by Bonnie Vanak
“What’s his name?” His gaze was hard, but his voice was as soft as his touch.
She saw no reason to protect the man, since he was taking advantage of helpless Shadows. “He calls himself Devin Andrews, but we know him as Grouper. He likes deep-sea fishing, and uses that as his cover. His boat name, too.”
“Good.” He jerked his hand away, as if touching her scorched him. Gabriel turned his back. “Take your shower, and after, I have liniment for those bruises to help them heal faster. You’re still too weak for your body to effectively heal itself.”
“Is this your modus operandi?”
A half smile touched his full mouth as he glanced at her over his shoulder. “My what?”
“Being solicitous toward your victims before you kill them and collect the bounty on their heads.”
Gabriel’s expression softened. “I won’t hurt you, chère.”
Right. She wouldn’t gamble on that.
“I do have a few rules. Just as I told the twins. Any problems or concerns, you bring them directly to me. You can’t escape this island, so forget trying. You will eat and you will maintain your energy. No one will hurt you here, you’re perfectly safe. But you aren’t leaving.”
Feeling his gaze burn into her back, Megan opened the door and walked into the bathroom. She closed the door firmly and found a fluffy white robe hanging on a peg behind it. She carefully shrugged into it.
The bathroom was larger than her bedroom at home, and the opulence made her feel shabby in comparison. Lilac rugs scattered over gleaming white marble floors. Wrinkling her nose at the color, she sidestepped them. In the corner was a glass shower with a window overlooking the beach.
Curious, she pulled open a cabinet drawer. Inside was an assortment of child’s bath toys, including a well-worn rubber duck. A reluctant smile touched her face as she took out the duck and closed the drawer. Gabriel’s guests included children. Nieces and nephews?
What was it like to be indulged, spoiled and pampered by a male as powerful as Gabriel? To have everything you wanted to eat, pretty dresses to wear and all the knowledge at the tip of your fingers instead of having to hide books and wear ugly dark grape clothing? Her smile faded as she dropped the duck by a stack of towels on the counter. She grabbed a washcloth and soap, stared in bemusement at the twin shower heads and the strange fixtures.
Torn between pride and longing, she set down the washcloth and soap and returned to the bedroom.
Gabriel sat on her bed, touching her pillow with a thoughtful look. His cowboy hat was on the nightstand. He glanced up.
“I don’t, the shower, the faucets…” Her voiced trailed off and she felt very stupid.
A wide grin tugged his full mouth upward. “Oh yeah. I got confused the first time the plumber installed the new fixtures. Shoulda heard me yell when I got cold water instead of hot.”
He sprang off the bed, all grace and smoothness. Inside the shower, he worked the faucets, careful to step out of the way as he demonstrated the spray.
Gabriel stepped outside the shower. Megan gave him the first real smile she’d felt in days.
“Thanks. I thought I might need an engineering degree just to take a shower.”
He tipped back his head and gave a deep, throaty laugh.
Her heart skipped at the delightful sound. Surely anyone who laughed like that couldn’t be as evil as they said.
“I like how you laugh. You’re not what I thought.”
Startled, she realized she’d spoken aloud. Gabriel stopped laughing. Megan shivered again, but this time from a deeper, more intense need.
A predatory look crossed his face. When he grasped her shoulders in the gentlest touch, she felt drawn toward him. His gaze fell on her mouth. Amber flashed in his eyes as she moistened her lips and parted them. Megan took a step forward, captivated by the smoldering hunger in his gaze. Her body yearned, her hands reached out to touch him in turn. She could almost feel his lips against hers, warm, authoritative, demanding….
Just as quickly, he stepped back, dropped his arms. “Go take that shower, and I’ll find the clothing and liniment.”
The door slammed behind him with a violence that shook the hinges.
After her shower, Megan used the liniment Gabriel had left, dressed in the clothing he’d put on the bed and began planning her escape.
She slipped down the hallway and paused before a large, masculine bedroom at the corridor’s end. Drawn by the rich spicy scent that was Gabriel’s, she walked inside.
The bed was large as a car, with a crimson duvet and a hand-carved mahogany headboard. She shivered, imagining his big body on it, sweat gleaming on his brow, dampening his dark hair, his long legs twisted in the sheets after a hot bout of lovemaking….
Stop it.
The windows boasted splendid beachfront views. Coconut palms, their green leaves swaying in a gathering breeze, framed shimmering sand and tranquil Gulf waters. French doors opened to a wraparound balcony. Megan went outside.
The mainland seemed close enough to swim for it. But what about the twins?
On the bayside, a fishing boat, a sleek yacht and a rowboat were moored to the dock. Powering the fishing boat or the yacht meant noise. However, if she had Jenny create a distraction, they could use the rowboat. She disliked asking her cousin to use powers she had been taught to curb, but it was necessary if they were to escape.
A few hundred yards from the dock was a single-lane causeway and a bridge connecting it to the mainland. Megan spotted an outboard boat near the bridge. The boater started the engine, heading in her direction. Sweat gathered on her brow as he passed the house.
A man with silver hair. It was too far away to be sure, but she’d swear it was the same man from the hotel restaurant.
What did he want? Why was he following them? Was he a rescuer? Or like Gabriel, another enemy who desired the healthy bounty on their heads?
Gabriel should know. Megan’s pulse sped up. She couldn’t risk telling him, the enemy she couldn’t trust. What if he were working with the silver-haired man?
The only person she could trust was herself. The twins relied on her. She had to get them off the island.
Megan found the twins in a large, airy room, playing dolls before a wood dollhouse. Her heart twisted. She hated having them on the run again.
Better running than dead. Because that’s what Gabriel would do. He might be all smooth Cajun cowboy charm on the outside, but he was nastier than the other Normals. Gabriel would soothe them into thinking all was well, and then…
Megan shuddered. She motioned to the girls, who reluctantly abandoned the toys.
“We’re leaving soon. When we do, just stick close to me, okay?”
Jenny looked upset. “But I like it here. Gabriel’s nice. He promised to make us a nice dinner and we can each have a doll of our own. He wouldn’t hurt us. He’s…”
Squatting down, she took her cousin’s small, trusting hand into hers. “Honey, we have to get you to New Orleans, remember?”
Jenny brightened. Both twins had asked Megan why they were headed to New Orleans until she told them about hoping to find a relative there. More information was needed before telling them the relative was their father. The girls must not have their hopes raised and crushed. They’d already endured too much on the island.
Megan dreamed of finding their father, a man who would smother them with love and protection and send them to school, instead of learning with smuggled books. In the city, she’d blend and find others like her. Together they’d work to free all Shadows from captivity so future generations wouldn’t fear imprisonment again.
Megan went downstairs into the living room. Arched windows looked out onto the green Gulf of Mexico. White cypress walls gave the living room an airy feel that flowed onto the beach. The furniture was durable, but expensive.
Megan peered into the kitchen. The housekeeper was cleaning the counter, her car keys out on the table.
She ran upstairs to join the t
wins. When the housekeeper popped her head in the doorway and announced she was leaving, Megan felt a rush of relief.
“I just wanted to see if you needed anything,” Mrs. Hemmings said.
“We’re fine. Thank you for the lovely meal.”
“That was Mr. Gabriel who did the cooking.” The woman studied her so intently, Megan felt like an animal in a zoo.
“You take good care of yourself, honey. Things will be fine from now on. You’re safe here. Mr. Gabriel, he’s a good man. You can trust him.”
The woman could not know the delicate intricacies of their world. Regret filled Megan. She wanted badly to trust someone. Too much was at stake to risk it.
When the housekeeper left, Megan retrieved their backpacks and returned to the girls.
They were leaving. Right now.
Chapter 3
Sprawled on a lounge chair on the rear deck, Gabriel studied the sky for signs of the approaching hurricane. Just an hour ago, the water mirrored a blue sky sharp as a sickle. Now puffy indigo clouds drifted on the horizon, and lacy whitecaps tossed their heads back and forth.
He had to get them off the island soon.
Picking up an icy water bottle, he took a deep swallow and thought of Megan’s pink mouth, the way her teeth worked at her lower lip, her delicious floral fragrance. The natural sensuality of her throaty voice, the spark of passion in her eyes, her sweetly rounded hips swaying as she walked.
His body tightened as he remembered her rosy mouth parting as if anticipating his kiss. The sultry awareness in her eyes, the longing for connection. How sturdy and soft her shoulders felt beneath his caressing fingertips.
He’d almost kissed her. Megan Moraine aroused him in a way no escaped Shadow ever did. He had to keep his distance. Even if her mouth was so damn soft and wet.
The haunting loneliness dogging his steps tormented him with a bitter memory. Another woman, years ago, her eyes filled with love, then growing wide with horror….
Your eyes, Gabriel, oh your eyes!
Cussing, he set down the bottle and fished out his cell. Gabriel punched in the same number he’d called ten minutes earlier. The Friend he needed to escort Megan and the little girls to the next safe house still wasn’t answering and his voice mailbox was full.
Deeply troubled, he thumbed off the phone. He hedged moving Megan and the twins until he felt certain they would be safe. Each Friend, a guide who would help an escaped Shadow Wolf to the next safe house, was known just to one link in the chain. Only Gabriel knew all of them. And the fact that he’d called all the others and got no answers from them, either, worried the hell out of him.
Someone had infiltrated their network. He had to stay deep undercover. If anyone discovered his secret…
Muscles on his back contracted, as if his skin anticipated the twenty lashes the Council of Draicon would order. Next they’d ensure his gene pool was permanently drained.
The back door banged. He’d trip-alarmed the property to prevent Megan from leaving and he’d sabotaged the boats. Nostrils flared, he picked out the scent and relaxed.
“Mr. Gabriel? I finished cleaning the downstairs and I’m headed out now.”
“Thanks, Jean. I left an extra something in your envelope for all your hard work. Won’t need you for a few days.”
Flushing with pride, she shook her head. “You’re too good to me, Mr. Gabriel. You’d better leave soon. Storm’s coming in, will be here by tonight, they say.”
“We’ll be fine,” he assured.
The middle-aged woman looked worried. “There’s something about that woman, Miss Megan. She reminds me of the war refugees who came to my home country years ago. That one has been hurt, badly.”
She has. A fierce protective need rose to keep Megan from ever being hurt again. Gabriel made a mental note to find the sonofabitch who had beat her, and let him know the raw power of his raging wolf. “Don’t worry, they’re in good hands.”
He watched her head for her ancient Lincoln, heard the engine start with a smooth purr. Gabriel had personally fine-tuned it for her. When the car reached the main road and hit one of the lasers, a small alarm went off. Gabriel knew Jean was safely off the island.
Gabriel also knew Megan hid something important. Yet he hesitated using his magick on her. He admired her resolute courage and love for the twins. Yanking information from her mind felt like a violation of her stubborn spirit. What would it feel like to be so demonstrative, to give and receive love without fear? To have someone know your true self so intimately?
A hollow ache settled in his chest. Hell if he’d ever know. No one would ever get that close. They wouldn’t like his dark side.
Suddenly the prickling sensation returned. Gabriel called his housekeeper, asked if she’d noticed anything odd as she’d left the island. She hadn’t.
“I’m on the mainland and almost home. Do you need me to return?”
“No. Everything’s fine. If you don’t hear from me the next couple of weeks don’t worry, Jean.” He hung up. The feeling grew stronger.
Gabriel bolted to his feet. Wolf senses picked out a strange scent. Though faint, this was darker, the foul stench of something that enjoyed twisting the limbs off screaming victims. Not Morph. Morphs, former Draicon who killed a relative to gain greater power, couldn’t access the island because of its protective magick shield.
Vaulting over the railing, he landed on the ground fifteen feet below. Sand kicked up beneath his heels as he ran. As he hooked a hard right, an explosion ka-powed on the bayside.
No longer could he hold back the beast. Tipping back his head, he released a long, low howl.
One minute man, the next beast. Digging his paws into the soft sand, he ran toward the bay.
“Hit the ground!”
Water splashed over them as shrapnel flew through the air and landed in the bay. The twins fell on the boat dock and Megan threw herself over them, shielding their bodies with her out stretched arms. Pressure on her sensitive eardrums sent pain rippling through her. She pressed her face into the wood.
When she felt sure the danger had passed, Megan raised her head.
Clouds of smoke and dust clogged the air. Twisted bits of metal hung where the nearby swing bridge once stood. Coughing, she got to her feet, brushing off the girls, examining them for injuries.
Jillian’s eyes grew wide as she pointed at Megan’s right hand.
“You cut yourself.”
Blood dripped from a gash on the back of her right hand. She’d barely noticed. Megan forced a tremulous smile.
“It’s okay, sweetie. Just a little ouch.”
A large gray wolf bounded toward the dock, skidded to a halt.
It stood motionless, its nostrils twitching. Amber eyes filled with menace, the wolf silently regarded her. Megan involuntarily took a step back, even though she knew the wolf’s identity.
This wolf was large and impressive in his powerful bulk. Not like a Normal. More like another type of Draicon, but they were extremely rare and nearly as despised as Shadow Wolves.
Impossible. Gabriel came from a powerful Cajun family whose influence extended far into the Council of Draicon ruling over Shadow Wolf Island.
Gabriel shifted back into a man and waved a hand, clothing his naked body.
“Take them into the house. I’m going to investigate.” After growling the order, he ran in the direction of the bridge.
In her upstairs bedroom, Megan helped the twins strip off their clothing as she examined them for stray shrapnel. Acid churned in her stomach as they dressed. If they had been hurt…
Both girls dogged her footsteps as she found a towel in the bathroom to rub dry her dampened hair. The girls looked up in fear as footsteps sounded, but they relaxed when Gabriel poked his head inside.
“Everyone okay?”
“Fine. What happened?” Hiding her distress, Megan put the damp towel on the rack. He must not know what they’d planned.
When they’d reached the boat dock ear
lier, Megan had found water and a hole in the little rowboat. Desperate, she’d decided to hot-wire the other boats, but upon checking the engines, she found someone had yanked out the batteries.
Gabriel came inside, flashed a reassuring smile. Megan couldn’t read his expression as he glanced out the bathroom window. “Whoever blew up the bridge wanted to keep us here. The storm will be here by tonight.”
“Someone’s trying to trap us here, and there’s a hurricane coming? Shouldn’t we try to find some way to leave?”
If Gabriel got them off the island, she and the twins could make a break for it.
“Whoever did this didn’t breach my defenses. He blew the bridge by rigging it with C-4 on the pilings.” Gabriel’s voice was hard, but laced with respect. “He can’t get on the island.”
“And we can’t get off!”
“We can.”
He seemed too calm.
“You have a magic carpet that’ll fly us out?”
A rueful smile touched his mouth. “Something almost as good. Inflatable boats. But the bay’s too choppy.” He flicked his gaze to the girls. “Can they swim?”
Her heart sinking, Megan shook her head.
“Then I’m not risking it. Our chances are better riding it out here. You’re safe for now. The storm is barely a hurricane and we’ll not take the full brunt. Just some high winds and rain, and the houses are on concrete stilts to protect against tidal surges. We have propane generators and food.”
Oh, this was so not what she wanted to hear. They needed to leave. But he was right. It would have to wait until the storm passed.
He frowned at her bleeding hand. “That needs cleaning.”
Gabriel led Megan over to the sink. From one of the drawers he pulled out a bottle of peroxide and bag of cotton. He wet a large cotton ball and began gently wiping her hand. The laceration wasn’t deep, but it stung. She ignored the pain, staring out the window. Clouds scuttled across the sky, blotching out the sun. No way off the island now. Emotions squeezed her insides, but she refused to surrender to fear.
Their earlier trepidation vanished, Jenny and Jillian roved through the spacious bathroom. Jillian spotted the faded yellow rubber duck Megan had left half-hidden by a towel. Her eager hands grabbed the toy.