by Bonnie Vanak
The old Gabriel had been easygoing and carefree, not caring about appearances or making money. This Gabriel was tougher and savvier. And much more appealing because his hardened edges spoke of a fierce male who’d fight to the death to protect what was his own.
What would it be like to claim such devotion? No one in court cared that much about her, other than her powers. Even Kendall, who’d been her mentor since childhood, kept her at a distance.
A hollow ache settled in her chest. For the first time in her life, she resented her birthright as Elven.
Sienna ran a finger along the smooth leather seat. “This truck looks expensive. Must have cost you a lot more than the ratty pickup you once drove. Guess selling out to the Skin life is quite profitable.”
His mouth flattened. “You mocking me now because I enjoy some of the comforts of making money? Like a truck that isn’t held together by rust spots?”
She shrugged. “You like catering to Skins and their need to turn their manicured lawns into showpieces. It’s your choice if you want to have nice things like an expensive granite bathroom.”
“It’s my choice because the money is good. I noticed you enjoyed taking a very long shower in that expensive granite bathroom.”
Flushing, she stared out the window. “You didn’t care about such things before.”
“Twenty-five years ago the world was a different place. I adapted to Skins and adjusted. Their money enables me to protect my people and aid them when they’re down. Money is power in the Skin world and I’ve had a long, hard fight on my hands to keep my lands free from development.” He shot her a sideways look as they accessed the on-ramp to the freeway. “I’d think you, as an Elf and protector of the land, would understand and appreciate the strategy.”
Sienna felt ashamed. She’d picked on him simply because of her own insecurities. “Ok, big cat. Truce.” She spread out her hands. “I’m sorry for mocking you. It’s just that the old Gabriel with the ratty pick-up truck that had the broken seat spring was the Gabriel I knew. This truck feels like pampered luxury.”
“The old Gabriel is still here, pixie.” His tone softened as he glanced at her. “I’m better than ever, in many ways. But my core values are the same. I always take very good care of my own. Just as I did with you, remember?”
Now the flush spread from her face to her neck and much lower. “I had a good time.”
“You had a very good time. Seven very good times in one night, as I recall. At least seven times you screamed my name.”
He winked and the heat spread down to her toes. Sienna’s hands clenched on the seat as she resisted the urge to rub against the polished leather grain.
“It’s too early to talk about sex,” she mumbled.
“It’s never too early for sex when I’m with you. But if you’re not in the mood, we can wait until later. I’m a very patient cat. I can hold out until you’ve had at least four orgasms. That’s the level of my stamina.”
He winked again and said, “Meow.”
Sienna did wriggle her bottom into the seat now, desperate to relieve the tension gathering low in her belly. “Tell me about your friend who’s going to meet us. The park ranger.”
“So quick to change the subject, just as you were getting heated up. Too bad,” he murmured. “Jake’s a Lupine. Wolf shifter, in case you don’t know what that is.”
“I have had some acquaintance with them,” she said dryly. “Cael’s daughter is half Lupine.”
Samantha was sweet and deeply in love with Darius, her mate. Sienna had been assigned by Cael to watch over Sam while she worked at a Portland firm. Filled with respect for the bright, young Lupine hybrid, Sienna had also harbored a slight jealousy. Sam was sweet, smart and pretty, but most of all, she had family who’d cared deeply for her.
Sienna had no one.
Gabriel shot her a sideways look. “I heard something about that. The pack Samantha joined is the Mitchell pack, the same Lupine pack Jake belonged to until he moved here.”
From what she knew of the wolf beast shifters, they seldom left the protection of their packs. Pack was family. “Heavens, why did he leave them? Lupines are communal shifters and they need their packs.”
He shook his head. “Jake refuses to say. But one night we got drunk together and he let it slip that he’d loved the wrong female, and lost her for good.”
Poor wolf. “And you tried to cheer him up. You’re very good at that. I saw you with the other Wyldings.”
Gabriel’s hands tightened on the leather steering wheel. “No, I commiserated with him. Told him I knew what it felt like to fall for someone and watch her walk out of your life without a backward glance.”
Guilt pricked her. Sienna folded her arms across her chest. “You didn’t fall for me, Gabriel. All that happened was I fell into your bed.”
And out of grace with my people.
“You’re the expert on my feelings. Of course. Because you know exactly how I felt the minute you slammed the car door and drove off?”
No, but she knew how she’d felt, and how lost and angry and frustrated she’d felt driving away, feeling as if she’d turned her back on the best thing that ever happened to her. Gabriel couldn’t ever fit her into his life, she’d reasoned. Her rationalization had been a lifeline back then. Better to blame the panther shifter than to closely examine her own life and find it clouded with doubts.
“I knew you had your life and I had mine. I knew you would never have me in a long-term relationship. Your life wouldn’t allow for it. You’re a shifter and shifters stay too long in one place, attached to the land. I need to be free to move around and perform my duties.”
“Then thank you, Elf, for making that decision for me. I must have been so befuddled and dazed by your sheer power that I couldn’t form a single thought on my own.”
She didn’t respond to that.
When they finally reached the park, Gabriel drove through the gate, paid the fee and asked for a map. He parked at the lot across from the entrance station.
He shut off the engine. Silence fell in the cab, broken only by the rustling of paper as Sienna unfolded the map. Dark eyebrows drawn tightly together, he stared at the windshield. “When Jake gets here, let him take the lead. I know you’re this all-powerful, all knowing Elf who communes with nature, but he’s a state officer and this is his turf.”
“What the hell? Drop the attitude, cat.”
Gabriel scoffed. “I’ll drop the attitude when you stop treating shifters as if we’re inferior.”
“I never said…”
“I need to be free to move around.” He mocked her previous words. “The gypsy Elf, who flits from community to community, saving the world.”
Sienna’s fingers tightened painfully on the map. “I have nothing but the greatest respect for shifters. It’s one reason I asked King Cael to assign me to those cases when his help is requested. I’d never treat you or any of your people as inferiors, Gabriel.”
His broad chest heaved with the force of a deep sigh. “No, but you’d never join with us for more than a few days because you still believe the Elven life is best for you.”
That much was true.
He was hurting and she suspected she was the reason why.
We can never make it together, Gabriel. Her heart ached as she ruminated over the facts. We’re from different worlds with different priorities. I can never fit into your life and how can you fit into mine when you dislike my people?
She wondered if she could ever fit into anyone’s life. The thought too painful to bear, she concentrated on the map of the park the ranger had handed to them.
A few minutes later, a white pickup truck reading State Wildlife Officer pulled into the lot and parked. Out climbed a tall, leanly muscled man with short-cropped hair hidden beneath a ball cap.
She kept quiet as she and Gabriel climbed out to meet him. Past experience among shifters taught her to let them size each other up, make the first move. Beast shifters had a tend
ency toward aggressiveness when facing each other on one’s territory. And Gabriel was an alpha panther and this Jake a Lupine wolf. Cat and dog males equaled tension.
If need be, she’d step in and break up any alpha posturing.
But Gabriel’s face broke into a wide smile as he approached Jake and the Lupine had an equally wide smile.
“Wolfman. How are they hanging?” Gabriel stepped forward and embraced the Lupine in a bear hug.
“Hanging low and hanging high.” Jake stepped back, saw her. Red flushed his face. He touched his hat’s visor. “Sorry about that, Miss. Forgot there was a lady present.”
Gabriel grinned. “Sienna meet Jake Anderson. Finest tracker this side of the ‘Glades. Jake, Sienna Bennett. Elven from Oregon.”
She held out her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
As they shook hands, Gabriel explained, “Sienna’s the one who tried to save Rex.”
The Lupine’s vision sharpened. “I thank you for trying. I know Rex’s widow appreciated your thoughtfulness in marking the coordinates where his body had been.”
Jake gestured to his truck and they climbed in. Squeezed between the two big males, she felt petite.
As they drove the long distance from the park entrance to the river, Jake pointed out the scorched trees and brush.
“River’s been real low this month. No rain, and it’s hotter than blazes. Water levels are the lowest ever. Have to keep an eye out constantly for wildfires. We’re trying to do controlled burns when it’s not windy. Too much dry and dead brush and all it needs is a lightning strike or a stupid Skin flicking out a lit cigarette to set the whole damn park ablaze.”
Minutes later, they reached the main parking lot. Jake pulled into a spot in front of the nature center. Doubts filled her as they hit the path she’d taken when seeing the viper shifter.
It was far too crowded, with yellow and blue kayaks peppering the water, along with green canoes and even small motorboats.
“Everyone’s on the water. If this thing is still infecting the river, we can’t do much about it in sight of Skins.” Jake held back a branch for her.
“Leave the Skins to me.” Gabriel wore that crafty grin again.
Jake ground to a halt. “Oh hell no, Gabe. Last thing I need is for them to spot a Florida panther on the shore. You know what kind of headache that’ll be? The havoc you’ll cause, all the tourists wanting photos, let alone the paperwork?”
Sienna suspected Gabriel had pulled that stunt before. “I’ll create a diversion. I can still pull off enough glamour to cloak us.”
Gabriel shook his head. “Let’s not worry about the Skins. For now, we have to find the toxic dark. If it’s as I suspect, it’s moved on.”
“What is this thing that we’re hunting?” Jake asked as they kept pushed through the narrow, sandy path flanking the river.
“Some kind of dark enchantment. I’ve been calling it the toxic dark, just to give it a label.”
Jake nodded. “Short and to the point, like you, Gabe.”
When they reached the exact spot where Rex had died, Sienna stopped and crouched down. “Here. This is where Rex lunged at me, and the mangroves starting beating him. There was a distinct, foul smell in the air, but not the rotting vegetation of low tide.”
Jake removed a small notebook from a shirt pocket and began writing. “Chemical or artificial composition like plastic?”
“Natural, but very nasty. Nothing chemical. This was more like an overflowing latrine on a summer’s day mixed with burnt…flesh.”
Deeply disturbed as she recalled the sickening odor, Sienna shook her head. “No, not flesh. Have you ever smelled an Other burning?”
Jake went pale, but his expression remained impassive. “Yes. Back when I lived in Montana, on the Mitchell Ranch. We had a small wildfire. It was quickly contained, but not before a female Lupine visiting the ranch got badly burned.”
Sienna’s heart twisted as she took in the dark shadows flickering in his gaze. “Did she live?”
“No. She died a few days later.” He did not meet her gaze and instinct warned her that the dead Lupine had been someone special to Jake.
She knew about pain, how it grabbed you with fishhooks and refused to let go. She knew about struggling to keep your dignity around others and hiding your feelings. So Sienna gave a gentle headshake to the obviously curious Gabriel and pointed to a patch of disturbed ground, ignoring Jake’s now distressed look.
“This is where I eradicated Rex’s body. There’s still freshly-disturbed earth, but I don’t smell anything other than what should be here, now.”
Jake squatted down and examined the earth, then gazed around. “The toxic dark must have either left, or worse, infiltrated the groundwater.”
Gabriel exchanged glances with her. “It could have traveled up river.”
Dread curdled her stomach. “How far does this river go?”
“Twenty miles from the Jupiter Inlet to Indiantown Road.” Jake stood, looking as worried as she felt.
“And how many shifter communities are there from here to Indiantown Road?” she asked.
“A few. The biggest is a pack of red wolf Lupines in Stuart who come down here to hunt. They constantly roam the riverbanks for prey.”
Jake’s jaw tensed. “If this poison muck travels that far upriver, Colin’s pack is endangered.”
Gabriel crouched down and picked up a handful of soil, let it spill through his fingers. “It could have infected the animals or migrated onto land. Have you noticed anything unusual in the park? Other trees attacking shifters, or the ground seeming to come alive?”
The Lupine frowned. “I haven’t seen many shifters in this park. It’s mainly Skins. I patrol a lot of acres, both in Skin during the day and in wolf form at night.”
The big male scratched his chin. “Come to think of it, I did run across an odd thing the other day. I was in wolfskin, running along the path that cuts through the forest for the power lines, when I saw shadows moving in the bushes, silhouettes more than shadows. Scented the stench of death, too. It wasn’t deer or anything natural. But when I went to investigate, it was gone.”
“Take me there,” Gabriel ordered.
They returned to the truck and drove to an access road. A mile from the main road, Jake parked. “You’ll have to walk from here. It’s about a half mile south. I’ll take you.”
“I’d rather go it alone. Your scent will interfere.”
Jake scowled and then sighed. “Yeah and if someone sees you, you can always duck into the scrub. But the both of us together will make tongues wag if we’re spotted. Go south, follow the trail. It’s a straight line. About a half mile south, you’ll see a telephone poll with a large red X. I marked it.”
Gabriel glanced at Sienna. “Stay here with Jake.”
“I will not. I’m coming with you.”
“No. If I run into this thing, I know how to deal with it.”
Not waiting for her answer, the arrogant cat waved a hand and shifted into panther. Fascinated, she reached out a hand to stroke the thick golden fur, then drew back.
“I am coming with you,” she told him.
He gave a mighty shake, negating her request with his entire body.
Gabriel gracefully raced along the path, close to the trees. Jake tipped back his hat and leaned against the truck.
“Make yourself comfortable, Lady Elf. He may be a while. Gabe’s very thorough.”
“Please call me Sienna.” She sat on the ground, tracing a rune in the sandy soil with her forefinger. “You’ve worked with him before. It’s obvious. Is he a good tracker?”
“The best. His nose is better than mine and I’m a wolf.” Jake gave a matter-of-fact shrug. “And this is his backyard. He knows all the wildlife, the scents. I’ve been here a year and I’m still learning.”
“You belonged to the Mitchell Ranch pack?”
The Lupine stiffened beneath his gray uniform. “Once. I don’t talk about that anymore.”
He shrugged. “It’s in the past and I live for the moment.”
Interesting. “It must be lonely down here without other Lupines.”
Jake stared straight ahead in the direction Gabriel had taken. “There are other Lupines, but they’re not quite the same as me. Largest is the red wolf Lupine pack in Stuart. Native to the land.”
“Do you run beneath the moon with them?”
He turned and studied her, pulling his hat low on his forehead. “You’re very inquisitive.”
“Sorry. Shifters fascinate me. I was assigned to guard a half-Lupine shifter recently.”
“Samantha, mate to Darius.”
Sienna laughed. “Word does get around.”
He shrugged. “I’m still friends with the pack and talk with Aiden, my former alpha. He told me Darius was mated to Samantha. I was very happy for him. A male in that pack shouldn’t be alone. Too many damn males and too few females to keep them happy.”
Intrigued, she studied his tense body language, sensing a secret. “Is that why you left? To find a mate?”
He narrowed his eyes. “Why I left is my own business and I’ll thank you to stop asking questions.”
“I don’t mean to pry.”
“But you do.”
“Ok, I do. I’m a female. I like to know about everyone’s love life.”
As she grinned at him, the big Lupine finally relaxed and chuckled, shaking his head. “Gabe’s got his hands full with you. Hope he can handle you being his own.”
Now it was her turn to stiffen. “I don’t need handling, and I’m not his.”
Jake’s gaze sharpened. “Not yet, but I’ve seen the way he looks at you. Gabe’s not a tomcat like some shifters. Once he gets his eye on a lady, his mind’s made up. He’s more wolf that way than panther. No love ‘em and leave ‘em for Gabe.”
Right. “As if he hasn’t had other lovers in twenty-five years?”
She hadn’t meant to let that slip, but the Lupine’s grin widened. “Not my place to say, but ask him. I think you’ll be surprised.”