The Covert Wolf (12 page)

And she couldn’t explore those options. Brave SEAL that he was, he was Draicon and very dangerous. Logic dictated that wolves could hurt Fae like her.

Yet in the distant memory that tugged, she caught a shimmering thread of something nasty and terrifying. Whoever had hurt her, threatened her with fire, wasn’t wolf.

But something else.

Chapter 7

T
he Denver airport bustled with travelers. Matt stretched out his long legs, watching the humans mingling with paranorms. A pasty-faced Mage herded his family out of a nearby store and into the throng. The youngest child, barely four, cried out as the crowd cut him off from his family.

The Mage’s lips moved and the crowd parted like water. He scurried forward, lifting the child into his arms.

If humans, and paranorms, knew the danger posed by the pyro demons… Matt’s guts squeezed like a vise. It was his job to keep them safe, and ignorant.

But not Sienna’s.

Head resting against the seat, she watched him with those incredibly green eyes. It was like falling into a refreshing pool. So lovely, the soft curve of her cheek, the full, pink mouth he’d enjoyed tasting. Jeans molded to the curves of her calves and strong thighs. He thought about how smooth those legs would feel as he settled between them, lowering himself atop her….

Matt bit back a groan. Around Sienna, with her sweet scent and curvy body, all he could think about was sex.

He concentrated on the mission instead. They had bought a little time in evading the enemy.

They’d driven from New Mexico to Denver, taking back roads to avoid detection. Sienna had thrown up a very effective glamour for the journey. A grizzled, elderly outdoorsman driving north in a beat-up white van.

So far, it was working.

But for this next stage of the game… His entire body went taut. Why was facing a pyro demon easier than facing his beloved family?

Because a demon just wants to kill you, not marry you off,
he thought with sour amusement.

“I know we had to leave New Mexico. But why are we headed to New Orleans?”

Glancing around, he saw no one within earshot. He lowered his voice.

“We need a detour.” His expression hardened. “It’s about time I had a little talk with my brother-in-law, Étienne, about the Orb.”

“How would he know anything about the Orb?”

“Because, pixie, he’s the one who last saw its twin, the Astra Orb. And destroyed it.”

* * *

The flight from Denver was quiet. Matt was grim and silent the entire time. She didn’t question him. Caught up in her own internal anxiety, Sienna tried to fend off an ominous feeling.

They were headed straight into the thick of wolf territory.

When they reached New Orleans, he hustled her into a taxi and gave crisp directions. As they sped west on the interstate, he stared out the window in brooding silence. The taxi dropped them off in the French Quarter near Jackson Square. Matt picked up her suitcase and slung his duffel bag over one shoulder. He placed a firm hand on the small of her back, guiding her to a parking lot across the street from the cathedral.

A sleek, black pickup truck pulled up. The driver parked at an angle, jumped down. Tall, with a shock of brown hair, he ambled toward them. Wearing a light jacket, blue jeans, a polo shirt and a wide smile, he looked like an average American.

And then she caught the unmistakable scent of maleness, magick and wolf.

Draicon.

Anxiety churned in her stomach. The man reached Matt, engulfed him in a bear hug. “Hell, Matt, been too damn long. When Cindy found out you were coming here, she was overjoyed.” He grinned and pounded him on the back, then lifted the corner of Matt’s leather jacket with a questioning look.

“You’re carrying.” Warmth left his voice. “This isn’t a family visit.”

“No.” He turned, introduced Sienna. “This is my brother-in-law, Étienne Robichaux. Étienne, this is Sienna McClare.”

“Miss McClare.” Étienne’s handshake was brisk, but warmth filled his blue eyes. “Wish I could say it was a pleasure, but judging from the look of both of you, I doubt you’re here for a social call.”

Against her will, she liked him. He was honest and direct, and though he seemed friendly, she sensed the same hard edge that threaded through Matt.

“I need to talk with you. I’d have called, but the situation calls for discretion. And you don’t have a secure line,” Matt told the other Draicon.

As Étienne slung their luggage into the truck bed, Matt caught her questioning look. “Étienne’s an ex-SEAL.” He helped her into the cab, sliding in next to her. “He encouraged me to join the navy.”

“Encouraged him, but never realized he’d abandon his family for the teams.” Étienne started the truck and tossed her a conspiratorial wink.

“I didn’t abandon anyone,” Matt bit out. “You, more than anyone, know what the life is like.”

“Which is why I left, and settled down with your sister. I knew my responsibilities to my people.”

The slightly accusing note made Matt bristle. “You’re the eldest, next to take over. I’m not the oldest in my family. I have plenty of time to find a mate.”

“Tell that to your sister. She keeps wondering if her brother will ever give her a niece or a nephew to spoil. Cousins for our kids to play with before they grow too old. Though at this rate—” he winked at Sienna again “—they’ll be gray and in rocking chairs by the time Matt becomes a father.”

Sandwiched between the two tall men with their tensile strength, she felt petite and frail. They left the city behind and headed down a small road, flanked on both sides by murky water. Gray moss dangled from ghostly trees in the swamp.

Sienna folded her hands in her lap. She sensed Matt’s hurt, his inner frustration at Étienne’s minor jabs.

“Don’t you admire what Matt’s doing for his country?”

Étienne gave her a startled look. “’Course I do,
chérie.
I just want what’s best for him. And being gone from his family so long, it’s not good for him.”

“But it’s his life. Maybe you should let him make the decision about what’s good for him instead of judging him for the choices and the sacrifices he’s made.”

The Draicon looked over her head and grinned at Matt. “Found yourself a real wildcat of a wolf, huh?”

Sienna clenched her jaw. Wolf. He probably meant it as a compliment, but it stung her. “I’m not a Draicon. I’m Fae. As for the wildcat…”

The image flashed through her mind, bursting out in a fiery flash. Sienna felt a power surge and surrendered to it.

The change came fast. Bones lengthened and fur covered her skin. Sitting on the seat, she uttered a low, barking grunt at Étienne and raked a hand over the dashboard.

“Holy
merde,
” he yelled.

Étienne slammed on the brakes, and the truck fishtailed. She cried out and Matt yelled, “Watch the road!”

Étienne barked out a rich curse and yanked the wheel toward the spin, expertly controlling the big vehicle. The truck slid close to the embankment, and stopped. Rubber burned her nostrils. For a moment the trio sat, engine running, the truck filled with the sound of their rapid breaths.

Sienna glanced down and froze.

She’d shifted into a black jaguar. Deep gouges scarred the leather dashboard from raking her claws over it. Glamour didn’t do that. Glamour was an illusion.

Shivering, she groped for reality, and just as quickly shifted back into her human form, clothing and all.

“Sweet mercy,” Matt said mildly. “I never knew you could do that.”

Sienna stared at her outstretched hands. “Me, either.”

“Damn it, wish one of you would have warned me. Can we stop with the Fae theatrics until we get home?” Étienne backed up onto the road.

“Fae don’t shift into jaguars. Not Seelie Sidhe. They can only glamour, not shape-shift into something corporeal.” Matt touched the gouges. “These are real.”

Too badly shaken, Sienna said nothing. She kept staring at her hands, dread curling down her spine.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say that was another type of magick. But you’re Fae so that’s impossible,” Étienne said.

Oh, the irony of those words. She and Matt exchanged glances.

“Maybe,” Matt said softly. “But I’m starting to believe nothing is impossible.”

* * *

Matt’s sister was pretty, with a fall of rich blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. Cindy greeted Matt with affection and another tight hug. A pack of young children surrounded him with happy squeals.

After politely refusing a glass of lemonade, Sienna quietly went outside to the back porch, allowing Matt private time for the family reunion. She didn’t belong here in this crowd of Draicon. She sat in a rocking chair, studying her hands, envisioning them turning into jaguar claws.

If anything, she should have shifted into a wolf because of her Draicon half. Maybe it was emerging and manifesting itself in another form.

One thing was clear. The longer she stayed with Matt, the more her Fae powers dwindled.

Wind ruffled her long hair. She gripped the arms of the chair. This was a bad idea. If not for his insistence on sticking together, she’d have bolted for home. Demanded answers from Chloe. How could her aunt, who’d treated Tim like family, have pushed her out of the colony, as if Sienna were a stranger?

Grief shattered her and she slumped forward, fighting the emotion. Couldn’t allow these Draicon wolves to witness her loss of composure.

A bank of moss-covered magnolia and live oak trees marked the edge of a murky forest leading to the bayou. Matt had taken her along the path earlier, their footfalls crunching dry undergrowth. He’d thought the woods would prove soothing after the terrible images in the city.

She smiled a little. Such a considerate guy. For a wolf.

Matt came onto the porch, the worn boards not even creaking beneath his weight. He leaned against the railing, thumbs jammed into the waistband of his jeans. A hank of dark hair spilled over his forehead. He looked weary.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to ignore you. They insisted on talking, giving me a proper welcome.”

Gone was the confident, poised SEAL, replaced by a polite stranger who looked as uncomfortable as she did.

“Proper welcome?”

“A proper tongue lashing, more like it.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “All the females, my sister, her sisters-in-law, my sister’s mother-in-law, hell, I think they rounded up a posse to gang up on me and nag me about settling down.”

“Call in for reinforcements.”

He gave a slight smile. “They’re on the same side. It’s like fighting a war armed with water balloons.”

The back door banged again and Étienne came out, looking slightly sheepish. “I apologize, Sienna. We Cajuns are usually more hospitable. Seeing Matt, well, he threw us for a loop. We seldom get a chance to see him…give him a…”

“Lecture,” Matt said dryly.

Étienne punched his arm. “Man, I’ve had your back all these months you went AWOL on us, not even a postcard. Dealt with Cindy’s moaning and worrying about you and then after what happened in Afghanistan…”

He sighed and sat on a chair, hands on his knees. “It’s safe now. The females have said their piece and we can get down to business. Why are you here?”

Matt told him about the missing Orb of Light. Étienne’s jaw hardened. He stared at the forest.

“The Astra Orb wasn’t half as powerful as its twin, the Orb of Light. And when those demons got their hands on the Astra Orb…” He leaned forward, his blue gaze serious. “You know what will happen. How can I help?”

“Tell us where a Fae would hide the Orb. How can it be concealed?”

Étienne shook his head. “Your grandmother had hidden it for years. I only saw it when Cindy showed it to me.”

Sienna shot Matt a disbelieving look. “Your family stole the Astra Orb?”

“My grandmother did. She did it to keep it safe from a rogue Fae.” Matt turned his full attention on Étienne. “If the two globes are twins, then they can be hidden the same. How would you conceal it from demons? Ward it with magick?”

The Draicon rubbed his chin. “No. Warding magick is something demons can diffuse and easily find. The spectral traces would be like glow sticks in the dark. I’d shrink it. Make it smaller and less obvious. Blend it into something that a demon would have trouble flushing out.”

“Hide it in plain sight,” she suggested. “They’d be searching for a hiding place, so why not put it in the open, but disguised? Part of the human landscape, something a demon wouldn’t even guess at. If I were Tim, that’s what I’d have done. Use my powers to conceal it, but keep it close at hand.”

Both men turned toward her. Étienne looking surprised, Matt thoughtful.

“This Fae, he wanted to meet with you after hours?” Étienne asked. “Then he wanted your help. He wanted to confess.”

“But he knew they were watching him,” Matt mused. “He kept insisting the Orb was safe now. Hidden.”

“Oh, dear goddess,” she rasped. “The purse. There has to be a clue on the purse where he hid the Orb. It must have something, some message he knew I could read.”

A hard edge lined Matt’s jaw. “No. Not a clue. The Orb is on the purse itself. That’s why Tim said it was now safe.”

Sienna raced back upstairs to the guest bedroom, retrieved the purse and came downstairs.

“The Orb of Light reacts to anything Fae. Try touching it,” Étienne suggested. “If the Orb is concealed in the purse, it will glow.”

She ran her hands over it, desperate to sense anything.

Nothing. No hidden runes, no spark of light.

Matt crouched down beside her. “Maybe there’s too much Draicon influence here. Take it farther away from the house to a more natural setting.”

They walked several yards from the house to a pretty garden filled with purple and yellow flowers. Sienna sat on a decorative bench in the center.

“Concentrate. You can do it,” he encouraged. “Open all your senses. Smell the forest of your home, hear the sounds of the Fae gathering…remember…”

Energy pulsed beneath her questing fingertips. Closing her eyes, Sienna held the purse in her hands, willing her Fae senses to the surface. She opened herself to the images of the past.