be.”
No, he hadn’t forgotten the last time Longtree had read a
dream. The action he’d taken based on that misunderstanding had formed the
basis for Alex and Gwen’s relationship.
“See you in ten,” Alex said and ended the call.
* * * * *
A Year Earlier
Alex should have known from how it began that his relationship
with Gwen would never be ordinary. They’d met on a forest trail in the
aftermath of a cougar attack. He’d found her and her dog, Jezebel, squaring off
against the big cat. By the time Alex had arrived on the scene and scared off
the cougar with a warning shot, Jezebel had almost had her furry head ripped
off and Gwen had earned a sprained ankle in the bargain.
He’d brought both of them back to the clinic, sewn up the
dog’s neck and bandaged the woman’s leg. As far Gwen was concerned, Alex had
saved her life and he’d let her go on believing that.
She had just moved into the cabin her late grandfather had
bequeathed to her and still had no idea that he’d left her a lot more than real
estate. In the days to come, she would not only learn that werewolves existed,
she’d find out that her family legacy made her next in line to serve the Moon
People as their human consort.
Alex had almost convinced himself that he hadn’t told her
about the other shifters because that information was on a need-to-know basis
and, at that point, she already had plenty on her plate. Deep down, he supposed
he kind of liked having her think of him as her knight in shining armor.
His connection with Gwen had been immediate and intense.
He’d known from the moment she was within his range of sight and smell that he had
to have her. And, if she thought the woods were full of wild animals that could
harm her, all the better. Her fear would keep her safe until she understood
exactly how dangerous the shadow world really was.
The cougar that had jumped out of the underbrush and
attacked her dog wasn’t like anything found in the zoo. It wasn’t even like the
werewolves—not exactly. Tommy Longtree and the rest of his clan were an
entirely different breed of cat. They were shifters in the true sense of the
word. Werewolves merged man and beast—retaining the physical characteristics of
both when they were in supernatural form. Shifters retained their human
sensibilities, but in all other ways became their totem animal.
Werewolves were made, but shifters were born. Their
supernatural powers were in their DNA. Among all shifters, the Cat People were
the most ancient and gifted. They read minds and could see auras of light
around humans and supernatural beings.
Tommy had explained that the glowing clouds that surrounded
every intelligent being were more telling than their thoughts or actions. They
revealed the true nature of individual.
“You know that saying, ‘Show your true colors’?” Tommy had
asked one night over drinks. “People think that’s referring to the flags of
nations or warships. Uh-uh. That’s ours. My people were reading ‘true colors’
long before the first nation—or the first fucking warship for that matter—was
ever dreamed up.”
The instant Alex had stumbled upon Gwen and Jezebel facing
off with the cougar, he knew he wasn’t dealing with a wild animal. He could smell
Tommy’s unique mystical essence and hear the frantic thoughts from the man
within the beast.
Protect!
The Cat People had their own set of rules, but one law
reigned supreme among shifters—human consorts were not only off limits, they were
sacred and to be protected. Even as Tommy Longtree’s razor-sharp claws were
slashing away at the golden retriever, Alex knew his intent was to save Gwen,
not harm her.
The rifle blast hadn’t scared Tommy away, it had stopped the
attack long enough for him to realize that Alex had arrived and that he would
take over from there. No matter what had driven Tommy to attack, Gwen was
ultimately tied to the werewolf pack, and—all things being equal—those were lines
no
No, he hadn’t forgotten the last time Longtree had read a
dream. The action he’d taken based on that misunderstanding had formed the
basis for Alex and Gwen’s relationship.
“See you in ten,” Alex said and ended the call.
* * * * *
A Year Earlier
Alex should have known from how it began that his relationship
with Gwen would never be ordinary. They’d met on a forest trail in the
aftermath of a cougar attack. He’d found her and her dog, Jezebel, squaring off
against the big cat. By the time Alex had arrived on the scene and scared off
the cougar with a warning shot, Jezebel had almost had her furry head ripped
off and Gwen had earned a sprained ankle in the bargain.
He’d brought both of them back to the clinic, sewn up the
dog’s neck and bandaged the woman’s leg. As far Gwen was concerned, Alex had
saved her life and he’d let her go on believing that.
She had just moved into the cabin her late grandfather had
bequeathed to her and still had no idea that he’d left her a lot more than real
estate. In the days to come, she would not only learn that werewolves existed,
she’d find out that her family legacy made her next in line to serve the Moon
People as their human consort.
Alex had almost convinced himself that he hadn’t told her
about the other shifters because that information was on a need-to-know basis
and, at that point, she already had plenty on her plate. Deep down, he supposed
he kind of liked having her think of him as her knight in shining armor.
His connection with Gwen had been immediate and intense.
He’d known from the moment she was within his range of sight and smell that he had
to have her. And, if she thought the woods were full of wild animals that could
harm her, all the better. Her fear would keep her safe until she understood
exactly how dangerous the shadow world really was.
The cougar that had jumped out of the underbrush and
attacked her dog wasn’t like anything found in the zoo. It wasn’t even like the
werewolves—not exactly. Tommy Longtree and the rest of his clan were an
entirely different breed of cat. They were shifters in the true sense of the
word. Werewolves merged man and beast—retaining the physical characteristics of
both when they were in supernatural form. Shifters retained their human
sensibilities, but in all other ways became their totem animal.
Werewolves were made, but shifters were born. Their
supernatural powers were in their DNA. Among all shifters, the Cat People were
the most ancient and gifted. They read minds and could see auras of light
around humans and supernatural beings.
Tommy had explained that the glowing clouds that surrounded
every intelligent being were more telling than their thoughts or actions. They
revealed the true nature of individual.
“You know that saying, ‘Show your true colors’?” Tommy had
asked one night over drinks. “People think that’s referring to the flags of
nations or warships. Uh-uh. That’s ours. My people were reading ‘true colors’
long before the first nation—or the first fucking warship for that matter—was
ever dreamed up.”
The instant Alex had stumbled upon Gwen and Jezebel facing
off with the cougar, he knew he wasn’t dealing with a wild animal. He could smell
Tommy’s unique mystical essence and hear the frantic thoughts from the man
within the beast.
Protect!
The Cat People had their own set of rules, but one law
reigned supreme among shifters—human consorts were not only off limits, they were
sacred and to be protected. Even as Tommy Longtree’s razor-sharp claws were
slashing away at the golden retriever, Alex knew his intent was to save Gwen,
not harm her.
The rifle blast hadn’t scared Tommy away, it had stopped the
attack long enough for him to realize that Alex had arrived and that he would
take over from there. No matter what had driven Tommy to attack, Gwen was
ultimately tied to the werewolf pack, and—all things being equal—those were lines
no
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