Detective Lion Shifter (A Paranormal Night Club Book 3) Read online

  She was an innocent in both worlds. She had no idea of the evil she was about to encounter. He wished that he could protect her from all it, but had a feeling she was about to get a crash course in all that was wicked in all of the worlds.

  He smiled to himself. She won’t fail though. She won’t ever back down.

  Nick sensed a strength in Lana that existed in a lot of humans and shifters. She would do what she had to do.

  Then, his attention turned from her character to her body. The sheet and blanket did nothing to hide her shapeliness. Her breasts were the perfect size, leading to a lean belly. She was perfect there—not too thin and not too thick. Just right.

  He felt himself stirring and he smiled to himself. Apparently, he wasn’t as tired as he thought.

  Nick shifted into lion form, as he rested better that way. Then, purposely, he turned his mind back to the farm he grew up on, visually going over every inch of it in his mind until he drifted off to sleep.

  For the first time in a long time, he slept long and hard, although there was one part of him that was always aware of every sound, every creak, every voice, and every footstep that vibrated in the hotel.

  Nick woke up with a start, with Lana’s eyes on him. He smiled, instantly awake.

  Shifting back into human form, he said, “Good morning.”

  “Good morning,” she said. “Did you know that you talk in your sleep?”

  “What did I say?” he asked.

  “I’m not really sure. It was all jumbled together,” she answered. Her stomach rumbled loudly.

  “Ah, it is time for breakfast,” Nick noted.

  He called down to the front desk and ordered breakfast from room service:pancakes and sausage.

  Lana wasn’t sure about the flat pieces of bread until he showed her how to pour the sweet syrup over the top.

  She seemed to enjoy them. The pancakes and sausage disappeared pretty quickly.

  “I need to go back home and get cleaned up. Then, I need to head into the office,” Nick said.

  “I know it will be boring for you here, but I can’t take you into the office with me, and that’s where I need to start trying to track Lucy. As soon as I can, I will come back and get you.”

  Lana nodded. “What should I do? I can’t just sit here. I came to this world to find my sister.”

  “I promise we’ll find her. You don’t know this world, so you don’t know where to go. I promise, as soon as I’m done at the office, I’ll come get you. You should be safe here in the daytime,” Nick said.

  He picked up the remote control and showed her how to turn on the television and change channels.

  “Although we call this the ‘boob tube’ and the ‘idiot box’ in this world, this is a great way to learn about humans, and how they talk and interact with each other,” Nick said.

  Lana nodded.

  “Promise me that you will wait here for me. You won’t go anywhere and you won’t open the door to anyone except me. I should be back for you in a couple of hours,” Nick promised.

  Lana nodded again.

  He kissed her cheek as he walked out the door and looked into her eyes. “We’ll find her.”

  Then, he softly shut the door behind him, listening for her to turn the locks.

  Something in his belly was telling him that something wasn’t right, but he couldn’t put a finger on it.

  Nick was stuck at the station a lot longer than he thought he would be. He couldn’t keep his thoughts on what he was doing. He wanted nothing more than to get back to the beautiful woman caged inside of the hotel room. He knew that she wouldn’t be happy there, and although she was honorable, he wasn’t sure that she would keep her promise about staying put. Something told him that she would do exactly what she wanted to do. While that was an admirable trait, it was a dangerous trait in this situation.

  Finally, after five or six hours, he was able to escape. He drove by a fast food restaurant and ordered some hamburgers, then raced back to the hotel.

  Nick knocked on her door, and his heart sank when he received no answer. He managed to break into the room. He searched the bathroom and the closets. There was no sign of Lana.

  3

  Lana

  Lana knew that Nick wanted her to stay in the hotel room. The idea that there were a lot of people around might deter Dizag or his friends from attacking, although Lana was highly doubtful that an audience would prevent them from attacking if they really wanted to.

  The fact that there were locks on the door might also help keep her safe, at least in Nick’s mind. Lana doubted this as well. If a dragon shifter wanted to get into a room, no hollow aluminum door would stop him. All it would take is one hard swipe of a giant claw with talons extended, and the door would be shredded.

  She flipped through the channels for about an hour, but found television extremely boring. How could people sit in front of this square box and do nothing else but stare at it for hours without going insane?

  She shifted to lion form and paced around the room until she was sure that she was going to wear a trail into the carpet. Her thoughts turned to Nick. She asked herself how a man who had so recently come into her life occupied so much of her thoughts. How had someone who she had just met changed her from not caring about ever finding a mate to wanting to feel his touch more than she had ever wanted anything in the world? She closed her eyes and imagined the pressure of his lips against hers and the gentle caress of his hands on her face.

  Then, suddenly, she remembered where she was and why she was there. How could a man, even such a man as Nick, make her forget about Lucy?

  Lana had to get out of the box, as she thought of it, before she lost her mind. The problem was, she had no idea where to go. She needed fresh air, trees, and freedom. And maybe someone else to talk to besides herself.

  In spite of knowing that Nick would be angry, she decided that she couldn’t stand it anymore. She shifted back to human form, put on clothes, and headed downstairs to the lobby. When she asked the desk clerk how she could get to the Paradigm club, he just stared at her blankly.

  Lana was about to give up hope that the clerk would even answer her, before he said, “Let me call a cab to take you there.”

  “I can walk, if you’ll just give me directions,” Lana insisted.

  The clerk smiled at her, although Lana didn’t know if it was kindness or more of a condescending smirk. “You’re new to this town, aren’t you? Walking just isn’t safe, regardless what time of day it is—especially now that we have a killer on the loose.”

  The clerk led Lana outside and whistled at one of the yellow monsters. After giving directions to the driver, he shut the passenger door, and the driver zoomed off.

  Lana watched as the driver weaved in and out of traffic, making sudden stops and starts, and then whipping around corners at incredible speeds. No wonder the death rate is high here.

  Finally, the car braked suddenly to a stop in front of the club. Brady came out to pay the driver and to pull her inside of the club.

  “Lana, what are you doing here?” Brady asked. “I thought you were with Nick?”

  “I was, but he had to go into the office today, and told me to stay in the hotel room. I couldn’t stand being locked up in the box anymore and I didn’t know where else I could go.”

  “I understand,” Brady said, as he opened the door to the club.

  Lana sat down at one of the bar stools. The bartender made her a drink called a White Russian. Lana wasn’t sure that she liked it, but drank it anyway, because she didn’t want to hurt the bartender’s feelings.

  Colleen plopped down on the chair beside her.

  “Needed some company, huh?” Colleen asked.

  Lana nodded.

  “I understand. It can be pretty frightening being away from home,” Colleen said.

  “It is. I always meant to visit Lucy, but things kept coming up at home. Since Lucy left, I thought that it was my obligation to help my parents out with the peop
le who lived in our kingdom. They didn’t want me to come here, even to find Lucy.”

  Brady came over. “My parents want me and Casey to come back to the shifter world, as well. My parents are the king and queen of our kingdom and they think I should be there getting ready to take over as ruler.”

  “Are you going to?” Lana asked.

  Brady shook his head. “It is doubtful. My sister, who is queen of the Northlands, can rule our lands as well. She is very good at what she does and she has Zach, her husband, to help her,” Brady said. “Besides, there has to be someone here to guard the portal and run the club. I do a great job of that, and I enjoy it.”

  Lana was sipping at another White Russian before she heard a noise like an entire pride of lions roaring into the club.

  “Lana. You were supposed to stay in the hotel room until I came back for you,” Nick roared.

  The club instantly became dead silent. Everyone stopped, frozen, in the middle of taking a bite or a drink, and stared at the angry man who blasted through the front door like a fierce storm.

  Lana just looked at him. She didn’t know whether to be angry or flattered.

  On one hand she was annoyed that he thought that he could come into a public place and yell at her in front of a large number of people. They had only known each other for a little more than a day, and he certainly didn’t own her.

  On the other hand, Lana realized that Nick was just worried about her. Dizag was out killing and kidnapping female shifters. He likely had Lucy. Lana was particularly vulnerable because she wasn’t familiar with the human city, let alone the world. Nick was worried about her.

  Keeping her voice at a perfectly steady pitch, she said, “I couldn’t handle being boxed in. I came to a safe place.”

  She was trying to keep her mind on the tasks at hand. However, just looking at Nick, even when he was angry or frightened (she wasn’t sure which), he was incredibly sexy. Although Lana had never had a lot of time or interest in pursuing the opposite sex, she was still a female. Like all females, late at night, she fantasized about the man who would one day come into her life and sweep her off of her feet. It seemed that such a man had walked right out of her fantasies and exploded into her life.

  “It isn’t safe for you to be wandering the streets alone. You know that there is a crazy dragon shifter out there who is murdering people—specifically female shifters,” Nick’s voice has changed from a loud, earth-shattering roar to more of a growl.

  As Lana listened to Nick’s rant, she thought that the deep timber in his voice was incredibly sexy. For a brief moment, she wondered what it would sound like if he was cuddled up next to her saying sweet things. The thought of it sent a tremble through her soul.

  Her eyes caught his long, golden reddish hair pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. Lana wondered what it would be like if it were loose and she could run her fingers through it. She imagined the silky softness of his hair as she stroked his head.

  His growling voice brought her attention back to the subject at hand.

  “I’m sorry, Nick. I didn’t mean to worry you, but I couldn’t stay locked up any more. I know that there is danger, and I didn’t walk here alone. The desk clerk at the hotel called a cab for me. The cab drove me here,” Lana said.

  “He called me and told me to expect her,” Brady said, quietly.

  The reassuring words seemed to take the anger out of Nick’s sails. He shook his head and dropped onto one of the bar stools.

  Lana stared into his face for a moment. She could see the anxiety etched into the lines that creased his forehead as he focused on the shot of whisky that Colleen had slid in front of him. His milk chocolate brown eyes were liquid and beautiful, and Lana thought that she could get lost in them.

  His sexy brown eyes also reflected the weariness he must have been feeling. He looked as though he could easily fall into bed and sleep for a year.

  As she appraised the gorgeous man sitting next to her, Lana felt an unfamiliar tingle in her stomach, which rippled throughout her body.

  She wondered what it would be like to press against him, his hard body tight against hers. She licked her lips as she thought about the sensations his lips would send throughout her soul when they kissed.

  Colleen smiled knowingly at Lana. She whispered in Lana’s ear, “He is a sexy man, but you are almost drooling on yourself. You shouldn’t stare at him like you are going to devour him.”

  Lana blushed wildly with embarrassment. She had never been so brazen in her life.

  Shaking her head to dispel the images, she forced herself to focus on the present.

  Nick was telling Brady about the situation.

  “Lucy somehow managed to get herself caught up with one nasty character. Dizag was the chief of Vardok’s army of dragon shifters. Somehow, he managed to escape from the Northlands and make his way here,” Nick explained.

  Brady said, “Female shifters started turning up dead or missing right after the battles were over. He must have come over soon after that.”

  “Besides an outright hatred for women, why would he decide to kill or kidnap female shifters?” Lana asked.

  Nick shrugged his shoulders. “It’s hard to understand why some individuals commit the acts as they do. Their reasons make sense in their own minds but not to anyone else.”

  “I’m guessing that he is taking his frustration out on the females because he can’t get to Alix. She is the one who killed their king and took over the throne of the kingdom. Their mighty leader was taken out by a woman. Twisted hatred and revenge makes people do a lot of really crazy things,” Brady said.

  Lana thought about her sister. Where was Lucy? Was she even still alive? The anger rose up inside of her as she thought about Dizag.

  “I’ll kill him myself,” she muttered to herself.

  Although she had murmured the words very quietly, Nick heard her speak. He knew that she was scared and worried about her sister.

  Nick grabbed her hand. “We’ll find her,” he said. “Dizag will get what he deserves. I promise.”

  A bolt of electricity flowed through Lana as warmth from Nick’s hand caressed her. She felt her heart and soul start to hum just from his touch.

  “I wonder how many other of Vardok’s dragon shifters escaped and joined forces and how many of them are in the human world?” Brady asked.

  “I wish I knew,” Nick said.”

  After a few minutes of silence, Nick asked, thoughtfully, “If he didn’t come through the portal here at the club, how did he get from the shifter world to the human world? Why wasn’t his move noticed?”

  Lana nearly jumped out of her skin when a voice behind her said, “I believe I can answer that question.”

  4

  Nick

  Nick hid his smile as he watched Lana nearly fall off her bar stool when Lucian spoke suddenly behind her. Lucian always walked quietly, and Lana had not heard his stealthy approach.

  Then, all eyes turned toward the tall, blonde man with dark eyes. Lucian Maldonado was the prince of a very powerful vampire clan. Normally, vampires didn’t get involved in others’ business, especially since vampires were so misunderstood. However, Lucian and Brady had been friends for a very long time.

  “Hey, Lucian. It’s good to see you again,” Nick said, holding his hand out.

  Lucian shook Nick’s hand and smiled at the lion shifter.

  “This is Lana. She came to this world, looking for her sister, Lucy,” Brady said.

  “Hi. It’s nice to meet you,” Lana said, softly, still looking startled from Lucian’s sudden appearance. The fact that Lucian was clearly a vampire didn’t seem to affect Lana at all.

  “Likewise,” Lucian said, flashing a brilliant smile that would melt most women’s hearts instantly. His handsome face had a way of turning women’s heads and making them take a second look. When he smiled at them, they became completely captivated. His charm and arresting good looks, as well as his status as a powerful prince, made
it a complete mystery as to why he was still a single man.

  He told Lana that he had met her parents before and that they were very nice people. He had enjoyed their company.

  Then, his face became very serious. “There was a portal in Connecticut. It was a cave located deep in a wooded area, guarded by a female bear shifter. She was found dead by some hikers in the woods near the portal. It was obvious that she had tried to defend the portal, and had fought hard. However, she lost. The guardian had been ripped to shreds and burned. It looked as though she had been killed in a fit of rage. The forest rangers got the state police involved in the investigation of the death because it was outside of city limits. The lead investigator was a bear shifter and recognized the body,” Lucian told them.

  “Was she in bear form?” Nick asked.

  Lucian nodded. “She was. Normally, an investigation wouldn’t have been launched for a bear, but the death was pretty brutal. People who kill animals violently tend to turn their sick tendencies toward humans. This theory proved right, since the female shifters started to be murdered and kidnapped soon after.”

  Nick said, “I haven’t heard of any shifters being killed there, but I know law enforcement agencies don’t always communicate.”

  “I would have thought that I would have heard of another portal guardian being killed, since I am the guardian of this one. We try to keep in contact with each other, especially if there is someone dangerous who comes through or if something happens to one of the guardians,” Brady said, shocked.

  Lucian explained that the murder and breach of the portal had been kept quiet, although he wasn’t sure why. “The only reason why I know what happened is because I have connections in the area.”

  “You have connections everywhere,” Brady said, smiling.

  Lucian dipped his head and grinned. “I might, at that.”

  “It’s interesting that the guardian was found in her bear form, but all of his other victims were found in their human form,” Nick mused.