The Shadow Wolf (24 page)

G
uy never thought he could fall in love. But damn, he was coming close with this little Draicon vixen who wound around his heart.

He loved the purring sound she made as she wrapped her limbs around his hips. The way her eyes darkened with passion. He loved tasting the tangy wetness of her arousal on his tongue, the tightness of her channel as he pushed into her.

More than even the sex, he cherished the intimacy of being with someone who didn't judge, but accepted him for who he was.

As Kayla lay in his arms, he tightened his grip around her. Now, in the aftermath, he must tell her.

Are you all right?

“Very much so,” she murmured.

He remained motionless, waiting. She lifted her head with a frown.

I only want to please you, Kayla.
Guy brushed back a strand of hair from her face.

Her eyes widened. “What kind of magick are you pulling on me? You spoke into my mind!”

“It's perfectly normal, sweetheart,” he said calmly, though his heart pounded hard. “Among our kind, and destined mates.”

Emotions rolled off her, punctuating the languid aftermath of sex with the sharp scent of fear, confusion and uncertainty. Guy pressed his lips against her temple.

“I wanted to tell you, but you seemed like you'd be more accepting now.” He hesitated. “The reason you can hear me in your mind is because I'm your destined mate.”

 

Oh, sweet mercy, everything had changed now, turning Kayla into a cauldron of boiling emotions. How could he be her destined mate when she didn't even want to be Draicon?

Guy released her, hooking his hands behind his head. “I can see you need some time adjusting to this.”

Kayla swung her legs over the bed's side. “It's a little sudden. Compare it to a woman sleeping with a guy who tells her the little gold band he slipped on to her finger last night means they're married, and she had no say in it.”

He considered. “We can get married in a human ceremony, if that's what you want.”

“Are you listening to me?” she yelled. “I told you I refused to be wolf and now you hit me with this. I can't just charge into anything because some ancient rule says we're biologically destined mates.”

Her face screwed up in anguish. “You don't even love me.”

Guy looked steadily at her. “Prison stripped something from me, sunshine. I don't know if I could ever love again. But you can't deny there's something between us we can't fight.”

“I sure as hell can,” she snapped. “I'm not letting some mating urge rule me.”

A low hiss escaped him. “Kayla, it's not something you can take off, like a wedding ring. You can't run from this, like you've been running from who you are.”

“And you can't imprison me with it because you've been locked up and scared of being alone in the world!”

His expression went slack, but not before she caught his wounded look. Guy turned. A lump caught in her throat. She reached for him. “Guy, I didn't mean…”

Ducking away from her, he rolled off the bed. “I'm taking a shower.”

He didn't look back as he paced toward the bathroom.

All through dinner, Kayla felt miserable from snapping at Guy. She barely touched the fresh fillet of sole and rare lamb. Everything tasted like swamp water filled with rot and decay. When she looked around for the saltshaker, Henri apologized.

“We're fresh out. I will have more tomorrow,” he promised.

Danielle was watching her. Her own food was untouched.

Kayla glanced at Danielle when the woman questioned why she wasn't eating.

“It's delicious, but I'm afraid I'm not hungry.” She looked at Danielle's plate. “For a Draicon, you're not enjoying the fresh protein, either.”

“I didn't say I was Draicon.” Danielle studied her.

Interesting. Kayla's newly restored senses sent a warning, but she couldn't pinpoint what was wrong. “What exactly are you?” she bluntly asked.

“Kayla,” Guy warned.

“It's all right, Mr. Laurent.” Danielle looked amused as she glanced at her husband. “I'm a woman in love with a werewolf. But I'm not Draicon.”

Henri reached over, clasped her palm. Kayla's heart squeezed at the loving glances they exchanged. Could she ever have the same with Guy?

She snuck a look at him, only to see him stare with the same longing at those tightly clasped hands. Guy said he couldn't love. What they had was mere biology.

“So where is Brianna? When can we meet her?” Guy asked.

Henri and Danielle exchanged looks. “There is something we must tell you,” Henri said. “Brianna disappeared two days ago, the day my wife arrived.”

Guy nearly shot out of his chair, restrained only by the gentle pressure of Kayla's hand on his wrist.

“Well, son of a bitch, where the hell is she? You were supposed to keep her safe until we arrived,” he burst out.

Danielle looked ashamed. “I suppose she was too traumatized by what happened to her pack.”

“We did everything we could to make her stay here,” Henri protested.

Kayla wondered. The woman still looked upset, but she sensed something else simmering beneath the surface.

“We've searched, but with your excellent tracking capabilities, I'm certain you can find her, Guy.” Henri gave him a placating look. “In the meantime, please, let's have dessert.”

Guy shook his head. “No, thanks. We need to rest, get an early start if I'm to track Brianna.” He pointed to his plate. “But I will take some of that excellent lamb up to my room, in case I get hungry later.”

When the waiter brought a large box, Guy took her elbow and bid their hosts a polite good-night. Upstairs in her living room, he clutched the Styrofoam box and began to pace.

“Well, sunshine, what do you think about this place?” he asked.

Relieved the ice was broken between them, she sat on the sofa. “Something is really odd around here. I smell something off. Danielle's hiding something.” Deep inside, it felt as if the gift Kayla detested struggled to surface.

“Just as long as she can't catch on that we're hiding something, too.”

“Okay, want to let me in on what's going on?” She pointed to the box.

“It's not for me. Come on.”

She followed Guy, who unlocked the door adjoining their rooms. As she entered into his living area, the sweet aroma of vanilla filled the air. Kayla wrinkled her nose as he grinned.

“See, I told you. Knew it would come back to you, your sense of scent.”

But the fact he was right didn't shock her as much as the surprise waiting in his bedroom.

On the king-size bed sat a girl in red shorts and a blue checked blouse. She looked about ten years old. Guy gave a satisfied smile.

“Hey, Brianna,” he said.

F
ear tightened the girl's face. Kayla immediately went to her, crooning reassurances. “It's okay, honey. We're not going to hurt you.”

Her gaze went from Kayla to Guy. “I know,” Brianna whispered. “You're the ones looking for me, who'll take me to the States.”

“How did you…” Kayla began.

“You were hiding in the back of the 4Runner. You climbed in after watching us at the stream. Smart girl,” Guy told her.

She flushed under the praise. “You scented me.”

“Right.”

Stunned, Kayla stared. “Why did you run off, honey?”

“I don't like it here.” Brianna's mouth trembled. “That woman, Danielle. I saw her arrive when I was sitting on the balcony. But the taste of her in the air scared me. So I ran away before she could see me. I know the woods by the stream. But I got so hungry, I thought maybe you'd have food.” Her nose wrinkled. “All you had left was celery, tomatoes and peanut butter.”

Guy sat on the bed, opened the container and removed a plastic knife and fork. “It's okay, little one. I brought you dinner. Relax, no one's going to hurt you. Eat, and we can talk later.”

Brianna began gulping down the meal. Kayla's heart turned over at Guy's gentle manner. He was good with children. Her gaze roved over the child's thin shoulders, the corn-silk fineness
of her hair. Brianna's fresh vanilla scent filled the air, carrying the sweetness existing in all Draicon children. It would not change until puberty when she experienced her first shift into wolf.

A small gold locket hung around the girl's neck. Kayla picked it up. Her heart hammered against her chest.

“Where did you get this?” she managed.

Brianna glanced up. “It's from my maman. Uncle Malcolm said she never took it off because it was part of her heart.”

It wasn't possible, yet Kayla knew with every bone in her body it was. Emotion clogged her throat.

“Oh, Brianna.” Kayla engulfed the little girl in a tight hug. Weeping, she buried her face into the girl's hair. Brianna remained stiff as wood. After a minute, Kayla pulled away. She opened the golden heart and saw the familiar photo of herself and her mother.

“This belonged to my mother.” Kayla smiled at her. “Your mother. She didn't forget me, after all.”

Guy looked shocked. Doubt etched the child's expression. “I don't understand.”

“Your mother was Cristina.” When Brianna nodded, Kayla continued, “My mother. I gave her this locket. That makes you my sister.”

“My mother died when I was younger. My uncle Malcolm gave it to me.” Brianna looked confused. “You're my sister?”

Grief at losing her mother mixed with hopeful joy. Kayla nodded, hugging her again. But the child remained stiff.

“Were there other children in your pack, Brianna?” Guy asked. “Others we should know about to take to safety?”

“No. Malcolm was the youngest. He was eight hundred and twenty-three.”

Over the top of the girl's head, they exchanged glances. In human terms, that made Malcolm elderly. Kayla's stomach
churned. Her mother had fled to raise her youngest daughter in a pack that had forgotten all about childhood.

She would make up for it.

As Brianna ate, Kayla motioned for Guy to follow her into the living room. Once there, she could no longer contain herself. “My sister,” she said brokenly. “I have a sister, Guy.”

Gently, he cupped her face. “I'm happy for you, darlin'. I'll get her safely back to the States.”

“And after?”

He sighed. “You know what I have to do.”

“No!” She backed off, thrusting out her hands. “We have to figure something else out. You can't give her to Dell. She's my sister, damn it.”

“She needs the safety of a pack.”

“She needs me, Guy.” Kayla's voice cracked. “How can you do this to me?”

Scarlet suffused his face. “Do to you? Damn it, Kayla, can't you see I am doing this for you? We can have a life together. I promise, I'll do my damnedest to make it good for you. But I need to stay out of prison. And that means Brianna goes to Dell. I warned you, she's not the most important thing to me. You are. You're my mate.”

Kayla fought the tears threatening to surface. He was selfish, thinking only of his own needs to mate, and not Brianna. There was only one way to tell for certain what he was. Just as she had done with her father, and seen the darkness inside him. The thought terrified her. But she had to find out.

Summoning all her strength, she finally called forth all her magick. Her long-gone Draicon gift roared to the surface. Kayla unleashed her powers, sending them hurling into Guy. The gift she loathed, reaching deep into the soul of another to see if it were tainted black.

Nothing but white light shone inside Guy, a steady pulse tinged with the deep blue of sorrow. Guy had been hurt, badly.
But no evil lurked inside him. Nothing but pain, desperation and a deep longing to learn to love and trust again.

Pulling out, she gasped. Guy gently clasped her shoulders. “You're trembling. Kayla, what did you just do?”

“I used my gift on you.” She clung to his arms. “I'm a Seer. I go inside people's souls and find out what they truly are. That's another reason I don't want to be Draicon. I hate seeing inside people and knowing those I love, and thought were good, aren't.”

He went still, his look guarded. “Damn, I never even felt it.”

“No one does. That's what makes the gift so dangerous to others. I'm like a spy who can eavesdrop without getting caught.”

Anguish twisted his features. “And you saw what I am,” he said in a low voice.

Kayla's heart wrenched. She took his hands into hers. “Yes. You're loyal and courageous and strong, and you've been hurt, badly. And despite being hurt, you don't lash out in revenge. That's rare, Guy. My father had evil lurking inside him. He craved power to use over others and he wanted it at any cost, even killing my mother. I couldn't find one glimmer of darkness inside you, except the darkness I also face.”

She paused. “The darkness of being alone.”

Gently, he squeezed her palms. “You're not alone anymore. Kayla. As much as I want to give Brianna to you, I can't. But I'm not heartless.”

“We'll figure out something else. We must,” she assured him.

Suddenly a surge of cold foulness slammed into her. It was as if once she'd opened the door to her powers, something else rushed in. Kayla moaned, wrenched her hands free.

“What's wrong?” he asked sharply.

“I don't know—it's like tasting something nasty in the air.”

A horrid suspicion seized her. Kayla headed back to Brianna. “Honey, you said the taste of Danielle was all wrong. What exactly did it taste like?”

Her little sister set aside the now-empty container. “Like something sweet, but yucky underneath. Like…”

“Bad swamp water?” Kayla guessed.

Brianna nodded, her eyes wide.

“What is it?” Guy asked urgently.

Kayla turned to him, her heart pounding hard. “You know that thing Bernard mentioned at dinner? The Remorae isn't legend, after all. We have to leave, right now!”

He wasted no time in grabbing their bags. But as they opened the door, Danielle stood outside with Henri, who held a pistol.

“How nice,” she drawled. “Dinner is served.”

The crack of gunfire followed, tainting the air with the sharp scent of cordite. Burning pain seared her shoulder. Kayla cried out and staggered back.

Ribbons of clear water shot from Danielle's hands toward Brianna. They pinned the screaming girl against the wall.

Brianna was trapped as Danielle began stalking toward her.