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Ged had no idea what had happened to him on that awful night when almost his entire family, as well as his fiancée, and most of his father’s council were murdered. He believed he had been either drugged or subjected to a powerful magic spell. He vaguely recalled standing at the entrance to the palace with Alyona at his side as they greeted the guests for their engagement meal. His next memory was of waking at the bottom of a deep ravine here in the human realm.
That was just the start of the nightmare. A frantic dash to his homeland had ensued, but his attempt to cross the invisible border into the magical land known only to shifters had proved futile. Somehow, the man who was the rightful monarch had, from that day forward, been locked out of his own kingdom.
Tortured by frustration and guilt, he had finally been forced to accept defeat and refocus his energy on a new life.
He hadn’t wanted this new start, but it had been forced upon him. Telling himself he had to come to terms with that, he had channeled his royal training into new experiences. He could either make the best of what had happened, or spend the rest of his long, immortal life ricocheting around the human world in a fugue of self-pity.
That was when the idea for his alter ego had been born. As a child, Ged’s favorite literary character had been Baroness Orczy’s Scarlet Pimpernel. The story of the society fop who led a double life as a daring rescuer during the Reign of Terror that followed the French Revolution had gripped his imagination. The palace corridors would ring with sounds of mock sword fights as Ged and his younger brother, Andrei, acted out heroic combat scenes.
Rock band manager by day, shifter rescuer by night. Ged had become his own version of his childhood hero. But the ache in his heart had never gone away. And Lidi’s presence had brought the homesickness and the memories back. Stronger, sharper and more painful than ever.
I’m a bear. We don’t do feelings. He bit back a laugh. Yeah, keep telling yourself that whenever the homesickness hits.
He looked up as the bathroom door opened and Lidi emerged. Wrapped in a fluffy white bathrobe, she had dried her hair and it hung in soft waves almost to her waist. His heartbeat stuttered at the sight of her, a new realization hitting him.
It didn’t matter what he told himself about old loyalties and past promises. He had become engaged to Alyona for the sake of his country, their union born out of politics. not love. He had convinced himself back then that he could have been content with a marriage of convenience. Right now, it was as if the fates were laughing in his face.
The moment Lidi had walked—or stormed—into his life, everything had changed. His feelings for her went way beyond anything physical. The fates had decided she was his mate. Whether he liked it or not, that meant he was responsible for her.
What he had to do now was find a way to make his past and present work together in a way that didn’t bring the future crashing down around them.
Chapter 3
Lidi viewed the first aid kit with suspicion. “I can’t take this robe off. I’m not wearing anything underneath it.”
Ged groaned. “Comments like that aren’t helping me concentrate on the practicalities.”
She knew exactly what he meant. They were sitting inches apart on the bed and his nearness was so tempting it was sinful. Inexperience didn’t count. Her imagination was going into overdrive, heat surging through her in waves that were pleasurable, tormenting and wildly inconvenient.
Since Ged seemed determined to deal with her injuries, she reluctantly slid the robe off her left shoulder and down to the elbow on that side, clutching it tightly in place across her breasts with her other hand.
She already knew the cuts on her arm were bad. When she had broken the tiny bathroom window of her prison and forced her way through, she had been aware of the jagged shards tearing into her flesh. Because she had needed to slither down a steep wall and get away from the palace as fast as she could, it had been some time before she was able to take a look at her wounds. All she knew was, as she ran, she could feel hot, wet blood soaking her sleeve. When she finally stopped, everything had swum out of focus and she lay panting on her side until the world righted itself.
“How did you keep going with injuries like these?” Ged’s hand on her elbow was gentle as he bent closer to examine the damage to her flesh.
“I had to.” That was what she had told herself at the time, forcing herself on, one pain-filled step at a time. “Once I had managed to get out of that cell, it would have been crazy to let anything stop me.” She managed a smile. “I was even wearing the clothes I’d been captured in. You don’t think I’d have chosen to make that journey in ankle boots and without a warm coat, do you?”
His face was inches from hers as he raised his eyes to look at her. “This should have been stitched when you did it, and you’re lucky these wounds didn’t become infected.”
“I bathed my arm in fresh water whenever I got the chance. And I’m a shifter. You know as well as I do that we heal fast.”
“Are you always this stubborn?”
Lidi started to laugh. “Let me see...my father once asked my mother if an evil spirit tricked them and substituted a mule shifter for their bear baby. Does that answer your question?”
He smiled. “After three weeks, it’s too late for stitches. All I can do is apply a balm and put a dressing on your arm.”
Lidi watched as he scooped lotion out of a tub. When his fingertips touched her arm, she flinched and Ged raised questioning brows.
“Am I hurting you?”
“A little.” It was true, but her reaction had been more about the impact of his touch. Or rather, the intention behind the contact. He wanted to heal and comfort her.
Their DNA was half-human and half-bear. While bears were solitary creatures, shifters mated for life. Until they met their mate, they were free to live by human rules. But Lidi was a Callistoya noble, constrained by centuries of formality and duty. Their land had not moved in step with the mortal realm.
Her mother, in particular, had been determined that her daughter should observe the traditions of the ancient name into which she had married. From the day Lidi was born, Olga, Countess of Aras, had sworn her only child would marry well. She would train her daughter to rise above her instincts and marry for convenience instead of love. Even if she found her fated mate, Lidi, as the daughter of an aristocrat, would not be allowed to spend her life with him. Her parents would choose her partner. With that in mind, Olga had raised her in the ways of the bear.
There had been one problem with that plan. From a very early age, it was obvious that Lidi was unlike other bear shifters. Words like unusual and flighty were always attached to her. Her father scratched his head over her while her mother described her as overemotional, possibly the worst character trait she could conceive of. No matter how hard they tried to confine her spirit and mold her to their expectations, Lidi didn’t change. Among her werebear counterparts, she was quicksilver to their lead. Ruled by her powerful human emotions and intuition, she refused to conform, preferring a life of rebellion to one of compliance.
During her early years, Lidi’s mother had played the part of a bear in the wild. Demonstrating affection, protection and devotion, she had remained close to her daughter only until Lidi reached an age when Olga judged she could survive on her own. After that, mirroring the actions of a bear mother in the wild, she had tenaciously cast her aside. It was a tactic that worked effectively for most werebears.
But Lidi wasn’t like most werebears. She could still remember the shock and distress she had endured. The mother who had protected and cared for her one day was coldly turning her back the next. Her half-human heart had shattered, her two-year-old cries echoing through the stately corridors as her governess dragged her away. Even now, she awoke sometimes to find her pillow damp with tears and her hand outstretched as though reaching for her mother’s skirts.
Ged’s fingers smoothing the herbal-scented balm over her damaged flesh was the first positive touch she had encountered since her mother’s last embrace. It was almost too much to endure.
He used gentle, circular strokes to apply the balm, the action stinging slightly while also warming and soothing. Everything faded away except Ged and the point where his fingers caressed her. With a sigh, she gave in to temptation and rested her forehead against the smooth, hard muscle of his shoulder. Just this once, she would let someone else take over. She would allow herself these few minutes of bliss, of surrendering to the feeling of every care and hurt being smoothed away. By the time he finished, she was almost asleep.
Ged carefully placed adhesive dressings over the cuts. “They should stay in place without bandages.” He held out a couple of painkillers. “Now take these and get some sleep.”
“I have to get home—”
His fingers on her lips silenced her. “When you travel on a plane and the crew give you the safety information, they tell you to fit your own oxygen mask before helping others.”
She frowned. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ve never been on an airplane. This is the first time I’ve left the kingdom of Callistoya.” Her voice was muffled by his hand.
Ged laughed. “I should have remembered we come from the land that time forgot. I was trying to find an analogy to explain how you should take care of yourself before trying to look out for your father. Sleep will refresh you.”
The bed was tempting, and what Ged was saying did make sense. Exhaustion hit her all at once, leaving her feeling as though she’d run into a brick wall. “Okay. I suppose a few hours won’t make much difference.” If she was less tired she might actually be able to think of a way out of her predicament.
Within minutes, she was nestled between crisp sheets and plump pillows. Although her troubles tried to intrude, her body relaxed and she began to drift into slumber. She was conscious of the tiny sounds Ged made as he moved around the room, but the knowledge that he was close by added to her sense of well-being.
For now, she would let him take care of her. There would be enough time tomorrow to continue the fight.
* * *
“We have a problem.”
Although it was tempting to tell his security manager to deal with whatever it was and leave him alone, Ged knew it must be important. Rick wouldn’t bother him unless it was serious.
He glanced over at the bed where Lidi was still sleeping soundly. Ged had remained awake, checking his emails and fine-tuning arrangements for forthcoming appearances. He had also checked on flights to Siberia, planning the best way to get Lidi close enough to her own magical land without enduring another epic journey.
There was a major problem to be overcome before he could send her on her way. International travel required a passport. As far as the mortal world was concerned, Lidi didn’t exist.
The whole time, his mind had been preoccupied with more than the logistics. How could he let her go back, knowing the danger she faced? No one knew better than he did what Vasily was capable of. Yet, having glimpsed that determined gleam in her eye, he had a feeling stopping her would not be an easy task. If only it was as simple as she believed. If he could just take her hand and walk at her side across that invisible border. Even without the spell that had been cast to stop him, the barriers were insurmountable.
“I need you to come and check something out.” For the first time ever, Ged could hear a note of fear as Rick spoke.
Although his intuition was telling him that tremor in his security manager’s voice should have him heading for the door, his newfound responsibility to Lidi made him pause. “What is it?”
“A group of men have stormed the foyer. Hotel security have managed to lock down the lower floor, but they don’t know how long they’ll be able to hold them.” Rick sounded slightly incredulous. “The manager thinks it could be a terrorist attack.”
Ged muttered a curse. “Wake the others. Tell them to come to my room. See if you can get me real time pictures of what’s happening downstairs.”
“I’m on it.” Now he had been given a focus, the hesitation was gone and Rick was all action.
Ged ended the call and glanced in Lidi’s direction again. Although he didn’t like the chances that this was a coincidence, there was a possibility the attack could have nothing to do with her presence here. The hotel was full of celebrities. The terrorists—if that’s what they were—could be taking advantage of the shock factor of a strike against some of the world’s most famous names.
Even as his mind went through that reasoned argument, his gut was telling him another story. His protective instincts were on high alert. Some additional sense had been triggered when he met Lidi. His mate was in danger. There was no need to wait for confirmation. He could feel it. And, for a man who didn’t do feelings, that was a powerful motivator.
He headed through to the sitting room, closing the bedroom door behind him. Rick arrived a minute or two later. “The manager has sent some images to my cell phone.” He handed it over to Ged.
The black-and-white footage showed four men entering the hotel lobby. Even though the pictures were grainy, Ged could tell these men were big. Tall and broad-shouldered, they moved with a steadfast confidence he would recognize anywhere. They were bear shifters. There was a good chance that when they shifted they would resemble Siberian brown bears. Just like him, Lidi and the entire population of Callistoya.
“What makes the hotel staff think it’s a terrorist attack? I don’t see any weapons.”
On the screen, the men began to smash up the reception area, systematically tearing apart the elegant decor with their bare hands. When the hotel security staff approached them, they were flung aside like rag dolls.
“When the manager called me to warn me what was happening, a terrorist attack was his suggestion. That was because robbery didn’t seem to be the motive,” Rick explained. “The guy was a wreck. I don’t think he knew what was happening. The hotel security system allows the manager to isolate each floor. Right now, these guys are contained on the first floor. The elevators have been shut down and they can’t gain access to any of the other floors,” Rick said. “The problem is that the guests are going to start waking up about now. Once that happens, word will filter through to the outside world.”
“The guests are trapped on their own floors.” Ged pointed out.
“For now. These guys are still on the rampage in the foyer. It looks like they are trying to gain access to the elevators or the stairs, so that makes it appear that the guests are the target. The manager is locked in his office with those security staff who managed to get away.”
“Have the police been called?”
“They’re outside the hotel and the manager is communicating with them. They’re holding back from storming the building because some of the security staff who were injured when these guys stormed in are still trapped in the lobby with them. It’s a hostage situation that has the potential to go badly wrong.”
They were interrupted by the arrival of the rest of the band. The lead guitarist, Torque was accompanied by his wife, Hollie.
“Sarange volunteered to stay with the kids,” Khan explained. He and his wife never traveled anywhere without their two children. The friendship group had recently expanded further to include Torque and Hollie’s twin baby boys.
“What’s up?” Torque asked.
Ged measured the situation. If he said too much in front of Rick, he risked giving away his own shifter identity and that of his friends. It came down to how much he trusted this man. He shrugged.
“There is a group of bear shifters smashing up the lobby.” Just as he’d anticipated, Rick didn’t blink.
“Friends of yours?” Khan asked.
Ged shook his head. “There is also a female bear-shifter aristocrat asleep in my bedroom—” he held up his hand to prevent any comments “—we don’t have time for jokes. I suspect she’s the reason they’re here.”
“Do they want to harm her, Ged?” Hollie’s calm question got straight to the point.
“She’s escaped from captivity. I’m guessing they want to return her.”
Diablo flexed his muscles. “Then let’s take them out.”
“It’s not that easy. There are a lot of people around and there are security cameras everywhere. The police are outside and I figure the press will be onto it soon, if they aren’t already.”
Ged was trying to formulate a plan as he spoke. The worst nightmare of any shifter living in the human world was the loss of anonymity. Mortals enjoyed books, movies, comics, and games about werewolves and other supernatural entities. Let them get the tiniest hint that such beings existed alongside them and all hell would break loose. The peace shifters had enjoyed for centuries would be shattered. Old enmities would resurface, hunting season on shifters would probably be declared, there was a possibility experimentation might be sanctioned... Shifter Zoo? It didn’t bear thinking about.
“The police are here. Maybe we should let them take care of it?” Rick suggested.
Ged shook his head. “Those guys down there won’t hesitate to shift if they’re cornered. The place they come from is...unusual.” How could he explain his homeland to his friends? Callistoya had always been ruled over by bear shifters. For that reason, the tiny kingdom remained hidden from human sight. “They belong in a land where shifting isn’t hidden or private. They won’t understand the need to steer clear of publicity. No, we have to corner them somewhere away from cameras and other people.”
“I’ll get a plan of the hotel,” Rick said.
“Lidi climbed the balconies,” Ged pointed out. “Is there any chance the intruders could try the same tactic?”
“I don’t think so. They’re locked into the foyer right now and can’t break out. Plus, their focus seems to be on the interior of the hotel.” Rick turned back as he reached the door. “When you come down to the lobby, don’t take the main staircase. There’s a smaller one that the staff use. You’ll have the element of surprise if you come that way.”
Ged nodded. “Get the manager to tell the guests to stay in their rooms. I don’t care what message he gives them. Faulty electrical wiring, poisonous gas in the air, a problem with the early-morning croissants...leave it up to his imagination. Just make sure they stay where they are.”
When Rick had gone, Ged became aware of his other friends regarding him with curiosity. In all the years they’d known each other, he’d never revealed anything about his past, or shown any interest in a woman. He guessed the questions would come later. Would he answer them? Now was not the time to make that decision.
“Our first job is to override the hotel’s security system. I want to shut down every camera in this place. Then we need to back these intruders into a corner of our choosing while making sure they can’t gain access to the upper floors. If we can do that and also make sure none of the guests know anything about it, I’ll buy you all a meal in the best restaurant in Cannes.”
“Will the bear-shifter aristocrat be your date?” Khan was the only person who had the audacity to ask such a question.
“Don’t push your luck, tiger boy,” Ged growled. There was a hierarchy in the shifter world, but in this group it didn’t matter about tigers, dragons or wolves. Ged was in charge. Always.
Khan held up a hand in a peacemaking gesture and Torque stepped into the silence that followed. “Hollie and I will check out the security system.” He took his wife’s hand. “Nothing like a little dragon breath to fry the electronics.”
Ged watched them go. “Dev and Finglas, I want you to check out the elevators. They aren’t working right now because they are locked down, but once Torque and Hollie screw up the system they may start up again.”
Dev, the snow leopard shifter who was the band’s lead guitarist, nodded. “We’ll disable them.” He and Finglas, the werewolf bass guitarist, went out of the room.
Ged turned to Khan and Diablo. “A bear, a tiger and a panther. The three of us against four bears. How do we feel about those odds, guys?”
The sound of the bedroom door closing made him look up. Lidi was dressed in the clothes Rick had delivered earlier. Jeans and a gray sweater fitted her slender figure perfectly. Her long dark hair was tied back and, although she was still pale, she looked refreshed.
“The odds just improved.” The determined look in her eyes was stronger than ever. “Because now we’re four against four.”
* * *
Ged took Lidi to one side, speaking quietly so only she could hear. “You’re injured.”
“I was injured when I climbed the outside of this building and fought three men.” Did he seriously think he was going to shut her out of this, whatever this was? She had to remind herself that he didn’t know her very well. If he did, he’d know all about her tenacity. “I heard what you were saying. Four bear shifters? They are here to either take me back to Callistoya or to assassinate you. Maybe both.”
“You think Vasily sent them?”
She nodded, her lip curling at the thought of the man who had masterminded a massacre so he could usurp the throne of Callistoya. Vasily was everything Ged was not. Vain, ambitious and cowardly, he preyed on the worst characteristics of his followers. Every bear shifter Lidi knew took pride in his or her strength, courage, intelligence and loyalty. Vasily deliberately undermined those values. He targeted groups within the kingdom who were vulnerable and preyed on their insecurities.
Even so, Vasily had been surprised when he had seized power at the strength of feeling against him. Callistoya had been weakened by the death of its beloved king together with most of his council, but it was a land of tradition and Vasily had no direct claim to the crown. His mother had married King Ivan, Ged’s father, after his first wife died. Since the king’s first marriage had produced two sons—Ged and Andrei—they were the rightful heirs to the throne.
Callistoya had been a peaceful nation when Ged’s father was alive, with only minor skirmishes in the outlying regions and uprisings when the crops failed or the taxes were raised. Ged’s father had been a strong king who knew how to deal with those problems, but Vasily was good at stirring up trouble. He had incited the rebel forces in the east of the country. They claimed that an area of land belonged to them, not to the Crown, and demanded freedom from taxation. Vasiliy supported them, keeping the feud going until they refused to back down despite King Ivan’s offer of a peacekeeping council. Then, having argued with his stepfather over money and titles, Vasily joined the rebels, his presence strengthening their cause and providing him with a ready-made army.
The night King Ivan died would be remembered in Callistoyan history as a night of betrayal and bloodshed. Lidi was unsure of all the details, but she knew it was the occasion of Ged’s engagement to Duchess Alyona Ivanov. Negotiations between the king and Vasily had been ongoing, and Vasily had agreed to suspend hostilities and attend the celebration. As a sign of his commitment to peace, he had pledged to accompany his mother, the queen, to the party.
He and a group of his men had been welcomed into the palace and an evening of feasting and entertainment had ensued. During the night, the king and most of his entourage had been slaughtered in their beds.
At some point before the murders, Ged and his brother, Andrei, had disappeared. The following day, Vasily had announced to a stunned nation that he was taking over the throne. The murderers were never brought to justice, although suspicion naturally fell on Vasily.