CHAPTER 2

Marcus breathed in the warm, hibiscus-scented air and smiled. His Bear chuffed and snorted in his mind’s eye. The huge beast happy with their little escape. Paradise!

A little business mixed with a few nights on the beach was just what the Bear ordered! He’d worry about finding someone to settle down with later. Ugh. Settle. He hated that word.

Once upon a time he would have wanted something else, something like Ignatius and Dolores Devlin had! His great-great grandparents were rumored to be truly matebonded as only fated mates could be.

Such an occurrence was a rarity among Shifters. His father told him the tale of their love when he was just a cub. But Marcus didn’t believe in fairytales anymore.

His mother and father had a strong no-nonsense kind of marriage until his mother died. His father mourned her in his way, they all did. It had been three years now.

His father retired from the bakery, but he still ran their small Clan. He was whole after his wife’s death, leading Marcus to believe that his parents were not a truly matebonded couple. They were not fated mates. Maybe it really did only exist in fairytales?

He shrugged. So, what? He just needed someone to fill this ache in his chest, to settle his Bear, then his life could continue like it had been. But first things, first, vacation time.

“Welcome, Mr. Devlin!”

“Hi, Mr. Gordon,” Marcus had been in contact with the hotel manager the past few days organizing his stay.

He nodded and took the man’s hand careful not to squeeze it too hard. Mr. Gordon was a normal.

He smiled and looked around the huge lobby of the hotel and smiled. The open concept was fluid and very modern, unlike most of the other hotels, he stayed at.

This one had undergone renovations recently, and Marcus approved. The lobby was large and clean. Inviting was the word that came to mind.

The guests seemed to think so too as they milled about with wide, happy smiles on their sunburnt faces. This was going to be the perfect place to relax before he went back home and resumed his search for a mate. Mr. Gordon motioned for a bellhop to come and take Marcus’ bags.

“Shall I show you to your room, Mr. Devlin?”

“Let me drop in on the store first. I’ve missed Mrs. Leeds.”

“Ah, certainly, sir! The Bear Claw is a most welcome addition, and the guests are raving about it!”

“Great to hear, Gordon.”

“Certainly! I will send your things up ahead of you.”

“Thanks.”

“Anytime, sir!”

Marcus nodded and turned to the shining glass doors of the Bear Claw Bakery. When he entered, he was greeted with the familiar scents of their famous morning honey buns and sweet raisin rolls.

His smile grew broader as his impeccable sense of smell told him Mrs. Leeds followed his instructions regarding their signature recipes to perfection.

“Mr. Devlin! I see you’ve come to check on me!” a booming, accented voice reached his ears.

“I see you’ve added that coconut honey bun we’ve been discussing to the menu? I’ll take two to go and a large iced coffee, black, darling!” He greeted the older woman with a warm hug and friendly smile.

“Oh, yes! You will love it, I am sure! Right away, sir!” She smiled at him and swatted him playfully when he tugged open her apron strings.

“You tease, now if you go wandering round the island this visit, you just watch yourself, a pack of wild dogs was seen just last week over at your favorite lookout point, Mr. Marcus,” she told him and giggled like a girl when he kissed her round cheek.

Her hands went to tidy her pretty, gray braids as she moved quickly behind the counter and told a young man to fill his order in her native tongue. She smiled at him with all the warmth of a grandma to her young cub and he grinned like one back.

“Thanks for the warning, dear.”

Cheerful music played through the speakers, as Marcus quickly checked the equipment over. After taking a few notes and listening to some of his feisty manager’s suggestions, Marcus took his bag of goodies and his iced coffee and left the store.

He was proud of Mrs. Leeds. She’d been an unemployed housekeeper when she came in for the interview. Older than what he would have liked, she was proud and determined.

He’d been dubious about her skill, but he soon found that she not only had a head for business but in the kitchen, her fingers were pure magic.

Later, she brought on two grandsons, a daughter, and her brother, to work for him. He liked the idea of the place being run by a local family, and he readily hired each one of them.

In just a few days, the Leeds family learned how to run and operate the small branch of Bear Claw Bakery. Marcus and his brothers had been thrilled!

They were loyal, hardworking, and, they were Shifters, not unlike him and his brothers. The Leeds were Cormorant Shifters, a type of bird native to the island that evolved to be expert fishermen.

Mrs. Leeds and her kin were excellent additions to the Bear Claw Bakery family. Marcus was more than happy with their performance. He paid well, unlike most jobs on the island, and he offered benefits too. Yes, indeed, Marcus liked his new hires.

He lingered in the shop a few minutes until Mrs. Leeds went back to the ovens. He sipped his coffee and stood up to head for his room.

Shit, he thought and patted his pants pockets. He never got his key! Ugh. With a sigh, he yelled goodbye to Mrs. Leeds and headed back towards the concierge.

He took a deep breath, shaking his head in the process. A hauntingly sweet aroma filtered into his nostrils, stopping him suddenly in his tracks.

What the-? His Bear stood up in his mind and roared. Loudly. The fuck, dude?

His Bear was not hearing him. The more than eight-hundred-pound beast was literally doing somersaults and roaring so fucking loudly that Marcus almost fell to the floor with the force of it.

What was the source of that amazing fucking smell? Like honey and flowers, a sweet heady musk that made everything else pale in comparison. This scent was everything!

He needed to find it. Now. Must. Want. Need. The elusive source of the fragrance was driving him nuts. He inhaled a great deep breath. He took it down inside of himself and savored its flavors. Warm and sweet. Sexy as hell. MINE. That one word had his knees buckling.

He turned towards the head concierge. The scent was stronger in that direction. It was like heaven. All his favorite things. Honey buns and lavender. It was like home and warmth, sex and need, possession and sweetness all rolled into one.

His head turned and he stilled. A predator that had found his prey. The source of that delectable honey and lavender mix. The fount of that tantalizing scent was very near.

Perhaps behind the large plant that obstructed her from his view. Need to find her now. And it was a her, that much he knew.

His blood thundered in his ears as he sought the source of his torment. Yes. It was a woman. At least he thought so, but it was hard to tell under that hideous frock she wore.

He frowned as he took her in from head to toe. This was the cause of his heart pounding so hard he thought he was having an attack of some kind? WTF? He breathed in again, yup, it was her.

At first look, she was nothing special. She was in her late twenties, medium height, but what stood out besides the tendrils of blonde hair that escaped the ugly ass bun she’d tortured her locks into, and the no-nonsense set to her shoulders, was an outfit so utterly unflattering that the words butt-ugly would be a kindness.

The woman was talking to one of the hotel greeters, but he missed the sound of her voice as he pondered why someone would wear that? Did she have no sense of style? Was she color blind?

“Hello, welcome to Moongate Island!”

“Thank you, um, can you help me?”

Marcus was staring. He couldn’t help it. The woman smelled like heaven, but she looked like hell. She wasn’t ugly, well, not that he could really make out her face, but her outfit was decidedly unattractive.

Mine, his beast growled. Apparently, his Bear didn’t give a fuck about her lack of style. She’d be naked most of the time anyway. Naked he could do. He supposed he could live with it. If he had to. He frowned at her.

Puke-green slacks hugged her legs and hips, long legs and well-rounded hips, he was happy to note, but the color was hideous. Thankfully, she somewhat covered the glaring pants with an oversized, long-sleeved blouse.

Unfortunately, said blouse was printed with huge flowers in pink, orange, and that same puke-green. Whoever designed the shirt must have stolen it off a 1970s sofa reject. Yikes!

He started to turn away, he’d best think about how to approach the unfortunately dressed woman. but he’d moved too slow. She spotted his blatant interest. Fuck, now I have to talk to her. He was pissed as hell at the thought, but then he saw what the plant and her sunglasses had hidden from him.

Startling blue eyes in a heart-shaped face met his. Holy shit! He was a goner. Fucking beautiful. She glared at him and her lips pressed into a thin line before she ignored him. His Bear roared at her disinterest.

Had she just dismissed him without a second glance? No fucking way. But that was exactly what she’d done.

She turned back to talk to the concierge. Marcus growled and stared at her even harder. Turn around and look at me, he willed, but she did not budge.

Ugly clothes or not, she had the most beautiful eyes he’d ever seen. They were the color of a September sky. Clear and bright, they were easily the bluest eyes he’d ever witnessed. Utterly breathtaking.

His stomach tightened as he inhaled her scent. Tupelo honey with the faintest hints of English lavender. He imagined she’d taste just as sweet on his tongue. Grrr.

He felt his Bear’s possessive growl tremble through his body. His fingertips ached, and his gums itched, his Bear desperate to make an appearance. Uh oh.

He should get as far away from her as possible. The thought was met with more rumblings from his Bear. He wanted her now in his den where he could stake his claim.

We must leave her for now, he told his inner beast. She is a normal and doesn’t know of our kind, best not frighten her, his attempt to soothe the Bear was met with anger and impatience. Finally, he dominated the Bear with a single growled thought. Back off.

His self-preservation instincts were nothing compared to his Black Bear’s drive for him to find his mate. Fucking terrible clothes or not, this woman is mine. MINE.

Still, he knew better than to frighten her. Marcus exhaled, but couldn’t stem the slow growl that crept up from his throat. Her eyes jumped back to his and he covered up the noise with a cough. She frowned.

Time’s up, Romeo. I need to get out of here. He should really move, but his legs refused to work.

The urge to gather her up in his arms and sniff her from head to toe was damn near overwhelming. He unconsciously stepped closer to the woman. His Bear rumbled with happiness at her nearness.

“Can I help you?” his mate asked. He felt his cheeks heat and realized he’d been caught ogling her. He grew even redder as she regarded impatiently.

“I said, can I help you? Mister?” Her voice was husky and rich, music to his ears, but it was her wide eyes that held him hypnotized.

“Mr. Devlin, your key!” his attention was brought back to Mr. Gordon who was waving his card key in the air. What the fuck am I doing?

“Sorry, excuse me,” he murmured and quickly turned away from her.

No way. We’re not doing this here! He fought the Bear for dominance and won. Though his chest was heaving with the effort.

He turned to Mr. Gordon and gathered his key, nodding at her on his way to the elevator. This time he managed to avoid eye contact.

His Bear snarled and growled at him, but he refused to listen. He was here for two things, work first, then relaxation. Not to find his fucking mate in some normal. She was a badly dressed tourist on vacation for shit’s sake!

Too late, fucker. She is the one. Normal or not.

His Bear seemed to smirk at him. Hints of her honey sweet scent filtered through the cooling system of the hotel and Marcus groaned. He was so fucked.