The Snow Leopard's Love Read online

  “I’m looking forward to learning everything about you all.” Color crept across his cheeks and her fondness for him deepened. She liked him. Unlike most of the other men she’d met, he genuinely wanted to get to know the family as a package deal.

  “There’s plenty you won’t like,” she assured him. “It’s not all rainbows and unicorns, even in Rosie’s world of princesses.”

  “I’ve grown up with five brothers. I know more than most people how you have to learn to accept others and their faults while hoping they accept yours, too. Over time, we’ve worn down the sharp edges. But it has taken time, I’m not expecting to seamlessly slip into your lives.” Rift took the steps two at a time and pulled open the door for his mom.

  Belle followed, certain that if she let him, Rift would slip seamlessly into their lives. He was kind and patient and above all, loyal. If the shifter bond was true.

  The whole thing was still a struggle to get her head around. But she wasn’t going to question it. She wasn’t going to push any boundaries, not when Rift had promised to keep them safe from whoever was out there hunting them.

  She paused at the top of the steps, despite Jack and Rosie pulling her forward to enter the hotel. Her neck prickled as she looked out over the town.

  Had the men in the truck managed to follow them despite their precautions?

  The hotel lobby wasn’t large, the reception desk, manned by a guy who studied them with some curiosity if not amusement, filled most of the room. But it was well maintained and clean, the decoration modern and yet in keeping with the outside of the building.

  Tasteful. That would be her impression of the hotel. Tasteful and welcoming. The kind of place you could stay without having to feel awkward about saying the wrong thing or wearing the wrong clothes.

  Belle relaxed a little more. The hotel confirmed her first impression of Valerie. Open and warm, the hotel reflected the woman who owned it and who had raised her adopted children under its roof.

  “This way. We’ll go through to the dining room. Rift, can you go to the kitchen with your brothers and bring the food? Ivan’s in there but the rest of the serving staff have gone home.” Valerie directed her sons and they obeyed, even though Rift lingered by her side for a couple of moments as if he didn’t want to leave.

  She liked that.

  Damn, she was falling for him already. So much for putting her children first and giving up on romantic love until they were all grown up.

  When Landon left, she’d promised herself she wouldn’t expose her children to a string of broken relationships. She’d accepted, at least in the short term, that she would be single.

  But she’d never factored meeting her mate into that relationship equation.

  Meeting Rift had turned her whole life upside down. Not least because of the events that followed.

  “It’s okay.” Katrina joined her as they entered the dining room. “I think we’re all safe here.”

  Belle nodded.

  “It’s just you’re gripping their hands so hard...” Katrina touched the back of Belle’s hand.

  “Sorry.” She loosened her grip on Rosie, who looked up at her with eyes filled with wonder as she pointed out of the large window that ran along one side of the restaurant.

  “Can we go look?” Rosie slipped out of her grasp. Her daughter hadn’t even noticed the hold her mom had on her, she was so enraptured by the hotel.

  “Sure.” Belle let go of her children and a sudden sense of being alone hit her. She’d meant to make them feel safe, but that worked both ways. They gave her comfort and security. “Letting go is hard.”

  Katrina smiled sadly. “It’s the hardest thing a mother ever has to do.”

  “Shall we sit here?” Valerie guided them to a table close to the window. “Flora, Elise, shall we push these together?”

  “Yes, let’s make one long table.” Elise and Flora, under Valerie’s direction, reorganized the tables so that they could all sit in one big group.

  “Is there anything we can help with?” Belle hated people waiting on her. Yet it was more than that. Her family was so small. She had no brothers and sisters, no cousins. Here, she already felt as if she was part of a larger family.

  “No, you sit here.” Valerie pulled out a chair and beckoned to her. “And your mom can sit next to you here. The boys are coming with the food.”

  Belle swapped smiles with her mom. She loved Valerie referring to her sons as boys even though they were all grown up. Katrina had often told Belle that she was her little girl even when she reached forty a couple of years back.

  Shifter families were just like any other family.

  Belle sat down but glanced at Valerie out of the corner of her eye. Was Valerie a shifter, too? Rift hadn’t spoken much about them all. Not that they’d had a chance to talk since she’d slept the whole trip here.

  “Mommy, can we go outside?” Rosie ran up to the table while Jack stayed by the window, staring out as a young boy of similar age played with his dad. A pang of longing hit Belle.

  “Maybe later. First, we’re going to eat.” Belle looked up as the door opened and Rift appeared carrying two plates of food. It was as if she’d sensed his presence before the door opened. The mating bond worked both ways.

  “Oh, the food smells wonderful.” Katrina beckoned to Rosie. “Why don’t you come and sit next to me? I’m sure we can go outside later.”

  “Okay.” Rosie took her grandma’s hand and scrambled up in the chair next to her. “Jack!” she called. “Food.”

  “Jack, honey, come on.” Belle got up from her chair and went to fetch her son.

  “I like it here,” Jack told her as he followed her back to the table. “Can we live here?”

  “Let’s just focus on one thing at a time and right now that is eating.” Belle pulled out a chair for her son, but he dodged around her.

  “I’m going to sit next to Rosie.” He dragged the chair out and sat down. Immediately, they started to talk in hushed whispers.

  Jack and Rosie got along well, compared to their friends’ brothers and sisters, who often seemed to be at war. They took care of each other and seldom argued. When they did argue, the dispute was usually settled before bedtime. Especially since their dad had left. It was as if they sensed they were more reliant on their mom and each other.

  “These are for you, Belle and Katrina.” Rift set the plates down in front of them. “And Caleb has smaller portions for the children.”

  “This smells wonderful.” Katrina leaned forward and smelled the food. “Spaghetti and meatballs.”

  “The meatballs are flavored with herbs I gathered from the wildwood,” Elise told them.

  “Elise works with me in the kitchen, when she’s not off on some adventure in the world beyond.” A tall man, not as broad-chested as Aiden and Caleb, entered the restaurant carrying more plates.

  “This is my brother Ivan,” Rift introduced.

  “Hi. Thanks for feeding us,” Belle began as the expression on Ivan’s face changed from friendly to hostile. His nostrils flared and he practically dropped the plates he was carrying on the table as his eyes widened and he swung his head toward Rosie.

  “Ivan.” Rift placed his hand on his brother’s arm as he leaned forward.

  “What’s wrong?” Belle rose from her seat and went to her daughter who hadn’t noticed the apparent threat as she talked to Jack.

  “I...” Ivan looked tortured and confused as he breathed heavily, his gaze fixed on Rosie.

  “Perhaps we should go.” Belle’s throat constricted. Was nowhere safe for them?

  “No.” Ivan shook his head as he stepped backward, even though it seemed to take all his self-control to move away.

  “Ivan, what’s wrong?” Valerie got up and went around the table to her son.

  “There’s something...I can feel it.” His eyes darkened and sweat appeared on his forehead.

  “Rosie, what do you have there?” Katrina reached across her granddaughter. “Sh
ow me?”

  “It’s nothing.” Rosie shoved something into the pocket of her jacket.

  “Rosie.” Belle got out of her seat and went to her daughter, crouching down by her side. Her heart raced and bile rose in her throat. “Show me what you have. It’s important.”

  “It’s just playing dress-up,” Rosie stated as she looked at Jack.

  “We found it in the backyard when you were talking,” Jack said defensively.

  “What did you find?” Belle held out her hand. “It’s important.”

  Rosie locked eyes with her mom for a long moment. “I didn’t steal it.”

  “It was under a bush in the yard,” Jack added. “Wrapped in a towel. We figured it was treasure and whoever finds treasure can keep it, right?”

  Treasure. Belle half-turned, her eyes locked with Rift’s for a moment. His attention was fixed on her, while his fingers were tightly wrapped around his brother’s arm. She blinked and turned back to her daughter. “I need to see it. It might belong to someone else. They might be looking for it.”

  They might do bad things to people to get it back. She swallowed her fear, her bruised wrist reminding her of the bad things that could happen to her or her family.

  Had Jack and Rosie found what those people were looking for?

  “It’s not always that simple,” Belle said gently. “Someone else might have buried it there. Or it might have been stolen and we need to figure out who it belongs to and give it back.”

  Rosie pouted as she listened. “But someone left it in the dirt, and we cleaned it. Why would they have left it there if they wanted it?”

  “I don’t know. But think of it this way...” Belle formulated her words in a way Rosie would understand. “What if you lost Jazzy?” Belle waggled the doll’s arm as she rested in Rosie’s lap. “If someone found her, you would want them to try to find out who she belonged to, wouldn’t you?”

  “Yes.” Rosie’s arm tightened around her most prized possession.

  “She might be treasure to someone else and you would be sad if they kept her and didn’t try to find out who she belonged to.” Belle stroked Rosie’s face as her eyes filled with tears. “Do you understand why you have to give what you found to me so we can try to find the owner?”

  Rosie nodded and reached into her pocket, withdrawing the treasure, a jewel-encrusted tiara. No wonder Rosie had thought it was a dress-up item. It looked similar to some of the things she had in her dress-up box. However, when she placed it in her mom’s hand, Belle intuitively knew she was not holding a cheap toy.

  “If we don’t find the owner, can I have it back?” Rosie asked.

  “We’ll see. I can’t promise you, Rosie.” She kissed her daughter’s cheek and stood up.

  As she ran her thumb over the large blue jewel set on the top of the tiara, she was convinced this was the treasure those guys were looking for.

  However, as she looked up, her eyes locked with Ivan’s. There was a hunger in his eyes, which glowed a deep amber as he stared at the tiara.

  “It’s mine,” he said simply.

  And Belle believed him.

  Chapter Fourteen – Rift

  “Ivan.” Rift grabbed his brother’s other arm and held him tight even as he tried to pull away.

  It’s like he’s possessed, Rift’s snow leopard said.

  Maybe he is. Rift followed his brother’s gaze which was fixed on a piece of jewelry Rosie had given to her mom.

  Why would Ivan want that? His snow leopard huffed. Whatever that is.

  “Where did you find that?” Ivan’s blunt tone was completely out of character. Even if someone messed up in the kitchen or dropped a dish he’d spent hours making, he always kept his calm.

  There’s something wrong with him, Rift’s snow leopard’s worry was evident in his tone.

  “My daughter found it in the backyard of the house my uncle was staying in for the last couple of months,” Belle explained quickly.

  “Belle’s uncle is Reginald.” Rift loosened his grip on Ivan a little. “The location spell led us to her. The toy Oscar found in the evidence was hers.” He sucked in a breath. “Murray was Belle’s father.”

  “Murray?” Valerie covered her mouth with her hand. “You are the daughter of the man who kidnapped my sons?”

  Katrina stood up, placing herself between her daughter and the rest of the people in the restaurant. “We weren’t together when he...” Katrina couldn’t bring herself to say the words.

  “They had nothing to do with it,” Aiden confirmed. “Caleb and I believe that completely.”

  Valerie reached for the back of her chair and sat down heavily. “I’m sorry, I’m protective of my sons.”

  “And I’m protective of my daughter. And my grandchildren.” Katrina relaxed her shoulders. “Maybe we should sit down and discuss this calmly.”

  “Can I hold it?” Ivan seemed oblivious to everything but the tiara.

  “Of course.” Katrina handed it over without hesitation.

  Stretching across the table, Rift took the tiara from his mate and then handed it to Ivan. “I’ve never seen it before. How come you know what it is?”

  “It sings to me,” Ivan replied, his hand shaking as he touched the jewels for the first time. “It’s like it’s a part of me.”

  “Mom?” Caleb went to Valerie who had gone deathly pale.

  “I think...” She cleared her throat. “I think it’s part of Ivan’s treasure.”

  “Ivan has treasure?” Flora’s shock matched everyone else’s in the room.

  “He does,” Valerie confirmed. “At least, his parents would probably have had treasure but when Ivan came to me, he had nothing. All dragons do.”

  “Dragons? Those guys mentioned dragons…” Belle’s eyes went wide, and she looked to Rift for answers.

  “Ivan is a dragon shifter,” Rift explained.

  “Of course he is.” She placed her hands, palms down, on the table and leaned forward as if she’d gone weak at the knees.

  We should go to her, his snow leopard said.

  Not now. We need to stay with Ivan. He’s behaving a little unpredictably right now.

  Their unpredictable brother was holding the tiara cupped in his hands, stroking it repeatedly as if it were a pet cat. His eyes glowed a deep amber as he stared at the tiara. It was as if he was hypnotized by it.

  “What’s a dragon shifter?” Jack asked.

  “Oh...” Belle dragged her gaze from Ivan who she’d been watching with some suspicion and switched it to her son. “We should talk about this later.”

  “Why don’t we all sit down and eat?” Elise got up from her seat and went to Ivan. “Come on, we should go get the rest of the food from the kitchen. Caleb will be eating the tables if he doesn’t eat soon.”

  Elise slid her arm around Ivan’s shoulders and guided him out of the restaurant, which was filled with shocked silence. Questions would come later, but right now they were all trying to process what had happened. Particularly Ivan.

  “Go,” Belle waved him away when he hesitated, torn between his mate who was visibly upset, and his brother who was in a deep state of shock.

  More of a deep state of bewilderment, his snow leopard remarked. It’s like the tiara has put a spell on him.

  “I’ll go get the rest of the food,” Caleb said and followed them out.

  “Ivan,” Elise said gently. “Are you okay?”

  They made it to the kitchen, Ivan still cradled the tiara in his hands as if it were a small animal in need of protection. He blinked unseeing as he looked at Elise, but then the amber glow in his eyes subsided and color returned to his cheeks.

  “Does everyone like the food?” Ivan asked.

  “Yeah.” Rift ran his hand through his hair as Caleb grabbed the rest of the plates and headed back out into the restaurant.

  As soon as he’d gone out, Valerie came into the kitchen. “What happened today?” she demanded.

  “We used the location spell. It led us
to Belle and her family.” Rift swallowed, unsure as to whether he should tell the rest of the story in front of Ivan.

  He might get agitated if he hears someone is after his treasure. I’ve never seen him so possessive. I mean I thought he was bad enough over his pans, but this is something else, Rift’s snow leopard said.

  “And you’re sure she is your mate?” Valerie asked sharply.

  Rift took a step back from his mother. “Absolutely.”

  “Elise, do you know of a spell or some fae fruit or herb Rift might have consumed to make him think Belle is his mate?” Valerie’s eyes bored into Elise.

  Her brows furrowed together as she instantly shook her head. “No. And I was there, this isn’t some kind of magic. I’m certain of it.”

  “There’s a lot in this world we can be certain of, and a lot we must question.” Valerie glanced at the tiara in Ivan’s hands as if it were a bomb about to detonate.

  “What do you know about my treasure?” Ivan moved closer to Valerie. “I always thought I didn’t have any.”

  “You don’t.” The color in her cheeks heightened. “At least...you would have had some. All dragons have treasure. But whatever happened to it, no one knows.”

  “Who are my parents?” Ivan asked.

  Valerie’s face crumpled and she covered her mouth with her hand as she shook her head. “I don’t know. You were given to me to raise because you were an orphan who needed a home. The dragons from across the water wanted to raise you there. But they eventually agreed that you could stay here with me.”

  “Why did they agree?” Ivan asked. “From what I’ve been told about the dragons, they aren’t known for their generous nature. Something must have swayed them.”

  “Someone interceded. It’s true but I was never told the details.” She switched her attention to Rift. “What else?”

  “Is that it?” Ivan asked.

  “You know as much as I do.” Valerie glanced at her son but didn’t hold his gaze. “And I don’t think it’s worth dwelling on it right now. That came from outside of Wishing Moon Bay. Which means the dragons are the least of our concerns.” Valerie composed her features even though her eyes glistened with unshed tears.