Taming the Hunted (2 page)

Her eyes made Marian take a step back. Baby blue with long
black slits like a cat. The girl turned back to her chore, applying another
layer on the nails. Marian looked to Gabriel as her own mind drew a blank on
this strange girl.

“She’s a werecat. The only one I have ever met.”

“A werecat?” Marian had heard stories of them. There were
shifters who could transform into large cats, tigers, lions, but she had never
seen someone who, like a werewolf, was half-cat half-human.

“Gabriel says that I am special,” the girl commented.

“Indeed you are,” Kennard told her as he turned the page.

“You need to feed,” the girl stated, laying Kennard’s foot
back onto the wooden floor and admiring her handiwork as she blew to dry the
nail polish.

Marian noticed long gouge marks in the wood beneath the
girl’s knees, as if a large dog had pawed at it and torn it up. It confirmed
her theory that she was in the midst of a pack leader’s home and that it was
not a safe place for any hunter, no matter what her skill level.

“Will you join me?” Kennard asked the girl as he inspected
his nails before rising in one sinuous movement.

“No,” was all she replied.

Kennard nodded and seemed to glide weightlessly from the
room, his feet making no noise on the wooden floor.

“I am Nole.”

Marian jumped at being addressed.

The girl smiled. Her little teeth, like Gabriel’s, were too many and too sharp. Gabriel moved around Marian and opened his arms to the
little werecat. She came forward and let him pick her up and place a kiss on
her cheek. Nole giggled, the sound for once sounding like the child she was.

“I will go and welcome the pack home,” Nole said.

Gabriel placed her on the ground again, and she turned and
skipped out the door.

“Unnerving, isn’t she?” Gabriel commented, leaning on the
doorframe.

“That’s one word for it. Another of your rescued pets?” She
had meant to refer to Kennard, but the words had come out harsher than she
intended.

Gabriel took it in his stride. “Nole comes and goes as she
pleases. She belongs to no one and we have no idea where she came from. She
just turned up one day and made herself at home.”

Marian looked up as a small ginger and white cat walked past
the windowsill.

“She is more childlike than she will admit though,” Gabriel
added as an afterthought.

Marian watched his face. For the first time that night, she
thought she saw another side to the man, a softening. The bond between him and
Nole was strong, that was clear in the way the girl acted around him. Letting
him hold and kiss her. It could have even been that he saw her as a daughter.
The thought made Marian’s heart flutter, wolves were not known for their
nurturing nature.

“Come on, we should go before my mates get home.”

He gestured for her to leave the room before him, and once
again she was forced to brush against his chest as she passed him, trying not
to stroke her hand down his taut body as she did.

They made it halfway across the entry when a noise outside
alerted her that they were no longer alone. There was a crash as the front door
opened, admitting half a dozen men who were laughing and shaking rain from
their hair.

Gabriel moved faster than she could track. His large body
shoved her to the side of the stairs before taking a protective stance in front
of her. She couldn’t see the men around his broad shoulders. God, it had to be
illegal to smell that great. Her senses were alive with adrenalin, making each
breath a deep intake of sweet musk.

Gabriel appeared to have noticed none of her sudden
stillness. One arm held onto the railing so he almost blocked her from view.
Shaking her senses back to the present danger, she smoothly let the blades slip
down into her tensed hands. The cool metal reassured her rattled nerves. The
sheer size of each of the men as they filed past the small gap between them and
Gabriel told her that running was not an option.

“Hey, Gabe, where were you? You missed a great night.”

A short blond who looked to be in his late teens extracted
himself from the chattering group. She saw him drop Nole’s hand and she skipped
over to the kitchen with the other men.

Gabriel shifted so that he blocked her from the newcomer’s
view.

“Who’s that?” the blond asked.

Gabriel shook his head, but didn’t answer the question. Marian could see the feet of the men, all barefoot, move past as they made their way into a
room off to the side of the stairs. When the noises were muffled, she assumed
they had closed the door, and only then did the blond speak again.

“Have you lost your mind? She can’t be in here,” the blond
man told Gabriel.

“I don’t see how it’s any of your business,” Marian stated, trying to see around Gabriel’s shoulders.

“Don’t talk, um…” Gabriel faltered and she realized he’d
never bothered to ask her name.

“Marian,” she told the blond.

“Nice, you didn’t even ask her name before doing her,” he
accused.

“’Scuse me.” Marian managed to squeeze herself between Gabriel’s shoulder and the handrail so that she could see the blond better. “I am not that kind
of girl.”

Gabriel sighed.

Marian struggled not to sneeze with all the dust in the place.
It smelled like wet dog, and the floor was covered in mud and dirt. The blond
guy looked amused, and he tried to smother a laugh with a hand.

“Marian, this is my brother, Raphael.”

“Nice to meet you,” Raphael said, still smirking. “But you
should go home, right now.”

Marian frowned at him to hide the fact she was trying to
think of a way out of this and struggling to subdue the pulsing through her
core.

“She will go home when she’s ready,” Gabriel replied with a
hint of a growl.

“Dude, you’re an idiot for bringing her here this close.
What if you lose control, or one of the lads gets up wind of her?”

“I can protect her, and I haven’t lost control for years.”

“Still here, guys,” Marian pointed out, trying to worm her
way under Gabriel’s arm.

“Get her out of here now. For her sake if not yours.” He
turned as if to leave, but spun back and looked at her. “I have a better idea.”

He stepped forward, but Gabriel growled at him—actually
growled, a deep sound in the back of his throat that vibrated through his
chest. Raphael glared, but didn’t come any closer. Instead, he leaned down
until his face was level with hers.

“Marian, you are to walk up those stairs and lock yourself
in the first room you see.”

Yes, a nap would be good
, she thought. She was
getting tired. She tried to turn around, but Gabriel didn’t budge.

“Marian, go upstairs,” Raphael said again.

Yep, going upstairs now.

No
, said another voice in her head.
Upstairs means
that your feet will be off the ground.

“No,” she slurred.

“What?” Gabriel asked, his eyebrows rising.

“I would rather stay down here, thanks,” Marian replied evenly this time, her head clearing.

Gabriel had moved enough that she could stand beside him,
but not get past him, the movement made her breasts crush against the side of
his chest. His eyes flicked to hers, and for a moment, fire burnt in their
depths, but then it was gone. Marian shook herself, thinking she must be
imagining the tension that sparked between them.

Both men were looking at her like she had slapped them.

“Well, that’s never happened before,” Raphael commented.

“Yeah, pigheadedness must run in your family,” Marian commented, making his eyebrows rise even higher so they looked like they would disappear
into his hairline.

“So, are you going to introduce me to your other
housemates?” she asked.

“
No!
” they said in unison.

Gabriel grabbed her arm and pulled her out the side door so
fast he nearly lifted her off her feet.

The house had a built-up tension about it; it wasn’t just
about her presence either. Somehow there was a lot of anger, or pain, within
those walls. Marian knew she didn’t need to get involved with any of it. A wave
of relief wrapped around her as fresh air circled her senses.

“Come with me,” Gabriel ordered.

Not pausing to let Marian reply, he took her hand and led
her into the cool night air.

The hairs on her arms tingled with his presence so close to
hers. She hoped that he couldn’t feel her shudder in pleasure at the thought of
his nearness. Her nipples tingled against the fabric of her top. She was
unwilling to turn her thoughts in a safer direction, wanting to stay in the
fantasy for as long as possible, should he decide to turn on her as Lione had.

“Watch your step,” he warned, with a backward glance which
scanned her face and lingered on the curve of her hips.

She gripped tighter to his hand as they started down a path
that led to the cliff face over the harbor. The area was a magnet for those not
wanting to draw attention to themselves. Isolated and surrounded by dense
forest, it was perfect for quick getaways. Sheltered on the other side by a
sheer, black rock, many of Marian’s hunts had led her to this area.

“Where are we going?” she asked, appreciating the way the
shadows played around his shoulders as he moved ahead of her.

“I want to show you something.” He turned back to her, his
glowing, yellow eyes meeting hers in the moonlight.

He seemed content to walk in silence, which was just as well
as she felt too distracted by her own paranoia to hold down a proper
conversation. It was best to know as little as possible about him and his
friends. She couldn’t get into another relationship. Lione, the last alpha wolf
she dated, had seen to that with his rough hands and cutting words. She pushed
those thoughts to the back of her mind. Tonight, she would let her instincts
take over, with an extra shove in the bedroom direction if it was needed. She
knew it was a bad idea, but only if she stayed. One night couldn’t hurt.

“Watch your head.”

Gabriel’s deep voice cut through her thoughts.

She looked up just in time to see the branch fling back
before it smacked her in the face. A sharp sting pierced her hairline, and the
cool trickle of blood told her the impact had cut her skin. Gabriel gripped her hand tighter, stopping her from falling down the steep hill to their side
as she stumbled back. Lights appeared behind her eyes as she tried to shake the
pain from her skull, but she made it worse as blood pounded in her ears.

He placed his hands on her hips to steady her. “You okay?”

No, I’m not okay
, she thought, but managed to hold
her tongue.

“Yeah, I think so.” Rubbing her head, her shoulders slumped
at the strip of wet that crossed her forehead.

He snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her to his
side, her hand moving to his warm chest as her body molded to his.

“Let me look.” His hands were gentle as he examined the
gash, brushing her hair to one side.

His breath felt warm so close to her face. He glanced down
and met her eyes for just a moment. The look there was tender and caring. Marian admired how gentle this large man could be. His very nature as a wolf screamed
aggression and activity. She felt as if she could just rest with him though,
let her guard down for once. As if she could gaze into those eyes on a long
night and not hide her silver blade under the pillow.

“Come on, we should get some cold water on that. If you stay
closer to me, I’ll make sure you don’t get hurt again.”

If you insist
, she thought.

He released her waist and led her, more slowly this time,
down the cliff. He smiled at her, his teeth white in the darkness as he looked
over his shoulder. Silver flashing showed her when he was watching her, his
eyes reflecting the pale moonlight. An interesting bulge rubbed against her leg
as he pulled her closer to him when the path narrowed. She pressed her hips to
his, all thoughts of self-preservation gone in her injured daze.

He turned and stopped, bringing his lips down to hers in a
quick, rough rush, his breath hot against her mouth as his tongue parted her
lips. A flutter of dizziness sweep through her, which had nothing to do with
her injury. The suddenness of his movements caught her off guard. She couldn’t
get enough of his luscious, sweet mouth. His hands came up to hold her face
gently, but with authority. His mouth worked to ease her anxiety and open her
mind to allow much more luxurious sensations to flood her pulsing pussy.

A faint rustle in the trees to their left made them both
turn, the moment broken as she felt his muscles tense under her hands.

Kennard was just a blur as his pale form sprung at her
through the trees. She didn’t blame him really. She was trespassing on his
hunting ground, bleeding, just asking to be dinner, and they were more than
distracted. The wooden stake was out of her waistband and in her hand as he hit
her. She felt the wood pass through the soft flesh of his chest, missing his
heart by millimeters. It was his lucky night.

He dropped to the ground, a corpse again, as his waxy skin
lost all sign of life. It would take an hour at least for his body to reject
the wood and reanimate.

The attack took just seconds, but Gabriel didn’t pause to
see if she, or Kennard, were okay. He threw her over his shoulder, jumping off
the cliff and landing ten meters below with a teeth-jarring jolt. They were in
a cove before he set her down in the sand and strode away.

Marian wondered how Gabriel had controlled himself enough
not to kill Kennard. She knew for a fact werewolves could move much faster than
she could, even with her honed skills. She had been too focused on her own
actions to pay Gabriel much attention. Yet it seemed that Gabriel’s first
thought had been to get her away, not to seek his revenge on Kennard for
attacking a human under his protection in his territory. He hadn’t left her
side. She considered this for a moment, a million other thoughts running
through her throbbing and muddled mind.

Her knees threatened to drop her body to the sand. Years of
training kept her on her feet as adrenalin fled her limbs now that the danger
had passed.

In all the time she had known Lione, he had never thought of
her before himself. The thought caused a tightening in her chest. The feeling
made her weak and she was stronger than that, she told herself. Surveying her
surroundings, she sought to distract her train of thought, ever aware of Gabriel’s presence behind her. They were in a small bay, bordered by the cliff on three sides,
the water lapping against the few meters of rocky shore.

“Are you okay?” Gabriel growled from behind her.

She could see his body shaking, and she knew he was fighting
the urge to morph into his defensive form, a sight which had been all too
common when she was with Lione.

“I’m fine.” She moved to the shore to give him some space to
calm down, splashing the cool water across her face. She ensured she always
kept his body in sight, all thoughts of the brief kiss they shared dashed from
her memories.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched him pause for a
moment, seeming to gain control as his chest rose and fell in controlled
breaths. Coming forward slightly faster than a stride, he soaked a handkerchief
in the water.

As she stood, her vision blurred and she swayed. Resting her
head in her hand, she must have sighed. Gabriel rose and said something that
was drowned out by the roar in her ears. To her embarrassment, her legs gave
way beneath her. A strong arm wrapped around her waist, taking her weight
before she fell. She leaned against him, feeling his chest rise and fall as he
lowered her to sit on the coarse sand.

A cool dampness settled over her head. Gabriel pushed her
hair back off her face with tender strokes. The cold helped to bring Marian back to the present. Opening her eyes, she gasped and jerked back away from him. His
face was just inches from her own, and a fire burnt behind his gaze as he
watched her lips.

“Sorry, I…” He looked surprised at his own actions, yet made
no move to pull away. “I wanted to make sure it wasn’t a deep gash.”

He sat back onto his heels; even as he sat he looked
attentive, ready to catch her again if she fainted.

Marian felt embarrassed more than anything. She had never
been the fainting type, she was never even ill. It seemed like whenever she was
with Gabriel she had some kind of accident.

“I think being around you is dangerous to my health,” she
commented, feeling a little better.

He stood and paced to the water, looking like a predator,
his every step smooth and powerful. He turned back to her, but didn’t make to
return to his place at her side. “Sorry, I’m just in a bit of a mood tonight.”

“It is nearly a full moon,” she pointed out. She wasn’t sure
if he realized she was a hunter yet; her knowledge of what he was could release
his natural instinct to protect his pack.

He laughed, but it was bitter and didn’t last. “Yes, that
will be it.” His shoulders rippled as he shook off his anger.

She picked at the pebbles around her. She wasn’t feeling
faint anymore, the light-headedness replaced by annoyance. A headache was
forming behind her eyes. She closed them and tried not to concentrate on the
blood throbbing through her head and the shimmers around Gabriel, showing just
how close he had been to losing control.

She wasn’t aware he had moved until she felt his hand brush
over her cheek. His skin was hot, despite the cold night air. She leaned into
him, savoring the feel of another human’s touch. A pulse of regret flooded her
as she reminded herself that he wasn’t human.

“Poor pup, let’s get you back so you can rest.”

His verbal slip, calling her his pup, made her roll her
eyes. She was not his pack. The thought made her shudder. She stood carefully,
letting him help her. Together, they made their way up the slope, slower this
time, as he seemed to feel that she was an invalid now. She tried to reassure
him she felt fine, but he just smiled and shook his head as if he indulged her
beliefs but knew better.

They were almost back when the sound of snarls and yelps
reached them. Marian hesitated. The noise signaled a fight and she didn’t have
enough blades on her to take on the whole pack, especially in her current
state.

“Wait right here.” The authority in Gabriel’s voice left no
room for argument as he dashed up the path, stopping long enough to look back
at her, his eyes flashing silver, his muscles shivering with anticipation.

The darkness pressed in on her. With Gabriel, she had not
even noticed the blankness of the night, but now she was hyper-aware that she
was in the middle of rogue territory, injured and without enough weapons to
take down even half his pack. The sounds of the fight grew louder, and she
considered running back to the beach where she could find shelter. But with
Kennard still out there, she didn’t want to risk moving far from help, if Gabriel could be considered an ally. She didn’t want to think that she could have been wrong
about him, he was all she had.

A yelp split the air, making her jump. She didn’t like
standing down there in the dark, not being able to see what was going on. At
the same time, she was in no condition to help. Resigned to wait until Gabriel
came back, she found a clear area behind a sturdy tree, clasped a blade in her
fist, and sat down to wait. Her every nerve was on a knife’s edge, feeling more
helpless than she ever had as she balanced one of her knives in her palm. She
scanned the inky blackness of the trees pressing in around her. The hairs stood
up on her arms as she scanned the tree line. Rising from her seat, she braced
herself for whatever lurked in the trees. Silver eyes stared at her from the path.

“Nole?” She assumed it was the girl as the eyes were far too
low to be one of the men. Her heart skipped a beat until the girl stepped into
the moonlight and she eased back her nerves from their state of alert.

“Why did you come here?” Nole asked in her woman’s voice.

She wore a simple white dress. Marian assumed she wore it
when she shifted as it was something easy to slip on when she turned back to
her human form.

“I didn’t, Gabriel kidnapped me.” Kidnapped…was that what
had happened? She wasn’t sure now that she was not there of her own free will.

Nole moved toward her in slow, balanced steps. “So leave?”

Her head tilted to the side in such a cat-like manner of
attentiveness that Marian wouldn’t have been surprised if she had started
circling her legs and rubbing up to her for a pat.

“I can’t, not at night.”

The girl watched her, her eyes blinking in the blue-tinged
light. “You love him,” Nole commented in that haunting woman’s voice.

The thought sent a shiver through Marian’s body. That was
all she needed.

“I have found that children are able to pass unnoticed in
society, seeing things, hearing things that adults assume you are too young to
understand. Tell me, Nole, what have you seen?”

The girl smiled in the darkness, her teeth white, just a
little too sharp. “I like you. Most I meet are afraid of me or assume I’m an
ignorant child as you say. I cannot tell you what I see, you won’t be here for
much longer and I cannot risk you telling your hunter friends how to kill us.”

“What makes you think I will be leaving?” Marian didn’t sit back down as the girl paced in front of her, balancing on an invisible line
in the dirt path.

“Do you think Gabriel will let you stay once he realizes
what you are?”

It was something that had been at the back of Marian’s mind since she’d arrived. She didn’t want to stay, she just had to hope he didn’t
realize what she was until daybreak. She turned her attention back to Nole.
Crouching to get to her level, Marian watched as the child came to a stop in
front of her.

“How old are you?” Marian found herself asking, not
admitting that she was changing the subject.

“I am seventy years old this year.” The girl said it without
removing her knowing gaze.