slim hips. But she was too skinny for her frame. It was the false thinness that follows illness or extreme dieting. The pallor of her skin and dark shadows under her eyes seemed to confirm Ged’s assumption that she hadn’t been eating properly just lately.
Yet she kicked the hell out of three guys? All because she wanted to see me? Even a bear shifter had limits, and she looked like she had been pushed to the end of hers, yet she had found that inner strength. This had to be a story worth hearing.
“No police.” There was a good chance he would regret that decision later, but she was a shifter and she was in trouble. Helping in these situations was what he did. Ignoring the look of reproach in Rick’s eyes, he held the door of his suite open for the woman to step inside. “Do whatever it takes to cover this up...” They were familiar words to Beast’s security manager. “I’ll speak to you later.”
When he entered his suite, his unexpected guest had discovered the hospitality tray. Having already devoured half a pack of cookies, she was gulping mineral water so fast it was running down her chin.
Ged closed the door, leaning against it as he watched her. “I think you’d better tell me what this is about.”
She nodded, leaving a grimy mark as she wiped the back of her hand across her mouth. “I am Lady Lidiya Rihanoff. My father is the Count of Aras...and I have come to take you back to Callistoya.”
* * *
Lidi sat on the floor as she ate. Ged had ordered several items from the room service menu and was slouched in a chair watching as she worked her way through them. Ordinarily, the sight of his naked upper body might have proved a distraction, but she was too hungry to care. Or perhaps she was growing accustomed to being in a near-permanent state of arousal.
“When did you last eat?”
She gave it some thought. “Two days ago. I think.”
“You think?” Until now, she had been under the impression that all bear shifters had the same brown eyes. But Ged’s were different. Darker and more intense, set under heavy lids, with a gleam that made her want to check how her hair looked. Since she already knew the answer, she didn’t bother. Her hair, like the rest of her, looked awful.
She paused with a donut halfway to her mouth. “I didn’t have time to think about food.”
“Clearly.” He nodded at the remains of her repast. “What happened to your arm?”
Lidi glanced at her torn T-shirt, wincing slightly as the memory of breaking a window and scrabbling through it came back to her. “This?” She managed a shrug. “It’s nothing.”
It wasn’t true. It actually hurt like hell, but he didn’t need to know that.
Ged leaned forward, his clasped hands between his knees. “Let’s get one thing straight, shall we? You broke in here and beat up two of my employees and a hotel security guard. I could have handed you over to the police, but I didn’t. Start lying, or keeping information from me, and I may change my mind.” He kept his gaze on hers, letting the message sink in. “Let’s start again. What happened to your arm?”
“I hurt it when I escaped from the dungeons beneath the grand palace.” Lidi tried out a defiant head toss. It didn’t quite have the flourish she intended. Up close, Ged was too imposing, too attractive...too everything. She attempted to regain her composure, not an easy thing to do when she was sitting at his feet, tired, dirty, and aching all over. “You must remember that place. It used to be your home.”
If there was a flicker in the depths of his eyes, it was momentary. “Why were you in the dungeons?”
“Can’t we talk while we travel?” When Ged shook his head, she huffed out a sigh. “Your stepbrother, Vasily the Usurper, imprisoned me and my father when I refused to marry him.”
A frown pulled his brows together. “It may be a long time since I’ve been in Callistoya, but last thing I heard, Vasily had claimed the throne. Shouldn’t you be calling him King Vasily?”
Lidi tilted her chin stubbornly. “I will never swear allegiance to that man.”
He studied her thoughtfully. “Since your words imply loyalty to my side of the family, perhaps you can give me news of my uncle?”
Could he really have cut himself off so completely from his homeland? Callistoya was a magical place situated in the heart of the vast expanse known to humans as Siberia. Visible and accessible only to shifters, it did not exist on any mortal map. Even so, Lidi had heard how close Ged had once been to the uncle who had remained in Callistoya as leader of the resistance.
“Eduard Tavisha is working hard to rally those loyal to you.” She watched his face. “It’s a difficult job in your absence.”
He was silent for long moments, his expression closed. She got the feeling he was gazing back into the past before he roused himself. “What about Vasily? How is the new king’s reign going?”
“Badly. Vasily is struggling to maintain power. There is opposition from factions loyal to you. Vasily thought he could reinforce his position if he married me. Aras is a territory in the northern part of the kingdom.”
Ged nodded. “I know of it.”
“My father has great influence over the northern nobles, most of whom are loyal to you. Vasily reasoned that a Petrov-Rihanoff marriage would strengthen his claim to the throne.” Her lips twisted into a bitter smile. “And I am a wealthy woman in my own right.”
“There seems to have been a lot going on since I left Callistoya. Maybe I should have done more to keep up with the news from home.”
“Yes.” When he started to laugh, she looked up at him in confusion. “I don’t understand why that’s funny.”
“It isn’t. It’s tragic.” He stared down at her, his gaze taking in her disheveled appearance. “How long have you been traveling?”
The swift change of subject threw her off balance and she had to think about it. “Two, maybe three, weeks.”
There was a brief silence as he registered that information. “I’ve never heard of anyone escaping from the palace dungeons before.”
“No, nor have I.” She shuddered at the memory of it. “Once I passed through the Callistoya border, I walked for miles within the mortal realm. The first town I reached was in the human land known as Russia.” She bit her lip, uncomfortable with the next part of her story. “When I was there, I stole food and I managed to hot-wire a car. A few times, I was able to fill the vehicle up with gas and drive off without paying. Once I reached Austria, security was much tighter and I had to abandon the car.”
All Callistoya bear shifters were good at hiding their feelings—mainly because they learned from an early age that emotions were a disruption to their lifestyle—but Ged took enigmatic to a whole new level. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking. “What did you do then?”
She laughed. “I did a lot of walking. Sneaked onto trains without paying when I could. Hitched a few rides.”
“What?” His exclamation startled her and she took a moment to process what had prompted it. The realization that he was being protective caused a flare of warmth
