The Enchanted: Council of Seven Shifter Romance Collection

by Juniper Hart

  Marcel’s forehead creased, and he thought about what he was being told. If Patricia Hutton had been in on the scheme, how had she ended up dead? It made sense that the magazine would do its due diligence and ensure that it was, in fact, the senator’s mistress they were dealing with before sending anyone across the country, which meant Patricia had to be part of the story somehow.

  Was she one of the women that Gabriel turned? If Gabriel had killed her, that didn’t make any sense. He couldn’t risk losing females in his pack since he was unable to turn any more humans into Lycans.

  “The next thing I remember was you being there,” Sammy continued. “I don’t know what else to tell you.”

  “You didn’t see them attack Emily? Was she hurt? Did you see anything else?” Marcel was wondering if, even in his dazed state, Sammy had seen Gabriel or Aiden shift, even if he thought it was a delusion. The last thing Marcel needed was to combat yet another problem or protect another mortal who might be onto their secret.

  “Like what?” Sammy asked. Marcel could sense his confusion. “I have no idea who they were.”

  “Was there anything remarkable about them? Something that might help to narrow down who they were?” Sammy continued to stare at him blankly, and a slight sense of relief touched Marcel. At least I don’t have to contend with that.

  “How many times do I need to tell you, Marcel? I have no clue what those guys wanted!”

  “How do you know?” The suspicion returned to Sammy’s eyes, and Marcel stifled a sigh.

  “You know something I don’t,” Sammy accused.

  “Just rest, Sammy. You’ve been through quite an ordeal,” Marcel said, turning for the door. “Do you need anything?”

  “I need to know what’s going on!” Sammy cried, but Marcel shook his head.

  “Trust me,” he mumbled. “It’s better that you don’t know.” He vanished before Sammy could come up with another protest and hurried out of the hospital, his mind racing. The key to finding Emily lied with Patricia Hutton. The problem was, now that she was a murder victim, hacking into her emails was going to create a flag to law enforcement.

  It doesn’t matter, Marcel thought, grinding his teeth. Not if it brings me closer to Emily.

  Trace gave him a worried look. “I don’t think this is a good idea,” the tech muttered. “It will trigger an alert to every government agency looking into this murder—”

  “I know what it will do!” Marcel barked angrily. “Just do it. I want to know what was said exactly and for you to trace the IPs. I want to know where they were sent from.”

  “Marcel, you’re putting the Enchanted on the radar,” Trace told him quietly. “This isn’t going to be looked upon kindly if the Council learns about it.”

  “Let me handle the Council,” Marcel snarled. “You need to follow instructions and stop asking questions.”

  Trace didn’t respond and instead moved his focus back to the computer screen, an intensity forming on his face as he sorted through the files he’d been asked to hack.

  “Well?” Marcel demanded. “What do you have?”

  “Marcel, I’ll work better if you’re not breathing down my neck,” Trace muttered, but Marcel didn’t move. His back was so rigid, he was sure it was going to snap under the pressure. After several minutes, Trace shook his head.

  “The IP address is the same. All the emails came from the same house where Gabriel took the girl.”

  “Emily,” Marcel said angrily. “Her name is Emily.”

  Trace shrugged and glanced over his shoulder. “I don’t know what else to tell you.”

  “Are there other emails on that server? Who else was she talking to? Who else is on her contact list?”

  Trace sighed. “No one. The only emails are to the magazine. I’m guessing that the server was set up only for that purpose.”

  “You’re guessing?”

  “Marcel, I’m doing my best here.”

  “Gabriel had to be in contact with her somehow! Run Patricia’s phone.”

  “Marcel…”

  “Trace, your job is not to question me. Your job is to do what your leader tells you.”

  Unless my leader is acting irrationally, Trace thought loudly. Marcel read the fear in his face as he looked nervously back at him to see if he had heard.

  “Do it,” Marcel hissed, fury painting his face. “Don’t make me tell you again!”

  Trace swallowed visibly, and his fingers flew over the keyboard as Marcel began to pace the floor behind his desk.

  This is just wasting time. There has to be another way to find her. But he knew he was out of options. If Trace didn’t find anything, he was going to be in the same position as anyone else looking for Gabriel and his illicit pack. They’re a band of thieves and liars. Someone always drinks too much, spends too much, dopes too much in a pack like that. If need be, I’ll hit the slums and start in the gutters.

  “I’m printing out a list of numbers and the names associated with them,” Trace mumbled. “But I’ve definitely alerted the authorities to my presence.”

  “Can you be tracked back here?” Marcel asked, even though the answer didn’t affect him one way or another. He would just move Trace’s headquarters elsewhere if he had to.

  “Of course not,” Trace scoffed. “But they definitely know someone else is looking.”

  “Fine,” Marcel said crisply, snatching the freshly printed sheet from the printer and moving toward the door. “If there’s any sign of trouble, let me know.” He paused in the doorway and glared at Trace. “I’m not acting irrational, by the way,” he murmured. “That’s my mate out there, and she was my responsibility to protect.”

  “I didn’t mean anything by it, Marcel. I’ve just never seen you act this way before.”

  “I’ve never had cause to act this way before,” Marcel countered. “I won’t rest until she is found.”

  Trace nodded slowly and hung his head. “You know I’m at your disposal, Marcel.”

  “I’m counting on that.” He hurried out of Trace’s lab, the list clenched in his hand.

  I’ve got some places to visit, he thought grimly. In his gut, though, he knew that Gabriel wouldn’t make it so easy. After all, the Lycan had been evading justice for almost a decade. He’s not foolproof. He’s bound to make a mistake sooner or later. Maybe I’m lucky enough to find it.

  Fate had brought him and Emily back together, like they had always been meant to be. He wasn’t going to let Gabriel take her away from him again.

  But when Marcel took a closer look at the addresses in his hand, his heart sank. A quick Google search of the places listed proved his fears to be true. Aside from the incoming calls from Emily’s phone, the only outgoing numbers were linked to take-out places.

  She was using this phone to order food and contact Emily, he realized. She must have had a burner phone to deal with Gabriel.

  Slowly, the hope he’d clung to fizzled away to a deep despair. Tracking a burner phone if he didn’t have a serial number would be impossible. It was nearly impossible to know where Gabriel had been to buy one for Patricia’s use. He dropped his head back against the leather headrest of the driver’s seat and exhaled deeply.

  I haven’t given up on you Emily, Marcel thought, but you need to help me. Where are you?

  Of course, only silence met his plea.

  12

  The suite Emily had been given was bigger than anything she had ever seen in her life. Her wrists were still sore from being tied, but the jacuzzi tub in the ensuite boasted sea salts for her to soak the aches in her body away.

  There was something fairy-tale-esque about the entire mansion which housed the illegal pack, and while Emily hadn’t met the others yet, she could imagine why they lived in harmony and out of reach of the rest of the Enchanted. She couldn’t be sure where they were, but a glimpse out the rectangular windows indicated that they were surrounded by woods on all side, and the flora indicated that they were still on the west coast somewhere.r />
  This is my home now, she thought, and she was neither happy nor miserable about the situation. A certain apathy had settled into her bones, Gabriel’s words still echoing through her mind. The more she thought about what he’d said, the more she realized that she had been blinded by her feelings for Marcel. He hated me when we were kids. He sold me out to a maniac. I would have been better off being put to death by the Council.

  A small part of her wanted to forgive Marcel for what he’d done, but the fact that he had lied about his intentions with her was far more devastating than the realization that he’d told Gabriel about her.

  It doesn’t matter, she thought. I’m where I’m supposed to be now. At least I know exactly what I’m getting into here, and there will be no surprises.

  Someone was knocking on the door, and Emily made her way through the bedroom toward the sitting room. She opened the door and stared at the unfamiliar face before her.

  “Oh… hi,” she muttered, eyeing the man leering at her.

  “Hi,” he purred, sauntering in without an invitation. “So, you’re Emily, huh?”

  She folded her arms over her chest. “I am. And who might you be?”

  “I’m Boone.” He looked around her room and whistled appreciatively. “I can’t believe one of these suites is finally occupied,” he continued, a gleeful note in his voice. “Wow. Eight years.”

  “Can I help you, Boone?” Emily asked coldly. “I was just getting settled in.”

  He cast her a lazy smile. “Oh, sure, sure,” he conceded, remaining in place. “I just wanted to come to introduce myself before the others come in and suffocate you. I hope you’ll remember my smiling face.” He grinned, but there was a deep treachery beneath the surface as he extended his hand for her to take.

  Emily eyed it with mild disgust but accepted it quickly, anyway.

  “I gotta ask,” Boone continued without making a move to leave. “How did Gabriel convince you to stay?”

  Emily’s gaze fixed on his face. “Should I have needed convincing to stay?” she asked. “Shouldn’t I want to be with my pack?”

  Boone seemed surprised by her response. “You would think so, wouldn’t you?”

  “But?”

  “Well, none of you stuck around after you were turned. We’ve been looking for you since that witch stripped Gabriel of his powers to turn anyone else.”

  “That was probably for his own benefit,” Emily said dryly, though she found the information interesting. None of the women came looking for the pack. Even if I never had any intention of staying, if I’d known I’d been turned, I would have come to meet them, I’m sure.

  She wondered if all the other women had suffered the same fate as her, if any of them knew they were Lycans. Emily didn’t voice her theory aloud, but it was something to consider. Perhaps she would help Gabriel find the other women. She shouldn’t have to be there alone with those heathens. She shuddered slightly as the idea of carrying children from Boone or Gabriel crossed her mind.

  It’s only for procreation, she reminded herself. It’s not like you have to like them. There was technology for that now, ways in which she could become pregnant without ever touching these beasts. And you’ll live in a secluded mansion and bear a few children for the most despicable of the Enchanted. Dad would be so proud.

  “Ah, you have daddy issues,” Boone chuckled. “That’s how he got most of us, too.”

  Emily’s jaw clenched as she realized he was reading her thoughts. “Let’s lay down some ground rules, shall we?”

  Boone smirked. “Like what?”

  “Stay out of my mind, and I’ll stay out of yours.” Boone’s grin widened, and his pink tongue jutted out to run over his even, ivory teeth.

  “No offense, princess, but you’re really not in a position to make demands of anyone.”

  “Oh, no?” she asked, sashaying toward him. “I would say I’m the one in the best position to make demands.” Boone’s smile faded, and a look of anger fell on his face as he glowered at her.

  “I hope you and I aren’t getting off on the wrong foot, Emily,” he snapped. “You don’t know who you’re dealing with.”

  “I’ve dealt with worse,” Emily retorted, stalking back toward the door. “Get out.” Her pulse was racing, but she kept her mind clear, certain that Boone would try to probe her. Suddenly, she was having second thoughts about what she’d agreed to with Gabriel.

  “I’ll leave when I’m good and ready,” he sulked. Emily only waited for him, unblinking. They stared at one another for a long moment, and she was about to say something so scathing she was sure he’d spend an hour licking his ego’s wounds when Gabriel appeared in the doorway. His face twisted into a scowl, but his ire was with Boone, not Emily.

  “What did I tell you about bothering her?” he hissed, striding into the room. His fingers transformed into claws, and they dug into Boone’s arm so deeply, the being whimpered in pain. “GET OUT!” Gabriel howled, throwing Boone through the open doorway, and he landed against the far wall with a dull thud. Gabriel slammed the door in his wake, not bothering to see if Boone was hurt, and he turned to Emily, shaking his head apologetically.

  “I warned them all to give you your space,” he told her. “I had a feeling one or two would disobey. Lock your door going forward, and don’t answer it for anyone but me.”

  Emily’s mouth became a fine line. “So, I’m a prisoner because these fools can’t be controlled?” she demanded, even if she was secretly grateful for Gabriel’s interception. It wasn’t that she’d been worried Boone would do anything, but his presence had unnerved her enough to reconsider her situation.

  “You’re not a prisoner, Emily. You’re the only female in the pack right now. I know you’re new to all this, but that is a position to be revered. These morons haven’t been in the presence of a lady in a while, so you need to forgive them while they remember their manners.”

  “So, I’m being locked away for my own safety.”

  “You’re not in any danger here, Emily, not while you’re under my protection. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? I promised you security, luxury…” He waved his hands around the room as if to make his point. “I won’t disappoint you.”

  Emily lowered her gaze and bit on her lower lip.

  “Emily,” Gabriel went on, “this is a transition, but you need to be patient. Good things don’t happen overnight.”

  “Good things don’t happen, not to me.”

  “That’s going to change.” Cautiously, he moved toward her and put an arm on her shoulder. Emily didn’t flinch at his touch. It was oddly comforting in her confusion. “Why don’t you get settled in, and I’ll have some food brought up for you. I know it’s been a while, but are you still a fan of Italian food?”

  A wash of heat and cold fell over Emily simultaneously, a bittersweetness accompanying the question. He knows that because he followed me. Marcel remembered I liked Italian because I spent time at his house under false pretenses. Which one is worse?

  “I still like Italian,” she muttered. “But I’m not hungry.”

  “You will be,” Gabriel told her lightly. “Why don’t you have a bath? There’s a jacuzzi tub, you know?”

  Her eyes lifted toward him, and she studied his face, wondering if he’d been outside her suite the entire time, listening to her thoughts. Does it really matter anyway? You’re basically pack property.

  “You’re no one’s property.”

  Emily sighed. “You need to stay out of my thoughts. This isn’t going to work if I’m fighting off seven pack members probing my mind.”

  “Eight,” Gabriel corrected and chuckled. “But you’re right. You’re entitled to your privacy after you earn it, Emily. I want to believe you’re here because you want to be and not because you’re going to double-cross me.”

  Her eyes widened, and she blinked. It hadn’t even occurred to her to do that.

  “Double-cross you how?” she asked, and Gabriel smiled thinly.

&n
bsp; “I don’t want to give you any ideas,” he said teasingly, but there was an underlying seriousness in his words.

  “If you’re worried about me going to Marcel, I won’t,” she assured him. “He’s off the hook when it comes to me now.” Gabriel nodded slowly.

  “Like I said, I believe you, but you’ll have to understand if I proceed with caution.” He headed toward the door. “Make yourself comfortable, Emily. You won’t be bothered again, I promise. Sorry about Boone.”

  An unexpected rush of affection toward Gabriel seized Emily. He’s been the only one who’s been straight with me in my life. I have no reason to distrust him, no matter what everyone else has said about him or what he’s done.

  “Thank you, Gabriel,” she called after him, and he turned to look at her in surprise.

  “No, Emily, thank you,” he said, and they shared a warm smile. When the door closed, she hurried forward to lock it as she’d been instructed, but she trusted that no one else would catch her off guard. Gabriel was looking out for her.

  She wondered what Marcel would have to say about that. Would he feel as betrayed as she had? Even in her upset, she hoped not. Even if their entire friendship had been a lie, Emily had cared about Marcel, despite just being some project to him.

  She padded across the marble floors toward the bathroom and began to disrobe from the filthy clothes she’d been wearing since her capture. Gabriel had promised to send in a personal shopper over the next few days.

  I’ll be the best-dressed prisoner on the west coast, she thought dryly, reaching forward to turn on the faucet. All dressed up with no place to go. She thought about the date that Marcel had taken her on, and her gut flipped in distress. He’s probably resting a lot easier now that he doesn’t have to worry about me. Even if he wanted to find me, he wouldn’t be able to.

  A deep melancholy gripped her heart, and Emily swallowed the lump forming in her throat. There was no point in getting emotional now. She’d made her choice, and her fate was sealed. She was doing what was best for everyone now.