Wild Seduction: Cascade Cougars, #6

By Tia Didmon

Prey or mate? Destiny is ticking...

Left for dead when the serum designed to alter her DNA backfires - Lana Canmore wakes in the morgue with revenge on her mind.
Seeking an ally in the Cascade family, Lana faces an unexpected challenge in the form of Luca Cascade. She finds herself in a race against time and destiny as she fights the Kallans and her growing attraction to the sexy shifter determined to make her his mate.

As prey vs. mate escalates, Lana must resolve the dilemma of being hunted and seduced at the same time.

Enjoy the next book in the bestselling Cascade Cougar Series that readers are comparing to Jessie Donovan and Lora Leigh.

One click to continue this thrilling paranormal adventure today!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bold Butterfly Publishing Inc.
• Release date: Dec 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215696316

Tia Didmon

Tia Didmon is a USA Today bestselling author of provocative paranormal romance and paranormal women’s fiction. When Tia isn't busy writing about sexy shifters and dreamy demons, she spends her time binge-watching The Order and reruns of The Vampire Diaries, cooking with her daughter, and serving her cat. Her love of writing stems from a self-diagnosed book addiction.  Subscribe to Tia's newsletter at tiadidmon.com for a free book and start your journey through Tia's supernatural world today! 

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

I thought you were dead.

Lana looked around the ice cream shop, clutching the cell phone to her ear. Jane asked you to meet me and give me a sample of your blood. Not ask questions.

That was before I saw you.

Lana huffed. She felt sorry for the shifter species. The things the Kallan’s and Cortez’s were doing to them was unthinkable, but this male was rubbing her the wrong way and she couldn’t afford to let her emotions get the best of her. It could kill her. Stop wasting time. Jane said you would help me. Meet me now or I’m leaving.

The door chimed as two men entered the pink and white room. Several teenage girls looked up at them. She couldn’t blame them; both were tall with mahogany hair and athletic builds. They were handsome and had welcoming smiles on their faces. Only she knew it wasn’t real. They were hunting, and she was the prey. One wrong move and she would fail. So many men would die. So many already had.

They both took a seat at the small white table. The one with darker hair held out his hand. I’m Luca. This is my brother Liam.

She nodded, not offering her hand. I know who you are. Jane said you would give me the sample and go.

Luca glanced at his brother. We will go with you and you can extract what you need at your lab.

Lana glanced at the girls in the corner, whispering and glancing at the Cascade brothers. She felt a tingle race along her arm. It wasn’t the pain she was used to. The threat of breaking bones. It was warm. Inviting. She hissed as the realization hit her. I need to leave.

Luca’s hand shot out to grab her arm before she could rise from her seat. We came here to help you Lana, and we plan to do as you asked. What have we done to scare you?

Lana looked at the girls. They were maybe nineteen. They were laughing and giggling with their friends. There was no reason for her to feel threatened by them, yet she had the urge to scratch them. Warn them away. From what, she wasn’t certain. Her body felt feverish. Tingly.

Luca followed her gaze before nodding to his brother. Liam got up and approached the young ladies. He introduced himself and sat down with an easy smile.

As the girls focused on their new friend, her anger dissipated, leaving her hot and confused. I’m sorry. I’m not myself these days.

Luca released her arm. We thought... Racheal can’t figure out how you survived. Did Jordan lie to her?

Lana didn’t want to feel comfortable in Luca’s presence. His soft brown eyes glowed against his tanned skin, his look intent. Tender. At odds with his predatory nature. She tried to shake the attraction. The feelings she hadn’t had for her husband. I need to leave.

He stood, holding his hand out to her. No problem.

She clutched her bag, standing without taking his hand.

Liam nodded to the ladies at the other table, giving the waiter twenty dollars and whispering in the young man’s ear before joining them.

They are a little young for you, don’t you think. She regretted the waspish tone in her voice.

He smiled. They are. It was the girl in the yellow shirt’s graduation. She was accepted into Harvard, and her friends were teasing her. I only bought the girls a round of ice cream.

Lana scratched her forehead. What the hell was wrong with her? She loved it when adolescent minds focused on their futures, especially young women. She had never acted like this. Even when she was married. Sorry.

Liam shrugged. No problem. Do you want to lead us to your lab? Jane didn’t mention where it was.

Lana glanced at the door. I didn’t tell her. I thought it would be safer if I only took one of you. I will take Luca and you can wait down the street.

Okay, Liam said.

She made the mistake of looking Luca in the eyes. An amber glow flickered beneath the chocolate brown. She wanted to change her mind. To take Liam instead, but her body wouldn’t allow it. It reacted to one brother only, and it was the one with brown eyes. The warm color that pulled her in and begged her to look deeper. To discover what was beneath the chiseled exterior. Let’s go.

Lana led Luca into the compact office building she had rented a week ago in Mt. Adams. Please have a seat.

Luca looked around the waiting room. Didn’t this used to be a dentist’s office?

She took off her jacket and hung it on a hook. I don’t know. Why would you think that? Shifters don’t get cavities, do they?

Luca smiled. No. Not while we are in our prime anyway, but my youngest brother dated a girl who worked here about thirty years ago. The dentist she worked for must be retired by now. Was there any equipment left behind?

She shook her head. No, but being a dentist office explains why it has such a good setup for me. She led him through a door to a sizable room. Various equipment was arranged on the tables. She had set a single chair beside the small counter with a sink.

He sat down and rolled up his sleeve. Is this when you tell me, this won’t hurt a bit.

She gave him a dirty look. You’re a shifter. A needle prick will heal a second after I remove the needle... besides, I’m not that kind of doctor.

Luca looked her over suggestively. You could be. I’d play doctor with you.

She held up the needle in a threatening manner. I recommend you dial it back a notch. I wouldn’t want to miss your vein. That is painful. Even for a shifter.

He laughed. No flirting with the doctor. Got it.

She cleared her throat, attempting to curb the tingle that raced through her body. The thrill and heat that his teasing caused was not a symptom she wanted to address. The sooner she got this sample and the sexy shifter out her door, the better. Maybe then she could control her reaction to him. She put on her latex gloves and swabbed his skin with alcohol.

You told Jane you needed a sample of uncorrupted cougar DNA. Is it to stabilize your metabolism?

Lana inserted the needle, concentrating on the blood as it filled the vial. If Jane already told you, why are you asking me?

It’s easy to lie on the phone. We can only tell if a person is in front of us. A lie has a scent to it, but you already know that.

She pulled the needle from his arm. Many people will die if I don’t figure out how to stabilize the serum they injected us with.

Us?

I wasn’t lying to Jane. I should have died already, but I will not disclose the details to someone I don’t know.

Luca growled. Why didn’t you reach out sooner? Racheal could have been helping you this entire time. You have been free of the Kallans for months.

Lana laughed bitterly. Free? Nobody is free after Kevin Kallan gets hold of you.

That doesn’t answer my question.

She glared at him. I don’t owe you any answers. I don’t know you.

Luca stood, leaning toward her. His lips touched her ears as he spoke. His breath touched her skin in an erotic caress. That’s about to change.

She pushed away from him. Guilt and pain mixed with her arousal. No.

His eyes were like slits as he appraised her. What happened to you? Who hurt you? This goes beyond the Kallans, doesn’t it?

Lana looked down. She never wanted to have this conversation. Not with Luca. Not with anyone. You should go. I have work to do.

Luca tipped her head up. You know I’m not leaving you.

Jane said...

Jane isn’t here, and she didn’t know you were my mate.

Lana sucked in a breath. No!

His eyes glowed. An unearthly beauty. A death sentence. Yes.

Lana put the vial of his blood in the cold storage container. She focused on her task, giving him time to assess her. He could sense her attraction to him. He liked that. So did his cat. It was giving him all the mating signs, but the Kallans had experimented on her. He couldn’t make a mistake. Kevin would be thrilled with a false mating. The last thing he needed was to be the Kallans’ next lab rat.

Still, as his eyes roamed over her frame, he had to admit he liked what he saw. Her wavy black hair was long enough to wrap around his arm when he took her from behind. She wasn’t skinny. He liked that. A lot. Her hazel eyes reflected the ambient light. He couldn’t wait till they turned amber. Shit! His thoughts were being influenced by his cat. This wasn’t mere attraction. His cat had never been interested in sex. Never wanted to bite a woman. Mark her, like he did now. He was in so much trouble.

She turned to him with a questioning look. She didn’t trust him, yet her eyes roamed over his body with a look of wonder and annoyance. His cock hardened.

Lana looked away, but he was sure he detected a slight smile. Was he imagining it? If she was taking pleasure in his discomfort, he would teach her why you shouldn’t fuck with a shifter male. Who was he kidding? He would take what was his. His cat was clear. Lana would be his. How did you get mixed up with Kevin Kallan?

Lana finished writing on the other glass vile, placing it in the small fridge. My father was an Army vet. He made it through two tours in Iraq. When he was six months from retirement, they diagnosed him with cancer. I met Kevin at the clinic.

Luca stilled. Kevin was at a clinic for Army veterans?

Lana turned, her face somber. He owns the clinic. It’s government subsidized, but Kevin puts all the profits back into the clinic. I thought he was a visionary. A man who appreciated the men and women who put their life on the line for their country. I was wrong.

He is testing for the shifter gene?

Yes. Camilla Cortez taught him the advantages of having subsidized clinics. That’s where most of the men in the enhanced soldier program originate from. They recruit them when they go to the clinic. When they are at their worst, in pain, recovering from mental or physical trauma, that is when Camilla and Kevin reel them in.

Luca stood up. That sick fucker. His level of depravity never ceases to disgust me. Almost every one of my brothers have done tours overseas. Liam, Cade, and I have served for both the US and Canadian forces over the years. They are patriots. They don’t deserve to be preyed on by Kevin Kallan.

Lana nodded. Kevin’s operation is contained within Canada and the US, but Camilla has most of her operation based in Europe. I don’t know how big it is, but Kevin has become wary of her.

Luca watched her twist her fingers. How did Kevin convince you to work for him? Were you trying to save your father?

She shook her head. No, I met Kevin after my father was diagnosed. I started volunteering at the clinic when my father was being treated. I had spent so much time there that it became a habit to go, and I would study when I visited him. After mom died, it had become such a habit that I didn’t think twice when they offered me a permanent position.

Your mom died soon after your father?

Lana rubbed her neck. I should have seen the signs. She worshiped my dad. She started drinking after his death. I tried to get her help, but she overdosed three months later. Lana looked down, biting her thumbnail. She took morphine with her vodka. I don’t think she did it on purpose. I think she just wanted a reprieve from the pain. She loved him so much.

Luca touched her arm. I’m sorry, Lana.

We all lose our parents someday. It’s hard when you lose them that close together. Shifters lose their parents within a week of one another unless their children are young.

How?

When we mate, it is for life. If we lose our mate, our cat loses the will to go on. The only exception is when a mated couple has young children. The single parent will wait until their children have reached their late teens before joining their mate. My brothers and I are long past adulthood, and our parents are aging. When one goes, the other will follow.

Is knowing a blessing or a curse?

Both. We’re given extended life spans, but only one chance at happiness. We do not get a second chance of finding a mate.

That’s not fair. What if you screw up the first time? What if you pick the wrong woman?

We die.

That’s excessive, she said.

He smiled. Not really. Our cat has a say in the mating process. He won’t let us go wrong, or so I’m told.

Lana looked like she wanted to ask a question. She hovered on the brink of asking, then turned away.

What is it? Luca asked.