by Bonnie Vanak
“I will be,” he said softly. “But now isn’t the time. We have to get you and the girls out of here. Right before dawn, when it’s still dark, we’ll leave.”
“I can’t risk it,” she protested. “This is all too much, too confusing. I have to protect the girls, I made a promise and nothing will stop me from keeping it. What will you do, beg for clemency from the council just because I’m your destined mate? Or will you turn me over anyway?”
Silence dripped between them.
“I can’t trust you, Gabriel, just because suddenly, oh, we’re destined mates and everything will be fine. You say you’re going to keep us safe. How? If you expect me to follow your orders, then you have to be honest with me.”
Emotions warred in his eyes. Gabriel shoved a hand through his thick, ragged hair. “Okay, Megan. In the morning, I’ll tell you the truth.”
“Why not now?”
He passed a hand over her face and she felt her eyes closing. “Time for you to sleep.”
She felt warm in his arms as he carried her to bed. Gabriel settled her between the covers. He hated giving her a mental push, but she needed rest and in her pent-up state, she’d never sleep.
Loathe to leave her, he stretched out on the bed, making sure to keep his distance.
When he awoke, wolf senses warned dawn was not far off. Gabriel stood and stretched his long arms, then paced over to the shuttered window. The rain had stopped. He snapped on a light.
Megan awoke to a gentle whisper in her ear. He longed to touch her, but didn’t dare, knowing how fiercely the animal inside him wanted to mount her.
Her mouth was parted and sexy. That mouth could drive a man crazy with lust.
“Please don’t do that again,” she rumbled in a sexy, sleep-laden voice.
“Do what?”
“Put me to sleep.” She sat up, rubbing her head. “It leaves me feeling out of sorts, like a sleeping pill hangover. I’m sensitive to those things.”
He waited while she showered and changed. When she emerged into the bedroom, the knife present in his heart since Amelia’s death twisted a little.
Pacing back and forth, he jammed his hands into his jeans pockets. Telling her risked everything. But he knew Megan needed the truth to follow him.
She’d told him as much.
“I’m not what I seem.” He flinched at her wary look. “I’m an Enforcer, hired by the council to bring in Shadows. That’s my cover. I use it while escorting the Shadows to safe houses and arranging for the next escort until they can reach my brother in New Orleans. Alex then gives them new identities and lives.”
The truth felt good. “I’m in charge of an elaborate underground railroad. I use the Enforcer role to assist Shadows. I don’t hurt them. I help Shadows escape.”
Megan’s lovely mouth opened and closed. She glanced at the doorway and her eyes widened. “Little pitchers.”
A jerk of her thumb. His blood pressure plummeted.
Merde.
The twins came out of Shadow. “I knew it,” Jenny crowed. “I knew you weren’t a bad man, even before Jilly told me.”
“I knew it first,” Jillian protested.
Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. “How long have you been eavesdropping?”
Jillian’s lower lip trembled. Jennifer fidgeted with her hands and stared at the floor.
“We were just playing hide-and-seek and saw you and Megan were awake, so we wanted to come in,” Jennifer finally admitted.
“But you didn’t. You kept yourself in Shadow,” Megan pointed out.
“Never do that again. There are some things adults talk about that aren’t meant for children,” Gabriel admonished.
“I’m sorry,” both girls echoed.
Megan frowned. “You know this means punishment. No bedtime stories for two nights.”
The twins looked crestfallen and began to plead for their favorite entertainment. Gabriel silenced them with a look.
He went to them, hunkered down to their level. “Listen to me, Jilly, Jenny. What you overheard, you must keep secret. Understand? It’s very important.”
“Okay,” they both said.
“Go clean up and get ready for breakfast.”
They trudged away.
Megan scooted off the bed as he closed the door. She lowered her voice. “I don’t understand. How can you keep up such a complicated cover? What about the stories about you torturing Shadows? What about the council? Don’t they demand to see proof the Shadows are back on the island?”
His gaze went flat. “Not when I bring them proof of their demise. They don’t care if the Shadows are alive or dead, so dead is just as good to them. When Alex gives them new identities, I take their clothing, spill their blood on it and present it to the council. I collect the bounty on their heads and use the money to fund more escapes and the safe houses.”
“The stories…” As awareness dawned on her face. “You plant the stories as a cover, too.”
“After they’re safe, I give them a mental push. They don’t remember anything except I’m the bad guy.”
Large blue eyes met his. “I sense you’re telling the truth. It feels right. But I also sense you don’t feel comfortable with this.”
“The truth can be a weapon in the wrong hands. It was a gamble telling you, and now that the girls know…damn. We have to make sure all this is kept just to ourselves.”
He hated revealing himself. Gabriel felt as if someone had stripped off a layer of clothing. But he had no choice when it came to gaining her trust.
“Thank you.” Gratitude shone in her eyes. She looked at him as if he were a knight in shining armor instead of what he truly was: a dangerous wolf. The family muscle, whom they used when they needed to prowl and attack Morphs.
The family shame, hidden away.
He stared at her with longing, wanting to hand over the moon on a stainless steel platter if it meant she looked at him again like that. As if he were normal and not a Draicon to be feared.
Megan stepped closer to him. “I understand. I have something I must share with you, when the time is right. I will tell you this now. I was headed for New Orleans.”
Startled, he blinked hard. “The city of the Draicon council? Right into the wolves’ lair? What for?”
“It involves finding a relative. I didn’t give details to the girls because I hate raising their hopes and watching them get crushed.” Her lower lip wobbled tremulously. “Too many times they’ve been crushed in the past.”
“Hey, there,” he said gently, cupping her cheek, unable to prevent from touching her. “It will all work out, chère. I’m on your side.”
Her skin felt like smooth silk beneath his calloused fingertips. Gabriel felt his wolf surface. He touched a corner of her mouth with his, drew back with satisfaction at her flare of arousal.
When her fingers traced his bottom lip, he groaned. Sweet tension sang through his body. Gabriel closed his eyes, summoning all his control.
He opened his eyes. “Time enough later for play. Get ready and be downstairs so we can move out in half an hour.”
Sexual need pumped through his blood as she trailed her finger down to his broad chest. “Are you better at love play than Monopoly?”
Arousal flared on her face as he took her finger, pressed it against his mouth and gave it a long, slow lick. “Don’t test me, darling, not in the bedroom. Because it’s a game you will lose. And I’ll make sure it’s a long, slow surrender where you scream with pleasure. All night long.”
Chapter 7
Ribbons of rose and gold drifted over the leaden sky. Megan’s heart lurched in her chest as Gabriel paddled across the bay.
They’d gotten off to a late start because of the twins dragging their feet. Now, instead of having the waters to themselves, they shared the bay with three other boats.
The hearty breakfast he’d insisted on them eating felt like a bowling ball in her stomach. She spread out her hands, keeping up the cover of Shadow. Cloaked like thi
s, their little group could see each other in the boat, but others could not.
Shadowing herself was easy, but cloaking an entire boat and its occupants took all her concentration. The silver-haired man wasn’t in sight, but she could feel him out there, waiting to strike. Was he another Enforcer, eager to take in prey?
I don’t know.
Gabriel’s telepathic thoughts entered her mind. She found the sensation thrilling and a little intimidating.
When they finally made it to the mainland, Gabriel tied up the boat and hefted himself onto the dock. He paused at a piling, and snagged a set of keys off a rusty nail.
She kept up the cover of Shadow as they walked to the parking lot. Gabriel unlocked a white minivan.
Jillian handed him a black Stetson exactly like the one he’d left behind, except this one looked less faded from the sun. “Here’s your hat, Gabriel.”
He thanked her and clapped it on his head. Gabriel started the van and pulled out of the parking lot.
“Where are you taking us?”
“North. There’s a safe house near Orlando. Daniel will take good care of you and the twins.”
“I thought you were taking us to New Orleans.”
“I will. But I need to check out a few things along the way.”
Laced through his casual tone was an undercurrent of something. She didn’t like secrets, either keeping them or having someone keep them from her.
“What things? What’s wrong?”
He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “Just something I need to check. We’ll stop there for lunch, for you to replenish your energy.” He gave her a pointed look. “Unless you want to replenish it a different way.”
Crimson ignited her cheeks. Draicon required energy to perform magick, and usually siphoned it either from eating rare meat or engaging in vigorous sex.
“A hamburger will do me just fine,” she replied.
“Too bad,” he murmured.
Jillian piped up from the backseat. “Why do you wear that cowboy hat, Gabriel?”
“Keeps my brains stuffed inside my head, little one.” He grinned at her in the mirror as Jillian made a face. “Naw, I wear it because it keeps me centered on what’s really important. Home, family, who I am. A Cajun at heart.”
Megan studied his T-shirt logo. “The Blazin Cajun. I’ve heard of that restaurant chain, even though I’ve only been in the States once when I was little, long before Shadows became imprisoned on the island. My cousin Sissy told me it was her favorite. She loved their magma sauce. Have you ever had their food?”
“Sometimes.” He glanced at her. “When I cook it myself. I own the chain.”
Her eyes went wide. “All ten restaurants?”
He nodded.
They weren’t on the road more than fifteen minutes when Gabriel glanced at the dashboard and muttered something in Cajun French. She leaned over and her heart sank. The gas gauge was nearly on E.
“Jay forgot to fill the tank. We have to stop.”
Megan looked out the window, trying not to worry. She’d had a pointed talk with the twins about the importance of keeping Gabriel’s secret. As long as they stayed in the van, they should be…
“Megan, I have to go,” Jennifer piped up.
“I told you to go before you left the house,” Megan repeated.
“I didn’t have to go then,” her cousin said with the aggravating logic of a seven-year-old.
“It’s okay, little one,” Gabriel soothed. “There’s a gas station up ahead. Let Megan take you inside, you and your sister.”
Jillian protested she didn’t have to go. Gabriel shot her a look in the mirror. “I’m not stopping again.”
The bathroom was dingy, but clean. When the girls finished and washed their hands, Megan stared at the fly-specked mirror. Lost in thought, she studied her reflection. The purple shadows on her face were gone, pink flushed her cheeks and a sparkle replaced the dull wariness in her eyes.
Had Gabriel done that?
Megan examined a streak of blond showing through the blackness of her hair. The hair dye was leeching out her identity. Bracing her hands on either side of the sink, she gazed at her reflection. Who was she? Shadow? Draicon? She was Halfling, a combination of both. It was important she blend into this world if she were to survive.
Draicon shifted into wolves easily. It had been so long. Megan longed to try.
Jenny and Jillian grew restless and shuffled around. She motioned to them. “Go back to the van. I’ll meet you there.”
In the bathroom with the door locked, she concentrated. Megan fisted her hands, willing the wildness to surface. It was crazy, risking it like this, but the impulse could not be curbed.
“Please, oh, please. Just once,” she whispered. It had been ten years since she’d become wolf.
Iridescent sparks of blue and red, not the normal spectral trail that Draicon emitted, filled the air. Megan felt her body shimmer and ache.
The Change was happening.
Fur grew on the back of her hands. She grit her teeth, remembered the animal inside her and willed it out.
Her hands turned into large paws. Gray fur rippled along her arms, but the rest of her body refused to cooperate.
Voices sounded outside.
Alarm surged through her. In midshift, she stopped, furiously trying to change back into her human form. If anyone saw her like this…
Finally, her hands regained their human form. Megan glanced at the mirror. She was normal again.
She yanked open the door and tore into the parking lot. Near a kiosk with brochures and a map of Florida tacked to a bulletin board, a stranger talked with the girls. He wore the gas station logo on his white shirt and he had a spike used for picking up trash. Just an attendant. But his scent was powerful and she knew he was Draicon, not human. He smiled as she approached.
“Nice to see some of us around. Too many mortals around these parts. Y’all visiting or live around these parts?”
“Visiting,” she said, glancing at the van.
“The mate and I can show you the good places to hunt, and best places for hanging with our types. Free of pesky mortals.”
The twins stared at him with open curiosity. They’d never encountered a friendly Draicon. Her heart thudded hard. Gabriel was replacing the gas nozzle when Jenny tapped on the map.
“Is that where Or-lando is and this Mickey Mouse you told us about? We’ve never been to Disney’s world.”
“I don’t like mice,” Jillian said with a worried look.
“Mickey isn’t a real mouse. He’s just a play mouse, a cartoon character. Your daddy probably knows all about them,” the attendant assured them, pointing to Gabriel.
“Oh, he’s not our daddy. But Gabriel is nice. He wouldn’t turn us in ’cause he only pretends to be bad, like Mickey isn’t a real mouse.” Jenny beamed.
Panic flowered bright red inside Megan. She smiled at the attendant, who began to back away. “Lily,” she said, using the fake name they’d agreed upon, “you know you’re not supposed to repeat those silly stories your big sister likes to tell you.”
The attendant glanced at Gabriel. “That’s the legendary Gabriel Robichaux. I’ve heard of him before. My kind of man, he brings in Shadows after giving ’em a good dose of justice. I heard he slaughtered ten Shadows last year. Beat ’em to death.”
Jenny frowned. “Gabriel would never hurt Shadows. He told us that he likes us, and he even fed us hamburgers. He’s going to get us to safety.”
Astonished shock flared on the man’s face right before he whipped out his cell phone, punched in a number. Megan’s heart plummeted to her stomach. Gabriel’s cover was blown.
Dodging, she barely missed the blow with the stick aimed directly at her. Megan resisted the impulse to fight back. Instead, she herded the girls toward the car, knowing they had little time before real Draicon Enforcers showed up.
They were running again. Always on the run, always from those who hated them and wo
uld never let them alone. When would it ever stop?
The Draicon pursued, swinging the stick like a baseball bat. “Get out, get off my property, you freaks!”
Gabriel whirled. His eyes glowed amber, then flashed red. He growled and lunged for the attendant.
Gabriel tossed him into the air and the man slammed against the wall. Fists clenched, her mate stalked forward.
“You try hurting her, I’ll tear you to pieces,” Gabriel snarled.
“Let’s go. He already called the Enforcers.” Megan pulled at his arm.
As she and the twins climbed into the van, Gabriel waved a hand before the attendant, eradicated his memories.
But the call had already been made.
Too late.
Speeding north on Interstate 75, Gabriel opened up all his senses to perceive danger. He stole glances at Megan.
“It’s nothing. He didn’t hurt me. I’ll be fine.”
“Look at me, Megan,” Gabriel ordered.
Moisture swam in her big blue eyes. He bit back a rich curse. “I could kill him for hurting you.”
“He’s not the only one. He just did what every other Draicon wants to do.”
Disturbing images emerged as he touched his mind to hers. Men leering at her with lust in their eyes, grabbing at her body and thinking they could molest her because she had no rights. Draicon females mocking her ugly dark purple tunic and pants when she longed to wear brightly colored dresses like they did. Even Draicon children jeering and chasing her away from their campfire on the beach.
“I hate how they make me feel,” she said in a low voice.
Taking a deep breath, he forced the raging wolf down. “Listen to me, chère. Don’t give him that power over you. You’re better than he is, always will be better than those who strike out just because you’re different. Understand?”
A wobbly smile touched her mouth. “One day, my people will be free. I’ll see to it, Gabriel. I’ll fight for their freedom so the girls won’t ever have to be shamed like that again.”
He reached over, touched her cheek in a reassuring gesture.
Soft silk beneath his fingertips. He withdrew his hand as the beast growled to the surface, aroused now by desire.