Tension knotted the spot shed indicated. Im fine, he lied.
No, youre not, she said seriously. I can tell. I can feel inside you. You dont want anyone to know because you dont like what happens when you feel this way.
Merde, a seven-year-old could tell? Gabriel retrieved the hammer. As he brushed it free of sand, he glanced at the solemn girl examining the inside of his canvas tool bag.
You can feel inside me?
She nodded. Seldom had he used his enormous powers of mind control to delve into a childs thoughts. Children were innocent and their motivations and thought patterns as clear as shiny glass. They were easy to read, but he hated having to do it.
He motioned to the steps, and when shed sat beside him, he turned the hammer over in his hand. Can you read other peoples thoughts?
Jillian gave him a guileless look. Only if they allow me to, or if theyre so loud theyre screaming at me. Like theyre yelling out loud, but theyre not. Gram taught me not to be rude and invade their minds.
In a ladylike gesture, she folded her hands in her lap. I tried once, when my friend Andrea bragged her hair was prettier than mine. I went into her mind to see the truth. She hated her hair and I told her so. Megan punished me and made me apologize. She said it was wrong. I didnt mean to hurt Andrea and I promised never to do it again.
Megan is right. Using power holds you accountable for your magick.
Gabriel sucked in a deep breath. When you get older, youll understand the difference between doing it for the right reasons or just to be a bully. Youll learn to shut out others thoughts, too, so you can have peace.
How he wished he could experience such peace. Hadnt, not since Amelia and Simone had died.
You didnt do it, Mr. Gabriel. You didnt kill her.
What?
Amelia. You said you killed her, but I felt what you felt. Jillian shook her head. Youre not like the bad men who hurt Shadows.
A fist of guilt and alarm squeezed his throat. What bad men, Jilly?
The men on the island who wanted to hurt Megan. The fisherman on the boat who hit her, and wanted to do the same things the bad men wanted. She looked confused. I didnt understand. Why did they want to take her clothes off?
His wolf silently howled in protective rage. Gabriel forced it down. Going hog wild on his emotions wouldnt help her now. He mustered all his control and turned to look Jillian in the eye.
There are bad men who do things like that, little one. They arent nice and you need to stay away from them. There is a blackness inside their hearts and their spirits.
For a moment they sat in silence on the steps, staring at the gathering storm clouds. Sandpipers and seagulls flew toward the mainland. Jillian looked worried.
Is it going to be a bad storm, Mr. Gabriel? she whispered.
He gave her a reassuring smile. Call me Gabriel. No Mister. Naw, well just see a bit of wind and rain. I can feel it in my bones. Youll be safe.
She chatted about the storms shed experienced on her island. Gabriel listened, paying attention the way few adults did. He liked kids. Hed always been good with his brother Etiennes four children and Alexs Amelia. Hed longed for children, but didnt dare procreate with his bad genes. Gabriels chest felt hollow. Never would he want a son or daughter to endure the shame and aversion he had known in childhood.
Whats this?
Fascination stole over her face as she stared at the blue-inked scrolling on his left bicep. She traced it with a finger.
You got marked, too. Did it hurt like cousin Megans?
The attention span of the young.
Its a tattoo, Jilly. My brother Indigo put it there for me. It means fierce one in the Old Language of our ancestors.
Its pretty. Megans mark is just numbers. She cried after it was done. She tried not to let us hear, but I knew she was crying.
Numbers? Where?
On the back of her neck, like female Shadow Wolves get when they turn twenty-one.
So now they were inking all Shadows to keep track of them? His gorge rose. Wolf growled to the surface, driven by the urge to protect and defend his Megan.
His?
The notion stunned him. Megan Moraine was a Shadow Wolf who needed escorting to a safe house. Yet his emotions were that of a bonded male for his draicara.
Jillian sighed. I guess theyll give me one when I get older, too.
Her practical tone sent chills through him. Gabriel took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
He started to say no.
Words died on his tongue, a promise he wanted to give her, but couldnt. She looked so trusting, his heart twisted. Once hed made the same promise to another child, and failed. He couldnt promise anything to children. Not anymore.
He enlisted her help in picking up his tools. Gabriel let Jillian proudly carry the hammer and screwdriver while he took the canvas tool bag.
When they reached the guest house, Megan was sitting on a deck chair. Her legs were tucked beneath her as she combed her hair, gazing at the whitecaps crashing against the barnacle-riddled seawall.
She began to sing. The purity of her voice reminded him of sunrise over the bayou. It soothed him, brought the beast to a standstill. His entire body tingled with the desire to draw close, sit at her feet and let her voice wash over him in a cleansing flood. Music was his balm, a necessity to tame his wolf.
Then Jennifer burst out of the house, a tiny, pink-clad whirlwind waving a small conch shell. Megan held the seashell to her ear.
Gabriel stared. Not classically pretty, Megan had an exotic, Fey beauty. Her cheeks were stained pink by the rising breeze, long hair wreathing her heart-shaped face. Her mouth was cherry-red and moist. A blue T-shirt molded to firm, round breasts.
The unabashed laughter in her sea-blue eyes lured him like a sailor to a sirens deadly song. Megan laughed, the sound pure enjoyment.
All his senses focused on her, his hands shaking with longing. He wanted a piece of that honest happiness, if only for a fleeting moment. Not the joking front he showed to disguise his real emotions. Gabriel yearned for something as simple as the joy of sharing a seashells whispers.
He hadnt experienced that since when?
Since Amelia died three years ago. When his niece died, a light of innocence in his life had winked out. His niece had adored him, and shed known exactly what he was. And still, she wasnt afraid of him.
Jillian set down the hammer and screwdriver and scampered up the steps. A shrill of laughter echoed through the air as she held the seashell to her ear. He felt as if hed invaded a special and private moment between Megan and her cousins. A lead weight settled on his chest as he went to stash his tools in the shed.
The incoming storm sent a vibrating hum through his tensed body. Wolf howled to release the pent-up emotions. Gabriel glanced backward. Megan and the twins could not see him.
Sand stung his cheeks. He relished the wind slapping his face.
The hell with it. No longer able to hold back his internal storm, Gabriel shape-shifted.
Gabriel was running wild.
Megans heart thundered in her chest as she watched a large gray wolf race back and forth on the beach. The wolfs raw power and dark intensity sent a chill down her spine. Larger than most, muscles rippled under the lupines gray fur.
He could break her spine with one lunge. She wrapped her arms around herself, sinking back into the cover of the mangroves.
Shed come to the beach to tell him about the silver-haired man blowing up the bridge in hopes hed mention where the inflatable boats were stashed.
Megan peered around the mangroves, her palms growing cold and sweaty. What if Gabriel suddenly turned on them? Shed glimpsed his haunted look when hed left to shutter the houses. But this wolf was not vulnerable. This wolf could tear and kill and destroy.
Never had she seen such a display, as if the wolf released all the emotions the man could not. This wolf snapped at the surf. It tipped back its head and released a long, mournful howl that echoed the cadence of the crashing surf.
The wolf was wild and dangerous.
A delicious scent of pine, leather and sweet wine drifted on the wind. It overwhelmed her senses. Megan closed her eyes, overcome with the sensuality calling to her. No wolf she had ever known emitted such an enticing scent.
The idea hit her like a resounding slap on the face. Shadows didnt do that. From what little she knew, neither did Normals.
Ferals did.
Panic squeezed her throat. Ferals were wild and unpredictable. Their blood ran thick with the instinct to hunt, kill and mate. Male Ferals were dominating, highly sexual and aggressive. Their scents were strong and irresistible to females. When a male saw a female he wanted, the Feral Draicon pursued with ruthless determination until he had her naked and submissive beneath his powerful body. Their blood ran thick with passion and animalistic need.
Yet as she watched Gabriel, doubt laced through the fear. Hed seemed gentle and protective of the twins. Even when he was furious over the rubber duck, hed left instead of raging at Jillian.
As wild as the wolf acted, the man acted restrained. How could Gabriel be a Feral since he was an Enforcer? The Council of Draicon executed vicious Ferals and sent others to demon prisons. As despised as Shadows were, Ferals were hated more. Their ability to blend in with the human populace was limited by their savage animal nature, often triggered by sexual arousal and heightened emotions.
Once the most dangerous Ferals were called Trans-Ferals. Long ago, theyd been hunted to extinction.
Megan felt a tug of empathy for Feral Draicon. As a Shadow, she wanted equality among all their species.
A savage beauty reflected in the wolfs running with the wind. Her heart thundered again, echoing the cadence of distant crashing thunder. Her pulse raced with excitement.
How she longed to run wild, heedless of watchful Draicon ready to punish her for shifting into a wolf. Megan took one step forward, her body thrumming with anticipation.
The wolf skidded, his big paws digging into the wet sand. He pivoted, his huge head swerving in her direction, focused on her with a predatory look.
Wild amber eyes met hers.
The wolf was king. If he wanted, the wolf could track her scent, have her on the ground before she could escape.
Though her heart pounded hard, Megan held her position. She returned the wolfs dominating look. She blinked, and the wolf was gone, replaced by a man wearing a white shirt and khaki shorts.
Gabriel.
Sea mist dampened his dark hair. His muscled body was hard with sexual aggression. He stalked toward her with determined purpose. Afraid of his power, she stood her ground. Megan refused to lower her gaze as other Draicon would do facing a predator.
I can smell your fear. I told you before, I wont hurt you, he said softly. How long have you been watching?
I just got here, she admitted. It was fascinating watching you as a wolf. I cant remember how long its been since I saw a Draicon shift and were prohibited from shifting into wolves on Shadow Island.
Why cant you shift?
I guess theyre afraid well become more powerful as invisible wolves than invisible in our human form.
Raw sexuality radiated from him. Megan swallowed hard. I didnt come to spy on you. I came looking for you to tell you something.
He stopped close enough for her to smell his delicious maleness mingling with evergreen and rain. Passion filled his heated gaze. His nostrils flared as if hed caught her scent. A pulse hammered at the base of his throat.
Tell me what, chère?
Though she was still untouched, Megan sensed his desire. He wanted her, badly. And animal instinct fought for control of the man. Something inside her clawed to the surface, wanting him just as badly.
Gabriel unclenched his fists. He caught her hand in his and turned it over. The gentleness of the gesture contrasted sharply to his earlier display of brute strength. He ran a thumb over her cut.
Its starting to heal already. Good. He dropped her hand and traced a line along her jaw. His touch was gentle, but she instinctively recognized the possessiveness.
A wolf marking his territory.
Tell you She halted, shuddering with pleasure as he stroked a line down the sensitive curve of her neck.
He dropped his hands. Go back to the cottage. The storms getting closer and the twins will be scared.
Why are you so concerned when all youll do is turn them over to the authorities? For all the stories Ive heard about you
He swore softly, his expression growing cold and dangerous. Im not what you think, Megan. Dont underestimate me.
As he started to push past her, she blurted out, I know who blew up the bridge. I think it was the same man from the restaurant, a man with silver hair.
Why are you telling me now? Why not before?
Were stuck here together and I need your help getting off this island. If this man is determined to trap us, can we leave? You said you had other boats. Are they nearby?
What were you and the girls doing on the dock?
Softness laced the steely words. When she didnt answer, he stepped behind her and placed his palms on her shoulders. His touch was gentle, but she sensed his determination. He would have answers.
I told you, youre safe here. I wont hurt you. His fingers began to knead her muscles, sending delicious heat spiraling through her body. Earlier tension evaporated, replaced by sensual need. Her head tilted back like a sunflower seeking warmth.
Gabriel wrapped his arms around her waist. Power was in those strong limbs. He bent his head, warm breath feathering over her cheek.
Tell me, Megan.
The boats were useless, anyway. She trembled with sudden need.
I know. I disabled them to keep you here. She quivered with anticipation as his mouth nuzzled her neck.
Struggling to keep her thoughts straight, Megan stiffened. Hope you didnt disable the inflatables, too. Where are they?
In a safe place, chère.
Are you sure? Maybe I can help you secure them before the storm. A low moan escaped her as his fingers stroked over the sides of her neck.
No.
His hands anchored her to him. His hard male body was filled with enormous power. Yet the hands now splayed over her belly were gentle and his lips tracing a line down to her collarbone were soft and warm.
A different hardness pressed into her backside. A whimper of erotic pleasure tore from her throat as his hands drifted lower, palming her lower belly, pressing her against his erection.