Lioness Hunting

By Amber Morgan

Lara Carey is settling back into life in Malkin Ridge with her two passionate lovers, Zane and Tate, and she's keen to prove that she belongs—both back in her old home and in her mates' bed. When a chance encounter with a teen tiger-shifter reveals the presence of a dangerous predator in town, Lara and her mates are forced to take action. With an innocent life at stake, can they hunt down this monster in time? And when the dust settles, will the trio be stronger for the experience?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Evernight Publishing
• Release date: Jun 27, 2016
• ISBN: 9781772339055

Amber Morgan

Amber is the secret identity of a writer who normally pens urban fantasy, but feels like stretching her wings. Amber loves darker romance, anti-heroes, good red wine, and expensive chocolate (sometimes all at once). She lives in Amsterdam with one man, two cats, and a vast collection of tea.

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Published by EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ® at Smashwords

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2016 Amber Morgan

ISBN: 978-1-77233-905-5

Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

Editor: Melissa Hosack

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

To my dad, who I miss always. This wouldn't be his kind of story at all, but he'd be proud of me anyway.

LIONESS HUNTING

Malkin Ridge Shifters, 2

Amber Morgan

Copyright © 2016

Chapter One

Lara Carey lazed in the early morning sunshine and gazed down at the town spread out below her. Cat-shaped and warm, she sat just below the tree-line of Malkin Ridge’s lowest peak, where she had a perfect view of her home. Every gabled roof, every garden, every side street and main road. She’d been away in New Orleans for a year, and she’d expected Malkin Ridge to have changed somehow in her absence. She certainly had. The Lara Carey who left Malkin Ridge would never have considered sharing her man. The Lara Carey who returned came home with two mates. It seemed like such a dramatic change of heart should have ripple effects.

She purred quietly to herself, recalling with a thrill the sensation of Zane dragging his tongue over her pussy, his five o’clock shadow abrading the tender skin between her legs beautifully. And the perfect torture of Tate teasing her mouth with his cock, leaving her begging for more every time. Between the two of them, she was discovering cravings she’d never imagined herself capable of, and it was exquisite.

So why was she up here in the mountains so early in the morning instead of in bed with her two passionate, creative lovers?

She clawed idly at the dry dirt, trying to reason her way out of her odd mood. She’d woken just before dawn, tangled in the bed sheets, and seen Zane and Tate sleeping in each other’s arms. A strange anxiety had gripped her, even though it was hardly the first time in the last four weeks she’d seen them like that. She knew she was being irrational, but she still had to get out of the house, away from the sight of them sleeping together so peacefully. So she’d shapeshifted and made her way here to watch the sun rise and try to get her head straight.

It was simple insecurity, she knew that at heart. She loved Zane and she liked Tate, and she loved sharing their bed. But everything had happened so fast, and when they’d returned from New Orleans, she was faced with the fact that Zane had built a happy, successful life without her. Now she couldn’t help but worry that eventually she would become an intrusion in that life. That Tate would want her gone, or that Zane would find he was happier with just one partner after all… That she wasn’t going to be enough for either man.

Once that thought wormed its way into her brain, Lara grew frustrated with herself. That kind of insecurity would create problems where there were none. She needed to focus on more practical concerns, like finding a job. She’d been waitressing in New Orleans, but she didn’t really want to go back to that. Before she left Zane and Malkin Ridge a year ago, she’d been working as a secretary, but she didn’t want to go back to that, either. Working nights gave her less time with the men. Working in a stuffy office filing and photocopying real estate documents made her feel depressed just thinking about it. She needed more. She was capable of more. She just had to figure out what, and that was a much better problem to tackle than phantom relationship dramas.

Resolved – or at least resolved not to think about it right then – she stood and stretched, ready to head home. As she did, she heard pebbles and twigs crunching behind her. A hiker coming up the trail, she guessed. Turning, she saw a familiar figure emerge from the trees.

Zane's dark blond hair shone with copper highlights in the sun. His broad, well-muscled chest was bare and Lara appreciated the view as he approached. She appreciated Zane from every angle, but there