Harlequin Nocturne March 2014 Bundle: ShadowmasterRunning with Wolves

by Susan Krinard

  She took a few more steps when the soothing caress of warm energy brushed up against her arm. Gasping, she jumped back, almost dropping her basket. One of her earbuds popped out of her ear. She choked on the breath still caught in her throat and saw the man standing next to her. He was tall and slim with strong arms and snug-fitting jeans. Real snug. Real nice. Thick brown hair curled around his ears and astonishing pale blue eyes stared at her in concern.

  “It’s okay, I’m fine.” She slapped an open palm to her chest to get the air flowing again and nodded, trying to look normal—when nothing about this situation, about this man, was normal. The most beautiful colors she’d ever seen surrounded him. Colors so bright she could even see them through the dark glasses. She couldn’t recall ever seeing those particular shades of blue and purple before. Air burst out of her lungs and a feeling of calm settled over her. Better yet, the buzzing noise was gone. Her mind was completely at peace.

  She turned off her iPod. Yep, not a sound was coming from him. How was that possible?

  “I think that one is ripe. Probably even bruised by now,” he said with a cocky grin.

  She stared at him, stupefied, then embarrassment kicked in and she dropped the avocado into her basket.

  “I—I don’t think I’ve seen you around town before,” she stammered, searching for something to say. He was awash in extraordinary colors. She could see right through the dark lenses of her glasses and it left her breathless and amazed.

  “That would be because I just got here. I’ve been hired to oversee the remodeling of a new shop opening in the village—Tamara’s Candles and Incense.”

  “Oh, nice,” she murmured as her tongue thickened in her mouth. Obviously, it had been too long since she’d talked to people. Especially men. Drop-dead gorgeous men.

  “You realize there’s no sun outside,” he said, staring at her glasses.

  Geez, was it really that dark out? Preparing herself, she slipped off the glasses and dropped them into her basket. The man’s aura was more startling than she’d first thought, and he had the most incredible bluish-gray eyes she’d ever seen.

  “You have beautiful eyes. You shouldn’t hide them,” he said, staring into them with such intensity that a warm flush filled her face.

  No one had ever said anything like that about her eyes before and she didn’t quite know how to respond. So she didn’t. She kept her mouth shut and her foot out of it.

  “You don’t happen to know where I can find a short-term apartment?” he asked, his voice rippling through her in an unusually intoxicating way.

  She was staring, overwhelmed by the colors shimmering around his head and the fact that she couldn’t hear his mind working. Not even the slightest buzz. Though for some reason he was affecting her body temperature. She let out a deep breath.

  Amusement danced in his eyes.

  “I’m...uh...sorry? Did you say something?” she asked, certain flaming-red must be filling her cheeks.

  “An apartment?” he repeated.

  “There is a real-estate office right down the street.” She pointed in the direction he should go.

  He had such a wonderful earthy smell, something she could almost place. What was it? Cedar? Cinnamon? Apple? All of the above mixed together in a cornucopia of goodness.

  “Thanks, was hoping not to have to deal with leases and finder’s fees and all that, since I won’t be here for very long.”

  “Right.” What was he talking about? An apartment? Maybe she should...? No. She couldn’t. She wasn’t used to being around men who made her feel so jittery and tongue-tied. Or like a complete idiot. No, she was better off keeping to herself. And she knew it. Just like she knew she was a complete and utter chicken.

  Keep your head down, Shay. You never know when they’ll find you. Her father’s warnings rushed through her mind. Not that she ever knew who they were, why they were looking or even what they wanted.

  But for this man, she could easily forget her daddy’s warning. Mercy! With his dark hair streaked with a rebellious red, high cheekbones and wide, promising lips... She sighed. Not to mention strong shoulders that stretched from here to eternity. He was built and looked as if he could easily carry her and the world, and fight off whoever they might be.

  And then she noticed his hands—large, strong hands. How she loved hands. Some girls liked chests and others liked butts. She loved hands. And his looked solid and capable. A warrior’s hands. She sighed again.

  “Well, hope to see you around,” he said, after the long awkward pause she just realized had happened.

  “Um, yeah. Right,” she murmured, but too late. He was already gone. Yep. Way to make a lasting impression, Shay. Not!

  She glanced around the small store once more before walking toward the cash register. Her handsome warrior must have slipped out. Feeling foolish and distracted, she paid for her groceries, loaded up her tote bag, then walked out the door and collided into someone walking in.

  “I’m sorry,” she muttered, looking up into a black fathomless gaze.

  Shay’s heart slammed against her rib cage. She’d been foolish enough to walk out the door without putting her glasses back on or her earbuds back in her ears. An angry buzz filled her head, growing louder by the second. She shook her head, trying to dispel the distracting noise. Color—or the lack of color, more like a muddy darkness—surrounded him. Head down, she pushed past him. Gooseflesh raising her skin where she’d touched him.

  Just go in the store, she thought. Go in and leave me alone.

  She should have known that would be too much to hope for.

  The man turned and followed her. Fear twisted and turned in her stomach as bile rose in her throat. They are coming, Daddy. They’ve found me. She quickened her step, trying to put distance between her and the man. It didn’t work. He kept after her. What did he want?

  She hesitated at the mouth of the alley between the two buildings that led into the parking lot and the quickest way back to her house. To Buddy. But she wasn’t sure she wanted to go in there. And worse, beyond the alley, beyond the parking lot, she would be at the highway and once crossed, there was nothing but woods. She’d be alone. Where no one would be able to see her. Or hear her.

  She screwed up her courage and spun around on the sidewalk to face her pursuer. Hoping he wouldn’t be there.

  But he was.

  “Excuse me,” she said in what she hoped was a strong, steady voice.

  His clean-shaven face held no expression. With his dress pants and polo shirt, he looked like any other tourist up from San Francisco. He certainly didn’t look like something evil. But he was. She could tell by the dark shadows circling around his head and the slightly bitter, metallic way he smelled.

  His nostrils flared as he sniffed the air around her, then he moved closer, his eyes a black void of nothingness.

  “Can I help you with something?” she asked, a slight quaver shaking her voice as she took a step back from him.

  He didn’t answer. Just moved closer, uncomfortably close. She stepped back again and found herself at the mouth of the alley. She squared herself, planting her feet in a wide stance. All those years with her paranoid father teaching her everything from judo to how to shoot a revolver came rushing back. She dropped her tote bag, raised her hands, leaned her body weight slightly forward and loosened her knees.

  “Turn around and get away from me,” she demanded. “Now.”

  He stared at her with those obsidian black eyes that held no soul, and smiled. It was that smile, dripping with evil, that scared her more than anything he could have said.

  What was he?

  “What do you want from me?” her voice squeaked. She tried to stop looking at him. She didn’t want to see the dark, shifting shadows encircling his head or what was moving within them. What was that? She could have swo
rn she’d seen teeth. And claws.

  A violent shudder shook her.

  He grabbed her arm. “This way,” he snarled through a clenched jaw, and pushed her into the alley.

  Fear, white-hot and molten, surged through her. She forgot her fighting stance, forgot every move she’d ever learned as her brain flooded with adrenaline. “Let me go!” She screamed, pulling and twisting, trying to break free from his grasp. But he was too strong.

  He continued to push her forward, toward the large black van parked at the end of the alley. And she knew once they reached that van, once he got her inside, no one would ever see her again.

  “Please,” she cried and pried at his fingers, trying to loosen his grip on her arm.

  “You heard the lady. Let her go.”

  The calm voice surprised and confused her. She looked up and saw the man from the store. Her knight in shining armor with the warrior hands stood not four feet away, watching them. Relief filled her, weakening her knees to the point she wasn’t sure she could continue to stand. She tried to pull free once more, but the crazy loon still wouldn’t loosen his grip.

  What was wrong with him? There was a witness. Someone to help her.

  Her rescuer set down his bag, took off his brown leather jacket and laid it neatly across the bag so it didn’t touch the ground.

  As if in a dream, she watched him, unable to comprehend what was happening. All she knew was that she no longer felt so afraid.

  “You should do as she says,” he said, walking toward them, and planting one of his hands on her attacker’s shoulder and squeezing.

  She looked up at the man still holding her arm and could see the fear and anger surrounding him; it puffed up as a red cloud within the muddy darkness. Without looking at her, he dropped her arm, shrugged out of her savior’s grasp, turned and walked away. As if he’d never stopped, as if he’d never touched her.

  Shay stared after him, astonished.

  “Does that happen to you often?”

  She turned back to the man from the store, blinking. “No, but it’s been happening more frequently lately.” That man wasn’t the first person with a black aura to take an unusual interest in her. But he was the first one who’d ever touched her. “Thanks for coming to my rescue.”

  “I was actually looking for that real-estate office you told me about. Luckily, I couldn’t find it.”

  Luckily for her, but she might not be so lucky the next time. And somehow she knew there would be a next time. And like this time, she wouldn’t be able to handle it alone. “How long did you say you’d be in town?”

  “Hard to say. Anywhere from four to eight weeks, depending on how quickly I can get the job done. Why, have you thought of someplace?”

  “It’s not much and it’s been sitting empty for a while, but I sure could use the money.”

  “No lease?”

  She smiled. “No lease.”

  “Great. I can pay you by the week.”

  “Sounds fair. But don’t you want to see it first? Then we can discuss price.”

  “Sure, should I drive? My truck’s right down the street.”

  She looked toward his truck and shook her head. Her nerves were still too shaky to get into a stranger’s vehicle. And yet, here she was taking him to her home. But for a reason she didn’t understand, she trusted him. It had to be his aura, the warm vibrant colors surrounding him, so different from the muddy dark aura of her attacker.

  “I really could use the fresh air, if you don’t mind. It’s not a far walk.”

  He gestured forward with an easy smile that immediately set her at ease. “Lead the way.”

  She took a step forward then stopped, turned back to him and held out her hand. “I’m Shay. Shay Mallory.”

  His large grasp enveloped her small hand, surprising her with its warmth. “Jason Stratton.”

  She turned and, for a moment, felt a prick of fear as she led him toward her home. An absolute certainty that everything was about to change.

  Chapter 2

  Jason was more than a little surprised when the woman offered her apartment so quickly. He wondered how long she’d been attracting the Abatu, men so lost and confused that it was easy for a demon to hitch a ride. Those types of lost souls were scary and bothersome, but were easily deterred. What would be worse was if the Gauliacho, higher-formed demons from the other side, found her. And from what he could tell, it wouldn’t be long now until they did.

  They crossed Highway 1 and started up the gravel road in silence. Shay couldn’t have started her transformation too long ago. She wore dark glasses even though the day was overcast, so she could definitely see the colors. And he was fairly certain she was hearing the buzzing, too. Soon she’d be seeing and feeling a lot more. Her scent and the vibrations she exuded were strong, making it relatively easy for him to find her. Unfortunately, it also made her an easy target for the Abatu.

  But what concerned him more was how little she seemed to know about herself. Her dad, Dean, would have made sure she’d been properly trained. And yet, she’d been genuinely afraid of the Abatu when she could have taken him in an instant. She was strong enough. She just didn’t seem to know it. Had Dean died before he had the chance to teach her what she needed to know? His stomach clenched at the thought. He hoped not.

  They mounted the slight incline following a worn gravel road. Jason watched the gentle sway of her hips. Her snug shorts hugged her form nicely and showed off her long, strong legs. She was quite the beauty, and he had a feeling she didn’t know that, either. She had her mother’s bright blue, almost violet eyes. The effect of their deep color along with her long black hair was stunning. Her wide generous mouth drew his attention. On her mother, Lily, those lips had been easy to break into a smile, but on Shay, he wasn’t so sure.

  She didn’t seem to have Lily’s carefree easiness about her. It was that, coupled with Lily’s bright smile, that had captured Dean’s heart and refused to let go. A pang of regret thudded through Jason for his old friend. Dean had been foolish enough to break all the rules, fall in love with a human and then get her pregnant. For that, they had all paid the price. Maggie’s smiling face and bright eyes slipped into Jason’s thoughts. He quickly pushed them back out, but still felt the sharp ache of his wife’s loss. He looked back at Shay and focused on her.

  Dean’s daughter. What had her life been like? He wished she could have grown up in The Colony, but half-breeds weren’t allowed in the pack. They couldn’t take the chance. Once the half-breeds were old enough, some would turn, some wouldn’t. And if they didn’t, the pack couldn’t chance having humans living at The Colony, chance being exposed to the rest of the world.

  It was one of the pack’s oldest rules and one he still hadn’t come to terms with. Family was family, human or not. Dean and Lily had been forced out on their own. A wolf living outside the protection of the pack didn’t stand a chance. And now it was Shay’s turn. She was changing, and soon her transformation would be complete.

  As they walked silently through the woods, he considered asking her about her mother, but she didn’t seem to be the type for mindless chitchat. Nor was she completely comfortable with him. He could tell by the subtle pinching of her lips that she was second-guessing her decision to invite him back to her home.

  But whether she knew it or not, she needed him and fortunately she seemed to sense that. He wouldn’t have long to convince her that she had to come with him to The Colony. He only hoped Dean or her mother had told her about them, about what she was, and prepared her for what was about to happen to her.

  Shay stopped and picked up a large pinecone, twisting it this way and that. She was a beauty, every part of her from her slim graceful form, to her long black hair. Yes, Malcolm would be very pleased. For a second he felt a pinch of envy but quickly pushed it away. This she-wolf was
for Malcolm. Her bloodline would ensure his continued leadership of the pack and silence those grumbling against him once and for all. Now that she was turning, all Jason had to do was get her to The Colony safely. Get her to Malcolm and let him deal with the fallout.

  But to do that, he needed her cooperation. And he’d need it soon. As a small white clapboard house came into view, a large dog bolted through the trees toward them, breaking through the brush.

  Shay stiffened beside him. “I hope you like dogs—”

  Before she could finish, the dog, more wolf than Siberian husky, burst through the trees then skidded to a stop in front of them. It stared at Jason, its head cocked sideways, its large brown eyes studying him before it dropped whimpering to the ground. He lifted his massive front paw, up and down, up and down, as small little whimpers issued from his throat.

  “Buddy?” Shay asked as she dropped to the ground next to her dog. “What’s wrong, boy?”

  Jason crouched next to them and rubbed the dog’s brown-and-white head, letting him know he wasn’t a threat to the animal.

  “I have never seen him act like that before.” Shay brushed the fur on the top of his dark ears. “Buddy, it’s okay. This is Jason.”

  Jason gave the dog a pat on the shoulder then stood. As he did, Buddy stood, too, all his anxiety gone as his large tail beat the back of Jason’s legs.

  “Don’t worry,” Jason said. “Dogs like me.”

  “I guess so,” she said, though she looked doubtful.

  She was staring at him openly now, trying to figure him out. She could stare all she wanted, but in the long run, she wasn’t going to like what he had to tell her. About him. About her parents. About herself. She pulled her arm back and chucked the pinecone, sending it soaring through the air. At full speed, Buddy took off after it. When they reached the house, they found Buddy sitting on the porch, the pinecone mangled between his paws.