by Anne Kane
Selkie’s Seduction
Anne Kane
When Nikki’s sister sends a Druid named Wolfe to warn her about impending danger, he’s surprised to discover the feisty little selkie shapeshifter is his destined mate.
Nikki is immediately attracted to him and intrigued by their telepathic link, but she is having none of this destined-mate business. Her animal form is a free-spirited otter, and she fears the call of the wild might be too strong to allow her to settle down and raise a family. After her mother deserted the family, Nikki vowed she would remain single rather than risk putting a child of her own through that emotional hell.
But when the danger becomes all too real, Nikki’s link with Wolfe is her only comfort, and she realizes some risks just might be worth taking.
A Romantica® paranormal erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave
Selkie’s Seduction
Anne Kane
Chapter One
An icy finger of fear slid down Nikki’s spine as she watched the men search the clearing in methodical sweeps, being careful to cover their tracks. There were three of them, dressed in military fatigues without any identifying marks and they looked mean. Mean and professional. Damn! Those self-defense lessons her father had forced her to take wouldn’t be much help against this bunch. Only in Hollywood did the perky little blonde manage to take down a trio of bad guys all by her lonesome without mussing up her hair or makeup. No, her only chance was to get away before they spotted her.
Did they really think they could get away with just walking in here and kidnapping her? Obviously, or they wouldn’t be here. And she hadn’t even notified the neighbors she was back. It could be weeks before someone noticed she was missing.
Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!
Her kind were rare and had been on the verge of extinction for years. She knew better. Caution had been drilled into her since birth, but it felt so good to be home, to be alone. At least they’d want to capture her alive. Hopefully. If it came down to it, they’d probably settle for a corpse to study.
She backed up a step, feeling the ground behind her with the tip of her sneaker. If she could manage to work her way deeper into the cover of the forest, she could hide indefinitely while she figured out what to do next. An unfamiliar sensation teased the edge of her mind and she froze, one foot suspended in the air. What the hell?
Two arms grabbed her from behind, bands of steel preventing her from moving, from escaping. A large hand covered her mouth, trapping the startled cry before it could escape her lips.
His voice low and gruff, the stranger whispered in her ear. “Relax. I’m not with that bunch, I’m here to help. Your sister Trina sent me. Nod if you understand.”
Nikki pushed down the panic that threatened to paralyze her. Where had he come from, and how had he managed to get so close without her hearing him? He felt so large, so solid, so male pressed against her back. Did she dare trust him?
Then again, did she have a choice? He knew her sister by name, so maybe he was telling the truth. Those men in the clearing sure weren’t here to help her. What did she have to lose? She nodded slowly.
The man relaxed his grip, and she twisted around in the loose circle of his arms, taking in his stocky good looks in one sweeping glance. If her sister really had sent this guy, he sure wasn’t part of her usual crowd. Trina was a ballet dancer and the men she hung out with were fit and lean, graceful to the point of being feminine. This man didn’t have a feminine bone in his body.
A tight tee shirt did nothing to hide the rippling muscles on his wide shoulders and splendid torso. His unruly mop of dark hair, cut just above his shoulders, gave the impression of a maverick, a man who didn’t care what the world thought of him. His chiseled features were harsh, interesting rather than handsome, with a nose that had been broken—more than once. A jagged scar ran down one cheek.
Nikki quickly calculated her options. With those men in the clearing below, she needed to get out of here. Fast. She really didn’t have time to play twenty questions. She kept her voice low. “Who are you?”
“My name is Wolfe.” He gestured toward the woods with a quick jerk of his head. “We can do the polite introduction thing later. We need to get out of here.”
She nodded. Yeah. Certainly couldn’t argue with his logic. Unease threaded through her, though, as she followed him deeper into the safety of the tree line. Her heart beat so loud she was amazed the men back there hadn’t heard it. Was he really here to help her, or was she jumping from the frying pan straight into the fire?
Wolfe was a very unusual name, and she didn’t recall Trina ever mentioning him before. And where would her ballerina sister have met a guy like this? The ripple of well-toned muscles in his shoulders drew her attention as he pushed a heavy cedar bough out of his way, waiting for her to get past before letting it snap back into place. Nope, definitely not the artsy type.
They walked in silence for a while; every footstep led them farther from the men in the clearing. The tension in her gut eased slightly. Maybe luck was on her side for once, and they’d managed to get away without being detected. Wolfe set a brisk pace, blazing a trail through the scraggly undergrowth. Nikki was quite happy to let him be the first to be slapped in the face with each errant branch.
She had to admit he seemed to know his way through the bush. Not a single twig snapped beneath his feet to betray his passing. Even the birds kept up their cheerful songs, ignoring the intruders in their midst. Normally, the little fellows chattered out a warning to the other woodland inhabitants at the first sight of a human.
The more distance they put between themselves and the men in the clearing, the better she felt. She hated feeling like an animal in hunting season. A deer trail leading north intersected their path and Wolfe turned to look at her, one brow raised in silent question.
Nikki shrugged. How was she supposed to know where the trail led? “I’m not sure where this goes. The footing’s bound to be better than pushing through the underbrush, though. You think we should follow it?”
Wolfe nodded. “Yeah. It’ll make the going a little easier, and help to put some distance between us and your friends back there. And it’s heading in the right general direction.”
He had a point. Nikki turned to follow the well-worn path and Wolfe slowed his pace to walk beside her, gliding across the terrain with surefooted grace. Every movement exuded confidence; even the dead leaves on the ground were silent beneath his feet.
Yes, he was definitely at home in the woods. Rugged, confident and at home in the woods. Just not the kind of guy she expected her sister to know. Or was he lying?
The uncomfortable feeling in her gut refused to be soothed. They were miles from anywhere and heading deeper into the forest with every step. What was she going to do if he turned out to be one of the bad guys? She slipped her hand into her pocket, locating her house key. Clenched between her fingers it made a pitifully small weapon but at least it was something.
He’d said Trina had sent him, and Trina often had flashes of precognition, glances into the future. Mostly, they were too obscure to be of any use but occasionally she saw enough to warn people of imminent disaster. Nikki’s heart lurched. Trina had never sent anyone to watch over her before. Had her sister seen something about Nikki in one of her visions? Something scary enough to send this big hulk of a man to protect her?
She stumbled over an exposed root and caught herself just in time to avoid falling flat on her face. This wasn’t a summer stroll on the beach. Time to stop worrying about her sister’s motives and pay attention to her footing.
As they penetrated deeper into the forest, the underbrush grew sparser. Towering trees, having never met the business end of a chainsaw, formed a thick canopy that blocked out m
ost of the sunlight and deterred the growth of ground cover. The deer and other forest creatures had packed the fertile earth into a hard path. Except for the gnarled roots and occasional rock, walking gradually became easier.
They trod side by side, and Nikki studied the stranger from beneath her lashes, her fingers still wrapped around that house key. Although she didn’t recognize him, Wolfe seemed familiar with the area, which was odd. The cabin had been in Nikki’s family for years, and she and her sister had spent many happy hours exploring the surrounding area. If Wolfe were a native, she should know him.
They moved at a steady pace for over an hour, Nikki keeping one ear cocked for sounds of pursuit. None came. Now the million-dollar question was why the men were there in the first place. Did they know her secret, or were they just a bunch of crazies with some weird agenda of their own? Quite a few hippie types had settled around here back in the ’eighties, and you never knew quite what to expect from them. They were usually harmless though, and those men didn’t strike her as harmless.
Stumbling over a gnarled root for the third time in as many minutes, she laid her hand on Wolfe’s arm to get his attention and gestured at the ground. “I’m exhausted. I need to rest for a few minutes.” Despite the seeming lack of pursuit, she made sure to keep her voice to a whisper.
Wolfe frowned and shook his head impatiently, pointing up the trail. “Not yet. I’ve got a horse up ahead. We can rest when we get to him.”
Nikki arched her eyebrows at his brusque tone. Did he really think she was the kind of woman who took well to being ordered around? Fine. If she dropped from exhaustion, he’d just have to carry her. He looked strong enough to play Tarzan. Or a caveman. Yeah, with that attitude he’d make a perfect caveman.
* * * * *
“Okay, you can take a few minutes to rest while I get Fred here ready to go.” Wolfe approached the buckskin gelding and hooked one hand through the halter. “I haven’t heard anyone behind us, so it should be safe enough.” He grabbed the bridle hanging from a nearby tree and slipped it over the gelding’s head.
“What a lovely horse.” Nikki walked over and eased her hand down the soft hair on the animal’s muzzle. “Hopefully those guys back there never knew I was anywhere near the cabin. There’s a chance they weren’t even looking for me.”
Maybe she’d just overreacted. She’d seen those men and assumed the worst. They could have been looking for a wild animal or something equally benign. She’d just jumped to the conclusion that they were after her.
Wolfe cocked his head to stare at her. “That’s a bit optimistic. Can’t imagine what else they’d be looking for way out here. And Trina seemed kind of concerned. Concerned enough to send me.”
Giving him an irritated look, Nikki ran her fingers through the horse’s silky black mane. “So just how exactly do you know Trina? Did she elaborate on who those men might be? Did she say what they wanted?” Deep down in her gut, where logic didn’t play a big part, she knew she was in trouble.
Wolfe lounged against the split-rail fence. “You ask a lot of questions for a rescued damsel in distress. Aren’t you supposed to throw yourself at my feet in gratitude?”
Nikki bit back a curse. She was so not in the mood for this. “I don’t do damsel in distress, and I definitely don’t throw myself at men’s feet. I could have escaped just fine by myself.” Which was the truth. She felt just as comfortable in the forest as she did shopping on Robson Street in Vancouver.
He held up a hand in a conciliatory gesture. “Okay, okay. Sorry I didn’t introduce myself better back there, but I thought we needed to get moving. Those guys didn’t look like a bunch of lost hunters. Yes, I really am a friend of Trina and Jack, more Jack than Trina. We have some hobbies in common. And yes, they really did send me to warn you. I just didn’t expect the danger to arrive before I did, hence the single horse. He’s a gelding and quite gentle, which is a bonus because I’m afraid we’re going to have to ride double.”
“Is your name really Wolf?” Now why did she ask that? She couldn’t care less what his name was.
He nodded. “Wolfe with an ‘e’. My mother was a bit of a flower child and I was born during one of her ‘let’s get in touch with nature’ phases.”
“Wow.” Nikki gave him a reluctantly sympathetic look. “A name like that must have gotten you some ragging as a kid.”
“Some,” he agreed. “It wasn’t all bad. I learned a lot growing up. Mostly I learned not to judge myself with other people’s yardsticks and that’s stood me in good stead over the years.”
A crooked smile curved the corners of his mouth and Nikki felt her heart do a curious little flip. With that curly dark hair and those eyes, he must have been an adorable child.
“So you and Jack are friends?”
“Yes. We’re working on a research project together, when I manage to drag him away from your sister. She doesn’t usually come with him so I admit I don’t know her all that well.” He stroked a hand absently down the gelding’s neck. “Last Tuesday, she showed up at my door with Jack, really upset. She said she’d had a premonition her big sister was in trouble and she wanted me to warn you. Fast. She said she’d tried calling you, but your cell phone wouldn’t connect. She didn’t settle down until I promised to come straight away.” He turned a speculative gaze on her.
“Trina knows I’m on holidays and I have a really bad habit of ignoring the phone. Plus, cell phone reception is sketchy in the mountains. A couple of years ago, she actually sent the Royal Canadian Mounted Police looking for me when I didn’t respond to her calls for a solid week.” She felt a wry grin curve the corner of her lip. “They weren’t impressed when they found me happily sunbathing by the lake.”
She gave him an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry for being so prickly. I haven’t even thanked you for coming to help me. I’ll feel better when I can talk to Trina and find out what she knows. I left my cell phone at the house when I decided to take a swim, so I guess I’ll have to wait until we get to town. Unless you have one I can borrow?”
Wolfe pulled a cell phone out of his pocket, holding it up so she could see the display. “And as usual on the lee side of the mountain, no signal. Town it is.” He tucked the phone back into his shirt pocket.
Leaning down, Wolfe checked the saddle girth before gesturing for her to mount. “Do you know how to ride?”
“Yes.” Nikki pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “We always had horses when I was a kid.” Putting the toe of one foot in the stirrup, she swung herself onto the gelding in one graceful motion and held out her hand. “Need a hand up?”
“Nope. I can manage.” He ignored her proffered hand and sprang into the saddle behind her. Holding the reins in his right hand, he used his left arm to draw her back against him, molding his body against her. His warm breath teased her neck.
Pulling the gelding’s head around, Wolfe guided him down a well-worn path to the south. “So what is it that you do? Your sister said that you worked on contracts in various parts of the world, which is why I’ve never seen you at any of her performances.”
Nikki tried to shake off the unsettled feeling, not sure if it was caused by his proximity or fear of her unknown stalkers. “I’m a forensic accountant.”
Wolfe whistled softly. “Now that sounds like an interesting job. What does a forensic accountant do? I thought forensic implied something dead.”
Nikki shook her head, picturing an old-fashioned paper ledger gasping its last breath while she tried desperately to extract information from it. “I go into companies, usually ones that are experiencing trouble or are suspicious of their staff and go through the books with a fine-toothed comb. I’m impartial so I have a better chance of being believed than an insider.”
“Sounds like fun.” Wolfe’s tone implied it would be anything but.
“It’s all about patterns.” Nikki screwed up her nose. “Accounting is a very simple form of mathematics. One plus one always equals two. When someone gets creative
or makes an honest mistake, the pattern is off. I’m good at seeing patterns. So what do you do?”
“I’m a forestry consultant.” The gelding settled into a smooth rocking gait, and Wolfe gestured at the trees and bushes surrounding them. “This is my office.”
“Oh.” Nikki hesitated, but it was just too tempting. “How does the forest manage to pay you?”
“Nuts.” His serious tone belied the silliness of the banter. “Exchange rate’s down a bit due to the squirrel coup last year, but I do okay.
Nikki shook her head, feeling the knot in her gut relaxing just a tiny bit. “You’re crazy.”
She could hear the smile in his voice. “Yeah, but you started it.”
Chapter Two
Wolfe shifted his weight. They’d been traveling for over an hour and the gentle rocking motion of the gelding’s canter was agonizingly erotic. His rock-hard erection rubbed up and down against Nikki’s butt and her soft feminine scent teased him mercilessly.
“Could you stop that please?” Nikki twisted to frown at him over her shoulder.
“Stop what?” Wolfe knew exactly what she meant, but he wanted to hear her say it.
“Humping my butt. It’s annoying.”
She turned to face the front so he couldn’t see if her face was red, but she certainly sounded embarrassed.
He grinned cheerfully. The knowledge that she was aware of him as a man almost made the discomfort of his jean-clad erection bearable. He let his hand inch upward from her waist.
Nikki promptly slapped it back down.
Wolfe felt a smile tug the corner of his mouth. Feisty.
She may not be very big, but the woman definitely knew how to take care of herself.
He settled back into the saddle and hummed an ancient tune he’d learned from his grandfather. The smooth gait of the horse ate up the distance as he became comfortable with the feel of the woman mounted in front of him.