Loe raamatut: «Captivating The Bear»

Chapter 1

Lidiya Rihanoff was doing her best to be objective about the situation, which wasn’t easy when she was caught up in the center of a screaming, sobbing crowd.

She had spent the last hour slowly working her way through the hysterical throng until she found herself a place up against the crash barriers. It had proved surprisingly difficult. Lidi had trained with warriors. She knew how to deal with combat situations. This was different. Faced with an adoring group of rock fans who did not want to relinquish the opportunity to get up close to their idols, she was at a loss. Her usual street-fighting tactics wouldn’t do. Eye gouging and throat punching would have brought her to the attention of the police officers who were standing at regular intervals along the route. In the end, she resorted to strategically using her elbows. When that didn’t work, she dealt out a few surreptitious ankle kicks.

Now she was pressed right up against the barrier, with a clear view of the movie theater and its red-carpeted steps. From the mounting fervor, and the way the security guards were pacing back and forth along the street, she guessed the stars were about to arrive at any minute.

It was winter, but the temperatures in the South of France were like a summer day in her home country of Callistoya. Sweat beaded her forehead and trickled down her spine as she was jostled and pushed. Even so, she couldn’t remove her sweatshirt. Beneath it, her long-sleeved T-shirt was torn, the shredded material revealing the injuries to her arm. She couldn’t risk drawing attention to herself.

“Here they come!” The woman next to her spoke English, a language in which Lidi was fluent. Her screech was accompanied by a curious gesture. Putting her fingers on either side of her head, she made them into devil horns. A quick glance around revealed a number of other people doing the same thing. She laughed at Lidi’s bemused expression. “Sign of the Beast.”

Two stretch limousines drew up to one side of the theater. On the opposite side of the street, hundreds of photographers were already in position with their cameras poised.

A man bounded out of the first vehicle before it had stopped, and the flashbulbs went wild in time with the crescendo around Lidi.

“Who is he?” She had to mouth the words to the helpful stranger.

“Khan. Lead singer.” She got up close and yelled her response directly into Lidi’s ear. “The woman with him is his wife, Sarange.”

Lidi watched as the group of glamorous figures exited the cars and posed on the red carpet. Her new friend bellowed out an excited commentary. Next came Torque, the rhythm guitarist, with his blonde wife, Hollie. The dark-haired, muscle-bound man with the brooding expression was the drummer, Diablo. Then there was the lead guitarist, Dev, and the bass player, Finglas.

Lidi paid only scant attention. Her interest in the members of the internationally famous rock band Beast began and ended with their ability to lead her to the man she was seeking. Was he here? She scanned the group on the red carpet. He had to be here.

As if the intensity of her thoughts had somehow communicated themselves across the distance between the crash barriers and to the building on the other side of the road, a man strode down the steps. He was talking on his cell phone, clearly engrossed in his conversation.

Lidi’s breath caught in her throat. Just from his height and the width of his shoulders she knew it was him.

She gestured to the woman next to her, not trusting her voice.

“Ged Taverner.” A little shiver ran through Lidi as she heard the name. “He’s Beast’s manager.”

Ged Taverner. That was what he called himself now, but Lidi knew his true identity. The tall, imposing figure she was looking at was Gerald Tavisha, the rightful king of Callistoya.

She had heard so much about this man that his nearness almost took her breath away. Until his exile he had embodied everything the warrior-heroes of the magical shifter state of Callistoya held dear. Chivalry, honor and a deep, abiding love of their country.

Lidi would never understand why he had stayed away instead of raising an army and fighting the man who had stolen his throne. But all that mattered now was that she had found him.

As she gazed across the distance between them, a new sensation swept over her. Stinging and cloying at the same time, like a hit of hot sugar surging through her bloodstream. It was the craziest feeling, a wild urgency that made her want to vault over the barrier and throw herself into Ged Taverner’s arms.

She looked around her at the longing faces. Mass hysteria. That must be what she was experiencing. Despite her noble upbringing, she had put her dignity aside and been infected by the mood around her. But she wasn’t here to be part of this. She was a Rihanoff of Aras. She could rise above it.

It didn’t matter what she told herself. The feeling persisted, growing stronger, becoming a wild, yearning ache throughout her body, but centering very specifically in the throbbing pulse between her legs. Everything around her came sharply into focus, every sense heightening until she was quivering with tension.

What exactly is happening to me?

Her concentration became centered on Ged and it appeared she was not the only one suffering. Frowning, he looked up from his call, the cell phone held slightly away from his ear as he scanned the crowd. Excitement powered through Lidi as a new realization hit her.

It’s him. He is the reason I’m feeling this way.

Across the yards that separated them, she knew he could feel the same longing that was driving her demented. An invisible cord between them was being tightened, drawing them closer together. Heat burned up the air between them. The urge to go to him and wrap her body around his was becoming a storm in her blood.

Because of the distance, she couldn’t see the finer detail of his looks, but her impression was of strength and muscle, of ruggedly carved aristocratic features, a square, stubborn chin, wavy, butterscotch-brown hair, and eyes that faced the world with the same bravery and determination as her own. It was the look that had embodied Callistoya. Once. Before the unthinkable had happened.

Just as she thought she couldn’t take any more, the group on the red carpet began to move. With a final wave to the fans, they made their way inside the theater. Ged remained on the steps for a moment or two after they’d gone, a look of confusion on his face.

Finally, with a reluctant shrug, he turned away and the spell was broken. Lidi shuddered as her body tried to deal with the return to normality. She almost laughed out loud. Normality? For her, there would never be such a thing again.

She had come here to find the only man who could save her father and her country. It had not been part of her schemes to also find her mate. But the decree of the fates was absolute. For every shifter there was a match. One true life partner. The rush of feeling she’d experienced when she gazed at Ged could mean only one thing. The fates had decided he was the one for her.

Stifling a groan, she tried to get her errant emotions under control. Arousal? Attraction? Gazing longingly at the handsome bear-shifter king? Being struck dumb by my fated mate? I don’t have time for this right now.

Lidi had a plan and she was determined to stick to it. Resolutely, she turned to her helpful new acquaintance.

“Do you know where the band are staying?”

* * *

Ged Taverner tried to concentrate on what the man standing next to him was saying.

“Small venues are a nightmare.” Rick, Beast’s head of security, gazed moodily out at the crowd of fans. “Give me an arena or a sports stadium anytime.”

Ged managed a suitable reply, saying something about the importance of this theater in Cannes as the most suitable place in which to screen the premiere of the band’s documentary. The whole time, his mind was preoccupied.

What the hell had just happened?

One minute he had been walking down the steps, talking on his cell with a French national newspaper about an interview, the next...he shook his head. It had been like a bolt of lightning, hitting him full-on as he walked out into the sunlight. He had no idea where it had come from, or what had caused it. When he had raised his head, seeking the source of the enchantment that held him helpless, he had known with absolute certainty that it was coming from somewhere in the throng of fans across the street.

As his eyes scanned the crowd, he had been in the grip of the most powerful emotion he had ever experienced. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake free of it.

Who are you?

Ged was a shifter. His bear senses had kicked in, taking over from his human perception. Although it wasn’t his dominant sense, his sight was good. Even so, trying to pick out one person among the mass had been impossible. But scent...that was a different matter. He could pick up a smell twenty miles away. The delicious aroma from the other side of the street had made his nostrils flare. It reminded him of clean, warm fur. Of winter sunshine, fresh, clear water and deep, dark pine forests.

How could he have been so sure the origin of that new fire in his blood was female? The answer was simple. Not only was his reaction to her knee-weakening and breathtaking, it was also zipper straining. His tailored pants had started to feel snug and he had dug his hands into his pockets, cursing the fate that had decided to put him in this predicament while he was wearing a tuxedo. Scratch that. He had cursed the fate that had decided to put him in this situation. Period.

Because he knew what had happened. Of course. Shifters were creatures of tradition. Their lives were ruled by legend and magic. Ged, along with every other werebear, had been brought up to respect the ancient traditions that ruled his life.

There is one mate for each of us, and we will know our mate instantly.

He had heard other shifters talk about that moment of recognition. He’d even seen it happen recently for two of his friends. That moment of seeing their mate for the first time and knowing there was no going back. They described it as being like a drug, an injection of pure, undiluted passion direct into the bloodstream, delivering a perfect high. An instant, uncontrollable addiction.

Ged understood all of that. But there was no way it could happen for him. A king in exile? Even if he had any sort of order in his life, he was a bear. Other shifters could do the mates-for-life thing. Callistoya werebears were notorious for the control they had over their emotions. Even if he was prepared to accept the concept of instant, lifelong passion, it wasn’t happening with someone he hadn’t even looked in the eye.

That was what he tried to tell himself, but his body was giving him other messages. When the time came to go into the theater, it took all of his considerable strength to turn away. Every nerve ending was crying out to cross the street and find her. Every fiber of his being was alight with the need to grab her, claim her and never let her go.

Need her. Now.

The strength of that feeling hadn’t faded once he was inside the building. The burn wasn’t as fierce, but it was still there. He still hadn’t seen her face, but she had started a fire in his blood and it was raging out of control.

He sat in the elegant theater, surrounded by celebrities, and watched the images on the screen. At least, he assumed that was what he did. He had no memory afterward of watching the documentary that had consumed so much of his life over the last twelve months.

At the after-party, he accepted the congratulations and praise, laughing off any suggestions about the awards that were likely to come flooding his way. He knew the movie, a snapshot of six months on the road with Beast, was good. The strength of the story was in the editing. The truth would never be told. The world would never be ready to learn that one of the most famous bands on the planet was really a group of shifters.

As he drank too much champagne and discovered that, as usual, there weren’t enough dainty canapés to fill his large frame, part of Ged’s mind was disengaged from the elegant occasion.

Who was she? It couldn’t be coincidence that she was here in Cannes at the same time as him...

A strong grip on his shoulder shook him out of his musings. “I’ve got to hand it to you.” Khan, the band’s lead singer, gestured around the room, encompassing the group of designer-clad guests. “You sure know how to throw a dull party.”

Ged laughed. “Tonight is about money and influence, not about getting wasted and behaving outrageously. Make sure Torque knows that before he sets fire to the drapes, will you?”

“I guess that means swinging from the chandeliers is forbidden?” Khan was a weretiger. Intuition wasn’t his strong point, but the two men had been friends for a long time. His eyes scanned Ged’s face for a moment. “Everything okay with you?”

How the hell was he supposed to answer that question? If he told Khan the truth, his exuberant friend was likely to insist they set off right now on a quest to find the mystery woman. Because he was blissfully happy in his own marriage, Khan would seek the same thing for Ged.

Ged didn’t want to be forced to make excuses or lie. He knew his friends sometimes speculated about his true identity. He was the man who had rescued them all from danger or captivity, the person who had brought this unique group together. They owed him an allegiance that went beyond loyalty, but he had never disclosed the details of his background to them. How could he? Sharing the details of his past would be on the same level of madness as trying to find himself a mate.

“I’m fine.” He tilted his empty champagne glass toward Khan. “Do you think there’s any chance we might find some brandy in this place?”

* * *

To Lidi’s surprise, the crowd began to disperse as soon as the band was inside the theater. She turned to her companion, whose name was Allie. “Shouldn’t we wait for them to come out again?”

Allie gave her a pitying look. “Rookie mistake. They’ve played nice and given the paparazzi what they wanted. It’s possible they’ll come out this way and sign a few autographs, but it’s more likely they’ll leave by a rear door and go straight to the after-party.”

Lidi experienced a moment of panic. She couldn’t have come this far only to fail now. Clearly she needed to stick with Allie, who was suitably dressed for the weather with an embroidered scarf wrapped around her neck and long boots encasing her legs. The other woman seemed to know what she was doing and was willing to share her information.

“What do we do now?”

“The party is being held at the Palais Hôtel, where the band are staying—”

Lidi brightened up. This was more like it. “How do we get inside?”

“We don’t.” Don’t? Clearly Allie didn’t know who she was talking to. Telling Lidi what she couldn’t do was an instant challenge. “Oh, don’t get me wrong, some of these women will try it, but it’s a waste of time. Security will have them out of there so fast their feet won’t hit the ground. That’s if the hotel management don’t call the police and let them spend a night in the cells for trespassing.”

Lidi allowed herself to be led along the street with the rest of the crowd. She took a moment to appreciate Allie’s unusual looks. Lidi came from a land where most people had the classic brown hair and golden eyes of the Callistoyan werebear, a close relative of the Siberian brown bear. With her silver-blond hair, pale skin and light gray eyes, Allie was striking.

“So what are we doing exactly? Trying to get another glimpse of them?” Lidi hadn’t risked life and limb and traveled all this way just to look at Gerald Tavisha.

Allie gave her a sidelong glance. “What else were you hoping for? Did you think one of the guys was going to look your way and fall instantly in love?”

There didn’t seem to be an answer to that. Because although it wasn’t what she had expected to happen, the insta-love that Allie was joking about was exactly what had happened. However, maybe now she had been removed from the center of the furnace, love was too strong. She couldn’t seriously have fallen in love with a man she hadn’t even spoken to. Desire was probably a more apt description for what she was feeling. Good, old-fashioned lust.

The initial wild exhilaration had subsided. Thank heaven. There was no way she could have endured that level of panting eagerness for long. Even so, her whole body was quivering. It was like the aftermath of her most strenuous workout, with an additional heat zinging through her bloodstream. Every impulse was urging her to return to that theater and find her mate.

Lidi knew what arousal felt like. She was an adult shifter with a full range of both human and bear emotions. Although human and shifter time worked differently, thirteen years ago, her country had been thrown into unimaginable turmoil and she had sworn to devote her life to fighting to restore its equilibrium. Unusually for a bear shifter, Lidi’s human emotions were dominant. It was an inconvenience she had sworn to overcome. She was a warrior with no time to waste on feelings.

That was what made her reaction to Ged so difficult to understand. He was the man she had come to find. She needed him. As she accompanied Allie along the seafront promenade, Lidi bit back a laugh. Oh, yes. She needed him; that had become glaringly obvious. She only had to think about the instant connection between them to experience a thigh-clenching response.

She had to overcome these troublesome cravings and focus on the true reason she was here. Lidi always battled to maintain command over her feelings as well as her muscles. All those years of directing her energy into maintaining a mind and body that were at peak fitness had to be put to good use now. For some reason, her reaction to the man at the theater had been extreme. Maybe it was the stories she had heard about his bravery. Possibly it was the fact that he was the true ruler of her beleaguered nation. A legendary hero and a man of mystery.

Lidi had spent years training her body. It was hard, strong and fast, and it served her well. As for her emotions...well, she was having to work a little harder than usual to get them under control. It was an obstacle she hadn’t anticipated, but she had never backed down from a fight. She wasn’t about to start now.

They reached the Palais Hôtel, a dazzling white structure that faced the glittering waters of the Mediterranean. The imposing building consisted of a central block with two attached wings forming a U shape. Pretty wrought iron balconies were decorated with blue-and-white-striped parasols and lipstick-red geraniums.

As they were ushered behind yet more barriers, Lidi surveyed the hotel thoughtfully.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Allie sighed. “One night in a top-floor suite costs more than I earn in a year.”

“Is that where the band will stay?” Lidi shielded her eyes against the sun with one hand, viewing the rooms directly beneath the terracotta roof tiles.

“They always have the best rooms, and in this hotel, that means the fifth floor.” Allie regarded her warily. “Don’t even think about trying to get in there.” There it was again. That word. Don’t. “The place is wall-to-wall celebrities this weekend. You won’t get a foot inside the gardens before you’re noticed. And while Beast’s security team are okay, you don’t want to take your chances with some of the others. Vicious thugs all of them.”

Allie’s words might almost have been issued as a dare to Lidi, who was focused on the edifice across the promenade and in particular on those balconies.

Many people believed that bears couldn’t climb. Some people had died while clinging to that hope. Lidi, growing up in the shadow of the Callistoya mountains, had spent her childhood scrambling up the steep slopes alongside the mountain goats. The hotel was busy, of course, and scaling a building always carried an element of risk. But those wrought iron railings were almost too good to be true. If they were replicated at the rear of the hotel, and if she waited until the early hours of the morning...

Allie was still outlining the reasons why attempting to get into the hotel would be a bad idea. Tearing her gaze away from the building, Lidi cut across Allie’s explanations with a final, very important, question.

“Will the band’s manager also have a room on the top floor?”