A View to a Kill: (A Bird Shifter Novella) (King of Prey Book 2) Read online

  Contents

  Title

  Copyright

  Mandy M. Roth Featured Books

  Mandy M. Roth, Online

  A View to a Kill

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  *

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  *

  Epilogue

  *

  About the Author, Mandy M. Roth

  The Raven Books’ Complimentary Material

  The Raven Books’ Complimentary Material

  The Raven Books’ Complimentary Material

  A View to a Kill (A Bird Shifter Novella)

  King of Prey II

  Mandy M. Roth

  The Raven Books

  www.ravenhappyhour.com

  Raven Books and all affiliate sites and projects are © Copyrighted 2004-2014

  A View to a Kill: A Bird Shifter Novel © Copyright 2006-2014 by Mandy M. Roth

  Cover art by Andrea Depasture, © Copyright 2014

  First Electronic Printing 2006

  Second Electronic Printing 2014, The Raven Books

  Edited by: Angela James and Suz G.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  All books copyrighted to the author and may not be resold or given away without written permission from the author, Mandy M. Roth.

  This novel is a work of fiction. Any and all characters, events, and places are of the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or events or places is merely coincidence. This book is intended for a mature audience only. Must be 18 years or older.

  Published by Raven Books

  www.ravenhappyhour.com

  Raven Books and all affiliate sites and projects are © Copyrighted 2004-2014

  Mandy M. Roth Featured Books

  King of Prey (Bird Shifter Series)

  King of Prey

  A View to a Kill

  Master of the Hunt

  Rise of the King

  Prince of Pleasure

  Prince of Flight

  The Druid Series

  Sacred Places

  Goddess of the Grove

  Winter Solstice

  A Druid of Her Own

  Dark Wisdom

  Temptation of the Highlander

  PSI-Ops Series (Part of the Immortal Ops World)

  Act of Mercy

  Act of Surrender

  Act of Submission

  Act of Security

  Act of Command

  Mandy M. Roth, Online

  Mandy loves hearing from readers and can be found interacting on social media.

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  Website: http://www.MandyRoth.com

  Blog: http://www.MandyRoth.com/blog

  The Raven Books: http://www.TheRavenBooks.com

  Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorMandyRoth

  Twitter: @MandyMRoth

  Book Release Newsletter: mandyroth.com/newsletter.htm

  A View to a Kill

  King of Prey Series Book Two

  A trained assassin…a man even the deadliest of warriors fear. To cross him is foolish. To steal his heart is pure madness.

  Sachin, head advisor to the king of the Accipitridae realm, has been forced to put his trips to Earth on hold. He’s not been honest with himself or King Kabril about his need to visit the primitive planet. The king thinks him to be a womanizer, out to bed as many human females as possible.

  In truth, a woman he should have been able to woo with little to no effort—his mate—has found someone else to fill that void in her life. She wasn’t supposed to be on Earth. She wasn’t supposed to be human. And she sure the hell wasn’t supposed to agree to marry another man while Sachin was away.

  Sachin must make a choice, give up the one woman he knows to be his true mate and let her live in ignorant bliss of what walks among her people, or fight for what’s his, taking it at all costs. A trained assassin…a man even the deadliest of warriors fear. To cross him is foolish. To steal his heart is pure madness.

  Dedication

  To my readers. Thank you for being awesome!

  Chapter One

  Earth…

  Sachin soared high in the air, satisfied after a night of hard sex with three human women. They practically threw themselves at him, as most women in this realm did. They were an itch he liked very much to scratch, even against the orders of his king and best friend, Kabril.

  Kabril warned of the dangers of entering the human realm too much. There was a time in human history that his kind, the Buteos Regalis, and others like them were thought of as mythical creatures who would steal away with livestock and small children. The stories were absurd. A horse was too heavy to fly with, and why should he bother himself with something like that when he had only to return to the castle to a feast, already prepared. And what purpose would Sachin have with a child? They were noisy, at least from what he remembered. Accipitridae, the realm he called home, had not had a child born to it for hundreds of cycles. No one was sure as to why, but whispers of a prophecy involving the king spread like wildfire. He had to laugh at the idea of the king settling down to be with only one woman.

  Sachin couldn’t fathom giving up his wicked ways to tether himself to one female for all his life. Eternity was a long time to sleep with the same woman. He shuddered at the thought.

  Sachin dipped lower in his flight over the semi-wooded lands on his way to the nearest portal to Accipitridae.

  “No!” The cry pierced the night. It was off in the distance but Sachin’s supernatural hearing offered him the ability to pick up on it. He scanned the area, trying to locate the source. A blast from a gun, a weapon the humans seemed to favor, went off. Another scream followed. Sachin zeroed in on the location and launched into a dive. He would worry later about humans seeing him in partially shifted form. He was part hawk, part man and they would never understand.

  “Come out, come out, wherever you are,” a male voice came from the distance.

  Sachin neared the spot of the disturbance and spotted a middle-aged man with a rifle in his hands, stalking something or someone. The man pushed greasy strands of hair from his face as he stared around, his eyes crazed. His nose was bulbous and nearly as red as his bloodshot eyes.

  “Where are you, you little bitch?” the man spat.

  The tiniest of whimpers caught Sachin’s attention. He landed silently several feet behind the man—the stench of alcohol and evil evident. It curled Sachin’s stomach. He drew his wings back into himself, shifting into his full human form. He stepped softly, making no sound as he advanced on the drunkard.

  A gasp caught Sachin’s attention, pulling it to the right. He spotted a figure, huddled in the fetal position. Upon closer inspection, Sachin realized the figure was female and covered in blood. The fierce need to protect her at all costs consumed him. He channeled the rage he felt at the thought of the female having been harmed towards the armed man. Killing him would be a sweet victory.

  The man was walking in the other direction, unable to see the female’s hiding spot. Sachin motioned to her and then put a finger to his lips to indicate the need for silence. She nodded, shaking so much her teeth chattered.

  Sachin bent his head, narrowing his silver gaze. He stepped closer and touched the man’s shoulder. He spun, firing the
weapon as he did. Using his forearm, Sachin knocked the barrel of the gun away and the shot went wide. The man stared up at him, his eyes wide with fear.

  “Who— Where did you come from?”

  A tingle of satisfaction at instilling fear in him ran through Sachin. “You dared to touch the woman?”

  “Woman?” The man’s lips curled into a sinister smile. “Paige ain’t no woman.”

  “She’s my woman,” Sachin said.

  Stunned by his own claim, Sachin blinked, giving the man time to point the rifle at him. He fired and the shot struck Sachin in the shoulder, creating a large, gaping hole. White-hot pain radiated through him. He knocked the man away, sending him hurtling into the air. The man hit a tree and slid to the ground where he lay motionless.

  Sachin twisted, his gaze snapping to the female still huddled near a tree. He cupped the wound on his shoulder with one hand. His immortality afforded him the ability to heal rapidly. Even so, the spray from the shells had done considerable damage. The healers in his realm would need to cleanse the wound before it could be allowed to fully heal over.

  The woman near the tree needed his help now. Her brown eyes held shock and her shaking was worse. Sachin approached and she cried out, trying to make herself smaller.

  He stilled and looked down at himself. Blood dripped freely from his right arm and he cursed himself for not thinking to shield her mind from seeing the events unfolding. Wiping his hand on his pants, he thought back to his landing when his wings had been full. Had she seen him?

  “D-don’t…don’t…hurt me,” she stammered.

  The idea sickened him. “I mean you no harm.”

  Moonlight streaked through the treetops, casting its soft rays over her hair. If his judgment was correct, she had auburn hair. Her skin was pale, creamy and currently marred with the start of bruises. He wanted to revive the man and kill him again for daring to harm her.

  Calming himself, Sachin took a step forward and bent, going to one knee. There was so much blood on her. Sachin wasn’t sure how she was alive. “Where are you hurt?”

  “Not my blood,” she said, her voice low. Their gazes collided and his chest tightened. She was breathtaking, even in her current state of disarray. “My mother.”

  “What about her?” Sachin reached out tentatively, worried she’d scream or pull away. She didn’t, and he began to check her over for signs of injury. Aside from the bruises, he found none.

  She scrambled to him, tossing her arms around his waist, nearly causing him to lose his balance. “It’s her blood. He… Hank killed her.”

  Her pain sliced through Sachin. He stroked her hair and held her close, sensing how very young she was. His guess was that she was in her late teens. She clung to him, sobbing openly. Never one who was known for comforting women, Sachin was at a loss as to what to do. He did what felt natural. He kissed the top of her head, ignoring the biting pain and the limited use of his right arm. She weighed practically nothing.

  He held her until her crying stopped and she fell silent. The steady, rhythmic sound of her breathing indicated she was asleep. It was for the best. He allowed his wings to form and lifted her high into the air, already knowing where he would take her—the ranch near the portal. The one run by an older woman who took in troubled teens.

  He flew, covering the distance in record time. Upon landing, he quickly shifted into human form and carried the young female to the front door. He tapped it with his foot and waited. A woman he’d seen often enough when flying overhead opened the door. Sachin expected her to question why a man she did not know was holding an unconscious woman on her doorstep. She didn’t.

  She offered a soft smile and stepped back, opening the door wide. “You can lay her on the sofa.”

  Sachin did.

  “How bad is she hurt?”

  Confused, Sachin stared at the older woman, wondering why she was so composed. “The blood is not hers. It is her mother’s.”

  “Is Tandy dead?” the woman asked.

  Unsure, he shrugged. “I know not who Tandy is.”

  “Tandy is Paige’s mother.” The woman bent near the sofa. “This here is Paige. She helps me tend the horses on her summer breaks.” She stood. “Where are my manners? I’m Sarah, in case you forgot.”

  Forgot?

  Sarah smiled. “I met you when I was a little girl. You swooped out of the sky and plucked me out of the ravine I’d fallen into. You told me I was dreaming and that you weren’t real. Either I’m dreaming again, or you’re real.”

  Sachin glanced around nervously. He wanted only to have the young female cared for and to be gone from the human realm. Already too much had happened. He would have a lot of explaining to do when he returned to his realm.

  Sarah waved a hand in the air. “Your secret is safe with me. I didn’t tell anyone about the bird-man when I was little. I’m sure the hell not going to start now.”

  “You will watch over her?” He stared at Paige, not wanting to leave her, but he’d already exposed himself too much to the humans.

  “I’ll call the police and the doctor. What about Hank?”

  “Hank?”

  Sarah nodded. “Her mother’s boyfriend. The man I’m sure is responsible for this.”

  “He is dead.” Sachin wasn’t a hundred percent sure because he’d not taken the time to verify the man was dead, but it would be difficult to survive being thrown into a tree by a supernatural.

  “By your hand?” Sarah held no accusation in her voice.

  “Yes.”

  A faint nod came from her. “Good.”

  Chapter Two

  Earth, Three Years Later…

  “Paige?”

  Paige glanced at Sarah and waved, letting the woman know she was fine. The look on Sarah’s face was one of concern. She didn’t want to worry Sarah. “He’ll come.”

  “I’m sure he would if he could, Paige, but maybe he’s tied up with something.”

  Sarah was right. Sachin led a busy life, always stopping by for a few days and then disappearing for weeks, sometimes months. It was hard to believe it had been three years since she’d first met him. Her memories of that night were fuzzy and that was most likely for the best. She knew Sachin was the one who’d gotten her help after her mother’s death. Her dreams were becoming more vivid, revealing more and more of the events of that dark night. Fantasy seemed to blend with reality, making her dream of Sachin with huge brown wings.

  “Want to come in for some supper?” Sarah asked. “Sachin knows where the front door is. If he shows, he’ll join us.”

  Paige clutched the amber pendant he’d given her on his last visit. It warmed in her palm as it always did when she thought of him. “He’ll come.”

  Sarah’s eyes crinkled with mirth. “You’re a stubborn one, aren’t you? Come in if it gets too chilly.”

  “I will. I promise.”

  Sarah was so good to her, taking her in when Paige had no place else to go. She’d become a surrogate grandmother of sorts, giving Paige a guiding hand, something she’d never had in her life before. When her mother had been alive, she’d spent her time drinking and doing drugs with her endless line of boyfriends, not mothering Paige. The last few years had opened Paige’s eyes to what a family could be like and she was eternally grateful for Sarah’s unconditional love and trust.

  The front door closed, taking with it the light from the living room. Paige sat in the dark, sneaking peeks towards the sky, certain the man she’d come to love would indeed sweep down and whisk her away.

  Stop living in a fairy tale.

  The pendant heated more, making it hard to hold comfortably.

  “There you are,” Sachin said, walking around the corner of the house.

  Paige looked for signs of a car, but like always, she found none. He certainly had odd ways of arriving. None of that mattered. He was here and that was what was important. She stood, suddenly embarrassed by how dressed up she was. Normally, when Sachin came for a visit, he helped her
tend to the horses and they laughed, talking about everything and nothing at all. She had something different in mind tonight. It was her twenty-first birthday and she wanted to celebrate. Sarah had prepared a birthday feast and Paige wanted to head into town shortly after, hopefully with Sachin by her side.

  She was on break from school and lonely. It wasn’t as if she was terribly social, so it was hard for her to make and keep friends. Sachin was the exception to the rule. He was outgoing enough for the both of them. He did tend to shy away from places that were too crowded, but she couldn’t blame him there. Crowds bothered her as well.

  He smiled and dimples formed on his cheeks. A cleft chin and eyes so silver they were like liquid mercury made for a striking man. It didn’t hurt he had a body that could rival a bodybuilder’s. The dark gray, V-neck shirt he wore gave her a glimpse of his tawny chest. It was hairless and smooth. She knew from seeing him work around the ranch without a shirt on. She also knew he had the start of black hair just below his navel and that she would give anything for the chance to lick her way down his body. On the verge of drooling, she averted her gaze.

  Sachin came to a stop just before her and put his hand over hers, prying it loose from the pendant. “You rang, my lady?”

  His playful, Knight-of-the-Round-Table banter always lightened her mood. It was easy to picture him with a sword in his hand, fighting some epic battle. A soft sigh slipped past her lips and she blushed.

  Sachin bent, putting his face close to hers. “Is Sarah awaiting us?”

  She stared up at him, fawning over him. When she realized, she stopped and tossed her shoulders back, hoping to salvage some piece of her dignity along the way. “She is. I think she gave up hope you’d make it in tonight.”