The Shadow Wolf (13 page)

“What was that?” he rasped.

“A little trick of mine. Shadow clones. They look real, act real, until you touch them.”

Her arms went around him, holding him tight. For a long while they remained like that, until Gabriel raised his head. His gaze was sharpened, renewed with determination.

“Go get the girls, and let's get out of here.”

“Shouldn't you rest first? You're wounded.”

“No time. I'll be fine.” He stood, shrugging off her assistance. “No time.”

Megan glanced at the piles of gray ash, already blown by the wind. On the turnpike, a few cars went southbound once more, the accident created by the Morphs now clearing up.

“But Gabriel, the Morphs are dead.”

“Logan isn't. And he won't stop until I am.”

“W
hy didn't you shift?” Megan asked.

On the seat beside her, Gabriel didn't reply. They'd bandaged the worst of his wounds and already he'd started to heal. He flexed his bruised right hand and gave his fingertips a wry look.

“Damn energy sucking
couillon.
Ruined my manicure. Now I'll have to get another.”

“Gabriel, it isn't funny.”

“I know. Manicures are damn expensive.”

“Your wolf could have defeated them without you getting so injured. Why didn't you shift?” Megan passed a slow-moving RV. Children staring out of one window saw the twins in the backseat and waved. The girls gave a sluggish wave back. The Morphs had not injured them, but their listless attitudes worried her.

Gabriel's insouciance about his injuries was also bothersome. He hid something dangerous.

He tipped his hat down on his brow, shadowing his eyes. “Think I'll rest a bit. When you reach the next exit, get off. We need to eat and find a retail store.”

“Not a nail salon?”

He gave an amused snort. “I've a hankering for a rare roast beef sandwich, first.”

“I have a hankering, too. For answers. Why didn't you shift? I saw you throw the power surge.”

She felt him go still. “That could have killed you and the girls.”

Megan's voice softened. “But your wolf is your natural defense against Morphs. Your best chance of evening the fight.”

“Not with me,” he said darkly.

“Gabriel, what are you hiding from me? Why can't you trust me with the truth?”

“Some people can't handle the truth.”

“I'm not one of them,” she insisted. “I'm your bonded mate. Are you thinking I'm too afraid to handle the truth?”

“Pas, maintenant,”
he said gently. “Of course not. One day, when things settle down, I'll tell you.”

Then he tipped his hat down farther. “I'm getting some shut-eye. Wake me up when we get to Gainesville.”

The deep, even sound of his breathing told her that he'd fallen asleep. Gabriel's ability to shut down to heal his injuries was as honed as his skills at shutting out her questions. She'd get no answers from him now.

Megan wondered if she ever would.

 

The steak dinner was delicious, but Megan had eaten purely to regain lost energy. His injuries healing quickly, Gabriel had washed up in the bathroom and changed into gray linen trousers and a hunter-green polo shirt. The preppy clothing stripped away the casual, earthy look Megan adored.

Now her stomach churned as they walked through a large retail store. The twins lagged behind them as he headed for the electronics section. Gabriel pulled two inexpensive cell phones from the shelves.

“The phones I'll toss out after I make a call. Those Morphs knew exactly where we were headed. Logan must have put a tracer on my cell and tracked us that way.”

“Unless he tracked us by sound alone.” Megan touched the
plastic covering to the cell phone. “When I had mercenaries on my trail, they used vibrant echoes of my own voice to track me down. They had voice recognition scanners that could read and distinguish an individual's sound patterns.”

“Impressive equipment. I doubt Logan is so sophisticated. He prefers more sedate, insidious ways of catching victims. Such as Morphs.” Gabriel's gaze went icy and hard. “He's embraced evil to clone himself. He's Morph now, a Draicon's greatest threat.”

“I thought Shadows were the greatest threat.” Megan bit her lip at his darkened expression. “Why wouldn't other Draicon track and capture him, then?”

“His magick is powerful and ancient. He throws up enough glamour to fool most Draicon. I didn't even know it was him until he called,” Gabriel admitted.

He studied the twins examining the items on the shelves. His look softened. “There's a few more things I need to buy.”

In the toy aisle, even the plethora of colorful electronic playthings didn't stir Jillian and Jennifer's interest. Only when Gabriel handed them each a blond doll did they brighten.

As they headed for women's clothing, her throat tightened at how the twins hugged their new treasures. The sooner they reached their father and had a secure home, the better. But would Alexandre love them, even though they were Shadows? Could Alexandre learn to reach out and share his world with Shadows?

The girls settled against a wall and glanced around. When no one looked, they vanished into Shadow.

“Stay here,” Megan whispered. “Remember to cloak your scent, too. You'll be safe.”

Women openly stared at him with feminine interest as Gabriel thumbed through the dress racks. Ignoring them, he chose a flowing dress with cap sleeves in a bright turquoise floral print. She hungered for such a pretty thing.

When she emerged from the dressing room and pivoted for
his assessment, she felt feminine and aware. A man whistled at her. Crimson flooded her cheeks at the stranger's admiring gaze.

Frowning, Gabriel selected a sedate long-sleeved shirt and dressy black pants. “Try these on.”

Gazing longingly at the dress, she shook her head. “I like this.”

“It won't do for our next stop,
ma petite chou.
”

While the endearment warmed her, Megan continued to look at the dress. Suddenly all she wanted was to look pretty, instead of a worn, desperate Shadow on the run. Gabriel cupped her chin, his touch sending heat shivering through her. “I need your legs and arms free for fighting.”

“I can shift for that,” she challenged.

His expression hardened again, reminding her of the ruthless Gabriel. “I won't see you tied up and gagged in another ice cream truck, Megan. If you find yourself in a tight spot, you need every advantage. Now, go try them on.”

The clothing fit perfectly. Gabriel trailed her back into the dressing room's tight confines. “You're so beautiful.”

She warmed under his praise and laced her fingers through his in a simple act of trust. Megan squeezed his sun-darkened hand.

“Every woman in the store stared at you, Gabriel. They all want you.”

He touched her cheek, the smooth stroke of his fingers creating a delicious friction. “I only see you,
ma petite chou.
Only you.”

She started to undress.

“Wear them out,” he instructed.

“But the tags…”

Lethally sharp claws emerged from his fingertips and Gabriel ripped off the tags. Stunned, she stared at his reflection in the mirror as he stood behind her. Unbuttoning the blouse, he slid it
off her shoulders and pressed a sizzling kiss to her skin. Breath sucked in as he unhooked her lacy white bra and slid it off.

When his palms slid up to cup her breasts, her nipples tightened to hard diamonds. Need raged through her as his thumbs stroked. She reached behind her, slipped her hands down the front of his tight jeans and squeezed playfully.

A low growl escaped him.

He pressed against her backside, letting her feel the long length of his erection. Gabriel nuzzled her neck, his warm breath feathering over her cheek. Excitement bloomed hot and sharp in her belly.

“I want you, now,” he breathed.

Turning her around, he stripped the pants off her and yanked down her white lace panties. Gabriel dropped to his knees and looked up at her. Intensity radiated in his amber gaze.

“Part your legs.”

The rough order made her tremble. Megan leaned back against the coolness of the wall mirror as he pulled her close.

He put his mouth between her thighs. She bit back a scream as his tongue swept over her core.

The feelings were too much, too intense.
I can't bear it,
she moaned in his mind.

You can.

An excited whimper escaped her. Voices outside the dressing room warned they weren't alone. Someone banged on the dressing room door.

Gabriel's long fingers tightened as he continued tasting her.

“Is anyone in here?”

Panic shot through her pleasure. She glanced down and saw someone drop down to peer inside the room.

Yanking on her powers, she cloaked them in Shadow. Gabriel's scent swam in her nostrils. Her head lolled back, hips rising and falling to the erotic rhythm Gabriel created with his mouth.

Megan fisted her hands in his silky hair, anchoring to him. The hot tension built with each lash of his wicked tongue until she shattered, putting a fist at her mouth to hold back the screams.

Trembling, she eased her grip on him.

Seductive intent gleamed in his amber gaze as he stood, backhanding his wet mouth. Drawing in a trembling breath, Megan grasped his jeans. He made a rough sound as she caressed the long, hard length of him. Gabriel arched against her touch.

Emboldened by his desire, she unzipped him. He pushed the jeans past his lean hips, baring his thick erection. Lifting her by her bare bottom with one hand, he fisted the other in her long hair and kissed her deeply. She tasted the musk of her own arousal.

His cock nudged at her soaked folds. With an impatient sound, he pushed hard and deep inside her. Her inner walls shuddered and stretched to accommodate his invasion. She moaned into his mouth as he stroked his tongue inside.

Megan wrapped her legs around his hips as he began to thrust hard and deep. Gabriel pulled back, staring into her eyes. The intimate visual caress combined with his complete penetration built the tension higher and higher.

She reached down and licked the straining tendons of his neck, then lightly bit.

Snarling, he thrust harder, and she felt herself spiraling out of control. With a low moan, she climaxed as he buried his face into her shoulder. She felt him shudder, his hot seed flooding inside her.

The glamour faded, leaving them visible. Dazed with sensual pleasure, she trembled as he kissed her. Gabriel leaned his forehead against hers, his ragged breaths mingling with her own.

His eyes darkened to midnight. “Remember, Megan. You're mine.”

He'd stamped his mark on her with the sharp point of sensual
pleasure. After a few minutes, he pulled free. Megan dressed as he pulled up his jeans and donned his hat.

He put a possessive hand on the small of her back and ushered her out of the dressing room.

When they gathered the girls and checked out, she saw him slip the little floral dress onto the conveyer belt. A bolt of pleasure shot through her at his thoughtfulness.

In the car, Gabriel took a small chip from his wallet, inserted it into the new cell phone and made a quick call. Afterward, the phone crumbled to bits in his palm. He tossed the pieces aside.

“We're headed to a house where we'll rest before leaving for the city. I don't like how quiet the girls have been.”

“No place is safe,” she countered.

“This place is. It belongs to Tristan. He's a Phoenix.”

At her blank look, he added, “An Immortal Justice Guardian. You've never heard of them?”

“I thought they were myth. Just like Draicon justice is a myth. If such powerful creatures exist, why are my people still treated like outcasts?”

His jaw tightened. “They have a habit of not interfering with destiny. But when they do act, trust me, you don't want to get in their way.”

“And how did you come into contact with this one? Did he help you out?”

A humorless smile touched his full mouth. “Hardly. Tristan beat me severely when I was much younger.” He started the vehicle. “But he made me a promise. He told me if I ever truly needed him, I could call in a favor. Any favor.”

“You're calling it in now?”

Gabriel fell silent for a moment. “For you, Megan. You're all that matters now. You and getting the twins safely to their father.”

He'd sacrificed something that huge for her. Tightness gathered in her chest.

“Thank you, Gabriel. For everything.”

Silence greeted her, but she sensed his enormous and fierce pride, his deep protective streak.

“How did you meet this Tristan?”

“It was a long time ago. I did something that warranted punishment.”

She tried to imagine anything a young, carefree and cheerful Gabriel could do to bring down the wrath of a powerful immortal. “Whatever you did, I'm certain the punishment was more than you deserved.”

“Hardly. I was a bit…zealous.”

A flash of fangs and teeth and claws.
Then it faded as quickly as it surfaced. Megan placed a hand on his arm. “Your being zealous is a good thing. You faced all those Morphs on your own. That's cause for reward, not punishment.”

Amber dawned in his eyes. Gabriel picked up her hand and raised it to his mouth. His mouth pressed against her skin. The kiss was warm and lingering, as if he drew strength from her touch.

“You don't know, Megan. You can't know the half of it.” Terse, flat words accompanied by the grim set of his chiseled jaw.

Gabriel cleared his throat and began a cheerful, silly Cajun song that had the twins chirping along. It was as if he'd turned into another person. Another being, hiding behind a wall of cocky amusement and charm.

His attitude did not fool her. For a few precious moments, she'd sunk inside him and seen the haunting torment blackening his spirit.

 

Gabriel pushed on as Megan and the twins drowsed.

A short time later, he pulled into the quiet, tree-lined drive. No gates or security needed. Tristan had no need of either.

The stately red brick mansion was as large as a hotel. White
wicker chairs and tables sat on a front porch. Gabriel parked in the circular drive, shut off the engine. Hair rose on the nape of his neck. The primal need to protect his mate clawed to the surface.

Tristan was a dangerous man around a beauty like Megan. He wasn't certain how the Guardian regarded Shadows, but he'd take no chances.

Either for seduction or capture.

The last time he'd seen the immortal, Tristan was clutching a leather whip stained with Gabriel's blood. Muscles on his back clenched in remembrance.