The Shadow Wolf (5 page)

Wild amber eyes met hers.

The wolf was king. If he wanted, the wolf could track her scent, have her on the ground before she could escape.

Though her heart pounded hard, Megan held her position. She returned the wolf's dominating look. She blinked, and the wolf was gone, replaced by a man wearing a white shirt and khaki shorts.

Gabriel.

Sea mist dampened his dark hair. His muscled body was hard with sexual aggression. He stalked toward her with determined purpose. Afraid of his power, she stood her ground. Megan refused to lower her gaze as other Draicon would do facing a predator.

“I can smell your fear. I told you before, I won't hurt you,” he said softly. “How long have you been watching?”

“I just got here,” she admitted. “It was fascinating watching you as a wolf. I can't remember how long it's been since I saw a Draicon shift and we're prohibited from shifting into wolves on Shadow Island.”

“Why can't you shift?”

“I guess they're afraid we'll become more powerful as invisible wolves than invisible in our human form.”

Raw sexuality radiated from him. Megan swallowed hard. “I didn't come to spy on you. I came looking for you to tell you something.”

He stopped close enough for her to smell his delicious maleness mingling with evergreen and rain. Passion filled his heated gaze. His nostrils flared as if he'd caught her scent. A pulse hammered at the base of his throat.

“Tell me what,
chère?
”

Though she was still untouched, Megan sensed his desire. He wanted her, badly. And animal instinct fought for control of the man. Something inside her clawed to the surface, wanting him just as badly.

Gabriel unclenched his fists. He caught her hand in his and turned it over. The gentleness of the gesture contrasted sharply to his earlier display of brute strength. He ran a thumb over her cut.

“It's starting to heal already. Good.” He dropped her hand and traced a line along her jaw. His touch was gentle, but she instinctively recognized the possessiveness.

A wolf marking his territory.

“Tell you…” She halted, shuddering with pleasure as he stroked a line down the sensitive curve of her neck.

He dropped his hands. “Go back to the cottage. The storm's getting closer and the twins will be scared.”

“Why are you so concerned when all you'll do is turn them over to the authorities? For all the stories I've heard about you…”

He swore softly, his expression growing cold and dangerous. “I'm not what you think, Megan. Don't underestimate me.”

As he started to push past her, she blurted out, “I know who blew up the bridge. I think it was the same man from the restaurant, a man with silver hair.”

“Why are you telling me now? Why not before?”

“We're stuck here together and I need your help getting off this island. If this man is determined to trap us, can we leave? You said you had other boats. Are they nearby?”

“What were you and the girls doing on the dock?”

Softness laced the steely words. When she didn't answer, he stepped behind her and placed his palms on her shoulders. His touch was gentle, but she sensed his determination. He would have answers.

“I told you, you're safe here. I won't hurt you.” His fingers began to knead her muscles, sending delicious heat spiraling through her body. Earlier tension evaporated, replaced by sensual need. Her head tilted back like a sunflower seeking warmth.

Gabriel wrapped his arms around her waist. Power was in those strong limbs. He bent his head, warm breath feathering over her cheek.

“Tell me, Megan.”

“The boats were useless, anyway.” She trembled with sudden need.

“I know. I disabled them to keep you here.” She quivered with anticipation as his mouth nuzzled her neck.

Struggling to keep her thoughts straight, Megan stiffened. “Hope you didn't disable the inflatables, too. Where are they?”

“In a safe place,
chère.
”

“Are you sure? Maybe I can help you secure them before the storm.” A low moan escaped her as his fingers stroked over the sides of her neck.

“No.”

His hands anchored her to him. His hard male body was filled with enormous power. Yet the hands now splayed over her belly were gentle and his lips tracing a line down to her collarbone were soft and warm.

A different hardness pressed into her backside. A whimper of erotic pleasure tore from her throat as his hands drifted lower, palming her lower belly, pressing her against his erection.

A vision arose in her mind. She was naked on all fours as Gabriel knelt behind her, his large hands on her hips, his face etched with ruthless intent as he took her in the traditional position of a wolf claiming its mate….

Megan slammed a door on the image.
Never.

Trying to regain her lost composure, she jerked out of his embrace. How could she feel this way about her jailer?

“Stop doing this to me,” she whispered.

Amber burned in his dark eyes. “Doing what,
chère?
”

“Making me want you. The vision you put in my mind, me, you, naked together.”

A muscle clenched in his taut jaw. “That wasn't me.”

Stunned, she stared. “How can I know you're not manipulating me? You're not forcing me to feel like this?”

“I wouldn't,” he said quietly. “I may be many things, but I'd never force you mentally or any other way. Megan, you have nothing to fear from me. Soon, you will come to trust in that.”

“I've had others tell me the same. Why should I believe you won't hurt me, Enforcer?”

“Because when I find the one who left those bruises, and I will find him, I'll do this to him or anyone else who dares to touch you.”

He plucked out a heavy paving stone from the pathway. A chill raced down her spine as he crushed it in one hand. Caught by the increasing wind, the powder blew away.

“I don't make promises I can't keep, not anymore. But I will promise you this. That sonofabitch will pay for your pain.”

Gabriel dusted off his hands and jogged away.

Numb with shock, she stared at the missing paver. Gabriel was no ordinary Draicon. He was more than a dangerous adversary. He was lethal to anyone opposing him.

Who was Gabriel Robichaux and what secrets did he hide?

A
s night fell, the hurricane began battering the tiny island. Wind whistled through the trees and thunder crackled and boomed.

Megan let out a small gasp as a thick branch hit the roof. The news magazine she'd been reading fell to the couch beside her.

Lying on the floor, Gabriel looked up from the board game he played with Jillian and Jennifer. He felt her anxiety as if she'd telegraphed it, just as he'd felt it on the beach when she'd seen him run as wolf. Stupid of him to release his beast, but fortunately Megan had little contact with Draicon.

She could never guess his secret.

“Don't worry,
chère.
This cottage, she's built like a tank.”

After the rain began, trepidation replaced the twins' excitement about the oncoming storm. He'd coaxed them to help cook one of his Cajun specialties. After dinner he taught them Wii bowling.

Now he was successfully losing at Monopoly.

“The roof on our house leaks so much that we can't sleep because all our beds get soaked. I patched it with tarps and duct tape, but it didn't help. Still, it's better than sleeping out on the beach,” Megan told him.

He could feel his wolf clawing to the surface. Gabriel tipped his cowboy hat down, hiding the telltale flash in his eyes.

Your eyes, oh Gabriel, what's happening with your eyes?

“Duct tape? Not a hammer and roofing nails?” He rolled the dice.

“Shadows aren't permitted anything that can be used as a weapon. If you want something fixed, you put your name on a waiting list for a licensed repairman. It's a very long list, unless you pay a lot of money to have your name moved up.”

“When did this start?”

Megan frowned. “When Governor Sacks changed the rules four years ago. He wasn't so bad before. I guess he got greedy, seeing the chance to make a profit as he split bribes with licensed repairmen. And…other things.”

He moved his car token on the board to Jillian's smug smile. “Boardwalk,” she crowed, holding out her hand. “Ten hundred million dollars, please.”

“You're a very demanding landlord.”

“Someone has to pay to get our roof fixed,” Jennifer told him.

Gabriel shelled out the correct amount of bills to Jillian. “Have you gone through official channels and filed a formal complaint with the council?”

“Those fools? Shadows have no rights,” Megan said as she thumbed through the magazine. “No books or magazines, either. Nothing to read, except what we can buy on the black market.”

“What do you do for fun?”

A yearning entered her blue eyes. “We're too busy moving for fun. I've always dreamed of having a real home like this.” Megan tossed aside the magazine. “It's just a dream. Maybe, someday.”

Jennifer rolled and selected a card from the stack. Her face wrinkled as she studied the words and she scrambled to her feet. “Megan, what does it say?”

“It's a Get out of Jail Free card. Save it, sweetie. Very valuable.”

“Jenny, can't you read?” he asked.

“A little. Megan teaches us, even though she's not supposed
to.” Jennifer clapped a hand over her mouth. “I'm not supposed to say. If anyone finds out, they'll punish us. Shadows can't go to school.”

Megan tensed until Gabriel offered a small smile. “It's okay, Jenny. I won't tell.”

Still, she didn't lose her wariness. She reminded him of a wild animal caught in a trap. Megan shifted, the move accentuating the thrust of her breasts against the T-shirt. There was nothing overtly sexual about it, yet he felt a hard kick of desire.

Gabriel stretched out his long legs. For years he'd dealt with female Shadows without any intense reaction. When he'd seen her on the beach, his wolf wanted to mark her as his own. The urge overrode common sense.

Around Megan, he'd nearly lost control. It was almost as if she was…

She couldn't be his destined mate. Long ago, he'd thought the same of another woman and it had landed him in trouble. He stopped seeking emotional intimacy. Still, he sent a gentle probe into her mind, testing to see if the bond was there. When he met a blank wall, he felt a curious mixture of relief and disappointment.

He didn't want a destined mate, who would hold the missing half of his magick. Hell, bonding with him was lethal. Most Draicon yearned to find their mates and exchange powers during a sexual mating lock. But how could he share his powers and turn his mate into something dark and dangerous?

His brothers had mates and even Alex was dating again. Gabriel quietly resigned himself to being alone forever. Sometimes the loneliness was a crushing weight, but it was better for all.

The rain finally eased and the crashes of thunder moved away. When the girls began yawning, Megan glanced at the clock on the fireplace mantel.

“Time for bed,” she told them.

Gabriel stood, scooped a twin under each arm as his hat tum
bled to the floor. They giggled as he jogged to the back bedroom. It had single beds with clean white sheets turned down for the night.

“Gabriel, can you read us a story?” Jenny called.

At the doorway, he stared at the cozy scene of two identical girls dressed in green pajamas sitting in their beds. A lump lodged in his throat. Amelia, the red ribbon in her curls matching her candy-striped pajamas. Expectation dancing on her face as she held out her favorite storybook. Alex mock-punching him in the arm. “Go on, Gabe, read to her. Good practice for when you become a father.”

Shaking the vision free, he forced a smile. “Megan should do it.”

With exact control, he headed into the kitchen. Cooking always made him feel human. Gabriel washed sweet peppers and onions and set them aside. A frown touched his brow as he scanned his prize collection of knives.

The butcher knife was missing.

A delicate floral scent drifted into the kitchen. Gabriel faced the doorway. Light gleamed off the sharp steel blade in Megan's hand. Her entire body tensed like a stretched rubber band. The acid stench of her fear swam in his nostrils.

“Come toward me slowly with your hands raised. No shifting, no quick moves. I can shift into Shadow and stab you before you know what hit you.”

“Do you really want to hurt me,
chère?
”

“Shut up.” She gestured with the butcher knife. “Over there, by the fridge.”

He moved slowly as to not alarm her.

“Now put your hands behind you.”

When she took out several zip ties from her pocket, he had to admire her inventiveness. “Take those from my tool bag?”

Suddenly she vanished. Gabriel jerked his head around.

She was gone.

He felt a prick at his throat, then something slip around his wrists, looping to the fridge doors behind him.

A voice spoke close to his ear. “Jillian did. Why do you think she went looking for you?”

“Using a child to do something this deceptive. Ah, Megan, I'm disappointed.” He didn't bother to test the cuffs. If needed, he could break free in a heartbeat. Instead, he tracked her scent to the counter and watched her reappear. In her hands she held a heavy silver fork wrapped in a dish towel. Megan slid the fork between the cufflinks and his hands and tossed the towel aside.

“The cuffs won't hold you, but the silver will drain your powers.”

No, he thought. It took more than a fork to affect his kind. More like a cafeteria filled with silver.

“Why now, Megan? Why not try before the hurricane?”

“I told you, the girls can't swim and I'm not risking their lives. I'll do whatever I can to keep them safe. They're all I have, understand? And you're not going to hurt them, and neither is anyone else. They deserve a life.”

The vulnerability shadowing her face turned his heart over. “And you don't? What about your needs, Megan?”

She dragged in a tremulous breath. “I just want to save them. It's too late for me,” she whispered.

Gabriel's guts clenched. “You're only twenty-six. So much pain I see inside your eyes. Who hurt you,
chère?
Who hurt you this badly?”

Her lower lip wobbled. Her thoughts flashed bright as a sun flare.
I can't trust anyone. No one gives a damn about me.

A fierce scowl tightened her face. “Stop doing that. You know, reading my mind.”

“Can't help it. Your thoughts are like a tiger prowling in the bayou. They stand out.”

Immediately he got an image of a brick wall. Megan turned ashen as Gabriel silently cursed. He had to win her trust. He
sent her a reassuring image of a waterfall surrounded by children laughing and frolicking. For an instant, the bricks slowly toppled downward, as if hit by a heavy sledgehammer. He seized his chance and locked her mind to his, forcing his thoughts upon her.

Don't be afraid.

Go away.
The thought was shrill inside his head.

You know these won't hold me. I can snap out of them before you make it to the kitchen door. C'mon
chère,
work with me. I promise you, I'll keep you safe.

I'm a fool if I believe you.

Do you really think I'd let you risk your life in this storm?

I'd cut my own throat with that knife before I allowed that to happen, because I vowed to always take care of my own.

That thought startled the
hell
out of him. Gabriel went still, shocked by the fierce declaration. A nagging suspicion flared. Megan was an assignment. A Shadow needing help. Yet he'd never felt such intensity. Not even with the woman who'd run from him screaming a full century before.

“Take these cuffs off,” he urged.

“No.” She backed away, the knife lowered. She was feeling the shock, as well.

Gabriel tried for humor. “I could rip off the doors to free myself, but
chère,
this fridge, Alex is still paying for it and he'd kill me.”

“Please, don't make me do this.” The plea was a faint whisper. The knife clattered to the tile floor, echoing in the sudden silence.

His heart thudded against his chest. When her thoughts surfaced, Gabriel seized the moment. The strong ties binding his wrist snapped like thread. He stepped forward, staring down into her eyes.

He pulled her into his arms. She went without resistance. She
felt good, soft and giving, and yet her femininity hid a core of steel.

Steel forged by hellfire, by pain. If he could, he'd remove her pain.

Cupping her face in his warm palms, he kissed her gently, oh so gently. Megan's eyes closed. Encouraged, he deepened the kiss.

A shock surged through him, as if electrical current sizzled through the fusing contact of their mouths. It made any kiss he'd ever experienced feel tame. Jerking away, Megan rubbed her mouth. Shock dawned in her eyes.

“No,” she whispered.

“Yes,”
he breathed. He slid a trembling hand around the nape of her neck, pulled her forward and kissed her again.

This time, she clutched his shoulders, nails digging into his shirt. Pleasure and pain mingled as he swept his tongue inside her mouth, seeking, finding, holding her. Claiming her with his mouth, staking his mark on her. Her soft, pliant body trembled as he reversed positions and pushed her against the cool, hard steel. He felt her breasts and their pearl-hard nipples press against him as she drank in his mouth. She smelled warm and sweet, and he inhaled deeply, drawing her scent into his lungs.

Beneath the urgent pressure of his mouth, Megan made a low sound. He released her, panting raggedly, staring into the dark blueness of eyes shining with confusion and desire.

Gabriel fisted his hands as thunder suddenly crashed and wind pushed against the tight enclosure of the shutters.

Megan was no ordinary Shadow.

She was his destined mate. The female he was to bond with, who would know all his intimate secrets as she knew his body.

He was in deep trouble.