Dragon's Choice

by Juniper Hart

  A white blur jumped between her and the pack of men, who were turning into animals.

  It was the wolf who had saved her life.

  He threw his huge head back and released a howl filled with rage, rising onto its hind legs. One of the men cowered, his fangs retracting at the sight of the furious dire wolf. He turned to look behind him, but he had no chance to change his mind. The white wolf’s enormous paw reached out, swatting the man through the air and into the far wall where he collapsed, whimpering as he cowered, but the beast was not finished. He spun to administer three more furious smacks at the others, sending them into various stages of consciousness, finally turning to Cory and Brewer, who held their ground, challenging him with yellow eyes. They had fully transformed into wolves now; Cory a dark brown, mangy looking creature, and Brewer, a wide-shouldered grey wolf.

  They were not speaking, but in the depth of her panic, Gabriella could sense them communicating with one another, the white wolf standing protectively between her and the others.

  The white wolf. The white wolf is Cameron, she realized from somewhere sane in her mind. Cameron killed Andrew Bell. He knew it all along and he still arrested me. He is a werewolf. What kind of hellish nightmare am I living right now?

  The three animals stood, glaring at one another. Cameron unleashed another violent howl. Like a whirl of light, he pounced, knocking both his companions down in a single bound. It was impossible to see which paws were whose as they fell into a mass of hissing and spitting fur, the noises erupting from the trio that could only be described as otherworldly.

  I have to run, Gabby thought, but she was frozen in place. She was having déjà vu of being in her house, watching Andrew Bell being devoured. There was nowhere to go anyway; the pack blocked the only exit, and she dared not run past them.

  In a daze, she watched the flurry of activity, the four men slinking in the corners of the apartment, waiting to see who would survive the fight.

  At once, Cory slunk back, his face a slash. He lowered his body in submission, his head down, but Brewer was relentless. Over and over, he and Cameron were a bundle of multi-colored hair, splashes of plasma flying about to paint the walls until one figure was unmoving. His form became human again and Gabriella exhaled. She had not noticed she had been holding her breath, but tears of relief sprang to her eyes as she realized that Cameron had won the battle.

  The white wolf became the sheriff once again, and he stared at the group, his chest heaving wildly as he caught his breath.

  “Anyone else?” he snarled, flashing his teeth to the group.

  The looks of contrition were tangible as the men backed away from the irate pack leader. All but Brewer, who lay dead on the floor.

  “I am not your leader by democracy,” Cameron spat. “I am your leader because I am stronger, faster, and more cunning. You would do well to remember that before you all end up like Jasper.”

  There was a collective whimper.

  “You will leave the girl alone,” he told them fiercely. “She is under my protection. Am I clear?”

  A murmur of agreement sounded through the apartment.

  “Clean this mess up,” Cameron ordered, spinning away from the group as they sprang into action to oblige. His eyes had lost their amber tinge, and he stared at Gabriella, whose mouth was parted in shock.

  “Gabriella…”

  She did not allow for him to finish, pushing past him, fleeing the man she had trusted to help her. Cory reached out to stop her, but Cameron’s voice rang out.

  “Let her go,” he ordered.

  “Cam, if she goes to anyone—”

  “I said, let her go.”

  Cory drew back, staring warningly after her, but Gabby did not heed his expression.

  Her only concern was getting as far away from Montana as she could.

  Deep night had fallen upon Great Falls, and Gabriella was no further from the sleepy town than she had been when she had fled Cameron’s apartment hours before.

  How the hell am I going to get out of here?

  In her haste to leave, she had left behind her purse. She had no phone, no money, and no car.

  I have to go back to the apartment and get what I can before I go anywhere.

  But Gabby knew there was another reason she had not headed right for the highway to hitchhike her way out of town: Cameron.

  The consternation that wracked her body was making it difficult to breathe.

  He saved my life—twice, she thought. But he’s not who I thought he was and he arrested me for a murder he knew I had nothing to do with.

  She wondered why he had put himself at risk with the others to save her, but she remembered what Cory Seaver had said at Chappy’s Grill.

  “Then the only other option is that the creature has feelings for you. There’s no other reason he should have kept you alive.”

  Knowing that Cory had known the truth all along only caused her more confusion, and Gabriella did not know which way to turn.

  There is literally no one to trust anymore. Anyone from New York could want me dead. This town is filled with superhuman beasts who are worried I will out them. Cameron is the only one who has proven himself to be out for my best interests, and yet he was the one who placed the cuffs on me directly.

  She reminded herself that he had also risked everything to keep her safe and get her released from jail. Sighing, Gabriella rose from her spot on the park bench where she had been sitting for over an hour. After what she had seen, she was sure that the wolves would not come after her, not when Cameron had overtly threatened them, but she could not shake the intense feeling of terror that seized her.

  Being with Cameron is the only time I have felt safe in months.

  One way or another, she knew she had to return to his apartment.

  I’ll sneak in, get my stuff, and get the hell out of here.

  Slowly, she shuffled out of Gibson Park, keeping her head low lest anyone recognize her. She was only a few blocks from Cameron’s home. Stealing through the shadows, she made her way back, her pulse quickening with each step she took. Climbing the stairs to the second story residence, she tried the handle, hoping it wasn’t locked. To her relief, it opened in her hand.

  They will be back if they aren’t already here, she thought, listening for signs of life inside the apartment. She heard nothing as she eased the door open. Quickly, she made her way inside, her eyes glancing about in the dark while she searched for her purse and burner cell.

  Jasper Brewer’s body had been removed, and all evidence of the bloodshed that had occurred earlier was gone.

  I wonder how many times they have had to cover their tracks in this sort of situation. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

  As she rounded the corner to the bedroom, she froze. Cameron sat on the bed, staring at her, his dark blue eyes piercing through the darkness.

  “I just came for my stuff,” she whispered. “I’m leaving.”

  She remained still, waiting for his approval, recalling the ease with which he had torn into the flesh of Andrew Bell and Jasper Brewer.

  “I know,” he told her. “That’s why I left the door open.”

  Gulping again, Gabby hurried toward the bedroom, looking about for her purse. Cameron held up a hand, revealing her bag. Reluctantly, she drew toward him, snatching it from him and then backing away.

  “I put everything I took from your safe in there,” Cameron said without emotion.

  Gabriella nodded, not trusting her voice. She held his gaze, wanting to say so much but unable to speak.

  “I know you’re confused—scared, even,” Cameron muttered. “I don’t blame you for running away.”

  “I am not running away! I am running for my life!” Gabriella snapped hotly. “Don’t make it sound like I am a little girl afraid of commitment!”

  “You have nothing to fear if you stay,” Cameron told her gently, rising from the bed. “You are under my protection. I won’t allow anything to happen to you.”

/>   Gabby shook her head, her eyes filling with tears.

  “What are you?” she blurted out. “Are you a werewolf? Really a werewolf?”

  Cameron gave her a wry smile. “That is one name for it, yes,” he agreed. “I am a Lycan.”

  “How? How can this be a real thing?” His eyes seemed to darken.

  “There are many theories about how we came to be. I was born in this skin; my father was one, as well as his father. We believe it is genetic, of course, but how it started, none of us are entirely certain.”

  “It’s unbelievable,” Gabriella sighed. “If I hadn’t seen it…”

  “That is how we have managed to survive for centuries. We don’t leave witnesses.”

  A chill ran through her, but she stared at him steadily.

  “Why did you arrest me when you knew I didn’t do it?” she demanded. “How could you have me locked up like that if you claim to care about me?”

  Cameron’s eyes narrowed.

  “Don’t you see? I had to protect both of us. My pack was already suspicious about the way Andrew Bell died, and there was someone looking to kill you. Someone out there still wants you dead, Gabriella. The safest place for you was behind bars, where no one could get to you.”

  It made perfect sense, and she was suddenly filled with a sense of relief so great, she almost cried. He has always tried to protect me, she realized, choking back a sob. She hurled herself into his arms, burying her face in his chest.

  “I don’t know what to do!” she blubbered. “What should I do?”

  Cameron reached up and stroked her dark tresses lovingly.

  “You will stay here with me where you are safe,” he told her. “I will tell the district attorney to drop the charges because we have a new suspect: Jasper Brewer.”

  “Where is his body?” Gabby asked tentatively, but Cameron shook his head.

  “You don’t need to worry about anything. Brewer’s DNA will be at the scene and on Bell’s body when we demand a new autopsy. Our only concern now is getting to the bottom of who hired Andrew Bell.”

  Gabriella looked at him, her eyes dark with sadness.

  “I have caused you nothing but problems since the day I arrived here,” she told him mournfully. “Why do you want to continue protecting me?”

  Cameron set her back and stared deeply into her eyes.

  “Because you are meant to be with me.”

  Epilogue

  Six Months Later

  Gabriella stared at the computer screen, her eyes wide with disbelief.

  This is what he was hiding all along?

  Heat rose to her cheeks. She read the article again, certain she had misunderstood the content, but the words remained the same.

  “Cam!” she shouted. “Get in here!”

  A moment later, Cameron sauntered into the kitchen of their newly rented home, stretching cat-like in his robe.

  “You rang, madam?” he asked, his accent becoming British.

  “Have you seen this?” she demanded, turning the computer toward him. He glanced at the screen with little interest.

  “Oh, yeah,” he commented. “Shameful business, isn’t it?”

  “Are you going to speak with a British accent all day?” Gabby demanded, scowling. “Do you know anything about this?” Cameron turned toward the stainless-steel fridge and pulled open the door, unspeaking. “Cam…”

  “Well, the truth was bound to surface eventually,” he said evenly.

  “What did you do?” Gabriella asked, rising from the island to touch his arm. “Is this true?”

  Cameron withdrew the orange juice and shut the door, his blue eyes shining.

  “As far as I know, yes,” he replied honestly. “David Charlotte has been having an affair with his cousin for two decades.”

  Cameron had come across the information in his search to discover who had hired Andrew Bell. There had been no follow-up to the original hit, but he had not been convinced Gabriella was out of danger yet. The brunette the mayor had been photographer with had, indeed, been his first cousin, Patricia. It had not taken much persuasion for Patricia Charlotte to confess the truth and come forward with the information. David had accused Gabby as the mistress to hide the fact that he was involved in an incestuous relationship.

  It looks better to be screwing around with a supermodel who had previously donated to his campaign than his own kin. Smart thinking, throwing everyone off his track and onto that of a celebrity, Cameron thought with a slight admiration of David Charlotte’s ingenuity. Too bad he picked the wrong woman to frame.

  Yet no matter how much investigative work Cameron had done, he could not find a link between the official and Andrew Bell.

  “Do you think Alison Charlotte learned about the affair and he had her killed?” Gabriella asked pensively.

  And while there had not been a paper trail between the mayor and the hitman, there had been one between the hitman and the mayor’s wife. Cameron found it when the impound had called, telling him they had found a GPS tracking device under the wheel well of Gabby’s scrapped convertible. Cameron had taken the tracker and retraced its locations back to Alison Charlotte’s office in Manhattan.

  After sending informatives to New York, Cameron found confirmation to what he had suspected all along. Alison’s public façade had not shown an iota of the inner fury she had held toward Gabriella. She had hired Andrew to do the deed in some weak attempt for retribution for her misguided anger.

  “No idea,” Cameron replied flippantly.

  Gabriella continued to stare at him. “You don’t know what happened to Alison Charlotte?” she demanded, eyeing him suspiciously.

  “I heard she disappeared. Maybe she was simply sick of being married to a pig,” he volunteered. “I couldn’t say.”

  Actually, Cameron could say a great deal, but he did not need to worry Gabriella any more than necessary. She had endured enough for her lifetime.

  “You know what this means?” Gabriella breathed, her face growing pink with excitement.

  A feeling of dread washed over Cameron, but he had been expecting it. He flashed her a happy smile.

  “Yes,” he replied easily. “It means you can go back to New York and resume your career in modeling.”

  She looked at him, her mouth parting slightly.

  “That’s not what I was going to say,” she replied slowly. “I was going to say that I don’t have to worry about looking over my shoulder anymore. It’s over!”

  Cameron exhaled slightly, nodding. “I told you that I would always keep you safe,” he reminded her.

  They smiled at one another, but Cameron’s earlier comment still hung in the air.

  “Are you going back to New York now?” he asked quietly.

  Gabby’s smile faded slightly.

  “Do you know that I have been modeling for ten years?” she asked him. “Constantly flying from continent to continent for ten years, sleeping two hours a night, spending hours in make-up, battling inclement weather because some asshole wants bikini shots in real snow. I am not complaining, but I have made more money than I can spend in a lifetime. I could buy six houses in Great Falls for the price of one condo in Manhattan.”

  Cam felt his heart begin to thump with hope.

  “You’re going to retire?” he asked, trying not to seem too eager.

  “From modeling? Yes,” she replied. “Anyway, I’ve really enjoyed not watching my diet so closely, and I have put on at least ten pounds. They probably won’t take me back anyway.”

  “You’re beautiful,” he told her truthfully. “The most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”

  Gabby hung her head demurely. “I will find something else to do,” she told him as they settled back onto their stools.

  “Any thoughts?” Cam asked, leaning forward on his arms, and Gabriella nodded earnestly.

  “Yes, actually,” she replied, a wicked smile on her face. “I was thinking driving instructor.”

  THE END

  Birc
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