him?” Lysander sounded only mildly curious.

She turned to him with a frown, but before she could answer Lysander asked, “His
cock
perhaps?”

Lysander never had a chance after that.

It was like the most embarrassing sense of déjà vu to feel herself choking in surprise at what Lysander had said before spewing the half-chewed Romaine lettuce and mango strips on his dress shirt, which was yet another fascinating silky creation that only he could pull off.

“Shick. Shick. I’m so sorry!” Even as she wished she could die on the spot, Misty was already wiping  the mess away with her napkin.

Lysander was still in a relative state of shock. He had never had someone practically throw up on him. And the fact that Misty was not even drunk – he didn’t know if he wanted to wince or laugh.

“I suppose this is how you made your prince fall in love?” He gingerly brushed away one last nibbled strip of cucumber away from his shirt.

Misty couldn’t help snickering at that, but the sound of amusement died when a hurtfully familiar voice called her name.