Bound to Secrets
Authors: Nina Croft
Tags: #Psychics, #Literature & Fiction, #Werewolves & Shifters, #Paranormal, #Romance
Sisters of the Moon Series
(Book Three)
Bound to Secrets
by
Nina Croft
Kindle Edition
Bound to Secrets
Copyright © 2012 by Nina Croft
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author or publisher except for the use of brief quotations in critical articles or reviews.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, actual events or locales is purely coincidental.
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Cover design by Fantasia Frog Designs
Edited by Annie Seaton
Table of Contents
Chapter One
It was a bloody good place to die.
The thought flickered through Dr. Connor McNair’s mind as he stared out across the bleak landscape of Rannoch Moor. Ironic really, considering the main purpose of this trip had been to take Connor’s mind off his troubles.
“You’re half Scottish, aren’t you?” Sebastian had said. “You should feel right at home. Get the hell over there and find out whether there’s any truth in the rumors. It’s probably nothing, but if there is a tie-in to the Agency, we want to know.”
It hadn’t been a request, but an order. For a brief moment, Connor had considered ignoring it, bringing this farce to a head. The problem was he no longer knew what Sebastian’s reaction would be. Once he would have been certain; Sebastian didn’t allow any dissent from his people and would strike down anyone who disobeyed.
Now, Connor wasn’t so sure. He hated to admit it, but Sebastian was a good leader. He’d seen that Connor teetered on the edge and he’d sent him here to distract him. But Jesus, this place was enough to turn anyone suicidal.
Mist wreathed a flat heather strewn landscape, dotted with grey lakes and bisected by the distant line of the railway.
He shivered as the damp air brushed his skin, and even this early in the year, a swarm of midges hovered around his face. Swatting them away with one hand, he scanned the horizon. Apart from the flies, nothing moved. He was pretty sure anything capable of moving would have packed up and left this godforsaken place long ago.
On the other hand, it suited his grim mood.
He could have gone straight to the hotel. Instead, he’d left Rannoch station, slung his rucksack over his shoulder, and set off across the moor. He wasn’t expecting to find anything right away. Hell, he wasn’t actually expecting to find anything ever—this was a waste of time—but after being in the crowded train, so close to so many people, he’d needed fresh air. These days, people made him uncomfortable, put him on edge, made him…hungry.
For a second, the mist burned off, the sun shone down and the whole world changed. Light sparkled off the water and the fresh green grass waved in the gentle breeze.
He caught a movement out of the corner of his eye and turned, searching the flat expanse. Nothing. But as he turned away, something shifted again at the edge of his vision.
Far in the distance, a shapeless black mass streaked across the moor. Connor squinted, trying to make out what it could be.
A wolf?
The creature paused in its headlong dash and reared up on its hind legs. A pony, with a small figure clinging to its back. A pale face peered at him, but they were too far away for him to see clearly. And then they were off again.
“Hey, wait,” Connor called out with little expectation of being heard.
He swore loudly, shrugged off his rucksack, and dropped it to the grass. Then he took chase. It was wonderful to be moving. The strength flowed through his muscles. He felt alive, and for a brief time the heaviness of spirit dropped away as he leapt over tussocks of heather and the scent of crushed herbs rose from under his feet.
Running with inhuman speed, he was catching up quickly. The rider turned to look. A girl, and Connor could make out the horror on her features when she realized he was so close.
The black pony stopped abruptly, and they whirled around to face him. The girl held up a hand, palm facing him, and shook her head fiercely.
Connor came to a halt ten feet away.
“No,” she whispered, her voice hoarse as though from lack of use. “I can’t…you must go. Please.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.” Connor kept his tone soothing as he took a step closer.
“Not me. You.”
For a moment, he had no idea what she meant. Then pain flooded his mind. He tried to focus but a red hot poker drilled into his head, molten metal seeping into his brain. His control slipped away and he fell to his knees. He tried to fight, but the pain was unbearable as though his brain boiled in his skull. He collapsed to all fours, his back spasmed, his head lifted, and he howled.
***
Beneath her, Dubh screamed in terror. The pony reared up, tossing Keira from his back. The animal sped away as she landed hard, rolled, and came up on her knees, still trying to control the outflow from her mind. But the power held her in a vice-like grip.
She dragged herself through the damp bracken, knowing that only distance could save him now.
How had he gotten so close?
This was her fault. She’d spied him across the moor and the ever present loneliness had welled up inside her. Without thinking, she’d nudged Dubh nearer, but she’d never meant to get close enough to harm him.
Just to look.
She was pathetic.
But he’d been so beautiful, and as she had gotten closer, she had sensed the waves of anger and pain crashing off him. She’d wanted to help him. Fool—she couldn’t help anyone, only cause pain.
She’d kept to a safe distance. Even so, she should have left before he’d spotted her. But how could she have known he’d give chase, and that he’d be faster than anything she’d ever seen?
The howls cut off abruptly, and the grip on her mind relaxed its fierce hold. She was on her feet and running in seconds. But something stopped her. A shiver in the air, like she'd never sensed before. She came to a halt as though some invisible force called to her. Turning slowly, she swallowed her fear. He couldn’t be dead. Not this fast.
A gasp escaped her throat.
He crouched on his hands and knees, his spine arched, head thrown back. As she watched, a change came over him and his form shimmered and shifted in the clear afternoon light. A moment later, he vanished and a huge black wolf stood in his place. For long seconds, the animal stood, neck drooping toward the ground, his sides heaving.
He raised his head and dark eyes, flecked with gold, gazed at her. He blinked a couple of times as though to clear his mind and stared at her some more. Then he took a step forward.
Keira lost the ability to move. She stood, her feet fixed to the ground while the wolf padded across the distance between them. This couldn’t be real. That was why she wasn’t running.
But he was the most beautiful creature she had ever seen, and he held her in thrall. His head came as high as her shoulder, much taller than a true wolf—further proof he couldn’t be real. Maybe her sad, pathetic mind had finally broken completely.
She probed his brain, sensing the man still there beneath the much simpler animal brainwaves. But he felt hazy, cut off from her.
Werewolf.
The word flashed into her brain and she saw it for truth.
He stopped only inches from her and studied her, head cocked to one side, eyes wary. She could see the understanding and caution in them. But no pain.
Whatever he was, he was immune to her mind, and her lips curled upward in a brief smile. She reached out a trembling hand and laid it on his head. His fur was silky soft beneath her palm.
The wolf showed no fear. He took a final step toward her and nuzzled her with his cold nose, poking her in the belly, sniffing her fingers. A warm velvety tongue came out and licked her palm.
And Keira sank down onto the coarse grass and burst into tears.
She never cried. Well, almost never. The last time had been when she’d finally accepted that her “mother” was never coming back, even though she’d known it was going to happen. That had been nearly six months ago.
The wolf nudged her. As Keira peered up through tear-drenched eyes, he lowered himself to the ground. Then she wrapped her arms around the huge warm body and cried some more. Finally, exhausted by the release of emotions she’d kept locked in tight, she closed her eyes and gave in to the sleep she usually found so elusive.
Rain on her face woke her. The clouds had closed in and it had started to drizzle. It took Keira a moment to realize she was snuggled up against the most enormous dog she had ever seen. She breathed in the warm musky scent of wild animal.
Werewolf.
A sense of wonder filled her, but no fear. Maybe because she no longer feared death. Perhaps some part of her even craved the release.
But if he’d been planning to eat her, she was sure he would have done so by now. He’d had plenty of opportunity. No, she felt safe and that was something she hadn’t felt in a long time.
She reached out with the lightest of telepathic touches. His dark eyes narrowed as though he sensed her intrusion, and she backed off not wanting to risk causing him pain.
He was different from the other animals she’d encountered on the moor. They had been her only companions for years, ever since her powers had grown too strong to contain, and she’d almost broken her mother’s mind. From that point on, she had lived alone. Her mother had regularly brought her food and clothing and they had watched each other from afar, never daring to come too close. All the same, Keira still worried that she had somehow contributed to her mother’s early death.
She occasionally saw walkers from a distance but she’d perfected the art of disappearing. Until this man. She remembered the way he had sniffed the air. And the incredible speed. He had raced across the moors much faster than even Dubh could ever go. As fast as a…wolf.
She sat up, pulled away, and studied the great beast. He lay on all fours, his huge head resting on his front paws, watching her out of cautious eyes. Keira scrambled to her feet uncertain what her next move should be.
The wolf watched for a moment longer and then rose gracefully to stand beside her. She marveled again at the sheer size of him. A shiver thrummed through the air around her and her skin prickled with that same sensation she’d felt earlier—seconds before he changed, and it came to her what he was about to do. He was changing back. He couldn’t. This close she would blow his mind.
She took an instinctive step away and shook her head, panic building inside her.
“No, you mustn’t. Don’t change back. I’ll hurt you. Kill you. I can’t help it. I can’t control it.” She didn’t know if he understood her, but he blinked once and dropped his head as though to agree to her demands.
The tension in the air vanished and relief flooded her mind. She stared at her feet. She had to leave. She knew that, but regret filled her as she contemplated the return to loneliness. Maybe it would be better if he did kill her. He could rip out her throat with one bite of those razor sharp teeth. But even now, she realized she didn’t really want to die, she just wanted an end to this strange half-life she lived. “You must wait until I’m gone,” she said. “Do you understand? Wait until I’m…”
She studied the surroundings and pointed at a clump of bushes about a hundred feet away from where they stood. “Wait until I reach those bushes, then you can change. You understand?”
He nodded once.
She turned to go, but swung around and hugged the animal once more, burrowing her nose in the thick, silky fur at his throat. “Thank you for keeping me warm,” she murmured and forced herself to release him. “Goodbye.”
This time when she turned, she kept walking, but after only a few steps, she glanced back over her shoulder. The wolf was right behind her padding along on silent paws.
Maybe she could have a little longer.
“You won’t change back into a man?”
He inclined his massive head.
This was wrong. She knew it. She didn’t know who or even what he really was. How could she trust him? Nearly ten years had passed since her mother had helped her flee from the Agency laboratory where she had lived all her life. The Agency had wanted to terminate her then and as far as she knew, nothing had changed. They still wanted her dead and her only hope was to hide; bury her secrets out here in the wilds of the moors with only the animals for company.