by Juniper Hart
Considering the way I was raised, I would be an idiot to think any other way.
“Excuse me.”
She froze in her tracks. Even though every instinct was telling her to move along, for some inexplicable reason, she didn’t. Her dark eyes rested on a stunning pair of aquamarine ones, and her heart skipped a beat as she took in the handsomeness of the man before her. He was too old to be an undergraduate student, possibly in his late twenties, but there was something inherently frat-boyish about him with his taut, defiant jaw and blond hair.
“Yes?” Danica heard herself murmuring.
“I’m looking for Chasity Hall. Is it around here?”
Her eyes narrowed, her gut yelling at her to deny and walk away. He could find a map. He had Google. Danica was not the internet.
“It’s back that way,” she said instead, pointing in the direction she’d come. “Stay to the left of this path. But it won’t be open at this hour.”
“Oh, no, I didn’t think it would,” he chuckled, drawing closer to her. Danica tensed as he neared. “I have a lecture there in the morning, and I’m trying to get my bearings.”
“Oh. Are you a student?” She loathed the note of hopefulness she heard in her tone.
He laughed, displaying a set of even, white teeth, and shook his head. “No—I’m a little old for that,” he snickered. “I’m a guest speaker.”
Danica felt herself both offended and impressed by his response.
What’s wrong with being a mature student? she wanted to ask, but she didn’t bother. She’d never see this guy again in her life. There was no need for him to know who she was, was there?
“Well, good luck,” she muttered, turning away.
“Wait a second.”
She stifled a sigh and glanced over her shoulder. “Yes?”
“What’s your name?”
Why? What’s it to you? She was beginning to feel like her body had been overtaken by someone else entirely.
“Danica.”
“That’s a pretty name,” he replied, grinning alluringly again. “Are you a student here?”
“Yes…”
You shouldn’t be talking to strange men in the middle of the night, a voice screamed in her ear, but no amount of reason sent her fleeing. If anything, this random conversation was intriguing Danica, countering every defense she’d ever built over the years. There was something hypnotic about the man’s ethereal eyes which seemed to lull her into a sense of security. A false sense of security. Ted Bundy was charming, too.
“Then you must know the good bars around here,” the stranger said. “Care to join me for a drink?”
“I…” The invitation shocked Danica, and she was sure it showed in her cocoa-colored eyes.
He’s asking me out on a date, not trying to wrangle me into the darkness. That’s not weird… is it? Danica tried to remember the last time anyone had asked her on a date. She wasn’t even sure she recalled how to ask someone else on one.
“I have to study,” she said shortly, some semblance of common sense overwriting the unwarranted attraction she had toward this man.
“For what subject?” The question caught her off guard. He was calling her on her lie.
“Sociology.”
His eyes widened with interest.
“What a coincidence,” he chuckled. “That’s what I have a PhD in. Maybe I can help.”
Her lips parted, yet no sound came out of them. What were the chances that she’d picked the very subject he was an expert in?
“Who says I need help?” she challenged, trying to regain some modicum of power in the conversation. She couldn’t say why, but it felt like she was falling victim to this man.
Ridiculous. If he wanted to kill you, he would have done it by now.
“Everyone needs help sometimes,” he answered smoothly. “Sometimes you don’t even realize it until someone offers it.”
“I’m fine, thank you. I really have to go.” Danica spun to hurry away before he could change her mind, but she wasn’t fast enough.
“You haven’t even asked how I might help you,” he called out, and Danica gritted her teeth together, loathing that she kept stopping to hear him out.
“Maybe that’s because I know I’m good.”
“Are you?” The question was loaded. Of course she wasn’t good. She hadn’t been good her whole adult life. How could this guy know that, though? “What if I could make your life better, Danica?”
Her eyes were slits as she whirled around and glared mercilessly at him.
“Buddy, who the hell are you?” she demanded. To her surprise, his grin broadened, and he extended a hand genially.
“Forgive me,” he laughed. “My name is Gabriel.”
The name sent shivers through her body, and she found herself taking his hand. Electricity passed through her in a thousand joules of energy, but Danica couldn’t be sure if it was a good or bad thing. The contact of their skin sent uneasiness and excitement through her.
“What if I could offer you something you never thought was possible?” he continued, as though she’d agreed to whatever he was going on about.
“What makes you think that I want anything more out of my life?” she insisted, wondering if her emotions were so transparent that any weirdo could read them on her face as she passed by.
“Everyone wants more out of their life,” Gabriel replied. “Even if they don’t realize it.” Danica waited, consciously aware of the fact that he hadn’t released her hand.
“And what is it you’re offering?” she asked dryly. “Tutoring?”
Gabriel laughed loudly, his voice reverberating through the quad to fall back in her ears. Was there something menacing underlying, or was the very nature of their encounter unnerving?
“If you come with me, Danica, you will have more knowledge than you’ll ever need. People will be coming to you for wisdom, not vice versa.”
“You’ll excuse me if I don’t jump on your snake-oil schtick,” Danica told him, finally taking her hand from his. “This is California, after all.” Gabriel chortled, the amusement in his eyes clear.
“I wouldn’t expect you to take my word for it,” he agreed. “That’s why I brought proof.” A low whistle escaped his throat, and out of the shadows emerged several beasts, causing a shriek of terror to escape her lips.
Oh, my God… What are those?
“They’re wolves; shifters,” Gabriel explained as the pack drew closer around her. Their eyes glowed like embers in the night, and Danica tried to back away, fear mounting inside her to choke the breath from her lungs.
“You don’t need to be afraid, Danica,” Gabriel said gently. “We don’t want to hurt you.”
“W-what do you want?” she rasped.
“We want you to join us.”
Her eyes almost bugged from her head, and she shook her head vehemently.
“Why?” she heard herself demand. Why would you ever offer someone like me something so precious?
“Why not? You’re beautiful, intelligent, and precisely what our pack needs. Please say you’ll consider it.” Gabriel spoke with such assurance, she wondered if he was seeing something in her that didn’t exist.
“I-I…”
“It looks lot scarier than it actually is,” he assured her. “I’m offering you a life of immortality, the freedom to come and go as you please. You can travel the entire world, experience everything, and live forever.”
“What?”
He’s insane. This is insane. I’m dreaming.
“You can join us,” Gabriel said. “The procedure is very simple.”
“Procedure?”
“Just take her!” one of the massive beasts hissed through shiny teeth, and Danica stepped back, dizziness overcoming her.
“Shut up, Aiden!” Gabriel growled, the geniality evaporating from his tone. He turned his attention back toward her and smiled. “Ignore him and focus on me, Danica, and what I’m offering you.”
“Why me?”
she whispered. “What’s so special about me?” She heard a titter of amusement flow through the group, but she didn’t understand it.
“You are special,” Gabriel insisted, closing the short distance between them and recapturing her hands before she could move. “Look at me.”
Again, she was drawn to his gaze as if pulled by magnets.
“You’ve been selected after careful consideration,” he began. “We have examined many possibilities, and you are the one who best suits our needs.”
Danica’s brow furrowed in more confusion.
“What needs?” she demanded. “I don’t understand what you want from me.”
“You will,” Gabriel assured her. “But first, you must agree to being turned.”
She would have laughed if she hadn’t been so scared. They’re crazy. They’re a cult of beasts—
“This is a lot to process,” Gabriel told her. “And we will not force you to decide right now.”
“What?” one of the werewolves spat. “Gabriel, there’s no time—”
He whipped his head around to glower at the scrawniest wolf surrounding them, Aiden, and he instantly clamped his mouth closed. Still, Danica could see that Aiden was unimpressed at being silenced again.
“There’s time,” Gabriel said gently. “But not a lot of time. If you refuse, we will simply have to find another to replace you.”
A shocking bolt of jealousy shot through Danica, the feeling completely foreign.
“You can just find another replacement that easily?” she heard herself ask.
“It won’t be easy,” Gabriel admitted. “It took us a long time to find you. But if you leave us no choice…” He trailed off, and Danica stared at him dubiously.
This is crazy. There are no such things as werewolves. But it was a difficult argument to make when she was literally encircled in a mass of fur and fangs. If I walk away from them right now, will they chase me? Attack me?
“Gabriel…” another one of the wolves snarled. “We don’t have time for this.”
Danica’s gaze rested on the impatient faces of the pack, and she could see they were ready to pounce on her. Somehow, though, she had ultimate faith in Gabriel, who did not seem nonplussed by their anxiety.
“The choice is yours,” he promised her. “I’m asking you to trust in me.”
Trust you?! How can you even suggest something like that? And yet Danica found herself doing exactly that—bending to the glitter of his surreal irises and nodding her head slowly.
“All right,” she whispered. “I’ll do it.”
Gabriel clapped his hands with glee and turned to nod at the others.
“You see?” he told them jovially. “I knew she was smart enough to seize an opportunity like this.” His hands closed around her, and he nodded toward the pack. “Come on,” he instructed them, pulling Danica along with him.
“Where are we going?” Danica questioned, but Gabriel didn’t answer as they stole through the night and away from the campus.
Am I making a mistake?
The question was as ridiculous as the fact that she didn’t run or scream. She was captivated by this man, intrigued by the oddness of his tale and the pack of creatures who seemed to follow him without question.
It wasn’t until they were tucked away into a van and heading away from the university that Danica realized she was the only female among them.
“Why aren’t there any women?” she whispered to Gabriel, who drove the vehicle. He cast her a lazy smile.
“There will be,” he answered, and his next words sent a chill of apprehension through her all over again. “It will be your job to find them and bring them into the pack.”
1
“There must be something that can be done about this!” Landon hissed, his eyes glowing with fury. “Surely someone in the police department can pull some strings…”
He trailed off to listen to whomever it was he was speaking to on the other end of the phone. Wes pretended not to listen, even though he was hanging onto every word the Lycan spoke. How could he not be? The outcome of the phone call would unavoidably change the course of his life upcoming, whether or not he was ready for it.
But I am ready for it, he thought, a spark of excitement coursing through him. I’ve been ready for this.
“Keep me posted,” Landon growled, disconnecting the call and turning to face Wes with annoyed eyes. “What is the point of being the leader of the Lycans if I can’t get this fool out of prison?” he demanded, although Wes was sure he was talking more to himself than anyone.
“Prestige?” Wes joked. Landon didn’t smile.
“This has gone on long enough,” he snarled. “Gabriel is making me look like a fool!”
“He’s in police custody,” Wes told him reassuringly. “At least we know where he is now.”
“That’s not good enough!” Landon insisted. “He needs to be destroyed.”
Wes eyed the councilman through his peripheral vision, unsure of what to say. Surely Landon could easily storm the jail where Gabriel was being held, awaiting trial for his crimes. Then again, Wes also realized that that was the last thing the Lycans wanted to do. Granted, Gabriel had caused more than enough trouble among the packs over the past years and needed to be eliminated, but the last thing the Enchanted werewolves needed was more attention upon them. Landon would simply have to find a way to get his hands on Gabriel without causing a scene.
However, none of that was Wes’ problem—at least, not in any way Landon was aware.
It’s more my problem than he needs to know, Wes thought but quickly silenced the unbidden thought. He hoped Landon wasn’t probing his mind at that moment. Landon had always made it clear that Gabriel was his to dispose of. After all, the rogue Lycan had made an ass out of Landon more times than anyone could count.
Still, even though he already knew the answer, Wes felt the need to ask, “Anything I can do?”
Landon peered at him with intense eyes, his mouth curled in at the corners. “Can you break that bastard out of jail?”
Wes knew it was a rhetorical question. He was a university professor, not a van guardsman. His connections were intellectuals, not cops.
“You know what needs to be done,” Landon sighed, turning to leave Wes’ office. “Now more than ever.”
Wes smiled and nodded.
“You don’t have to worry about me, Landon,” he assured the leader of the Lycans. “Danica is safe and within my reach.”
Landon whirled back around to glare at him, his face twisting into a deep scowl.
“Don’t say things like that,” he hissed. “You should know better.”
Wes stifled a sigh and managed to paste a look of contrition on his face. He didn’t fault Landon for being eternally fatalistic, but Wes had roamed the earth long enough to know that all was fluid and that he should not become overly attached to the notion of any one concept.
Who would have thought, even fifty years ago, that Wesley Vance would have been a mild-mannered teacher with the wire-rimmed glasses and all? He had always been a fearless warrior, the most fearsome pack leader on the West Coast, but like everything else, he had adapted to roll with the times.
“Don’t be such a downer, Landon,” Wes told him with exasperated affection. “This mess with Gabriel is as good as over. The women are safe, and most of his pack is detained.”
Landon gaped at him as though he’d grown a second head. An FBI agent had recently found Gabriel and the criminal Lycan was currently detained.
“You seriously are asking for trouble, aren’t you?” he rasped. “The matter isn’t closed yet, and I won’t relax until he’s disposed of.” Wes knew there was no point in arguing.
“Well, know I’m taking my job seriously,” he said, hoping to lighten the mood. “But I do have class right now, if there’s nothing else.”
“Wes, Boone and Aiden are still at large. I have every reason to believe that they’ll come for Danica now that the others are so well pro
tected. You must be vigilant. I can’t imagine what they’ll do in their desperation.”
Wes frowned with mild irritation. “Unlike the others, Landon, I’ve always had a good handle on her,” he reminded the leader, trying to keep the annoyance from his voice. “The pack won’t come within a hundred feet of Danica without my knowledge. They haven’t thus far.”
“You’re too confident.”
“You gave me a job to do, and I’m doing it,” Wes insisted. “That’s not over-confidence, that’s assurance that I know what I’m doing.”
Landon stared at him unspeaking for a long moment.
“She’s the last one,” he muttered. “Forgive me for being so skeptical.”
“She’s the one whom you need to worry about the least,” Wes responded brightly. “Mark my words—Danica is perfectly safe.” But as the words left his lips, Landon’s cell rang again, stopping the Lycan leader from responding.
“Yes?” he barked into the iPhone. Wes watched as Landon’s eyes widened in disbelief, his mouth parting slightly in shock. “No!” he exclaimed. “How the hell did this happen?”
A peculiar feeling of alarm spiked through Wes’ body, his stomach lurching in warning. In his one hundred seventy-five years on the planet, he had never seen Landon’s face pale so dangerously.
“Impossible!” Landon gasped. “I had people watching the precinct—! Never mind. I’m on my way.” He hung up and looked at Wes, an indecipherable expression on his face.
“What happened?” Wes wanted to know, but it still took several seconds before Landon could find his voice.
“He escaped,” he answered. “Gabriel escaped from holding.”
“What? How?”
Landon raised his head and stared at him, a deadpan expression on his face.
“With the help of a woman,” he said quietly. The words sent shivers of dread through Wes’ body.
“What woman?”
“I’m not sure, but I’m going to find out.”
They held each other’s gaze for a long, unspeaking moment as Wes’ mind began to whirl. He knew what Landon was thinking, but it was impossible.