The Covert Wolf
Page 25
“And Dakota left her.” Dallas snorted. The Draicon looked askew at Matt. “Surprised you didn’t miss a chance to jump her. She was hot.”
Fury boiled inside him. “Don’t you dare talk about her that way,” he said in a low voice.
“Cool it, Dallas,” Shay said quietly. “Shut your muzzle.”
Dallas looked up from his computer, amusement on his handsome face. “If you did jump her, maybe you absorbed some of her hot-hot-hotness. Her powers, I mean. Maybe a pretty lady like Sienna could make your ugly mug a sight more bearable.”
He gave a long, low howl.
Matt stood, the chair spilling to the floor. The change came swiftly, claws erupting on his fingertips, bone and muscles changing. Wolf wanted to rip him to shreds for daring to insult his Sienna. With a snarl, he bared his teeth and leaped over the desk. Dallas shifted at the same time, a black muscled wolf ready to take him on.
Hotness. Damn it, I’ll show you hotness, I’ll give you heat….
He felt his body twist and lengthen, his fury building into a crescendo, his muzzle becoming elongated…. What the hell?
Dallas stood atop his desk, but instead of challenge in the other’s eyes, there was stark fear. Good. Show the bastard he couldn’t tangle with him…
Opening his mouth to growl, Matt pulled his teeth back in a snarl.
Flames shot out of his mouth, fanning over the wall, missing Dallas by a hair. The other SEAL’s claws skittered on the desk as he jumped off and raced across the room.
Shouts of alarm, the hiss of an extinguisher playing on the flames, putting them out. Matt hovered in the air, confused and stunned. What happened?
“Holy shit…what did you put in your kibble, wolf?” Sully stood, hugging the wall, staring up at him.
“Hot sauce,” Dallas croaked, now changed back to his human form.
“Dakota, look at yourself. It’s okay. Just come down. We’ll deal with it, okay?”
Shay’s quiet assurance gave him pause. Matt looked down.
He hovered in midair. Papers flew off the desks, blown by something fanning the air. Matt twisted his neck.
Wings. He had wings. He looked down. Instead of a furred paw, there were long, red claws emerging from a scaled foot.
Wolf. I’m wolf. Wolf.
Forcing the thought to race through his mind, quelling the panic, he felt his body begin to shift and change once more.
He fell to the floor, stunned, shivering and naked. The other SEALs gathered around, forming a ring. Matt glanced into the faces of his teammates, those he trusted the most.
They looked at him as if a monster had dropped into their midst.
Never had he felt so alone.
A name raced through his mind, like a soothing chant.
Sienna.
He felt his body shrink, become more delicate and soft, yet within the softness was a core of steel. Strength and determination.
“Holy shit,” Shay said softly.
“Maybe he’s trying to get in touch with his feminine side,” Dallas said, his mouth twisted in shock.
“What’s happened?” His voice was a bare croak.
Shay marched him toward a wall where a small mirror hung. “Easy. Take a deep breath. Now look at yourself.”
Matt looked. And screamed.
* * *
It took all of Sienna’s courage to admit the truth—she needed help. For years, trained to be solely Fae, she knew nothing about being wolf.
But when Matt’s sister picked her up at the airport, Sienna felt only acceptance. The Draicon female wrapped her in hugs, and took her to the family home. The males were wary at first, but in the past two days had come to accept her.
Especially when all the females ignored them in favor of Sienna.
Two days later, Matt phoned. Now he was on his way to visit “because I have something to show you.”
She’d spent an anxious night, wondering what he wanted, desperate to see him again. The others had discreetly left with an excuse to shop in town. When the front door opened, all her anxiety faded like mist under a hot sun.
Sienna raced to him, jumping into his arms and showering him with kisses. He laughed, the sound utterly joyful as she buried her face into his shoulder.
“This is the kind of welcome a guy dreams of. The kind of welcome I’d always dreamed of when returning from a mission.”
They sat on the comfortable sofa. Matt glanced around, gave her a long, thoughtful look. Sienna hastened to explain.
“I called Cindy and explained I needed help.” Sienna swallowed hard. “She’d been friendly to me and I was hoping… I hoped…she could teach me about being a wolf. Because I know nothing about being a Draicon.”
Her lower lip wobbled. “I may be the last of a species, but I’m tired of being alone.”
Warmth surged through her as he cupped her face, leaned his forehead against hers. “You’re not alone, Sienna. Watch.”
He stepped back, stretching out his arms. Going to change into a wolf…
Shock slammed into her as Matt shifted. No longer the tall, muscled and handsome man wearing a polo shirt and gray Dockers.
She stared at a mirror image of herself. A woman with long brown hair, green eyes and a full mouth.
“Right.” The other Sienna gave a shaky laugh. “I have your powers of transformation, too.”
She blinked, unable to focus. Feeling like it was a dream, a crazy, wonderful dream as hope stole slowly over her.
Then her twin vanished and Matt reappeared. He gave a small smile. “All I could think about was you, so it’s the shape I assumed. I did shift into a dragon at the base, when Dallas made me so angry all I could think about was frying him.”
Emotion clogged her throat. “I don’t understand…how did this happen?”
“It was in you.” He drew close and laid a hand over her heart. “The Orb’s powers. The last time we made love, I absorbed your powers. It happens to two Draicon who are destined to be together, Sienna. I am as you are. No longer Draicon. But Diablo, as well. Confession time, pixie. It scared the hell out of me. I don’t know how to deal with this.”
“Oh, Matt.” She touched his cheek, marveling at his honesty and his courage. “I don’t know how to be a Diablo, either. Or a Draicon. But I do know this. I love you, and I don’t want to let you go. I don’t care what you are.”
His kiss was warm, assuring and filled with searing heat. When he drew away, his eyes were very blue. Matt took her hands, his touch warm and comforting. Big hands, so sure and capable.
“We’ll learn, together. One day at a time. You belong with me. Not to me. You belong at my side, with me as my partner, my mate for life. I’ve lost the sense of being a wolf. I need you. I need you to show me the joys, the bonds, the good things again.”
He paused, his jaw working. “I forgot what it was like to truly be myself. Until I met you and you forced me to see what I truly am. I was afraid of commitment. Afraid of anything that would take away my identity as a SEAL. It meant more to me than my pack. Until you came along, and you meant more to me than anything else in my world. I’m resigning my commission in the navy and bringing you into my pack as my mate, if you’ll have me.”
Stunned, she could only stare. He smiled gently. “I love you. You mean more to me than being a SEAL. It’s time for me to return to being a wolf. Will you have me?”
“Yes.” She touched his mouth, deeply moved by the enormity of his sacrifice for her. The depth of his feelings for her. “On one condition.”
Matt looked puzzled.
“Don’t quit. When the time comes for you to stop being a SEAL, do it for yourself. Your choice, no one else’s. The world needs a brave warrior like you to protect it from evil. We’ll work it out. It won’t be easy, you being gone so much, but others have done it.”
She gave a sad little smile. “Adam’s mate did it. I bet that if you asked, she would tell you every moment was worth the gamble of losing him. Life’s a risk, and I’ve
played it safe far too long. All my life I’ve sought to belong somewhere. And the only place I truly want to belong is here, with you, wherever you are.”
When he opened his mouth, she laid a finger over it. Then she kissed him, pouring all her emotions into the kiss. Her love for him. Her commitment to him. Sienna trailed tiny kisses over his face, his neck, and squeezed his hands, unwilling to let him go.
The truth suddenly materialized, as bright and shimmering as an Orb filled with magick. She’d finally found what she’d sought her whole life.
“Matt,” she whispered, her emotions brimming. “Ever since I touched the Orb as a child, I’ve longed for the light. The light would show the truth of my place in the world. But the greatest truth isn’t who I am or what group I belong to. It’s being able to connect to someone else, and cast aside the fear to give your heart to someone. The Fae had it wrong.”
He stroked her hair, his gaze tender. “The greatest power in the world isn’t found in a crystal ball. It’s found in our ability to love.”
They had found that love, thanks to a ball of light and truth that had brought them together. It was sealed in their hearts. And there, safe in their hearts, it would remain.
* * * * *
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin ebook. Connect with us for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!
Subscribe to our newsletter: Harlequin.com/newsletters
Visit Harlequin.com
We like you—why not like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Follow us on Twitter: Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
Read our blog for all the latest news on our authors and books: HarlequinBlog.com
Harlequin and Mills & Boon are joining forces in a global search for new authors.
In September 2012 we’re launching our biggest contest yet—with the prize of being published by the world’s leader in romance fiction!
Look for more information on our website, www.soyouthinkyoucanwrite.com
So you think you can write? Show us!
ISBN: 9781459235205
Copyright © 2012 by Bonnie Vanak
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
www.Harlequin.com