by Bonnie Vanak
Dust and earth swirled in a violent vortex, clogging the air. Then the cloud cleared. Gabriel walked forward, wind whipping back his hair as he held out his hands. Power radiated from him.
A python as big as a palm tree raised itself until its triangular head reached the rooftop. Out of a huge, yawning mouth flicked a forked tongue as the snake hissed at the intruding Morphs.
The rattlers and cobras retreated, clearing a small pathway.
Gabriel reached the porch, swept Megan and Jillian into his arms. She gripped Jilly tighter as her cousin buried her head against her neck. It was real, yet it wasn’t.
His arms were strong and secure. Skin stretched tightly over his cheekbones in harsh relief as he marched toward the car. Megan’s heart gave a sickening lurch as they skirted the python. It’s just his magick, his magick, not real…
When he set them down, Megan settled Jillian inside the car and watched from the safety of the vehicle as the python illusion vanished. Amber ignited Gabriel’s gaze as he held out his hands. Streaks of blackness began flowing from the snakes and spiders. Flowing into him.
A cruel, icy smile touched his mouth. “Go to hell,” he ordered.
A blast of white-hot light shot from his outstretched hands. The Morphs shattered in a boiling black explosion. She shielded her eyes against it.
When she opened her eyes, all that was left were piles of gray ash.
He had siphoned the energy from the Morphs, reversed it and turned it against them. Never had she witnessed such power. Megan shrank back in awe.
Gabriel was far more lethal than she’d realized.
No one spoke as Gabriel drove west on Highway 60. Her face blanched, Megan sat in the front seat, gripping the door handle. As if she were ready to spring out, or break it off and use it as a weapon.
He swore silently. Knew how scary it was to others when he used all his powers, but he’d had no choice. If he shifted, he knew he could not control the beast. The beast would have made short work of all the snakes, but its savagery would have terrified Megan and the twins more than the energy reversal.
Glancing over, he was startled to realize Megan was invisible. A hollow ache settled in his chest. Shadows did that when they felt frightened and trapped.
It wasn’t his wolf intimidating her. It was him.
Gabriel turned at a small, hesitant tap on his right shoulder.
“Uncle Gabriel? You left this on the backseat. I thought you’d want it.”
The black Stetson pushed between the seat opening.
A half smile touched his mouth. “Thanks, hon.” He clapped it on his head, saw her awed expression. “Now, see? I’m the same Gabriel, the one who takes you fishing on the lake and makes you take baths.”
Tension on their faces eased the slightest bit.
But Megan remained in Shadow. Had to show her there was nothing scary about him….
Liar, the voice inside him whispered.
“It’s just me, Megan,” he said gently. “I’m not the one who would ever hurt you.”
Form shimmered and then took shape. Megan pressed against the door, but at least she was visible once more.
“How…” She cleared her throat. “How did you do that?”
“Something I learned from Emily, my sister-in-law. She has special abilities. Emily showed me to harness my powers to destroy Morphs. I siphon their negative energy, take it into my body, create white light to destroy them.”
“Reverse energy transmutation. It takes a very powerful Draicon to do that. I’ve never seen anything like it,” she whispered.
Fear leeched from her pores. “I did it to protect you, Megan.”
“What else are you capable of, Gabriel? What kind of Draicon are you? When we fully bond, what powers will we exchange?”
The closeness they’d shared while making love vanished like water in the desert. He could not answer her.
He did not dare.
Opening his senses, he smelled Megan’s floral fragrance, his own scent wrapped possessively around hers now that they’d made love. The fresh vanilla scent of the twins. Gasoline, and a faint odor of something darker, nasty lying underneath. His nostrils flared.
“Megan, do you smell that? Burning plastic and sour wine.”
Closing her eyes, she inhaled. “Something spilled in the car?”
“Or worse. Someone was in here.”
He kept an eye on the rearview mirror. Traffic was light, except for a sleek silver pickup truck gaining on them fast.
Gabriel pressed down the gas pedal. The speedometer inched up. Megan craned her neck and looked back. Her fingers gripped the headrest. “That truck wants to pass us.”
Now the truck filled his rearview mirror. He caught sight of the driver’s face.
A driver with silver hair.
“Oh God, Gabriel. It’s him.”
Panic flared on Megan’s face. The taste of it burned in his mouth, along with the acid triumph of the man chasing them.
The truck banged into his bumper, jerking them forward. The girls cried out.
Behind them, the truck pulled off the road. Waiting, like a giant black spider. Gabriel swore and pressed the gas pedal to the floor, but the vehicle only slowed. The pungent odor of spilt gasoline filled the air as the gauge flipped down to empty. The car had been sabotaged. They were screwed.
“Not on my watch, you bastard,” he muttered.
The stench grew thick and oily. Their pursuer wanted to make damn sure they were paralyzed.
The Chevy slowed to a crawl. Gabriel coaxed the engine to keep going, then pulled off the roadside. The engine died with a cough. The odor of gasoline clogged his nostrils as he got out. He slid under the car and swore.
Gravel and dirt coated the back of his jeans and T-shirt as he slid out. Dusting them off, Gabriel got inside the vehicle.
“Fuel line’s loosened, enough to let us get away. The bastard’s toying with us.” He swung his head around, saw the truck pull onto the road again. Toward them. The enemy was gaining.
“Megan, cloak the car.”
The glamour turned the vehicle and its occupants invisible.
In the rearview mirror, confusion filled the expression of their pursuer. Buying them a little time. Just a little.
“We can’t stay here forever.” Megan stared at the approaching truck.
“I know. Jilly, Jenny, remember what I said about using your powers? Listen carefully, mes petites. I need your help.”
The truck slowed and passed them. Chasing an invisible car. Good luck, you bastard.
“Just until we reach the turnpike, honey. There’s a motel there where I can find another car. Can you do it?”
Blood drained from Jenny’s face but she gave a brave nod.
“Hang tight, everyone.”
Power hummed. The car still cloaked in Shadow inched out onto the road and then moved forward. The engine remained shut off. Jenny was now its motor.
Gabriel tensed as they gained on the truck. Strain lined Jenny’s face as she corralled her magick to propel them forward.
“Keep her steady forward, Jenny. Faster. I’m going to pass him.”
Gabriel eased the Chevy into the other lane. As they began to pass the truck, he studied the face of his enemy, imprinting it into his mind.
The pale features were etched with hatred. The silver-haired man raised a hand. Claws erupted from the fingertips. Snarling, the man reached out and shredded the seat beside him.
They pulled in front of the truck and Jenny pushed the car faster. Megan watched in the mirror as the truck pulled off the side of the road.
“Draicon,” Gabriel said in a low voice. “One of us. He’ll follow our scent trail, so we’re not free yet. But we have enough of a start because he’s searching for us back there.”
He praised Jenny for her talents, coaxing her to keep up the constant flow of magick. Eyes closed, Jenny held out her hands as she pushed the car to eighty.
“No one on the road. Now, Megan. Uncloak the car.�
��
When they reached the motel by the Florida Turnpike entrance, he steered the car toward the back parking lot. “Stay here,” he ordered.
Minutes later, a burgundy SUV pulled up beside the Chevy. Gabriel slid out, dangling keys from his lean fingers.
“GMC Grand Terrain, only 3,000 miles on it, full tank of gas, just purchased for $50,000. The money will be wired to the man’s account.”
“You mind pushed him.”
“More than fair deal. Besides, he’s not eager to get home from his sales trip. His wife is mad at him for buying the new SUV when they needed the money to repair their roof.” Gabriel handed over her backpack as they carried the bags to the vehicle. “I chose him because I figured you’d feel empathy for his wife, roof leak and all.”
She held out her hands for the keys. “Let me drive.”
He cocked his head, but handed over the keys.
It wasn’t until they were heading north on the Turnpike that Megan finally relaxed a little. Gabriel smiled at the pale-faced Jenny. “You did great, sweetheart. You’re a real Robichaux, just like your daddy. Rise to the occasion and come through when you’re needed. We’ll stop at the next rest stop and get you some food to replenish your energy.”
Glowing under his praise, Jenny beamed.
“What about me?” Jillian demanded.
“You did fine, too. Jenny needed her sister for support. That’s what family’s all about. Sometimes one of you does what’s necessary and the other is there to encourage.”
Megan gave him a long, thoughtful look as he turned around. “You’re really good with children. I know you’ll make a great father.”
Gabriel leaned back, slid the cowboy hat down on his face. “Children are out of the question, Megan.”
His words caused a crushing hurt in her chest. “Because of me, because of my Shadow powers? You don’t want a child who might inherit them, just like your brother didn’t?”
“Leave my brother out of this.”
“It’s me, then. My powers.”
“It’s not you and I’m not talking about this anymore. Let’s just get the hell to New Orleans.”
At his curt attitude, she stopped talking. Megan flipped on a satellite radio station. Alternative rock filled the vehicle.
Gabriel shot her a questioning look. She ignored him, but couldn’t do the same with the tightness in her chest. He kept shutting her out, time and again. She was mated to him. They’d consummated their bond, yet he was no closer to her than when they’d first met.
A cell phone chirped. Gabriel fished his out of his front pocket. He frowned at the number. It kept ringing.
The way he kept glancing at the screen didn’t give her confidence. He flipped the phone open. “Robichaux,” he bit out.
Blood drained from his face. He gripped the phone tighter. Megan’s heart raced at the stark fury on his expression.
“Feet pue tan,” he snapped.
The meaning flashed loud inside her mind. You goddamn son of a bitch.
The phone cracked in his hands. Gabriel tossed the pieces aside. White lined his knuckles as his mouth narrowed to a thin slash.
“Was it him?”
A low growl rumbled from his chest. Her stomach tightened into knots. The flash of anger across his face made him look edgy and dangerous. Gabriel took in a deep breath.
“Who’s he after? The girls? Or is he a mercenary who wants to take me back the colony? What does he want, Gabriel?”
Dark silence fell in the vehicle for a minute. Then Gabriel pushed back his hat. She could see the haunted look in his chocolate eyes.
“He’s not after you or the twins. It’s me he wants, Megan. Me.”
Chapter 15
“Gabriel, Jenny’s not feeling well.”
The small voice coming from the backseat understated the problem. Jennifer was pale, her energy depleted to alarming levels.
He spotted a sign for a rest stop a few miles ahead and told Megan. Her rounded chin had that stubborn set he’d begun to recognize as sheer will.
“He’s not going to get you, Gabriel. We can stop him.”
His heart turned over at her obvious loyalty. “I won’t risk you or the twins. This is my business and I’m responsible.”
“They can’t take you away for protecting Shadows. If you hadn’t helped us…”
“That’s not why he’s after me.” An ache settled deep in his bones. “His name is Logan Hartwell. I’ve never met him, but knew his son, Deke.”
“Friends?”
“Hardly.”
He could be the most powerful Draicon walking the planet and it didn’t matter. Gabriel rubbed his chest. Merde, it was hard to breathe, hard to think….
Hard to live with the twin boulders of guilt always weighing him down. One on his shoulder named Amelia. One named Simone.
Daring to glance sideways, he saw compassion on Megan’s face.
“Tell me,” she said.
Seeing the exit for the service plaza, she pulled into the left lane. People streamed back and forth in the busy plaza. After she parked the SUV, she turned off the engine.
A small white van with pictures of creamy treats was parked nearby. Jenny brightened. Gabriel fished out dollar bills from his wallet. “Jenny, Jilly, alors, here’s a few dollars. Go get ice cream, mes petites. Stay where I can keep an eye on you.”
He watched the girls scramble out and walk hand in hand toward the truck.
“Who are you, Gabriel?”
The question laced with bite like Tabasco. Megan waited.
“Sometimes, I don’t even know” was his honest answer.
Gabriel took a deep breath. Oh damn, this hurt so bad. “Like I’d said before, I was a cocky, arrogant feet pue tan…”
He halted, removed his hat, jammed a hand through his thick hair. Couldn’t tell her, not like this, not ever. The haunting image of Simone’s dead eyes, Amelia’s frozen scream of terror.
Then he felt Megan’s gentle caress on his forearm.
“I was an Enforcer, who formed the network with Alex. I helped Shadows personally, escorted them to safe houses. I myself recruited the Friends who’d help Shadows find refuge. One day, I made a critical mistake. I trusted someone.”
“Deke?”
“He came to me as an escaped Shadow, asking for refuge. Remy didn’t trust him. Sensed something a little off. Should have listened to him. I thought Papa’s dislike for Shadows overtook all else. Deke was desperate. I invited him into Alex’s home to spend the night while I made arrangements to find a safe house. Alex agreed.”
His jaw clenched so hard his teeth hurt. “That night, Deke had dinner with all of us at Alex’s house so Simone could convince my parents Shadows were worth saving. Simone had forgotten dessert, so she asked my parents to get ice cream from the local store. It was a ploy. She’d asked me for a favor, to use my powers and coax my brothers into leaving with my parents.”
Shame etched his face. Gabriel dragged in a deep breath. “Rafe is immune to my powers, but he went because he sensed we needed to talk freely. We were alone, Simone, Amelia, Alex, Deke and myself. Amelia was bursting with curiosity. Deke was the first Shadow she’d seen other than her mother. She was so honest, told Deke how her mommy was a Shadow and was teaching her how to use her talents. She was so excited to meet another Shadow.”
“He wasn’t?” Megan’s face drained of color.
“No.” Gabriel’s chest felt tight. “Found out later he was an Enforcer.”
Her mouth trembled. “Oh God.”
“Deke asked Amelia and Simone to step outside and talk, Shadow to Shadow. Alex had gone upstairs. I was on my laptop writing emails. My instincts were warning me. I shut off the computer but by then I could hear…”
The screams.
The crescents of his clipped nails dug into his palms. Must keep going, because if he stopped, the tide of emotions would engulf him.
Or scream himself, and never stop. He took a cleansing breath, crane
d his neck to see the girls still standing in line for ice cream.
“The rest of the family had returned and ran outside. Simone and Amelia were dying. Rafe tried to save them, he’s the immortal Kallan and had the gift to restore life to one dying person. He asked Alex to choose which to save, the mother or the child. Alex couldn’t choose.” Gabriel stared at the radio, unwilling to meet her gaze. “We buried them two days later. Alex…has never been the same.”
Neither have I.
Simone and Amelia prone on the ground, gasping for breath.
A bloodstained Deke grinning as he held the knife he’d grabbed from their kitchen. The slow, viscous river of crimson pooling at Gabriel’s boots.
“What did you do, Gabriel?”
Her gentle, melodic voice a stroke of silk against raw nerves. Gabriel stared at his hands.
“I grabbed the knife from him, dragged Deke away while Alex held Simone and Amelia in his arms, rocking back and forth.”
“Deke?” The word was a horrified whisper.
“Made sure he was dead.”
Deke, backing away in terror. Gabriel lunging forward, shape-shifting as he ran. “What happened?”
For a long moment the only sounds were the slamming of car doors, the insouciant chatter of travelers and the grumble of passing tractor trailers.
“I went Feral.”
The image surfaced like a bloated body slowly floating upward from a dark, deep lake. Megan slipped into his mind. He tried to shut her out, but the door had cracked open.
He’d torn the bastard’s throat raw. And more. Blood on the trees, the grass. The horrified looks of his family when he’d emerged from the woods. Blood splattered over his naked body. Unable to control his magick to even clothe himself. Their fear. He could never forgive himself for the look in their eyes. His own family.
Silence, then the thunder of a pounding heartbeat. A small, choked sound beside him. A fist of guilt and regret slammed into his chest. He wouldn’t look at her, see her revulsion.
“Rafe and Etienne buried what was left of him, circulated a story about Deke torn to pieces by a wolf.” He gave a short, bitter laugh. His brothers had told the truth.
“No mercy, Gabriel.”