Wild Things (BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance): Shifter Lovers Romance (5 page)

“Senna.
There were sightings. Inside the outer...”

“Yes.
I’ve heard that before. At the gate. They’ve come inside the outer walls
before. There have never been any problems before so what are you so worried
about?” She was still looking down at him, but his expression had changed,
darkened, brows pulling together.

“There
are other...issues. They have been attacking supply trains, up and down the
rail corridor.” He met her gaze. “And they made an attempt on your train, that
was just outside the station.”

“But
there were shifters...riders on the train? I was protected, yes? I was never in
any danger.” But the passion and excitement inside her had stilled. A chill had
started in her core, working its way outward. She shivered, let go of Gabriel’s
hand, and curled against him. Without words he pulled the sheet over her
shoulder.

“The
shifters you saw were our shifters, sent from ranks. There were no shifters on
that train who fought at all. They watched, from the tops of the cars.”

“But
there were guards. There was one in my car. I am certain he was a shifter.”

“He
was. The rest were as well. It was our Protectorate who lost men today. Not the
Ottway’s.”

She
heard the anger in his voice, and the sadness for the loss of his men.

“I
saw… I saw one get killed. A wolf…I had no idea. I’m so sorry.”

 “I’ve
lost men before, but this...this was different. The aliens were like savages,
and the Ottway’s men only watched us get murdered, doing nothing to help.”

“But
they
are
savages, aren’t they? The aliens?”

“Yes.
But they were wild this time, more than before. It was like they had nothing to
lose, no reason to live. I think there are things happening out beyond the
frontiers, changes in how they live. It’s driving them closer to us, making it
harder for them...making them desperate.”

“This
isn’t their world. It should be hard for them. They came here...tried to kill
us...for heaven’s sake, they tried to take over our world.”

“I’m
not excusing what they’ve done. They’ve driven us into these fortified cities,
put us behind walls. Caged you inside your own world. And driven me out of
mine.” He sat up suddenly, pushing her over onto her back, staring into her
eyes.

“It
is because of them that I am the way I am...
who
I am. I was created as a
result of them coming here. Otherwise…”

For
an instant, she was afraid. He was angry, very angry. She was certain it wasn’t
directed toward her, but she had no idea where that anger came from. He was
still holding her hand, crushing her fingers.

“Gabriel...you’re
hurting me.”

He
looked at her hand in surprise, then let go. But then reached for her again,
gently this time, stroking her knuckles with his thumb. “I’m sorry. I’m so
sorry. You are the last person I want to hurt. Ever.”

“I
don’t understand. What are you talking about?”

He
lay back, arm behind his head, looking up at the ceiling. He still held her
hand, but it was as if he’d forgotten he was. Even from here she could sense
the tension in his body, the set of his jaw. She waited until he turned his
head, and looked at her before she set her other hand on his chest again,
before she curled against him. She could feel his heart beating beneath her
fingertip, feel the rise and fall of his chest. Both were faster than before.
It wasn’t until they’d slowed that he spoke.

“I
come from a tribe who lives in the desert. Our lands are very far from here. We
lived our lives, and no one bothered us. Then...” She felt him tense beneath
her fingers. “Then the damned aliens came, and our lives were torn from us.” He
stopped, took a deep breath.

“Some
of us...some of our men have the ability to shift. Not all, only a few. They
can change form when, and where they wish. Into animals, creatures…it was a way
for us to hunt game, to survive.”

She
nodded, but she didn’t understand. Shifters were just part and parcel of her
life, those who looked after her. She’d never given much thought to where they
came from.

“But
when the aliens came, men...scientists from the cities came to our villages.
They took men from our tribe, the few that could shift at will. They experimented
on them…” His voice broke. She waited, feeling the beat of his heart. When it
slowed again, he went on.

“They
made a drug….and then they came back and forced it upon us.” His voice dropped
off, and for a long time, he was quiet.

“It
gave all the men the ability to shift at will, when and where they wanted.
Those with latent abilities could suddenly become lions or tigers or wolves.
Anytime, anyplace. But some of us were only children…young boys. Those...those
they took here, to the Oasis. To be trained to protect the Oasis. And your
family.”

She
closed her eyes, trying to imagine being torn from her home, from the palace.
It wasn’t hard; she was going to be taken away to the Ottway in less than a
week. But to think of him being taken away as a young child; it made her heart
hurt. All of this on top of suddenly being able to shift into an animal, to
have to learn to control another being that lived inside of your own body. That,
she could not imagine.

“We
grew up with your people, but not of them. There’s a training arena in the
depths of the palace. We were trained, taught how to fight, to control our
beasts. How to kill. We learned how to shift wearing the body armor they made
for us.”

He
went silent again. The moonlight made shadows across the bed curtains, and she
struggled to understand what he was telling her. For a startling instant she
saw her life set against his, her easy life, her lavish, pampered life. His
harsh and cruel one. The world she knew was suddenly turned upside down.

“And
then the years passed, and through that time I worked hard at what I’d been
taught to do. I knew nothing else. Year by year, I worked my way up in the
ranks. It all seemed so pointless, but at the same time it was what I was
trained for, the only life I knew.”

Finally,
he reached for her, wrapping his arms around her. “And then I saw you. On your
balcony.” His voice lightened, maybe with a smile. “I’d seen you all these
years in the palace, but that night, you were grown, a woman. And I fell in
love with you, while I was standing there in the courtyard, spending many
nights in the shadows, protecting the grounds. You were the most beautiful
woman I had ever seen.”

“And
you climbed the railing that night...”

He
did laugh then. “Yes, I did. It was foolish, reckless...but the only thing I
could do.”

“And
I’m glad you did.” She lifted her face to his and he kissed her. “I would have
been very unhappy if you hadn’t.”

He
touched her cheek, ran his fingers across her lips. “But you are promised to
another. And I have laid claim to something that does not belong to me.”

“I
don’t care...”

He
put his finger to her lips. “But others do. And you must be careful that the
Ottway does not learn about this. There are things...” He dropped his eyes.
“You should ask a woman, someone you trust. There are ways to make him believe
you are still untouched.”

“I
don’t care what he thinks. I don’t love him; I’m not going to let him climb
into bed with me.”

“You’ll
have no choice, Senna. He can, and probably will, have you examined by the
court physician.”

She
sat up, staring down at him. “You’re joking, surely. They can’t...they wouldn’t
dare.”

“You’re
a princess, Senna. Not some girl off the street, or a servant that no one cares
if you come or go. There are expectations, you have responsibilities...”

“But
I don’t want them.”

“But
you cannot change them.”

She
turned away from him. “You sound like my father, like the Ottway...even Anacelia.”
Anger flushed through her. It was hard hearing from him what she’d heard from
everyone around her, that she needed to do what she was told, that she had a
duty to her kingdom. That her life was not under her control.

He
touched her back, tracing a line down her spine. She wanted to stay angry with
him, to pout and make him cajole her into a better mood. But she couldn’t. She
couldn’t act the spoiled princess with Gabriel. She turned, looking at him over
her shoulder.

“I
guess we’re more alike than I care to admit. Neither of us have our own lives
under our own control” She managed a smile.

It
was easier then to let him caress her shoulder, to put just enough pressure
against her arm to convince her to turn around, to lay back beside him. To let
him pull her against him again.

“We
are. We both have our lives arranged for us, more or less against our will.”

She
knew he was right, but she didn’t want to believe him. It was easier to just
rest here, with her head on his chest, listening to the beat of his heart, feel
his chest rise and fall with each breath.

“Can’t
we just stay here?”

“We
can, for a little while longer. I will be missed, and you…you are having
breakfast with your father.”

“Nothing
is private here.” She blew out a sigh. “But you are right. I have to tell him I
won’t marry the Ottway. I won’t.”

“You
must. There is nothing else you can do.”

They
lay for a long time in silence. Somewhere outside birds began calling, singing
their pre-dawn songs. She had always loved the sounds of those birds, but today
she hated them. It meant dawn was near, much too near. Those damned birds
signaled that Gabriel would leave her. Those birds threatened to ruin what had
been perfect.

Suddenly
she sat up, a smile tugging at her lips. She knew how all this could end. It
was so easy.

“I
can’t marry the Ottway.”

He
looked at her. It really was getting light out. She could see his face clearly,
the dark stubble that ran along his jaw. He was frowning.

“You
have to…”

“No,
you don’t understand. You said it yourself. I’m not perfect anymore. I’ve
been…defiled.” Impulsively she leaned down, kissing him. When she pulled back
the smile she expected to see on his face wasn’t there. If anything, his frown
had deepened.

“Don’t
you see? The Ottway won’t want me. I won’t be his perfect bride. My
father…he’ll call off the wedding.”

Gabriel
pushed himself up on his elbows. “You can’t tell him…or the Ottway. Or even
Anacelia. Do you know what would happen?”

“They’d
call off the wedding…”

“They’d
start looking for the man who had done this to you. And you know, beyond a
shadow of a doubt, that when—not if—but when they found it was me, that would
be the end. If I were lucky, they would exile me. But more likely I would be
executed.”

“But
that can’t be right. You’re Highest Command. You are the top…they’d never…”

He
pushed away from her, swung his legs over the edge of the bed. The muscles
across his shoulders tensed, as he sunk his face into his hands. “You don’t
know, Senna. You live a very sheltered life, here in your rooms, in the palace.
You don’t know what it’s like to live by those kinds of rules.” He lifted his
head, then turned to her, and she saw pain and despair, and that anger again,
in his eyes.

“My
life is not a life I can control. But what you’re saying is not just going to
affect you. It will be the end of what little life I have.”

He
stood, striding to the window, coming to an abrupt stop before stepping onto
the balcony. “I’m sorry, Senna. I don’t mean to be harsh with you. But you have
to understand you cannot tell anyone about us.”

She
climbed out of the bed, crossing the space between them. It felt perfectly
natural to be here with him, to be naked and to stand behind him, to feel the
softness of her breasts, against the hardness of his back. It was not natural
for him to be angry with her. For a moment, he made no move, but then he
turned, slowly, and pulled her against him.

“I
know you’re looking for a way out of this…”

“But
we can run away…”

He
shook his head. “No, we can’t. Where would we go? You can’t just disappear.
You’re the only princess in the palace. You’d be missed in a heartbeat. I can’t
just abandon my post. That is desertion, punishable by death.” Gently he tugged
a strand of her hair away from her face, letting it coil around his fingers.

“If
I could, I’d move heaven and earth for you, Senna. But we’re trapped in our
lives…in our destinies.”

Pain
and loss blossomed inside her, angry words rushing to her lips. But she bit
them back. He was right. They could not just do as they pleased, either of
them. Maybe it was time she grew up. But not quite yet. Not today.

“I
love you, Senna. It hurts how much I love you.”

She
turned her face against his chest, and let him hold her. And let her anger turn
to tears. He let her cry, didn’t try to stop her. But finally he pushed her
away.