Dark Captive

By Kate Douglas

“Douglas introduces her Spirit Wild series with a new generation of sexy Chanku wolves. . . . Supported by a cast from the Wolf Tales books and fresh faces as well, this novel thrives on action and strong sexual encounters.” —RT Book Reviews on Dark Wolf

Stolen from her mother when she was still a tiny cub, the snow leopard Asha has spent her entire life in captivity, being traded from one owner to another through an illegal trafficking ring. But Asha also feels trapped in a much more profound way: as a Chanku with no access to the Tibetan grasses that would allow her to shift, she’s confined to her animal form, yearning for a part of herself she’s forever unable to reach. Until a merciful savior sets her free . . . and Leo Cheval comes into her life.

When word of Asha’s rescue from the animal trafficking ring reaches the Chanku, Leo is sent in to help her recover and bring her into the pack. As a leopard shifter himself, he’s uniquely qualified to connect with her and assess her trauma. What he never anticipated was the overwhelming chemistry their meeting would spark and the deep sensual need she would stir in him.

But even as Leo’s touch guides her body to feelings she never imagined, his deeply ingrained controlling streak threatens to crush the very desire he has awakened. And as their passion grows and a deep bond forms between them, Leo and Asha realize that only by submitting to her can he save them both.

About the Author:

Kate Douglas is the author of the popular erotic paranormal romance series Wolf Tales and Demon Lovers, the erotic SF series Dream Catchers and StarQuest, as well as the DemonSlayers series. She is currently writing the next book in the Spirit Wild series.
Kate and her husband of over forty-five years have two adult children and six grandchildren. They live in the beautiful wine country of Sonoma County, California, in the little town of Healdsburg.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Beyond the Page Publishing
• Release date: May 15, 2018
• ISBN: 9781946069641

Kate Douglas

A lifelong Californian, Kate Douglas has been lucky enough to call writing her career for most of her adult life, but it wasn’t until she discovered the world of the sexy paranormal that she really found her niche. She’s having such a terrific time creating more Wolf Tales for Kensington’s Aphrodisia line as the imprint’s lead author that she’s still waiting for someone to call and tell her it was all a big mistake. Now with her new DemonSlayers series taking off, she’s definitely having the time of her life. Married for almost 40 years to her very own hero, Kate is mother to two amazing adults and “Dabba” to five perfect grandchildren—and two granddogs. Kate gives credit for much of her success to the fantastic cadre of generous and talented authors who have helped her over the years. She is a firm believer in the philosophy of “paying it forward.” Kate loves to hear from her readers. You can find her on Facebook at facebook.com/katedouglas.author or email her directly at katedouglas.com. There you can also join her newsletter for updates on bookstore visits, signings, and contests for a chance to win books.

Book preview

Dark Captive

Stolen from her mother when she was still a tiny cub, the snow leopard Asha has spent her entire life in captivity, being traded from one owner to another through an illegal trafficking ring. But Asha also feels trapped in a much more profound way: as a Chanku with no access to the Tibetan grasses that would allow her to shift, she’s confined to her animal form, yearning for a part of herself she’s forever unable to reach. Until a merciful savior sets her free . . . and Leo Cheval comes into her life.

When word of Asha’s rescue from the animal trafficking ring reaches the Chanku, Leo is sent in to help her recover and bring her into the pack. As a leopard shifter himself, he’s uniquely qualified to connect with her and assess her trauma. What he never anticipated was the overwhelming chemistry their meeting would spark and the deep sensual need she would stir in him.

But even as Leo’s touch guides her body to feelings she never imagined, his deeply ingrained controlling streak threatens to crush the very desire he has awakened. And as their passion grows and a deep bond forms between them, Leo and Asha realize that only by submitting to her can he save them both.

Copyright

Dark Captive

Kate Douglas

Copyright © 2018 by Kate Douglas

Cover design by Dar Albert, Wicked Smart Designs

Published by Beyond the Page at Smashwords

Beyond the Page Books

are published by

Beyond the Page Publishing

www.beyondthepagepub.com

ISBN: 978-1-946069-64-1

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this book. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented without the express written permission of both the copyright holder and the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are 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. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

Dedication

This book, coming out over a year after my last Spirit Wild release, is dedicated to my readers—you know who you are, the ones who continue to ask me where the next book is and why it’s taking so long! Thank you for caring enough about my Chanku to keep bugging me to get my butt in gear. Sometimes life gets in the way, and this past year it has set up more roadblocks than usual, but you have no idea how much I appreciate each and every one of you for keeping me on track.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Works by Kate Douglas

About the Author

Chapter 1

Tuesday, June 19, 2040

A small Hindu temple in rural New York State

Asha had been pacing the tight space for hours now, and she’d lost track of the days since he’d locked her in this small building, a temple, actually. A temple built to honor the Hindu goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth.

What other goddess would he worship? Asshole. He thought money was everything, but he was a fool. Unfortunately, the fool was gone and probably free as a bird, while she was trapped here with nothing but a selfish brass goddess to keep her company. He’d kept her on the edge of starvation for much too long—so long, in fact, that in many ways her body had adapted to the lack of sustenance. She lived, but she had no reserves. Nothing left at all.

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

Right. That and a good meal would do the trick.

The only water had been in a small decorative fountain near the altar. She drank the last of that yesterday. Or maybe the day before. It was hard to remember, but what was the point? No food, no water. No way out. She’d tried the door, but her huge paws slipped on the plain round knob. The windows were leaded glass, beautiful designs, actually, but much too thick to break. She’d tried throwing her body against the one she could reach.

Her head and shoulder still hurt.

It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. Asha knew she was meant for better things. Her mother had promised that one day she would be free. Free to grow and learn, to walk among human men and women without fear. That dream had kept her going for as long as it could.

Now? Not so much.

Sorry, Mama. I don’t think that’s going to happen. Memories of her mother’s beautiful face were clearer today. Krasivaya Zhenshchina. That’s what they called her—Beautiful lady. Even the words were beautiful in Russian. Maybe Mama was calling her. She sighed, hanging her head low. So hard to stand, but she couldn’t, wouldn’t give up. I’m not ready yet, Mama. I love you, but please. Just a few more years? A chance?

Raising her head, she glared at the statue. It stared back with dead eyes. She made another pass in front of the altar, but her vision grew fuzzy around the edges. She swayed in one place; then her back legs gave out. If she could have, she would have wept, but what good would tears do? It was too late for tears, too late to beg. Just too fucking late for anything. She tried to stand, failed. And tried again. The last time used what little strength she had left. With a soft cry, she gave in to the thirst, to the hunger. To the weakness. There was nothing left. But damn it all, she wasn’t supposed to die like this. There were too many left to save, and for them alone she had to live. If she died now, that regret would haunt her into the afterlife, and she didn’t want that particular sin staining her soul.

On the other hand, it was almost fitting that she fall before this particular goddess. The goddess of wealth. What a selfish bitch. Asha remembered her mother talking of another goddess, one who watched over them, except that goddess had somehow lost them. All of them.

Would she see her mother when she died? Asha wondered if there was anything at all after that final breath. She lay on the cold stone floor, her eyes on the goddess.

Except she wasn’t really a goddess, merely a statue made of brass. But Lakshmi was the goddess filling Asha’s vision as the world finally went dark.

• • •

Wednesday, June 20

A large manor in rural New York State

Are you sure we’ve got all of them? Damn it, boss, I don’t want to miss anyone.

The game warden shook his head. I don’t know, Juan. I keep thinking I’ve missed something. I’ll take another look around before we go. A flash of light caught his attention. Did you see that? He pointed to a light, or maybe just a reflection, flickering through the lush landscaping on a small hill behind the huge house. The wind gusted again and the dancing foliage teased him with another glimpse of brilliant light. It’s probably nothing, but I better take a look. Don’t want to leave anyone behind in this hellhole. Cursing softly, he took off across the beautiful grounds, past the oversized horse trailer that was filled with animal cages holding recently loaded rescues. It was the only vehicle they had that was big enough to carry the poor beasts.

Devil only knew what the bastard they’d arrested last week had planned to do with his personal zoo, but the warden and his crew had already rescued a couple of adult African lions and two cubs, a pair of rare Burmese tigers, three cheetahs and two beautiful endangered jaguars stolen from the Brazilian rain forest, all of them hungry and badly dehydrated.

They’d had to wait too damned long before they’d gotten warrants to open the outbuildings. They were looking for drugs—no one had expected to find starving predators stashed away in inhumanely small cages. After a couple days of food and plenty of water, the beasts were finally stabilized, and a wild animal sanctuary in Colorado had agreed to take them. One of the sanctuary’s benefactors was sending a large jet helicopter to get them moved as quickly and comfortably as possible. It was due to land within the hour.

Cursing quietly, the warden stalked across the vast expanse of perfectly manicured lawn. He got a better glimpse—it appeared to be sunlight reflecting off a small building. With luck it would be empty, but he had to check. He hiked the last few steps up the hillside. Definitely a small building of some sort; the stone steps leading up to the door were worn, the entire structure suffused with the patina of age. The door had inlays of brightly polished brass—the source of the reflection that first caught his attention. He turned the handle, surprised when the door swung open on smooth, silent hinges.

Aw, shit. He paused in the doorway and his shoulders sagged. How the hell had they missed this? Light poured in through a stained glass ceiling, shimmering brilliantly on the big cat—a huge snow leopard if he guessed correctly—that lay stretched across the floor in front of a small altar. His first thought was that it had been a sacrifice, but there was no blood. He’d never seen a snow leopard this big, though its ribs protruded and the hip bones jutted out at sharp angles.

Obviously the animal had been starved a lot longer than three days. As he got closer, he saw that it was a female. Squatting down beside her, he touched her body with one hand, while with the other he pinched the bridge of his nose, fighting tears that burned the back of his eyes, threatened to fall.

Seeing what had to have once been a beautiful beast in this kind of condition was an abomination.

She’d been a gorgeous animal, but now? Emaciated, she looked sunken and brittle in death. Stroking her, he splayed his fingers through her fur, felt warm skin. Heart racing, he ran his hands over her body, slid his fingers through her ragged coat—unlike the others, she’d obviously been starved long enough for it to affect the quality of her fur. What should have been lush and thick felt thin and unhealthy. Gently, he swept his hand along her side, resting just above the place where her heart should be.

What the . . . ? Pressing his hand to her chest, he held perfectly still and waited. Then he felt it—a weak, unsteady beat. Grabbing the radio off his belt, he shouted into it, Juan! Get up here. Looks like a little temple on the back side of the estate. Bring the ATV with that last large animal cage and the IV kit. We’ve got another live one, a big cat, but she’s in bad shape. Hurry.

• • •

Thursday, June 21

Colorado High Mountain Predator Sanctuary

Seth Mitchell, large animal veterinarian and director of the Colorado High Mountain Predator Sanctuary, met the chopper early Thursday morning. Considering their treatment during captivity and the length of time it had taken to find them, the animals were in remarkably good shape. He had quarantine pens prepared for them, safe places with plenty of open space where they could stay until they’d had all their vaccinations and were acclimated to their new home.

The snow leopard, though . . . She was unconscious, still on the IV drip to combat dehydration. Her breathing was shallow, heart rate too low, body emaciated. He thought briefly of euthanizing her, but the game warden’s impassioned pleas held him back. The man had called him twice already, begging him to do his best to save her. While his staff members got the others settled, Seth wheeled the cart with the leopard’s cage into the infirmary. She was completely out, so he managed to get a tube inserted through her nostril and into her esophagus without anesthetic. She was barely clinging to life and he couldn’t risk depressing her system any further, but she needed more than the saline solution she’d been getting. He replaced the IV bag with a new one. Then he carefully squeezed a high-calorie, easily digestible mix into the feeding tube.

Once he got enough nutrition into her, Seth placed her on a soft pallet in a comfortably sized indoor kennel. She felt like a bag of brittle bones in his arms, and if she’d been healthy, there’d be no way he could lift an animal of her size. She had no body fat, nothing to cushion her bones from the hard floor, but the large heated pad would keep her warm and comfortable while the fluids and nourishment helped her heal. It was the best he could do, but he had to agree with the warden—there was something about her. Something special, and with any luck and whatever skills he possessed, he’d bring her through this.

• • •

Chanku Headquarters, near Glacier National Park, Montana

Leo Cheval was headed back to his cabin when he felt the pack alpha’s mental greeting. Anton Cheval was more than merely his alpha—they shared the surname Anton had given Leo’s dad when Anton helped Oliver gain his U.S. citizenship so many years ago. To Leo, he was both surrogate father as well as a man Leo loved and respected.

Leo? I need to talk to you. Can you meet me in the Pentagon around four this afternoon?

That was unexpected, being called to the Pentagon. Anton’s five-sided den/bar/office was designed like a pentagram to make it easier for their goddess to appear on the earthly plane. It was also where Anton kept his cognac. The alpha’s brand was a lot higher quality—and price—than Leo allowed himself, but an invite almost always entailed a glass. Sure, Anton. I’ll be there. Any files I need to bring with me?

No. That’s not necessary. I’ll see you at four.

Leo didn’t think he’d ever get used to the way Anton did that—just popped in and out of a man’s head as if he were standing in the next room. He tried to think of why his alpha might want to see him, but it was hard to say. As one of the rights attorneys for Chanku Global Industries, Leo stayed pretty busy keeping track of their patents and various research, but there wasn’t anything on a hot burner at the moment.

Well, other than getting laid. Since Janine had broken up with him, he’d been making do with his own hand, never a satisfactory release for creatures ruled by their libidos. He’d shifted and gone for a run with the pack last night, figured he’d pair up with one of his friends, but when they’d all split up after the hunt, he’d ended up alone. First time that had ever happened. It had been pretty awkward, that they’d obviously decided as a group to openly shun one of their own.

Unfortunately, Leo had been the one. As a pack animal, he’d quickly learned that shunning was physically painful.

He still had about an hour before he needed to meet up with Anton, so he left his clothes at his cabin and shifted. He really didn’t have anywhere he wanted to go, and eventually ended up down by the pond, not too far from Anton and Keisha’s house. He thought about Janine, about his convoluted feelings after she’d told him to get lost. He’d been pissed, but not brokenhearted. She’d gotten pretty bossy over the past few weeks, and it wasn’t working for him anymore anyway, but after they split, she’d tied up with Ari, one of the twin Berserkers that had recently joined the pack.

Ari didn’t seem to mind having Janine tell him what to do, but then he and his twin brother had only shifted for the first time a couple weeks ago. They’d been born as wolves and lived their lives as wolves until their first shift. Maybe that’s what made their relationship work. Maybe Ari needed a female to boss him around because he was so new at working with the human side of himself.

Leo’s mom and dad were happily married. His father ran things and his mom pretty much did whatever Oliver wanted. She didn’t seem to mind a bit when he took charge. Leo knew a lot of the females in the pack took their alpha roles a lot more seriously, but his mom was pretty cool. That whole alpha female thing just seemed wrong. Men were stronger, more assertive. It was only natural they be the ones to make important decisions. His dad had taught him that since he was just a kid.

Maybe that was Janine’s problem, the reason she got so pissed when he took the lead. Was that being controlling, or was he just doing what he was supposed to as the male in the relationship? He didn’t know why it was such a big mystery to him. Maybe Anton could give him some pointers, because he sure as hell wasn’t getting it right on his own.

And that whole being shunned by the pack thing had hurt. A lot.

• • •

Anton poured himself a glass of cognac, but instead of staying behind the bar, he took a seat by the big picture window with a view of the sharp peaks of the Rocky Mountains. It was unusual to have the house so empty, but Keisha had gone to town with Xandi, Stefan was outside working on one of his old trucks, and Leo wasn’t due for another twenty minutes or so.

Anton wasn’t sure how receptive Leo was going to be to what he had to say, but the kid wasn’t getting the message from his parents, and the complaints from the young women in the pack were pretty consistent. He sipped his cognac and grinned. Unfortunately, Leo was so much like his father that the poor kid hadn’t stood a chance. And as much as Anton loved Oliver, there were times he wanted to take him and shake some sense into the man. Hopefully, Leo was a little more open-minded than his father.

Anton? Are you busy?

He stood and gazed toward the empty doorway. Keisha! I didn’t expect you home so soon.

I ran into a friend and he followed me home.

Another of your strays? He loved the way her laughter wrapped around him when they spoke this way.

Of course. A very special stray. Are you in the Pentagon?

I am.

We’ll be there in a minute.

Barely a minute later he sensed his mate’s presence and knew the moment Keisha pulled the car into the parking area behind the house. He also recognized the man in the vehicle behind her. Smiling, he lined up a couple of glasses on the bar and pulled out the ever-present bottle of Hennessy. Then he planted his hands on the slick granite surface, doing his best not to look impatient as he waited.

Keisha’s laughter always made his heart beat faster. She’d only been gone a few hours, but he’d missed her something fierce. Unable to wait, he quickly walked around the end of the bar and met his mate as she stepped into his domain. Gently tugging her close, he kissed her, amazed as always how their passion never seemed to fade, how their love grew by the day, even now, after so many years.

Soft laughter brought him back, and smiling, he held out his hand to greet FBI agent Remington Caruthers. I didn’t expect you back so soon. It’s good to see you, Rem. Business or pleasure?

Both, I hope. It’s good to see you, too, Anton. He turned, gave Keisha a loopy grin and shrugged. Besides, I needed my Keisha fix. He took both of Keisha’s hands, but he was looking over his shoulder at Anton. I think Mary Ryder got it right—she told me that hugging your mate had the same calming effect as holding a warm puppy.

Keisha laughed. I adore Mary. Sometimes the girl hasn’t got any filters at all, and she’s so wonderfully unaffected. And Remington, I love that you think I give off a warm puppy vibe, but right now, boys, I have to help Xandi put the groceries away. She hugged Rem quickly and kissed his cheek. That’ll have to hold you until dinner.

That’s all he gets, Anton said, but he winked at Remington and walked over to his spot behind the bar. Grabbing the bottle of cognac, he poured half a glass for each of