As if to confirm that judgment, Rick’s opponent chose that moment to break free of his grasp. Instead of escaping while she had the chance, she neatly spun around and delivered a back kick direct into Rick’s chest. Across a distance of several feet, Ged heard the air leave his friend’s lungs in a rush as he dropped to his knees.
Torn between admiration for the neatness of the move and concern for his friend, he stepped forward. “What the hell is going on here, Rick?”
Rick managed to gesture toward the woman and wheeze out a few words. “Climbed...the damn balconies.”
Over the years, there had been some daring attempts to get close to the band. Fans had hidden inside delivery trucks, tried to stow away on board the tour bus, even disguised themselves as journalists or caterers. But risking life and limb to scale a building followed by an assault on security staff? It was a unique approach.
Ged’s intention, as he stepped forward, was to take over where Rick had left off. Whoever this woman was, she was a formidable fighter. Even so, she wouldn’t stand a chance against him. As she swung around, it hit him. It was the same rush of arousal he had felt earlier, concentrated now because she was so close. The overload of pure sensation made him feel slightly dizzy.
Twin realizations, both equally potent. She was a bear shifter. And she was his mate.
Dark brown eyes, flecked with gold, regarded him for a moment or two; then she smiled. The expression had the same effect on him as the kick to the chest had on Rick. It drove the breath from his lungs. Unlike Rick, Ged managed to remain on his feet.
“I needed to see you.”
He gazed down at her, unable to speak. This couldn’t be happening. The fates couldn’t be this unfair. It was bad enough that his mate appeared to have come storming into his life in search of him—and he would have to turn her down—but why did she have to be so damn gorgeous?
He became aware that Rick, who was getting to his feet with difficulty, was talking.
“Shall I call the police?”
The woman took a step closer to Ged, placing one hand flat on his naked chest. “Please. I have to speak with you.”
He half expected to look down and see her palm print burning its way into his flesh. That was how her touch felt against his skin. She branded him in that instant, and it was the most perfect thrill he had ever felt. Oddly, it brought his senses back into clarity.
Yes, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen...but she was in trouble. Although that was apparent from the plea in those incredible eyes, there were other, more tangible clues. She wore flat, leather ankle boots that had taken such a beating they were almost useless. Her jeans were faded and stained and the long-sleeved T-shirt she wore over them had a tear that left one sleeve hanging half-off. The exposed flesh of her arm was a mass of scratches and cuts, some of them deep enough to appear serious. Her long, dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but the sheen was long gone, as though it hadn’t been properly washed for some time.
In their human form, both male and female bear shifters were generally above average size. This woman was tall, her head reaching almost to Ged’s shoulder, and her build was similar to that of an Olympic swimmer, long and lean with endless legs, broad shoulders and slim hips. But she was too skinny for her frame. It was the false thinness that follows illness or extreme dieting. The pallor of her skin and dark shadows under her eyes seemed to confirm Ged’s assumption that she hadn’t been eating properly just lately.
Yet she kicked the hell out of three guys? All because she wanted to see me? Even a bear shifter had limits, and she looked like she had been pushed to the end of hers, yet she had found that inner strength. This had to be a story worth hearing.
“No police.” There was a good chance he would regret that decision later, but she was a shifter and she was in trouble. Helping in these situations was what he did. Ignoring the look of reproach in Rick’s eyes, he held the door of his suite open for the woman to step inside. “Do whatever it takes to cover this up...” They were familiar words to Beast’s security manager. “I’ll speak to you later.”
When he entered his suite, his unexpected guest had discovered the hospitality tray. Having already devoured half a pack of cookies, she was gulping mineral water so fast it was running down her chin.
Ged closed the door, leaning against it as he watched her. “I think you’d better tell me what this is about.”
She nodded, leaving a grimy mark as she wiped the back of her hand across her mouth. “I am Lady Lidiya Rihanoff. My father is the Count of Aras...and I have come to take you back to Callistoya.”
* * *
Lidi sat on the floor as she ate. Ged had ordered several items from the room service menu and was slouched in a chair watching as she worked her way through them. Ordinarily, the sight of his naked upper body might have proved a distraction, but she was too hungry to care. Or perhaps she was growing accustomed to being in a near-permanent state of arousal.
“When did you last eat?”
She gave it some thought. “Two days ago. I think.”
“You think?” Until now, she had been under the impression that all bear shifters had the same brown eyes. But Ged’s were different. Darker and more intense, set under heavy lids, with a gleam that made her want to check how her hair looked. Since she already knew the answer, she didn’t bother. Her hair, like the rest of her, looked awful.
She paused with a donut halfway to her mouth. “I didn’t have time to think about food.”
“Clearly.” He nodded at the remains of her repast. “What happened to your arm?”
Lidi glanced at her torn T-shirt, wincing slightly as the memory of breaking a window and scrabbling through it came back to her. “This?” She managed a shrug. “It’s nothing.”
It wasn’t true. It actually hurt like hell, but he didn’t need to know that.
Ged leaned forward, his clasped hands between his knees. “Let’s get one thing straight, shall we? You broke in here and beat up two of my employees and a hotel security guard. I could have handed you over to the police, but I didn’t. Start lying, or keeping information from me, and I may change my mind.” He kept his gaze on hers, letting the message sink in. “Let’s start again. What happened to your arm?”
“I hurt it when I escaped from the dungeons beneath the grand palace.” Lidi tried out a defiant head toss. It didn’t quite have the flourish she intended. Up close, Ged was too imposing, too attractive...too everything. She attempted to regain her composure, not an easy thing to do when she was sitting at his feet, tired, dirty, and aching all over. “You must remember that place. It used to be your home.”
If there was a flicker in the depths of his eyes, it was momentary. “Why were you in the dungeons?”
“Can’t we talk while we travel?” When Ged shook his head, she huffed out a sigh. “Your stepbrother, Vasily the Usurper, imprisoned me and my father when I refused to marry him.”
A frown pulled his brows together. “It may be a long time since I’ve been in Callistoya, but last thing I heard, Vasily had claimed the throne. Shouldn’t you be calling him King Vasily?”
Lidi tilted her chin stubbornly. “I will never swear allegiance to that man.”
He studied her thoughtfully. “Since your words imply loyalty to my side of the family, perhaps you can give me news of my uncle?”
Could he really have cut himself off so completely from his homeland? Callistoya was a magical place situated in the heart of the vast expanse known to humans as Siberia. Visible and accessible only to shifters, it did not exist on any mortal map. Even so, Lidi had heard how close Ged had once been to the uncle who had remained in Callistoya as leader of the resistance.
“Eduard Tavisha is working hard