Animal Instincts (Entangled Ignite) Read Free

knew.
    And what about the mysterious stranger? He seemed to have power to control the predators.
    But most importantly…
    Why did he think he had the power to control me?

Chapter Two
    The mechanical music of the slot machines jarred Luc Lazare’s nerves the following night as he moved down the stairs and along the tunnel, closing in on the lower-level “invitation only” part of the casino. His father had won the permit to build the first casino boat in Chicago, though the permit for The Ark hadn’t included the several lower decks cloaked by magic where only the invited were permitted to play. The year before, when the secret complex had first opened, Luc had taken the job of security director to please his father. Most nights, the cacophony quickly faded into the background like white noise.
    Not tonight.
    Tonight, with the spectacle of last night’s shifter fight still clear in his mind, Luc felt everything here as if it was inside his skin—the scream of an excited gambler, the roar of a lion, the squawks of the caged parrots overhead, the blasting dance music from the bar.
    He’d recognized Skye Cross immediately. She had the same mahogany hair as her brother, the same green eyes. Those luminous eyes had pinned him in place while he’d failed to control her. He told himself that’s what made him want to know her better. He didn’t like being thwarted. He was used to having control, especially over humans.
    The heart of The Ark’s cloaked decks was the casino, surrounded by entertainment venues. Pop’s magic stretched the perimeter far beyond the size of a normal boat. Off to the back, a live band played in the bar, as one did in the legal casino above. The most noticeable difference on this level was the animal habitats. Big cats, wolves, bears, hawks, alligators, and other carnivores were on display for the amusement of their guests. As happened once a night, a caretaker was introducing prey for the predators. Even well fed, the meat eaters couldn’t resist the instinct to chase and kill.
    On the other side of the closest habitat’s glass front, a rabbit whipped by him. Luc’s gut tightened and his gaze narrowed on the ragged prey. He had to restrain himself. His heart sped up, pumping hard. For a moment he was mesmerized, his appetites engaged. Wanting to shift and go after the prey, he had to force himself to look away, to take a deep breath and get a hold of himself.
    Guests lined up along the glass cages to watch. Did they feel their hearts fluttering? Their primal instincts humming? They spoke in undertones, some laughing nervously, as if they were embarrassed when they actually enjoyed watching. For some reason, humans always felt the need to appear more noble and caring on the surface than they were inside. Part of their two-faced thinking.
    Luc stopped in front of Jez’s area. As a big black panther, she was sleek and muscular. As a woman, she was all soft curves. His childhood friend, she was the only shifter other than his sister, Nuala, who stood with him against his brother, Nik. But tonight she wasn’t in her usual spot. Later, Luc thought, though instead of lush dark hair, he thought of mahogany. Instead of golden eyes, he imagined green.
    He couldn’t put Skye Cross out of mind. Her image had been haunting him since the night before.
    He’d known many human women. His own mother, who’d raised him, was human. But no other human woman had ever captured his interest in quite the same way Skye had, perhaps because she’d heard his silent commands. How intriguing. He wanted to know exactly how she’d done that. He wanted to know her . Knew he couldn’t. Or at least he shouldn’t.
    At the memory of Skye challenging him, his pulse began to race and his gut tightened, the sensation not unlike what he experienced when he was after prey.
    Not that Skye was prey.
    Moving on, Luc passed guests familiar to him—people invited because they had something his father wanted. He forced his mind