Animal Instincts (Kindred Souls Book 1) Read online

  You’re only making it worse!

  Try to stop me, little brother.

  Luc clenched his jaw and held himself back against the challenge. His adrenaline was buzzing now, shooting sparks to every inch of his body. He wanted to take Nik up on it, to rip the superior grin from his face.

  “Hey, just give me my money and I’ll go.” The gunman’s voice was shaky.

  Luc turned on him even as Nuala arrived on scene and stepped between them. “How much did this man lose in the last hand?”

  “Five hundred,” the dealer said.

  “Give me his chips.”

  “Stay out of this, Nuala.”

  “Back off, Nik.” She snarled, her features rippling slightly.

  She suddenly appeared far more powerful than her slender five-foot-five frame indicated. She picked up a stack of chips and held them out to the man with the gun.

  Her dark eyes held his as she said, “Now take your chips, cash them in, and don’t ever come back.”

  Even as the man grabbed the chips from her hand, he lost focus for a second, long enough for Luc to send the gun flying with a wave of his hand.

  Looking confused about what had just happened, the man quickly backed off toward the cashier amid a clamor rising among the other patrons.

  “That was very generous of you,” Doyle told Nuala, slipping closer to her.

  Nik now looked as if he wanted to tear Nuala apart, but she stood her ground.

  Fetching the gun and putting it in his pocket, Luc focused his attention on his siblings and reminded them. People are watching.

  I’ll deal with you later, Nik promised. He whipped around and walked off, Doyle traveling in his wake.

  Certain his brother wouldn’t let this drop—Nik never let anything drop where Luc was concerned—Luc waited until the man collected his money, then grabbed him by the elbow. “I’m going to escort you out of here now.”

  Luc headed for the exit, a special cleansing station for all humans who still had their souls. Once through the room, the man’s mind would be cleared of everything associated with The Ark. The ones who’d already gambled away their souls wouldn’t need the process.

  “Never come back,” he said as the man hurried through.

  A hand hooked through his arm. His sister had followed him.

  “You know Nik’ll think you’re taking my side again,” he said.

  “I was simply trying to be the voice of reason.” Nuala’s voice held an anxious note, as it did too often these days. “You are my brother, even though not everyone here appreciates that.”

  Half-brother—half-breed, actually—though she’d never held that against him. And he could damn well take care of himself, even in a den of predators.

  “You appreciate it and that’s all that matters to me.”

  Nuala shifted her gaze over his shoulder. She stood on tiptoe and brushed a kiss across his cheek. “Gotta get to work. There’s Jonathan Weller. Pop wants me to give him the very special treatment. Later.”

  Luc turned to watch her approach the publisher of the Chicago Daily Record. Weller was a whale of significance to their father, Cezar Lazare, CEO of The Company and The Ark casino boat. As the executive hostess, Nuala kept the most important gamblers happy—politicians, heads of companies, trust-fund babies. She provided them with anything they wanted, from a free dinner to sex with a beautiful companion in the brothel that her mother Beatrix ran in the lower deck.

  Anything to keep them coming back, to keep them lightening their bank accounts.

  To keep them betting their souls.

  Chapter Nine

  Skye decided to do what she could on her own since Ethan didn’t want her involved in his investigation. He’d insisted on checking over Shade’s apartment himself, but rather than going with him, she told him where to find a spare key.

  She headed for Lake Michigan.

  It was dusk by the time Skye parked and walked several blocks to the lake. As she reached the concrete walkway along the water’s edge, haunted by the memory of the weird encounter with the predators, she tried to find the location the wounded wild dog had shown her after the fight.

  How did they fit into the mix? If the fight hadn’t been raided, would those exotic animals have entered the arena next?

  And who was the man who’d seemed to have control over them?

  For a moment Skye imagined the mysterious stranger again, long dark hair framing a striking face. There was something about him that drew her. The eyes that glowed silver against the dark. She shook away a sudden chill that crawled up her spine. She had to force away the memory and concentrate on her task.

  Skye looked across the water to the promontory of Museum Campus. The incoming tide lapped at the pilings of the pier. Taking a deep breath, she inhaled the faint scent of fish. The wild dog had shown her the Adler Planetarium building, but not from this angle—it had to be from a spot farther out on the lake. Sort of. He hadn’t been on some boat as she’d tried to convince herself, at least not from a top deck. He’d been looking up at the building as if from underwater.

  She heard a scrabbling sound she recognized.

  Rats.

  Looking around to make certain she wasn’t being watched, Skye crouched and silently called to the little beasts. Within seconds, a pair of good-sized rodents appeared, their pointy noses sniffing the air. She pulled a little plastic bag from her pocket and set two pieces of kibble on the pier. One of the rats immediately ate its piece. The other sniffed his and rolled it as if the food wasn’t up to snuff. But when the first rat tried to move in on the food, the second gulped it down.

  “More where that came from.” she shook the bag before their pointy noses.

  Skye got more kibble from the bag. Holding out her hand palm up, she froze and waited. The rodents darted forward. The moment their noses touched her hand, she shared the image she’d gotten from the dog, then swung her thoughts back to the lake, and with her free hand, shook the bag of food. Rats weren’t the most cooperative of animals, but that didn’t mean they weren’t smart. They got the picture. If they gave her what she needed, she’d reward them with more food.

  Continuing to project the images the wild dog had shared with her, she stood. The rats scrabbled along the edge of the pier. Her pulse rushing—apparently, they knew how to get where she wanted to go—she followed the rodents south along the lake, past Museum Campus onto Northerly Island, where the city’s only casino boat was docked.

  Underwater. The lower deck of the boat would be underwater, and it undoubtedly had portholes.

  Drawing closer to the entry, Skye read the sign. The Ark Casino.

  Chattering at her, the rats demanded a reward. She gave them the last of her kibble, which they gobbled and fled. Even before entering the boat, she could hear the oddly musical sound of slot machines. There was a connection between the boat and the fight arena—gambling.

  Going inside, she was startled when she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure on the other side of the casino floor.

  He was tall, and his medium build seemed whipcord hard beneath his tux as if he worked out daily. Thick, dark hair so long it dusted his shoulders waved around a lightly bronzed face, rugged yet so mesmerizing it could grace a magazine cover. Skye swallowed hard and cut straight for him, but he was moving, too. He slipped behind a pillar and disappeared. It took her a minute to fight through the crowd, but she was intent on confronting him and getting some answers this time.

  She rounded the pillar. A dead end.

  Looking around, she spotted a black door. When she got close, she saw the Do Not Enter sign. Opening the door, she slipped inside. Before her, a set of stairs yawned downward. A long hallway stretched from the bottom of the landing, a strange intermittent glow illuminating the windowed wall that seemed to undulate with the lake’s tide.

  A frisson of fear pierced her. What was she getting herself into? If she called Ethan for backup, what would she say? The rats led her here?

  Th
e boat rocked against the dock, and the swirling water reminded her of a shark tank she’d once walked through. The contents of her stomach swirled, too, and she forced herself to walk down the flight of stairs.

  The lights flickered and suddenly went out. If she wanted to go on, it would be in the dark. But as she reached out to touch the glass wall so she could use it as a guide, the hallway began to glow once more. A mere blip in the system, she thought.

  Skye could hear sounds now. The murmur of voices. The thump-thump of music. The thrum of sound like the slot machines upstairs. Her legs felt heavy as she forced them to move forward. The noise grew louder, the tunnel brighter. A man in a uniform stood guarding another door.

  Who’s this chick? Not exactly dressed for the evening, but she’s a looker.

  The security guard hadn’t actually spoken the words out loud. That meant she’d heard his thoughts. But that was impossible—she could read animals, not people. Unless she had now inherited Shade’s ability. She felt as if her head might explode. Or her heart. Her body was unnaturally tight as fear laced it with its poison.

  Skye reached up to touch Shade’s sea glass for courage.

  “Your invitation,” the guard said, holding out his hand.

  Uh-oh. “Um, I’m not sure where I put it.” Trying to catch a normal breath, she searched her pockets as if she actually had an invitation.

  She’d never been able to read people. Something about her ability had changed. Normally she could communicate with animals, using images. What if that would work here? Taking a chance, she created an image in her mind.

  She took a white, engraved card from her pocket and offered it to the guard. He gave it a quick glance, then ushered her in.

  Skye blinked and he was actually doing it, standing back and sweeping an arm toward the inner sanctum.

  “Welcome to The Ark. Have a good evening.”

  She caught her breath. The image she’d placed in his head had worked, and she’d never done that with a human before.

  And if you don’t find what you want in there, I’m available after hours.

  Ignoring him, she sauntered past the security guard and into a bank of bright lights and hot sounds and choking cigarette smoke. Her heart did double time as she stood there taking it all in—banks of slot machines and gaming tables beyond. The complex seemed to go on and on. Fish swirled against the windows, undoubtedly attracted to the bright lights. She looked up to a skylight and through the waves, she saw the Chicago skyline—nearly the same view the wild dog had shared with her earlier.

  Whoever ran the casino must be responsible for the fights. Dogfighting was another form of gambling. Replacing dogs with exotic animals was an additional heinous crime. No doubt Shade had found this place and had sealed his own fate.

  Which made her wonder about her own safety.

  Thinking Ethan had to see this, that she needed him here, she pulled out her cell phone to alert him. He had to come. When she tried to make the call, she couldn’t get a signal. The battery was good. Huh.

  I’m bored, a woman complained. I’m going to ask for another job.

  You know how likely that is, a man thought back at her. The boss isn’t going to like you asking.

  The boss.

  Lured by the conversation, Skye stepped forward, tried to place the voices.

  I don’t know, maybe I can find a way to convince him.

  Forget it. I hear he’s not interested in anyone but Luc’s mother.

  She touched the sea glass pendant Shade had given her the last time I’d seen him alive. Her heart was thundering now and she was having difficulty swallowing. The voices seemed to be coming from the right, from behind a glass window fronting a forested area.

  The wild dog had shown her this, too. There were no people inside the animal habitat. Only a couple of wolves. She couldn’t be hearing the animals talking. Amazed that she hadn’t realized animals lived here as soon as she had entered, she kept going, staring at the wildlife. As she went on, the habitat changed, from forest to desert to rocky plains.

  Lions.

  Hyenas.

  Panthers.

  All predators like the ones she’d run into the other night. Feeling as if she’d walked into something out of a science fiction movie, Skye left the path along the habitat and entered the casino proper.

  This one is ripe for the picking. She’s a candidate for the back room tonight.

  Cezar will give you extra credit if you can get her this time.

  Picking up on more thoughts, she realized all were coming from the casino workers. The guests seemed oblivious.

  She was good and spooked.

  A hand on her shoulder whipped her around.

  “What are you doing here? How did you get in?”

  She gasped. The mystery man was glaring at her. Again.

  Meeting his pale gray eyes for a moment, she stepped back. She couldn’t help but stare at his mouth. Wide, with full lips, at the moment turned down in a frown. Still, there was something mesmerizing about him, something that sent her senses off-kilter. Her nerve endings felt raw.

  Despite that, she focused on her purpose. “I-I came to see where the animals for the fights were being held.”

  “Who have you been talking to?”

  She tried to blink away the effect he had on her, but it was no use. The small hairs on her arms prickled and the back of her neck felt hot. She was responding to his sheer appeal.

  “The wild dog wounded in the fight told me,” she said truthfully. Instinct told her he would believe her. “You know, the one that fought the coyote.”

  He continued to stare at her. Leave now and don’t come back. You’ll forget about this place the moment you step foot outside.

  His forceful thoughts made her spine straighten. She could feel the commands trying to twist her mind. He was trying to control her.

  “I don’t think so,” she told him sweetly, covering the fact she was trying not to freak. Showing fear wouldn’t get her what she wanted. “I’m not leaving, and there’s no way I’m forgetting anything I see here. And stop trying to mess with my mind.”

  His turn to be startled. His eyes widened and confusion slid through them and down to his sculpted lips. “What are you?” he said.

  His question made her throat tighten.

  Why did he keep asking her that?

  Chapter Ten

  Luc took a step forward but Skye didn’t move back, as if she didn’t fear him.

  She should be afraid, considering the things he could do—had done—he thought grimly, grasping her elbow. The moment he touched her, a shock ran through his hand and up his arm, and he could see from her widening eyes that she felt it, too. Hiding his reaction to her, he easily moved her away from the crowd and into an empty bank of slots where they could have privacy of sorts. He didn’t want anyone to overhear.

  “What are you?” he repeated, wanting to know how she had resisted his mental suggestions.

  “What are you?” she said heatedly. “And what is this place?”

  “Somewhere you shouldn’t be. How did you get here?”

  “I told you, I got directions from that poor wild dog at the fight. I’m an animal rescuer.” Skye shrugged her arm from his grasp. “That’s why I was there. To make sure the animals were taken care of. Why were you there?”

  He stared into her belligerent green eyes that told him so much about her. About who she was if not what. There was an inner core of decency in her that went beyond the ordinary. He tried to ignore that. Tried to ignore the way her mahogany hair framed her angelic-looking face. Or the way her dark T-shirt clung to her feminine curves. Tried to ignore the sheer animal heat distracting him.

  He wondered what exactly she did or didn’t know.

  About the shifter fights.

  About The Company.

  About him.

  “You are a foolish, foolish woman, Skye Cross. Do you know how easily you could have been killed outside the fight arena?”

/>   How easily she could be killed now. Not that he would let that happen. Now he owed her. He couldn’t bring her brother back, but he could make sure she didn’t end up dead like him.

  “I wasn’t there alone.”

  “But you left the arena alone.”

  “To go after a wounded coyote.” Her tone grew strident. “An innocent animal was being abused and I wanted to make sure it got proper treatment.”

  Trying not to let her humanity touch him—she didn’t belong here and he needed to make her leave—he mocked her. “Are you always that selfless, putting the needs of animals before yourself, no matter the danger? You could have been eaten.”

  Her response was another frown. Her slender brows pulled together and her full lips pursed. He didn’t sense any element of fear.

  Frustrated, Luc stared at Skye and wondered what it would take to intimidate her so that she would leave and never come back. Every minute she spent here put her in danger. Even as he thought it, he sensed a vulnerability in her. An opening. She was feeling some primal attraction to him. Certain he could seduce her away from here, take her in a way that would send her running to never return, for some reason he was reluctant to pierce her fragile armor. To become her worst nightmare. Yes, he could make her fear him, but he wouldn’t.

  Because her brother’s sacrifice to save his mother burdened him with an obligation. He owed the Crosses and couldn’t ignore that debt.

  “Tell me how those predators were walking around the city loose,” Skye said. “What happened to them?”

  He evaded. “They’re taken care of.”

  “By whom? You?” Indicating the direction of the habitat, she asked, “Are they the same animals I saw back there?”

  She was already putting things together. Not good. Now that she knew about this place, she might be able to figure out what her brother had been investigating.

  “You don’t need to worry,” he said. You should leave now. Go home and forget you were ever here.

  “I’m not leaving until I get some answers. And stay out of my mind.”