Bane of Her Desire: Primal Shifters, #1

By Kira Shayde

When Holly Ainran's brother goes AWOL from an elite military force in South Africa, she confronts Commander Bane Ojore, a rare melanistic lion shifter. Sparks ignite, but Holly finds a challenge in taming this brooding, hostile beast. Bane does not expect the daughter of a high-ranking parliamentary executive to be a smart, code-breaking expert adamant about abolishing the lion caste hierarchy and ending the lion-hyena conflict. Nor does he expect such a stunning lioness to fall for him. But Bane's job is to find the traitors supplying weapons to the hyenas, and all signs point to Holly's brother. Holly won't give up on her brother though…or Bane. As their passion escalates, so do the risks, the danger, and ultimately, their love.

 

Warning: if you're not a fan of scorching hot sex scenes, this book is not for you. A "tamer" version of this story is available in Primal Shifters North America (which contains all three novellas of the Primal Shifters series but set in North America instead of South Africa).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kira Shayde
• Release date: Jun 20, 2017
• ISBN: 9780999018323

Book preview

BANE OF HER DESIRE

Primal Shifters, Book One

In a world where the animal predators are shapeshifters, and territorial disputes have led to war, loving outside your boundaries can get you killed.

KIRA SHAYDE

Bane of Her Desire (Primal Shifters #1)

Copyright © 2022, 2017 by Kira Shayde

Copyright © 2014 by Kira Shayde (Loose Id, LLC)

All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the original purchaser of this book only. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without prior written permission from the author. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

ISBN: 978-0-9990183-2-3

Cover Artist: Kira Shayde

Published in the United States of America

Kira Shayde https://www.kirashayde.com

This book is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

WARNING

This book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language and is for sale to adults only, as defined by the laws in the country in which you made your purchase. Please store this book where it cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.

Dedication

To my husband, the hero in my life.

Acknowledgment

I owe a debt of gratitude to my family, friends, and fellow authors for their support of my writing adventures, their willingness to read my work, and their helpful feedback. I also wish to give a big shout-out to the Kevin Richardson Wildlife Sanctuary in South Africa for drawing attention to the conservation of African lions and spotted hyenas.

BANE OF HER DESIRE (Primal Shifters #1)

When Holly Ainran’s brother goes AWOL from an elite military force in South Africa, she confronts Commander Bane Ojore, a rare melanistic lion shifter. Sparks ignite, but Holly finds a challenge in taming this brooding, hostile beast.

Bane does not expect the daughter of a high-ranking parliamentary executive to be a smart, code-breaking expert adamant about abolishing the lion caste hierarchy and ending the lion-hyena conflict. Nor does he expect such a stunning lioness to fall for him.

But Bane’s job is to find the traitors supplying weapons to the hyenas, and all signs point to Holly’s brother. Holly won’t give up on her brother though...or Bane. As their passion escalates, so do the risks, the danger, and ultimately, their love.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Epilogue

About the Author

Chapter One

ACCORDING TO LEGEND, the gods warned humankind that if they insisted on behaving like animals, they would become animals, permanently. The humans didn’t listen, and their fate was sealed. They became prey. Yet the gods weren’t done. Animal predators were given the chance to rule, and the ability to shift between animal and human.

The African lion, the pinnacle of hunters in the wild, replaced man as overlord and quickly implemented a system to ensure their supremacy in the new world. The disparaged spotted hyena, often the more tenacious and successful predator on the plains, was the lion’s natural competitor. Becoming human didn’t change this. It only made it worse.

Because these shifters were animals first and human second.

HOLLY AINRAN OPENED the rusted footlocker her father had received from the Mission Elites paramilitary base, not expecting to find anything different than before. She tossed her brother’s fatigues and scuffed military boots aside and sifted through the contents of his safe-deposit box: some banking papers, his soldier-assigned data chip, an engraved knife, and a silver ring from their grandfather tucked inside a leather pouch.

She sat back on her heels. If only there were something among Fix’s personal effects to give her a clue as to why he had dropped off the face of the earth. Was he having an affair with a married woman? Involved in some shady drug deal?

Months ago, he’d been reported AWOL, yet he hadn’t reached out to her. Ticked her off. Maybe she was no more than his kid sister, but she’d thought they were close. At least they had been before he joined the Elites. Another possibility flitted through her mind, and she shoved it away angrily. His body hadn’t been found, and she just knew he was alive. Felt it somehow. Whatever it took, she’d find him.

Although she’d already examined his data chip, Holly inserted it into her laptop and scrolled through the directories. She sighed. Nothing more incriminating than saved game scores, pictures of his Mission Elite buddies relaxing by their campsite, and innocuous e-mails to his on-again, off-again girlfriend.

This time, she spied a seemingly gibberish file name. Gotcha.

She double-clicked the file and received a system error. Encrypted. Damn. Now she was definitely intrigued. What was Fix hiding? She ran the file through various computer algorithms and within minutes bypassed his encryption, but it wasn’t a text file as she’d expected.

A video appeared on her screen, and she recognized the Mission Elites base. Out of camera range, a man spoke, his deep voice imposing, almost threatening, and a tremor coursed through her. But when the man strode into view, and the camera focused on his face, her breath caught in her throat. His black eyes were like bullets beneath a strong brow ridge, and a dark shadow of stubble colored his square jaw.

Her gaze riveted to his mouth as if something had possessed her, and she no longer listened to his words, imagining how it would feel to have those commanding lips against her skin. The muscles in his jaw flexed, and the low timbre of his voice vibrated through her veins, setting off a surge of sensual hunger. This man was evocative, combustive...primal.

Uneasiness crept over her, and she pushed the errant thoughts aside. There was a coldness to his face, a tightness around his eyes. This was a man who didn’t reveal secrets, who wouldn’t share himself. A man who clearly reveled in danger and control. This had to be the elusive Bane Ojore, leader of the Mission Elites paramilitary force.

The man shifted to his animal form, and Holly gasped. She stared at the video, mesmerized by the sight of a lion with fur as black as a thundercloud, his mane the color of charcoal and fuller than any she’d seen. She thought melanistic lions had been driven to extinction. He prowled before the soldiers, threw back his massive head, and let out a out a ferocious roar.

She shuddered, but from a sense of danger...or something else?

At once, her small apartment seemed stifling and claustrophobic, and she shut down the lid of her laptop, sucking in a trembling breath. Her nerves and her hormones needed to chill. After glancing out the window, she decided a run would help clear her mind and burn off some of the stress from searching for her brother.

The park near her apartment, sandwiched between the woodlands and the lake, was cool compared to the rest of the city, particularly during the scorching heat of the afternoon.

Outside in shorts and a tank top, Holly jogged at an easy pace until a man caught her eye. It had been years since she’d seen her brother’s friend, Kipper Lumbwi. She approached him hesitantly, a tad embarrassed, wondering if he’d recognize her.

He looked up, and his polite expression gave way to a wide grin. Holly, wow, have you grown up. You used to be such a skinny little thing.

She laughed. Thanks, Kipper. Had to happen sometime.

Although still slender, her womanly curves slight, she wasn’t a kid anymore, and she appreciated Kipper’s approving look. Made her feel more feminine.

His glance lingered a bit longer. Yeah, little Holly Ainran has definitely grown up.

Heat infused her cheeks. Of her brother’s friends, she had liked him the most. As a teen, she’d begged Fix to let her tag along on border patrols, and Kipper never minded. He hung out at the Ainran house mostly to escape his nasty drunk of a father and would play cards with her while waiting for Fix to finish his homework. Kipper always let her win.

She gestured to his officer uniform. What’s this? You stationed here now?

Yup. After my tour with the Defence Force was done, I joined a local enforcement group and have been working mostly in the savannas of South Africa. But last month, I was assigned closer to the cities. I love it. I get a chance to really help people here.

She nodded. Fix and Kipper had joined the Force right out of school at eighteen. Five years later, they came home, but Fix seemed aimless. After six months of listening to their father attempt to convince him to pursue a career in Parliament, Fix joined the Mission Elites, a controversial and exclusive paramilitary force under the leadership of Bane Ojore. Fix never discussed the new force with Holly, but she’d overheard him talking to their father about the heightened levels of stress and danger in their assignments.

Kipper ran a hand through his trimmed light-brown beard. So, how’s Fix doing? Man, I haven’t seen him in two years. Is he still with the Elites stationed near the hyena colonies? Does he ever come home for a break?

With a pang, Holly realized Kipper didn’t know. Quaking, she bit her lip to keep the sudden tears at bay, but her eyelids fluttered and tears drenched her lashes anyway.

Hey, what happened? Something about Fix? Here, maybe you should sit down. Kipper guided her to a park bench.

Taking a seat, she wiped her eyes and dropped her voice to a whisper. Fix is gone. Absent without leave. No one seems to know where he is.

Kipper sat next to her and narrowed his eyes. "Hmm, wouldn’t have expected that from Fix. I know the hell he went through fighting hyenas, and he’s as tough as they come. Blown up on a mission, ambushed