by Vivian Wood
He lost control, suddenly and completely. His bear shoved Gabriel deep down inside himself. The bear needed the girl. The bear didn’t want those men touching her.
The bear would be obeyed.
A furious roar ripped from Gabriel’s throat as he dropped his wand and gun, letting himself fall forward as his body rippled and shifted. He burst into motion the second his shift was complete, barreling toward the woman and her guards.
The guy with the luggage took one look at Gabriel and ran, leaving the suitcases behind without a second glance. The other two men exchanged glances, one pulling a gun while the other dragged the woman toward the waiting vehicle.
Gabriel took the first down easily, swatting him down with a single blow. The other man threw a frightened glance over his shoulder and swallowed before shoving the woman back toward Gabriel’s furry form.
Gabriel caught her, turning his body to shield her from the guard and the car. His animal brain struggled with what to do next, giving Gabriel the chance to rise and direct his own actions for a moment. His first thought was that he needed to get the woman clear of the surrounding chaos first, then take things from there.
Standing on his hind legs, Gabriel gave a soft grunt and herded the woman to the left, away from the cars and toward the house next door. She glanced at him, clearly terrified, and bolted.
“Gabriel!”
He heard Aeric’s thick Danish accent in the distance, but Gabriel was still ruled by his bear, unable to turn away from his mate. He dropped to all fours and gave chase, surprised at how fast she was. In short order he managed to trap her up against the front porch of the house next door.
The redhead turned and stared up at Gabriel, wrapping her arms around herself. The bear inside forced Gabriel a step closer, then another. Before he knew it, he was almost close enough press against her. Gabriel railed at himself, but it was all beyond his control now.
He cocked his head and leaned in, taking a long draw of his mate’s scent. She smelled like vanilla and cinnamon, an alluring combination.
“Please,” the woman whispered, her silver eyes wide in her heart-shaped face. “Please, don’t hurt me.”
Gabriel wrested control from his bear. Tamping down his anger and taking a short step backward give her space, he shifted back into his human form.
There was a flicker of recognition in the woman’s eyes, a moment of shock and comprehension, and then her lovely eyes rolled right up in her head. She collapsed without a sound, and Gabriel was hard-put to catch her before her lovely body hit the cement front porch steps.
“Bloody hell, Gabriel.”
The words were spoken in an unmistakable Scottish burr, one the Englishman knew rather well.
Gabriel turned his head to find Rhys and Aeric standing behind him, swords drawn but lowered. His fellow Guardians, one dark-haired and one light, towered over a man who knelt on the ground between them. Gabriel gathered that he was the lone guard unfortunate enough to have made it through the incident unscathed, and he would be held and questioned about his employer. Behind them, the yard was littered with a dozen unconscious guards and a bevy of suitcases.
“Where are the SUVs?” Gabriel asked, confused.
“Gone,” Aeric said, flapping a hand. “They took off as soon as they saw a giant Grizzly coming for them.”
“Ah,” Gabriel said, adjusting the woman in his arms.
“Did she bring the shift on?” Rhys asked, peering around Gabriel to peek at the unconscious female in his arms.
Gabriel shot Rhys a measured glance, then nodded.
“It’s happened to you too, then,” Rhys mused. He looked around the yard, thoughtful. “I suppose we ought to get moving before the human authorities arrive, eh?”
“Some of these suitcases belong to… her,” Gabriel said, his feeling of awkwardness growing by the moment. “The ones right in the middle of the yard, I think.”
Rhys arched a brow, his lips twitching in a way that made Gabriel want to commit murder. “I suppose we ought to pull the car around and take what’s here, in case we get the wrong ones. Mates are very particular, you know. Wouldn’t want to start things on the wrong foot.”
“Just get the bloody car,” Gabriel said, lifting the woman in his arms. “I don’t like being exposed like this. Pere Mal could send more men back for us.”
“For her, more like,” Aeric grunted, already moving away.
Gabriel trudged after Aeric, eager to return to the Manor. He wasn’t sure what the other Guardian meant by that, but he had a feeling he wasn’t going to like it when he found out.
Chapter Three
Cassie peeled her eyes open to find herself laid out on a plush leather sofa, hands resting on her stomach. She was in a huge, brightly lit room; the plentiful sunlight meant that she’d been unconscious for more than a handful of minutes. She squinted against the ache pounding just behind her eyes, trying to remember exactly what had happened.
It came back in a rush. The guards pulling her out of the Birdcage. A fierce-looking bear shifter had made an appearance, though she hadn’t been certain where it had come from. She’d run from it, turning to plead for her safety. And lo and behold, the bear had morphed into him.
The man of her dreams, the one she’d seen time and time again in her visions… except she hadn’t expected him today of all days. And in her dreams, he hadn’t been quite so… well, hot.
Though Cassie herself was quite tall for a woman, her dream man had dwarfed her. He was literally tall, dark, and handsome. His thick chocolate hair was highlighted with gold, grown out to fall just below his chin. A day’s stubble graced his face, accentuating his attractiveness. His jaw and cheekbones were formed of high, sharp lines, his brows dark and heavy, his eyes the deepest shade of midnight blue imaginable. He had he size and build of a linebacker coupled with the face and toned muscles of an Armani underwear model.
She knew all of this about him, because she’d dreamed of him many times. To her shame, she’d done more than just dream about him. Isolated and lonely in the Birdcage, her rescuer had been her only recurrent fantasy.
“She’s awake. You’re awake.” A woman stepped into Cassie’s line of sight, and Cassie turned her head to take her in.
She was a gorgeous woman in her mid-sixties, dressed in a loose white caftan and a white headdress. Her skin was the soft coffee-and-cream color that was so prevalent in Creole descendants, and her thick New Orleans accent confirmed her background. At the moment, the woman stared down at Cassie with a skeptical expression.
“I’m awake,” Cassie agreed, gently pushing herself upright.
Four more people sat at a huge oak table across the room, three men and a woman. The three men couldn’t look less alike at first glance, though there was something familiar about them. The woman was unknown to Cassie, a curvaceous, pretty blonde with a bemused expression on her face.
The second Cassie saw him, her mystery man, she relaxed a little.
“I’m talking to you,” the Creole woman snapped, waving a hand in front of Cassie’s face.
“Uh…” Cassie said, looking up at her. “Okay.”
“I’m Mere Marie,” the woman said, impatience heavy in her voice. “You’re at the Manor, protected by the Alpha Guardians.”
Several things clicked into place for Cassie. The fact that her dream man had carried a sword, the familiarity of his companions. It all made sense, as Pere Mal’s guards kept a wall of photos and information about the Guardians back at the Birdcage, with the intention of making them recognizable on sight.
“Cassie. Cassandra, I mean. Chase,” Cassie said, trying to get her thoughts in order.
Mere Marie grasped her hand, squeezing it hard, and Cassie gasped at the fission of energy that passed between them. The other woman’s eyes widened, and she stared at Cassie for a long moment.
“Oracle,” Mere Marie said, releasing Cassie’s hand. “No wonder Pere Mal kept you under lock and key.”
The pretty blond
e woman piped up, drawing Cassie’s attention.
“Did you say your name was Cassandra?”
“That’s me,” Cassie said with a nod, looking around the room a little. It was an open concept floor plan, containing living, dining, and work areas along with a very nice stainless steel kitchen. At the far corner of the room was yet another man, this one wearing a tuxedo with tails and a disapproving expression.
“I’m Echo,” the woman said, rising and moving closer to inspect Cassie. She pointed to the blond man, the man with the reddish beard, and then Cassie’s mystery man in turn. “This is Aeric, Rhys, and Gabriel.”
Gabriel, Cassie mouthed to herself. Her gaze locked with his once more, and her need to be near him ticked up a notch.
“She must be the Second Light,” Echo told Mere Marie.
Cassie jerked her interest back to Echo.
“What do you know about it?” Cassie asked, surprised. Cassie had never heard talk of the Three Lights outside her visions, so hearing the words spoken aloud surprised her. The woman’s casual tone made Cassie think that the Three Lights were a common topic of conversation amongst the Guardians.
The blonde shrugged a shoulder, blushing a little.
“Not much, except that I’m the First Light. Oh, and my mother and aunt were the ones that got us in this situation in the first place, I think.”
“How long has Pere Mal held you?” Mere Marie cut in, her russet eyes narrowing on Cassie’s face.
“Four years, I think,” Cassie said.
“Does he solicit visions from you often?” Mere Marie returned.
“Yes,” Cassie said. “Sometimes several in one week. And to be clear, the visions are from the Oracle, not from me.”
“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” Mere Marie sniffed.
“The Oracle possesses me, I am the vessel. She has the visions, I just provide… I don’t know, a physical manifestation. She lives in the spirit world, and uses me to access the human realm,” Cassie explained.
“So you could, in theory, deny a request for a vision?” Echo piped up. “If you wanted to, you could refuse to open your mouth or something, right?”
Cassie’s lips twisted as she considered that.
“Maybe. The Oracle can overtake me, if she wants. But if something happened to me, she would have to find a new vessel, which would be difficult. Believe me, I put up quite a fight when she first came to me. Now, I generally find it easier to acquiesce. It’s rare that I’m asked to summon a prophecy of any real importance.”
Mere Marie’s lips thinned, and Cassie wondered if perhaps the woman knew that summoning visions through an Oracle required a sacrifice; the size and value of the offering correlated directly to the importance of the vision being called forth.
Or perhaps Mere Marie knew that summoning was very draining to the vessel, at times proving dangerous for the Oracle herself. An Oracle’s ability to project a summoned vision came from within, and too much work could snuff a seer out like removing the wick from a candle.
“It makes one wonder how you determine what you deem important,” Mere Marie said.
Mere Marie watched Cassie for another moment before turning and putting her fingers to her lips, releasing a sharp whistle that made everyone in the room jump. The older woman turned back to Cassie with a frown.
“One more test, then you may go to your mate,” Mere Marie said.
Cassie reared back at the word mate. Her gaze snapped back to Gabriel once more, and then her eyes widened as a bit of understanding sunk in. The magnetism, that odd pull she felt, the insatiable curiosity… it all meant something. And of course, she’d seen for herself that Gabriel was a bear shifter, it was was possible. Just… unexpected.
Cassie’s mouth opened, a dozen questions on the tip of her tongue, but then she noticed a furry black shape entering the room. Mere Marie’s attention was fixed on the gloriously sleek black cat as it sauntered into the living room and trotted over to them. It paused at Mere Marie’s feet, staring up at her with something approaching a questioning glance.
Then the cat shocked the daylights out of Cassie by actually speaking.
“You rang?” it asked, its voice a masculine, melodic rasp.
Cassie realized that Mere Marie’s whistle had summoned the creature, which was certainly not merely a cat.
“Cairn, you took your time getting down here. Check her over, make sure she can’t be tracked,” Mere Marie told the cat.
The cat gave a haughty sniff and turned, jumping up on the couch and stepping onto Cassie’s lap. Cassie resisted the urge to raise her hand and stroke the soft-looking feline fur as Cairn rubbed himself against Cassie’s arms and chest. He hopped off the sofa and rubbed his mouth against her legs, seeming for all the world a cat marking its scent.
Cairn looked up at her with eyes as luminous and yellow as golden coins, studying her for several long beats. It was everything Cassie could do not to squirm in her seat under the creature’s scrutiny. Whatever he saw, Cairn must have found her satisfactory, because he turned back to his mistress.
“She’s clear,” the cat purred, the tip of his tail twitching.
Cassie raised a brow at Mere Marie, but kept her mouth shut. She deliberately kept herself from looking at Gabriel, though she desperately wanted to see his reaction to… well, everything. Still, Cassie prided herself on being an exceptionally strong-willed person. She wasn’t about to let some weird, magical lust control her actions.
…aaaand three seconds later, she was looking at Gabriel anyway. She caught him looking in her direction, not quite meeting her gaze, appearing exceptionally uncomfortable. Well, that made two of them.
“Oh, for God’s sake,” Mere Marie snapped. “Gabriel, take her somewhere and get the mating stuff out of your systems. You’re both useless to me right now. And whatever you do, don’t let her get kidnapped. If Pere Mal uses her to find the Third Light, we’re all screwed.”
Everyone else stood, so Cassie stood too. The rest of the Guardians made themselves scarce pretty quickly, and soon Cassie and Gabriel were alone in the room. Gabriel watched her for a few moments, then beckoned her.
“How about a walk?” he asked, pointing to the French doors that led out into a neatly trimmed back yard.
Cassie’s mouth went dry when she heard the first few notes of his polished English accent. Her feet were already moving toward him at “How about”, which was more than a little embarrassing. Even worse, Gabriel was literally more handsome with every step she took, and suddenly her heart was hammering in her chest.
Gabriel seemed to give himself a little shake before he moved to open the door, holding it open for Cassie. She bit her lip and dropped her gaze to the ground, trembling as she passed him. When his hand came up and brushed her lower back ever so lightly, Cassie exhaled a pent-up breath.
“What the hell is this?” she groaned, growing frustrated. She felt like she had no control over her body’s desires, which was unacceptable. She stepped out into the bright New Orleans sunlight and walked a few paces away, trying to gather her bearings.
“It’s a surprise to me, too,” Gabriel said, following Cassie outside, giving her a little space.
Cassie glanced over at him and crossed her arms.
“I didn’t think you asked for it,” she said, pursing her lips. “Who would want this? It feels terrible.”
Gabriel’s dark brows arched, some flicker of emotion brightening his navy eyes, but he didn’t respond directly. Only a telltale crease at one side of his mouth and a faint narrowing of his eyes hinted at his displeasure.
“No one picks their fated mate,” Gabriel sighed.
“Does fated mean that you’ll end up happy?” Cassie wondered. “I can’t imagine that it does. What about your parents, were they happy?”
Gabriel’s went black for several seconds before he seemed to shake it off.
“I didn’t know my parents. My sister and I were orphans.”
“Ahhh,” Cassie sa
id, feeling heat rise in her cheeks. “That can’t have been easy. Navigating the foster care system and stuff.”
Gabriel’s brows rose again, then a trace of humor curled up the corners of his mouth.
“Believe it or not, there was no such system in place. Mere Marie brought me here from 1850’s London. My sister and I lived on the streets, and we were lucky to survive at all.”
Cassie’s jaw dropped, and it was a solid ten seconds before she managed to close her mouth again.
“You… you’re… what, a shape shifting sorcerer who can travel through time?” she asked, incredulous.
Gabriel’s lips shifted and he smirked outright, then shrugged. Cassie thought that no man should look so good when he was being such a jerk. It was unfair, bordering on sinful.
“To be fair, I only time traveled once, and Mere Marie did all the work. What about you? You’re an Oracle, something I thought died out with the Greeks,” he pointed out. “I suppose that makes us something of an unusual pair.”
Cassie blew out another breath, shaking her head. Gabriel turned and strolled in a circle, hands behind his back.
“How is this real? As an Oracle, I can’t deny that fate exists, but… how can I just suddenly belong to someone? Yesterday, I belonged to myself.” She rubbed her arms, feeling chilled despite the sunny weather. “I guess… I just thought I would have more time before you found me.”
She saw Gabriel freeze for a moment before he spun to question her.
“What do you mean, before I found you?” he asked.
“Well, I’m an Oracle. I’ve seen some of my own future. The second I saw your face back at the Birdcage, I knew who you were.”
“What’s the Birdcage?” he asked. “And if you knew you’d have a mate, why are you so surprised now?”
“The Birdcage is the place where Pere Mal kept us,” Cassie said, choosing to answer the easier question. Luckily, Gabriel jumped on the chance to ask about Pere Mal.
“How many of you were there, exactly?”
