Yeah. I know. I wish I could shift into whatever animal I want. You’ve always been the lucky one.
Drace shook his head. Leave it to Griffin to try to make him feel better. The man knew he’d often wished he were a true part of the clan. Sure, the leader welcomed him, but there was just something to be said of knowing you weren’t the last of your kind. He may be a shifter, but he wasn’t like the rest of the people in Paradise.
Sometimes he couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to be around others with the same abilities. Perhaps he would never know.
Stop feeling sorry for yourself. We have to figure out a way to get rid of these two assholes. Where did they come through? We need to find out so we can thicken the veil. Jesus, Drace, we’ve been so caught up with that female in our cabin that we haven’t been doing our job. It’s hard telling how many others will get through.
We can’t strengthen the veil now. It will have to wait 27
for others to arrive while we protect Aliana.
You know I hate it when you’re right. Drace sighed and looked around.
Join the fucking club.
They waited until the men went back to the river. It was only a matter of time before they found the spot where the girl came ashore. Then what? It was broad daylight. They’d be able to follow their tracks straight back to the cabin…and their guest.
Making their way back to the cottage, they walked in and caught their young visitor on the floor, her ass in the air, reaching under the couch where Griffin stored her backpack.
“I see you’ve found your backpack. It got soaked the other day. Everything is probably ruined.”
She sat up so quickly, banging her head on the wood on the bottom of the sofa. He winced, sure that had hurt like a bitch. She looked up at him, her face red.
“I’m sorry. I remembered one of you telling me that it was here. I thought I’d start my search in this room and if I didn’t find it, I’d ask. I wouldn’t have invaded your privacy.”
It wouldn’t have mattered if she had. She wouldn’t have found anything.
She licked her lips, her gaze darting back to the bag still beneath the furniture. “Do you mind?”
28
* * * *
“Of course not.” Griffin strode over, picked up the couch by one end and held it out of her way so she could retrieve her property. “Better?” She nodded, her face still red.
Griffin couldn’t help but smile. She looked so fragile, so young and oh, so beautiful with her flushed cheeks and full, moist lips. He’d bet she had no idea how sexy she looked, especially when she licked those delicious looking lips and nervously ran her fingers through her hair.
She stuck out her hand. “I’m Aliana Maddock.”
Warmth radiated up his arm when he took her hand in his. Small electric shocks coursed through him, raising his temperature and causing the hair on his arms to stand on end. No one had ever caused such a reaction in him. Ever. “It’s nice to meet you, Aliana. That’s a beautiful name. Allow me to introduce myself and my companion.
Griffin Bedard at your service, ma’am.” He bowed low, giving her the gallant treatment women throughout his exceptionally long life seemed to enjoy. “It is my pleasure to meet you, though we could wish it was under better circumstances.”
Drace moved up next to him and also bowed.
“This is my best friend Dracen Giacomo.” He grinned. “Don’t worry. He doesn’t bite.”
29
Suddenly, she did the impossible and managed to get even redder than she was before. “I…” She licked her lips again. “I can’t stay here. I have to leave.” She sounded a bit desperate.
“Of course. We’ll take you down the hill as soon as you’re ready.” Drace looked pointedly at her feet and raised his brow.
Griffin knew she’d never be ready with no shoes. But he also knew they couldn’t stay here.
Not with her father’s henchmen so close on her heels. “I don’t suppose you have a pair of shoes in your pack?”
She bit her lip. “As a matter of fact, I do. They aren’t hiking boots though. They’re just little white tennis shoes.” She opened the bag and pulled them out, along with a pair of jeans. “At least they’ll protect my feet.”
That’s just about all they’d do. They certainly wouldn’t help her keep her feet on the uneven trail. The slick soles were more likely to have her slipping and sliding down the hill to town. Griffin made his way to his bunk, grabbed up his hunting knife and stuck it into his boot. Drace did the same while they waited for her to slip into her pants and the little bits of rubber and cloth on her feet. When he thought a sufficient amount of time had passed to allow her to dress, he turned to face her.
“Ready?”
She looked up at him, giving him a curt nod.
30
“Yes. I’m ready.” She stopped with her hand on the door and turned. “Before we go out there, I think it’s only fair to tell you that my father has some men looking for me.” She held up her hand when he would have told her they already knew.
“Just let me tell you.” Taking a deep breath, she continued. “My dad isn’t a nice man. In fact, I just found out he’s a drug dealer and murderer. He’s insisted I marry his best friend and business partner, a man much older than me.” She paused, looking at the floor. “They’ll kill to get me back.
Please don’t risk your lives. If they come for me, just let me go.” Raising her head, she gazed at them both through haunted eyes. “I’ll find a way to escape again. I’ll have to.”
She didn’t tell them she feared for her own life.
She didn’t have to. It was written all over her face.
If she knew what her father was and what he was up to, she was probably as good as dead.
They’ll get her over my dead body. Hell, he may not know the woman, but he’d sacrifice himself before he’d see another woman forced into a marriage not of her choosing. The council and Tudra had done the same to his people too many times. Women should be taken care of, cherished.
Their roles in life were as helpmeets and partners not chattel. He fisted his hands at his sides. No wonder they’d found her unconscious in the river and she’d slept for nearly thirty-six hours. The 31
woman was on the run and exhausted. “When was the last time you ate?” He grabbed her arm, bringing her up short.
“Yesterday, I think.” Her brow furrowed.
“How long was I unconscious again?”
Griffin sighed and Drace moved to their small kitchen to grab something from the cabinet.
“Here. Eat this.” Drace shoved something into her hands. “We need to get moving before…”
“Before what?” Aliana unwrapped one of the granola bars he handed her and took a small, bite.
Her eyes widened when they just looked at her.
The color washed from her face and she looked ready to faint. “They’ve found me already?”
Griffin grabbed her arm and pulled her through the doorway. “Of course they haven’t found you.”
He growled. “Do you see anyone standing about out here waiting?” He pressed his lips together for a moment before continuing. “They’re close. We saw them when we went to the river to bathe.
They’re looking for you. There’s no doubt about it.”
“What…what will you do with me?” Her eyes were round, her green irises looking like emeralds in her pale face.
“We’ll get you down the mountain and see to your safety, of course,” Drace said, leading the way.
Griffin followed, tuning his senses to hear 32
everything within a thirty-foot radius of their position.
“Why would you do that for me?” She looked genuinely confused and not a little hopeful.
“Because our people once forced our women to do things they abhorred. We finally ended the rein of those who would have
continued the practice.
We find your situation not unlike that of our own women not so long ago.”
* * * *
Aliana couldn’t believe her luck. If they could get her to a town with a sheriff who would help her, she’d be safe. How long had it been since she’d felt safe? Too long. It had been months since she’d managed to escape her father. She’d been living in the woods and caves trying to throw his men off her trail. Nothing seemed to work. They always managed to find her. It was almost as though they could smell her. “Where are you taking me?” Drace glanced over his shoulder. “To Paradise.
We’ll notify the authorities that you’re here and find you a place to stay.”
“You can’t!” Ali panicked. They couldn’t notify the authorities. It was as good as inviting her father to send his men for her. “I won’t go back with them.” She grabbed his arm. “You have to know my father is a ruthless man. He’ll stop at 33
nothing to get me under his thumb again.”
“Don’t worry.” Drace smiled and patted her hand. “Your father has no power where we come from.”
Griffin placed his hand at the small of her back.
Somehow, feeling the warmth of their hands seeping through the material of her shirt comforted her. Still, she didn’t know how to convince them that what they were about to do was a dangerous thing. “You don’t understand—“
“We do,” Griffin interrupted. “We can protect you better in town. There are more of us.” He threw a glance over his shoulder. “We need to get you to town and come back here with backup.
Usually, there are only two of us per cabin.” He shook his head and sighed. “Something tells me we’re going to need a bit more than that this year.” He glanced at Drace. “Figures. Why does this kind of shit always happen in our neck of the woods?”
What in the world was he talking about? He made it sound as though the cabin was some outpost designed for lookout purposes or something. She shivered and rubbed her hands on her arms. Maybe it was a good thing they were taking her to town. They’d both acted a bit strange since she’d awakened.
“How far is it?” she asked, noticing the packs they both carried. Hiking her own pack up onto 34
her shoulders, she patted the strap, glad she hadn’t lost it. Without money, she’d have no way of getting away. The credit card her mother left her was still inside in her wallet right where she’d tucked it.
“By ourselves, we would have made it down the trail in one day.” Griffin glanced at her and shrugged. “But with you along, we figure we should get there sometime tomorrow evening.”
Tomorrow evening? Ali shivered again. That would mean she’d have to spend the night in the woods with two strangers. Of course, with these two, it wouldn’t be a hardship. The two men were hot!
Four and a half hours later, Aliana sat on a fallen log and groaned. “I can’t move another inch.”
“We could carry you the rest of the way down.”
Drace grinned at her, flexing his biceps.
She tried not to notice how his muscles bulged and flexed beneath his shirt when he did that. It was an exercise in futility though. Shaking her head, she bent forward and scrubbed her face with her hands. “I’m sorry. My legs feel like rubber and my feet ache.” Lifting her leg, she pulled her shoe off and massaged her aching foot. “Can we stop here for a while?”
Griffin glanced at Drace. “What do you think?”
“It looks like a good a place as any to make 35
camp.”
“Camp?” Aliana looked up, alarmed. “We don’t need to make camp. I only need to rest for a few minutes.”
Drace knelt down in front of her and she had to fight the urge to take a deep breath. Why was she so tempted by their scent? Both of them. Her fingers stopped massaging her foot, but they didn’t stop trembling. What was it about Drace that made her want to grab him by the hair and suck his tongue from his mouth? She felt a similar pull from Griffin, but it wasn’t as strong as the feeling she got for Drace.
Frowning, Aliana slipped her shoe back on her foot and stood. “We can’t stay here. I don’t want my father’s men to find me.” She didn’t add that she was afraid she’d jump into bed with one or both of them if she spent much more time with them. She could feel her nipples tightening to hard nubs and her sex wetting her panties just from their mixed scents. Closing her eyes, she tried to gather some semblance of control over her unruly emotions. She wanted these two men more than she’d ever wanted another man in her life! What had come over her? She didn’t even know them.
Sighing, she spaced back and forth as they began to set up camp. One of them, she was pretty sure it was Griffin, had a small tent in his pack.
They both set it up and glanced her way.
36
“I hope you don’t mind sharing.” Drace indicated the dead wood lying around. “Would you collect some firewood while we set up camp?”
Aliana did as he asked with her legs trembling.
She wasn’t sure if it was from fatigue or from nervousness. She’d only slept with one man before and that didn’t turn out the way she’d hoped.
He’d been a grasping brute out for nothing more than his own satisfaction. She didn’t know what she’d do if these two men decided they wanted to do more than just sleep with her. Her mind knew better, but her body wanted the fantasy.
At least she’d known Jacob for a while before she’d had such thoughts about him. Reaching up, she swiped her arm across her forehead and brushed the perspiration from her face. One thing was sure, she needed a bath before she’d even think about letting them come close to her.
“Is there somewhere around here to wash?” she asked as soon as she returned to the area where they’d pitched the small tent. Dropping the third load of wood, she eyed the tent with longing. Still, she knew she smelled and couldn’t contemplate getting even one step closer to the two hot guys.
Griffin looked up and jerked his head to the right. “Over there through the trees. But you should have one of us go with you.”
“Uh, I don’t think so.” She started to walk in the direction he indicated, then turned and 37
glanced over her shoulder. “I want to bathe, not give a striptease. Just set up camp. I should be fine. It isn’t far, is it?” She wasn’t stupid. Nothing could ever make her so independent that she wanted to be too far away in case her father’s men found them. “If I call, you’ll come for me, won’t you?”
“Of course we will.” Drace glanced her way.
“It’s not that far through the woods, maybe thirty or forty yards at the most. We’ll hear and come if you call.”
That was a relief. The last thing she wanted was to act like one of those dumb blonde bimbos from a horror movie who was just too stupid to live.
She wanted a little privacy, but not at the expense of her life. She had even contemplated letting one or both of them come with her if it meant keeping herself out of her father’s clutches.
Aliana had absolutely no delusions of the trustworthiness of her father’s men. They would use her well before they turned her over. She hadn’t missed the covert looks and the way a few of them always seemed to undress her with their gazes, even with her father present.
After about two minutes, she found herself on the edge of the river. Was it the same one she’d nearly drowned in? It seemed likely. Perhaps she’d get lucky and find her shoes. Shaking off the inane thought, she slipped off her pack, started to 38
undress and throw her clothes into the frigid water. After thoroughly soaking them, she beat them against a fallen log, then rinsed them out.
That would have to do. She wasn’t feeling up to a more vigorous scrubbing. Gathering the small bar of soap from her pack, she stepped into the water and waded further into the river where the water would provide some cover and she could wash.
She shivered convulsively as the freez
ing river closed over her skin. Her nipples pebbled almost painfully and she was determined to wash and get out as soon as possible. A twig snapped in the woods behind her and she turned with a gasp.
Had they found her?
* * * *
Drace held his breath and cursed Griffin’s big feet. I thought you were a cat. Can’t you be a bit more stealthy than that? I think the whole mountain heard you. He’d changed into his raven self again and landed on a branch just above Aliana when she’d undressed. It had been difficult for him not to stare as she’d stripped naked, then washed her clothes before walking into the cold water. He watched as she turned with a shrug and began to bathe again.
Shut up, you prick. I’d like to see you never step on a stray branch lying on the forest floor with feet as big as 39
this. I’d love to be able to fly overhead, never having to worry about setting something or someone off.
Drace suppressed a grin. It hurt to try to smile with a beak. He just loved it when he could get a rise out of Griff. Stop whining and start watching the woods. We don’t want anything to take us by surprise.
Griffin coughed and raised his lip, showing off his large feline teeth. Just be sure that you’re watching the woods as well and not our little guest.
Drace shook his head. It had been difficult to look away when she’d undressed and washed her clothes. It had been impossible to look away when she’d waded farther in and her nipples pebbled to tight, diamond-hard nubs. He would have licked his lips if he had some. He longed to wrap his lips around the dusky tips, lave them with his tongue and gently bite and suckle until she mewled with desire.
Gates of Paradise Page 3
