Primal Possession by Katie Reus Page B

There were only two decent bakeries and while Dee’s Doughnuts had good doughnuts, Gwen’s had the biggest and best assortment of petits fours she’d ever had. She’d lived in Paris for a few months one summer during college, so that was saying something.
    The small mountain town was a far cry from warm and sunny Miami, her last home, but she’d grown up all over the world thanks to her father’s business. She could adapt to almost any situation. But she truly liked Fontana. The friendly people, the fresh air, and the tolerant attitude of most of the town.
    A pack of shifters lived on the outskirts of town and from what she could tell, most of Fontana had accepted them. There were always exceptions, but moving here had been one of the best decisions she’d ever made. It had allowed her to make a clean break from her father’s shady dealings and it was far away from Jayce Kazan.That man technically didn’t have a home. Well, not a permanent one. He was the enforcer for the North American Council of lupine shifters and his job took him everywhere, so he lived out of hotels. Some days she wished she’d never met him, but others…she couldn’t imagine not having known him. And she hated him for that.
    She placed the small white bag of pastries in the passenger seat of her Jeep and steered out of the parking lot. If she didn’t hurry, she’d be late to teach her first class. Today she was teaching skiing for beginners. It was mainly kids under ten and she was looking forward to it. As she rounded the last bend before the turnoff to Fontana Lodge, she noticed the same gray truck tailing her that she’d seen as she’d left the literacy center.
    Her fingers tightened around the wheel as alarm jumped inside her. It could be nothing, but after she’d been kidnapped a few weeks ago, she paid extra attention to her surroundings. Hell, she still couldn’t believe those two monsters had managed to surprise her outside the grocery store. She’d let her guard down since moving to Fontana. In Miami that never would have happened. In Miami she hadn’t been allowed to go anywhere without one of her father’s bodyguards. Well, until she’d met Jayce. Then she hadn’t been allowed to go anywhere without him. Sadness welled in her chest whenever she thought of him. He’d been her first love, her first…everything. Her throat tightened and she tried to block out memories of him. She couldn’t allow herself to travel down that emotional minefield.
    For as long as she could remember, the men in her life had always been so annoyingly protective. She’d never missed that overbearing presence until she’d been at the mercy of two evil assholes. If it hadn’t been for Connorand Liam Armstrong…She shuddered and locked those thoughts up too. There was no sense thinking about what might have happened. It would only drive her insane. After the cops had started digging around the shed she’d been held in, they’d discovered “mementos” from other victims. And body parts. So far they’d found at least five female victims, but Kat didn’t doubt there would be more on that property.
    She swallowed back the bile in her throat. Thanks to two strangers that saved her life, she now had two new friends and an entire pack of shifters she wouldn’t hesitate to call on for help. The fact that her friend December was obviously involved with one of them made her feel even better about them.
    As she neared the turnoff, the truck behind her sped up even faster. Her unease turned to worry. She gunned the engine and took a sharp turn. Even with the chains on her Jeep her vehicle swerved slightly against the slick, icy asphalt. Keeping her eyes on the road and her rearview mirror was difficult. When she saw the truck continue past the turnoff, she still couldn’t allow herself to relax.
    Instead of heading for the main parking lot, she zoomed straight for the valet. As an employee she wasn’t supposed to use it, but one of the guys had a