Taken by the Alpha Wolf (7 page)

And you can’t let them gain more power. They’ll
become invincible, use my father to gain access to judges and law
enforcement who will turn a blind eye to their drug smuggling.
Thousands of people will die. You know what you must do.

He lifted his head. Anguish shadowed his
gaze. He brought his left hand around.

Clearly displaying the 9mm hidden there.

Etienne pulled the trigger.

The crystal orb shattered beneath the impact
of the bullet. The demons screamed and jumped back. Etienne leapt
to his feet, continuing to fire until the brothers collapsed to the
ground, as if dead.

But to her horror, Jorge struggled upright,
his eyes still red, his face twisted with hate. He began advancing
toward her. A bullet had torn through his left cheek, leaving his
mouth twisted and misshapen.

She saw her gun and dove for it, brought it
up and fired, emptying the chambers into Jorge.

He kept advancing.

Her mate fluidly leapt upward and shifted in
mid-air. The large gray wolf raced over to Jorge and tore into his
leg.

Diaz screamed and fell, snarling and lashing
out at the wolf. But Etienne danced away and attacked again, this
time going for the throat.

Gasping, Jorge held a palm to contain the
gushing black blood. Etienne shifted back, and rolled toward the
abandoned knife. But as he reached for it, Liony came to life,
crawled over to her mate and raked sharp talons over his grasping
fingers. Etienne hissed, kicking out.

The two began to fight, Liony aiming for
Etienne’s eyes. Etienne dodged and delivered a punch that sent the
demon reeling. And then Liony sank his talons directly into
Etienne’s wound.

An unearthly howl of pain tore from her mate.
Cindy cried out, anger and fear colliding. She struggled to her
feet, ready to rip the demon apart with her bare hands.

“No, stay back Cyn,” Etienne grated out.

Retrieving the dagger, the demon raised the
blade, ready to plunge it into Etienne. Cindy skidded to a halt,
stricken by a familiar scent.

A loud, rough growl sounded from the doorway.
She turned and saw a beloved form. He flicked his wrist. The dagger
sailed through the air and hit Liony in the heart. The demon
screamed and disintegrated into a shower of black dust.

Etienne rolled over, grabbed the knife and
sank it deep into Jorge’s chest. The demon disappeared, leaving
behind a pile of black dust.

“Only way to get them is the heart,” Etienne
murmured, wincing as he held a hand to his bleeding side.

Relief made her knees wobble as she stumbled
over to her mate. Cindy tore open his shirt and pressed her palm
against his wound. Stunned, she watched the bleeding stop and the
skin knit itself together. Etienne grabbed her hand, emotion
clouding his gaze.

“You got your powers back. You can heal,” he
said and she heard low agony in his voice.

“Hey sis.” Her big brother knelt by their
father, checking his pulse. He sighed with relief. “He’s only
unconscious.”

Cindy felt her eyes fill with tears. “How did
you know?”

“Dad called us with some cryptic warning, but
Sam and Allen were too far away. I was in Key West.” Matt stared
grimly at her. “Dad told me a long time ago to protect the Orb at
all costs because of you, Cindy.”

Her brother’s dark gaze flicked to the floor
and he stared at the glittering shards. And cursed.

Etienne looked at the Orb’s shattered
remains. “It’s gone, Cyn.”

A sharp pain speared her chest. But she was
not dead. She had Etienne, and his belief in her.

His love for her.

Even without her magick, she would survive,
nurtured by the power of his love for her. For however long she had
to live.

Chapter Eight

Nestled by the sluggish waters of the bayou,
the gray house belonging to Celine and Remy Robichaux sat on seven
acres of lush, fertile land. Etienne’s family lived and breathed
the bayou and its Cajun lifestyle. She liked their informality, the
easy way they’d accepted her and their insistence on treating her
as if she were one of them.

Insects hummed in the nearby trees. Cindy
rocked in the chair on the porch, breathing in the scent of life. A
jug and a glass of sweet tea sat on a nearby table.

“Why are you out here? Everyone else is still
eating.”

The screen door banged behind him. Etienne
approached, his clear blue gaze scrutinizing her.

She shrugged. “Not hungry. I wanted to take
in the air.”

He stood before her, quiet and speculative.
“Your father’s ordered his pack back from Washington. He’s a brave
male, Cyn, sending his people away to protect them and standing on
his own against Diaz. It’s killing him that he couldn’t save you.
Why didn’t you listen to him when he wanted you to go with them two
weeks ago?”

Emotion tightened her chest. “He sent them
away on the excuse of finding a new place to live. I refused to go
because moving across the country meant taking me further from you.
He didn’t dare tell the real reason, knowing Diaz had already
monitored his thoughts. Only my mother knew the truth and she
refused to leave his side.”

“Your mom is still apologizing to me over
calling you those names. She was pretty upset.”

Cindy leaned back in the chair. “I keep
telling her I forgave her. I’ve never seen her cry like that.”

Etienne leaned against on the porch railing,
his long legs stretched out before him. He was tough and yet
tender. She couldn’t have asked for a better mate. For however long
she had. Cindy tried not to think about it.

“The rogue wolves Diaz commanded? Were you
and Matt able to save them?”

A flicker of emotion on his face. “Had to be
destroyed. Their minds were totally gone. Liony used them as his
personal bodyguards to keep an eye on your father and help with
smuggling the drugs.”

Sorrow stabbed her. The wolves had a family
once. Such a destruction of life. “Why couldn’t we have found out
what the Diaz brothers were earlier, Etienne?”

“Cortex demons are tough to detect. They’re
very good at disguising themselves as humans, until they sink into
your mind and then it’s too late.”

Yet Etienne and her father had resisted. They
were both strong-willed and fiercely protective males. The wealthy
Miami attorney and the Cajun had that in common.

He gave a wry grin, picking up her thoughts.
“Yeah, we are more alike than I realized.”

“And your family has money, too.”

Those broad shoulders lifted in a modest
shrug. “Haven’t done too bad since I’ve helped Pa expand the
fishing business. Could use your help. Would you take over managing
the office? You did so well with your father’s law firm.”

Pleasure filled her at the compliment. “I’d
love to. For as long as I can manage. I don’t know how much time I
have left.”

His jaw tightened. “I told you, I don’t
believe in no-win scenarios.”

He pulled her into his arms. Her lover. Now
her mate for life. Fully healed from the tussle with the demons,
Etienne insisted on not wasting time to make her his own. The
mating ceremony had taken place earlier, her parents and brother
Matthew in attendance. Etienne had slipped a gold circle on her
finger and whispered he would always cherish her, protect her, love
her.

For as long as she’d live.

Etienne cradled her close, burying his lips
against her hair. “I believe in you. Damnit Cyn, fight this.”

“I want to.” She rested against him,
absorbing his quiet strength. “But if it’s meant that I don’t have
much time, I want to spend it all with you.”

He held her for a long moment, and she felt
his shoulders shaking. As if all the emotion in this calm,
controlled wolf were pouring out. Cindy raised her head, smiled at
him.

“It’s getting cool. Want some hot tea?”

He nodded. She glanced at the jug of sweet,
iced tea and pointed a finger. The water began to bubble and boil.
Etienne arched a brow.

“The healing ability came with the Orb’s
powers. My powers are pure kinetic energy. All in these, sweetie.”
Cindy waggled her fingers.

He traced a line along her lips, making her
shiver. “I can think of a few interesting things to with your new
powers.”

“I wish… I could use them to give us more
time together.”

His smile faded. A shudder wracked his big
body as he hugged her. “Warm me up,
chere
. I’m so cold at
the thought of losing you,” he whispered.

The screen door banged open and a discreet
cough pulled them apart. Raphael stood on the porch.

“You know, finding your mate is supposed to
be a joyous thing. But you two look like you’re at a funeral. And
you haven’t even…ah…sealed your union yet.” He flicked his gaze
upstairs.

She squeezed Etienne’s hand. “We should tell
him.”

And so he did. But Raphael did not look
upset, only thoughtful. He gazed so intently at her, it felt as if
he saw straight to her soul. Maybe he could, she thought. He was
the immortal Kallan.

Then he cracked a wide smile. “You’re going
to die, Cindy. But it’s not any time soon.”

They stared and Raphael sighed. “The former
Kallan who told you that? He was getting up in years himself. He
should have explained himself better. You will die of what killed
your grandmother. Old age. How old was she?”

Cindy’s heart pounded hard. “One thousand,
three hundred years old.”

“You know our kind. We live long lives. And
so will you, Cindy.”

Raphael nodded to his brother, then went back
inside. A strangled sob arose from Etienne as his calm coolness
shattered.

He grabbed her, squeezing her tight and
twirling her around. Tears sprang to her eyes as she hugged him
back, feeling his heart beat steadily against her. Feeling the
power and strength in him, and his emotions and joy.

“I love you, Etienne Robichaux,” she
whispered.

He cupped her face. “I love you too, Cindy
Robichaux.”

He kissed her, a deep, soul-searing kiss.
When they came up for air, he nodded at the house. “Let’s go tell
them.”

Her parents, and big brother, Matt sat at the
kitchen table listening to Remy, Etienne’s father, tell one of his
famous stories. When Etienne shared the good news, cries of joy
rang through the kitchen. Remy beamed and lauded them both with
blessings in Cajun French. Etienne grinned as Alex and Gabe whooped
and pounded him on the back.

Etienne felt emotion well up as Robert and
Wanda Parker fussed over their daughter. They both gave him
grateful smiles.

“Thank you for saving her, and keeping the
Orb from those demons. You know I only said those things about you
to keep Diaz from guessing my real intent. I couldn’t have asked
for a better man for our Cindy,” Parker said. He stepped forward
and hugged Etienne.

A little stunned, Etienne hugged him
back.

“Now there’s a scene. Big bad wolf hugged by
big bad lawyer,” Matt teased.

Parker released Etienne and gave a mock
scowl. “You have a thing or two to learn from this young man. He
was a SEAL, you know.”

“I know.” Matt looked serious. “I’m thinking
of joining the Navy and applying to the teams.”

Silence for a moment, and then Wanda Parker
smiled. “Whatever makes you happy, Matthew. It’s a good
tradition.”

“A very good one,” Robert Parker added. He
added, with a twinkle in his blue eyes, “Almost as good as being
from a Cajun family.”

“You’ll make a fine SEAL,” Etienne told him,
studying his muscular brother-in-law and remembering Matt’s tight
control as he’d thrown that knife.

Conversation began about the military and
Etienne grabbed Cindy’s hand. He led her upstairs to the bedroom
given to them. He kissed her, his mouth sweet and soft, and held
her for a long time.

“I’m going to make love to you, Cindy
Robichaux, but I have to say this first. If I live and breathe to
be one thousand, three hundred years old, I can never get enough of
you. You are my life.”

Etienne hugged her tight, and she felt him
release all the emotions he felt inside concerning his mate. His
lover, his life.

Needing to know the answer to the one
question bothering her, Cindy touched his cheek. “Etienne, what if
I never got my powers back? Would you have mated me?”

Tenderness filled his face. “Of course,
Cyn.”

He placed a warm palm upon her heart. “This
is the most important part of you, what I cherish the most. I love
you, with or without magick.”

“I don’t need magick. I have you.” She slid
her arms around his neck, watching his gaze soften. “For as long as
we’re both together.”

He gave the sexy half-smile she adored. “For
a lifetime. As long as I have you, it’s long enough.”

The End

If you enjoyed
Taken by the Alpha
Wolf,
please check out my other Draicon werewolf stories,
including
The Shadow Wolf,
Gabriel’s book
. The Shadow
Wolf
is an August 23, 2011 release from Harlequin Nocturne. You
can order it at Amazon.com: Read an excerpt at my website,
www.bonnievanak.com
Or visit my author page on eHarlequin,
http://www.eharlequin.com.

The Draicon werewolf stories are in order:

The Empath

Broken Souls

Enemy Lover

Immortal Wolf

Courage of the Wolf