Hunter of the Heart

Three shape-shifters on a cruise ship in the middle of the Caribbean may sound like paradise. But when one of them is a vicious killer and the other two enforcers, it's a trip to hell.

While on a personal mission of vengeance, an embittered werewolf meets the woman he’s fated to be mated to. It’s a turn of events he not sure he welcomes, since he’s already experienced the joy of having a mate and the heart-wrenching agony of losing her.

Hot on the trail of his wife’s murderer, this wounded warrior can’t afford unwanted distractions.

But can he afford to lose a new love to the same monster?

Some of the tension he’d been carrying around for the last few hours eased. Thank god for Mitch. Mitch kept him sane. He was still shaking his head, the smile on his lips settled there awkwardly from disuse, when his attention landed on the blonde again.

His mouth resumed its more familiar hard flat line and Cal felt his hackles rise. Some no-neck nimrod was presently breathing into her face and sitting way too close. He told himself it was none of his business, the guy was probably her boyfriend, but if it were possible, her body language was even more rigid and defensive. He watched and waited. And stewed.

She shook her head side to side periodically at whatever Triple-N was whispering in her ear. Cal didn’t question his rising anger, just signaled to the server and ordered a bottled water. When it came, he took it and his drink and stood up.

“I’ll be right back,” he forestalled Mitch, then wove his way through the maze of chairs across to the other side of the pool.

‘Hello.’ He sent the greeting out moments before he arrived at her side. It had the right effect. She looked up expectantly and thinking she’d heard the word out loud, returned the greeting over Nimrod’s shoulder.

“Hi” Her husky voice was a soft caress to his senses.

“Sorry I took so long.” Cal handed her the water, it was the same brand as the almost empty bottle on the table besides her. ‘I’m here to help.’

She took the drink from him after a slight hesitation.

“So who’s your friend?” he asked conversationally. He remained standing, claiming the alpha position and stared down at the steroid-bound loser.

“Uhm,…this is Rod.” She continued to look at Cal in confusion.

Rod sized Cal up. And came up three sizes too small. “Who the hell are you?”

He allowed the bones in his face to shift slightly and flashed a quick smile, knowing his incisors looked unnaturally prominent.

‘I’m the thing you don’t believe in asshole.’

Dude’s eyes widened and his aggression suddenly suffered a bout of erectile dysfunction.

Even though Cal wasn’t looking at her, he could feel the waves of anxiety coming off the woman. He erased the small signs of transformation from his features, but held the man’s gaze. That’s what you did with prey.

Rod stood up swiftly, “Listen man, I was just having a friendly conversation with Tessa. No harm done.”

Cal made no reply, except to exhale in a low short growl.

Rod held up his hands. “It’s cool. I’ll leave you two alone.”

“Do that.” Cal bared his teeth once more.

He didn’t relax until Rod was gone from sight and he could barely smell the drops of urine that had trickled down between human’s legs. But his smile faded with the awareness of Tessa’s growing agitation. He turned to her, ‘I mean you no harm’, and watched as she searched his face. He saw the exact moment she decided to trust him; her hazel eyes lighten a shade.

“T-thank you….?”

“Cal,” he supplied, deliberately keeping his voice gentled.

‘Thank you, Cal.” She held out her hand as her mouth curved into a smile.

He felt a surprising twist in his chest at the sight of that smile, and paused before taking her slender hand in his.

Something was wrong. His heart still pumped hard from the confrontation with Rod, but that didn’t explain the premonition that snaked through him. He drew in a deep breath as he scanned around them, his gaze jumping from face to face. Nothing suspicious.

Cal looked down at Tessa again and finally took her hand in his with a deep sense of foreboding.

Knowledge slammed into his gut. One word.

She took a swift intake of breath and her greeny gaze widened.

Had he spoken out aloud?

One word.

Cal dropped Tessa’s hand. This had to be a cruel joke.

“You’ll be fine now,” he said with a calm he was far from feeling. He could hear the rush of blood through her veins.

Nature spoke irrefutable truth, in one word.

He spun on his heels and stalked away, putting distance between him and Tessa.

Beth. He searched for the memories, needing to embrace the fading ache and familiar anger. He reached past that one word: Mate.