Virtue Saved, page 1
VIRTUE SAVED
A NYC SHIFTER TALE
C.D. GORRI
Virtue Saved
A NYC Shifter Tale
VIRTUE SAV© 2023 C.D. Gorri
Edited by: Book Nook Nuts
*This story was part of the Tempted & Tantalizing NYC Author Event (TNTNYC2023) Damaged & Rescued Author collaboration.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, places, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either part of the author’s imagination and/or used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to a person, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. All rights are reserved. No part of this book is to be reproduced, scanned, downloaded, printed, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of any materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
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CONTENTS
Virtue Saved
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Epilogue
Beware… Here Be Dragons!
Have you met the rest of the Barvale Clan Bears?
Other Titles by C.D. Gorri
Excerpt from Sealed Fate
Excerpt from Purrfectly Mated
Excerpt from Alien Protector
About the Author
VIRTUE SAVED
A NYC Shifter Tale
Virtue comes in all shapes and sizes…
Alina Petrova has gone from practicing ballet as an understudy in Russia to being cooped up in her big brother’s fancy house in New Jersey. She is finished waiting for the men in her life to come rescue her. Especially the big Grizzly with the gorgeous brown eyes. If he won’t claim her, then she will have to take matters into her own hands.
Eduardo Valens is a Bear Shifter and an ex-mercenary working for one of the biggest, baddest Tigers in NYC. He owes the guy for saving his life more than once, which is why there is no way in hell he is going to take the man’s little sister as his mate. Until matters are taken out of his hands.
When the son of the Bratva boss they sent to prison sets his sights on Alina, there is nothing Eduardo won’t do to save her life…and her virtue.
Will the she-Tiger get her Bear? Find out in Virtue Saved.
*Get the other side to this story in Bruised Force by Elena Kincaid
PROLOGUE
A few months ago in Russia…
“Alina Petrova? That is your name, yes?”
The squat, unattractive male leered at her in the narrow hallway outside the dressing room where Alina and a half a dozen other dancers readied themselves to leave for home. The show had been a hit, and this was their final performance.
Alina had been with the Vitya Ballet Company since she was seven years old and had finally progressed to one of their corps de ballet to the principal ballerina. It had been a long time coming, and she was used to this kind of unwanted attention from fans and ballet enthusiasts. Without giving it much thought, Alina nodded her head.
“Yes. I am Alina Petrova. I am happy you enjoyed the show, but I must go now. My mother is waiting for me,” she said with a polite smile.
“That is too bad, Miss Petrova, you see, I am an admirer and wish you to accompany me to dinner.”
“I am sorry, I cannot,” Alina replied, eyes wide as two more hulking males came out of the shadows to stand beside her.
This was no ordinary admirer, she realized, forcing herself to be still. Her inner Tigress hissed and growled, the feline not happy at all about being crowded. She scented fur and dominance marred with a touch of madness in the male who watched her.
“I am afraid you have no choice, pretty one. We go. Now. You two, bring her, but do not touch,” he warned.
“Yes, Mr. Ivanovich.”
Alina gasped. Suddenly she understood. She lifted her head, determined to appear unaffected by what was happening. These people were her enemies. The same group of criminal bullies who had murdered her father and forced her beloved older brother to flee Russia when she was but a child.
Alina had missed Konstantin terribly when she was growing up. It was the reason she worked so hard at ballet. Damn her pride for not running to him when he had sent word he had enough money to take care of their mother and Alina as well.
She had not wanted to be a burden on him and was determined to make it on her own. Now look what she had done. Pride was not a virtue, as her mother had said a million times. Alina got into the long black limousine and pulled the coat Ivanovich handed her around her body. She was still in costume, and it was cold outside.
“I am glad you are not fighting this, koshechka,” he said, using the Russian word for kitten.
She gritted her teeth and bit her tongue until she drew blood to keep herself from lashing out at him. She hated that nickname, and the more he used it, the more she hated him.
Evgeny Ivanovich was a crude imitation of his father. His other two brothers had more sense, but as the oldest, he was the one to inherit the throne, as it were.
“I am sure you and I will get along famously, koshechka,” he said as they boarded the plane to America.
“I am no man’s kitten, Mr. Ivanovich. You have the upper hand now, but make no mistake, I will not go down easily,” she told him.
“I look forward to our little battle, koshechka,” he replied, laughing so loudly it hurt her sensitive ears.
His lust-filled eyes remained trained on her throughout the flight. The male made her skin crawl and her Tigress snarl. She was not sure how or if she would survive, but some things were worse than death.
With a small prayer for her mother and brother, Alina steeled herself for what was to come. Evgeny Ivanovich made her skin crawl, but she would rather die than have him come near her.
It was comical. Alina’s thoughts played in her head as she watched the sky outside the small airplane window turn dark. People thought ballerinas were so delicate and frail, they did not see the bloodied and bruised feet, or the cutthroat politics of being a dancer.
She was no kitten. She was a Tiger. And the Ivanovich Bratva was not going to break her. No way.
Rrroooaaarrr.
CHAPTER ONE
Eduardo ran a hand over his face and heaved a sigh. His Grizzly Bear paced inside of him, the animal desperate for an outlet. Snow was falling outside, December in the city as unpredictable as ever, but that was global warming for you. Though, to Eddie, it made zero fucking sense. If it was a warming, why the snow?
“Eduardo? Are you with us? I’d like to talk about the fire that took out the back alley exit last night,” Konstantin, his boss and best friend, asked and Eddie nodded before the male Tiger continued with the meeting.
Sure. He was with them. Technically.
The fire had done minimal damage, and lucky for them, some guys from the local Shifter run fire station had been passing by and nipped it in the bud before it could get out of hand. Those bastards would be drinking at the club for free for the foreseeable future.
The Stripe Club was changing its focus, updating its theme, and getting an all-out overhaul. All things Eduardo was on board with. Yasmin, Konstantin’s very pregnant mate and wife, had recently become his partner in the business.
She’d been a dancer first, and her choreographed performances had been the most sought after in the entire club. The club was members only. They mostly catered to Shifters, though other supernaturals were welcomed for a fee, of course. Along with viewing performances by talented dancers, a member could dine on some of the finest, exotic cuisine prepared by Shifter chefs for those of their community with preferred tastes.
They were renowned for dishes not available anywhere else on the market, such as whale blubber confit, steaks cut from fresh fur seal, zebra, gazelle, elk, and more, not to mention the finest sashimi prepared by experts. Those meats not available on the human market were harvested from special ranches and farms dedicated to feeding Shifters and supes.
Entertainment was not exactly Eduardo’s purview. Come to think of it, neither was the food. Fine. He had barely listened to any of Konstantin’s speech, but was he to blame? At least he nodded when he thought it was appropriate, but the truth was he had allowed his thoughts to wander.
“Alright everyone. Good work,” Konstantin said as the staff got up to leave. “Eduardo, hold up.”
“Sure, Kon,” he grumbled, sitting back down.
Fuck. He really needed to get out of the city. His Bear was tearing him a new asshole, and he needed to let the beast out for a few hours. Some hunting or fishing in his fur would offer a little relief, or so he hoped. But not likely.
“Eduardo,
“I’m fine,” he replied, staring outside at nothing and everything.
Shit. He could hardly focus. His Bear was furious with him. Eddie knew it was a matter of time before he snapped. And when he did, he needed to be sure he was far away from everyone he cared about.
“Yeah, I don’t think so, man.”
“Look, Konstantin, I admit I was not paying attention to everything you were saying, but it doesn’t matter to me how you run this place. I head up security, right? And I promise you I can do my job.”
“Oh, so you don’t care about the rest of it, then? No feelings about the rash of fires across the city, or the fact no one knows why they started,” Konstantin asked, one eyebrow raised, and Eddie knew he’d fucked that one up.
“No! I mean, of course, I care, but I just, what I mean is what the fuck do I know about fires or dancing or cooking, right?”
“Nah, it’s cool. I got you. So, what I need you to do is go check the new Draco Fortis system we installed over by stages 2 and 3. Okay?”
“Yep,” Eddie said, grabbing his tablet.
He left Konstantin’s office, squeezing to one side as Yasmin returned from wherever pregnant females went to pamper themselves these days. She was positively glowing with love and radiant with it.
“Hello Eduardo, where are you going?”
“To check out some cameras for Kon. How you feeling today, Yasmin?”
“Great, thanks. This little cub is going to be a soccer player, I just know it.”
“Is that right? Well, I’ll be rooting for him in the stands,” Eduardo replied and grinned, turning to walk away.
“Hang on,” Yasmin said. “You know, I was just talking to Alina, and she said it’s been a while since you called.”
Eduardo froze. He did not want to get into this right now. Not with his Bear so volatile. But he would never disrespect Yasmin. Not only was she Konstantin’s mate, but she was a friend, and had proven herself loyal and a valuable asset to the club.
Easy, just go easy, he told himself.
“Is something wrong, Eduardo?” Yasmin added. She had her hand on the swell of her belly, and he tensed.
“Yeah, um, no, I mean, I’ve just been busy. And I figured Alina could use some time with you all, getting acclimated to the states and what not,” he muttered, not willing to give any more information than necessary.
“Moya lyiveetsa, are you coming upstairs, or shall I come down?” Konstantin opened his office door, his eyes zeroing in on his mate.
“I’ll be right there,” Yasmin said, lighting up the second she laid eyes on him. “See you later, Eddie. But if you need to talk, you know where I am.”
“Yep. No worries, I’m straight,” he replied on autopilot.
Eddie’s heart squeezed as he realized he was likely to never see that expression on a woman’s face for him. Yasmin and Konstantin loved each other so much, it hurt to be in the same room with them.
It wasn’t that Eddie would never find love. Hell, that part was easy. His Bear had identified his mate the second he’d seen her picture months ago. Alina Petrova was everything soft, beautiful, and desirable to him. Five-foot nine with long blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and the trim, strong figure of a dancer, of course, he was hopelessly drawn to her. But she was so young. So pure and sweet.
Alina was, in a word, perfect. But she was also Konstantin Petrov’s sister. There was a code between brothers. A bond forged in battle, and Eduardo could never dishonor the man who had saved his life by taking something valued so high above himself.
She was a Siberian Tiger Shifter. Twenty years old. Rare. Worthy. When word got out she was unmated, Alina would be courted by kings, for fuck’s sake. How could Eduardo Valens have anything to offer her?
He was ten years her senior. A gun for hire with blood on his hands. His name was shit. He had no family, no Clan, nothing of substance to give her. Yeah, he had a little money, but not more than what her brother could offer.
Truth was, Eddie did not deserve her. The best thing he could do was to get out of her way, let her find the life she deserved. Yeah, watching it would be hell, but he’d been there before.
Mine, growled his Bear.
No. We have to let her go, he told the beast.
His growl reverberated in the small hallway as he made his way to stages 2 and 3. Yeah. He would let her go. It was what was best for her. Eddie had vowed the night he’d rescued her to always do what was best for the small female. He wouldn’t break that vow now on a selfish whim. No, he had to let her go.
Even if it killed him.
CHAPTER TWO
The stage lights were bright, their heat beating down on Alina in her leotard and her soft dance shoes. She was sweating through the tiny spandex thing, despite the chill outside.
“Again,” Alina repeated, barely out of breath, as they finished the last steps of the number she and Yasmin had choreographed.
She had been training with the two females for the last five days under Yasmin’s tutelage, and Alina was having the time of her life. Marcella and Rosalyn were fantastic dancers, if a little bitchy. But that was nothing new.
The dance world was not all pink satin and thunderous applause. It was blood, sweat, tears, and some of the most brutal, back-stabbing Alina had ever witnessed. Both females were Shifters, one a Leopard, and one a Wolf. Once upon a time, they’d been classically trained, but not cut out for the grueling world of ballet.
Marcella and Rosie, as she preferred to be called, had been working for Alina’s brother for years. Now that The Stripe Club was adding more to their routine performances, Alina was determined to be part of it.
After all, what else did the young Tigress have? The Ivanovich Bratva had stolen her right from the Russian ballet she’d been starring in on the night of their final performance. She had been due to audition for another, better role, but missed it with everything else going on in her life.
Truthfully, she was not all that sorry. The cutthroat world of Shifter Ballet demanded sacrifices Alina was no longer of a mind to make. How could she be?
Ever since the big, strong Grizzly Bear busted into her prison, freeing her, and tearing apart the men who held her captive limb from limb, Alina had not been the same. Yes, she had been drugged during most of it, but somehow, deep inside, she had been aware.
With that awareness came recognition that the Bruin was not just some employee of her brother’s. Oh, no. Eduardo Valens was more than that. He was hers. Her fated mate.
Moy bogatyr. My warrior. So fierce and proud.
He was so big and handsome, with warm brown eyes the color of the delicious maple sugar she sprinkled on her oatmeal in the morning.
That was another thing Alina loved about the states. Food. For years, she had been starving herself to be the best dancer she could be. Prima Ballerina had been her dream. But her dreams had changed.
Now, hers were composed of one delicious looking man who, for some reason unbeknownst to her, had disappeared. He was there, technically, but Eduardo had been avoiding her. Almost as if he was in denial now that the dust had settled.
Maybe she was unattractive to him in the light of day. Maybe her Tigress had made a big mistake imprinting on him the second the fog had cleared from her mind.
No. He is mine.
“Alina, we need a break,” Rosie complained, and she turned her head, ready to snap at the female.
Thank goodness she had enough presence of mind to stop herself. Alina forced a smile on her face and nodded. These American dancers were not used to the grueling pace of the Russian Shifter ballet instructors who’d trained Alina.
