Desire the Night(50)

Yes.

Where are you?

Victor took me home to his pack. I’m his prisoner.

Does your father know?

He was in on it. For all I know, kidnapping me was his idea. Her father was a smart man. Little escaped his notice. She supposed she shouldn’t have been surprised that he knew her well enough to suspect she might try to run away and that he would take measures to ensure that she didn’t succeed. One way or another, he always had the last word.

Gideon heard the bitterness in her voice. Well, he couldn’t blame her for that. Fathers were supposed to protect their daughters. What makes you think he was behind it?

I think he overheard you propose to me. That’s the only thing that makes any sense.

Gideon mulled that over for several moments. She was probably right. Like vampires, werewolves were supernatural creatures. No doubt the Alpha’s hearing was as acute as his own.

Gideon?

Just sit tight, sweetheart. I’ll find you. Finding her would be the easy part. Getting into the home of the Alpha werewolf unobserved and uninvited might prove a little more challenging. It was unlikely that the Green Mountain Alpha would welcome him inside.

Be careful, Gideon. Don’t take any … oh! Someone’s here!

He sensed her trepidation, swore as her voice ended abruptly, breaking their connection. But the blood link remained, as clear and easy to follow as a lighthouse beacon on a cloudy night.





Victor’s home place was set in a shallow valley thick with ancient oaks and evergreens. Like the Alissano compound, it was surrounded by an electrified fence.

Instead of a large house set amidst a number of smaller, individual dwellings, there was one main residence flanked by a pair of apartment complexes, each with its own covered patio. This compound also provided outdoor games and a swimming pool.

There were two sentries patrolling the perimeter.

Standing out of sight in the shadows, Gideon timed them as they passed by. The fence wouldn’t slow him down. He could take the sentries out before they knew what hit them. Locating Kay would be a snap. It was getting into the house that presented the problem. One way or another, he had to convince someone who lived in the house to invite him inside.

But first, he needed to hunt.

Leaving the compound behind, he sniffed the air. The smell of burning wood and cooked meat drew him into the hills where he found three families—six adults and seven kids—roasting hot dogs over a campfire near a narrow stream.

Smorgasbord, he thought, and settled down to wait for the campers to turn in for the night.

It was well after midnight when Gideon made his way back to the Green Mountain compound. Most of the lights in the house and the apartments were off. Two new sentries patrolled the fence line.

Gideon went suddenly still as a light went on in the main house. A moment later, the back door opened and Victor and his father stepped outside. The two men spoke for a short time, then shed their clothing. The air shimmered around them, followed by a palpable surge of preternatural power.

When it was over, a large black wolf and a pale brown wolf touched noses, then turned and loped across the yard toward the back fence. In unison, they leaped the barrier with effortless grace and disappeared into the night. Moments later, a wolf’s howl rang out, and was quickly answered by another wolf, and then another.

Gideon blew out a breath. From the sound of it, the Alphas were running the hills together. For a moment, he was tempted to shift into wolf form and join them, just for the hell of it, but he quickly discarded the idea. With the Green Mountain Alpha gone, this might be his best chance to get into the house.

Vaulting over the fence, he moved silently through the night, every sense alert. He paused outside the patio door, listening to the hearts beating inside the house. There were three people inside—two females and a male. He recognized the beat of Kay’s heart, knew she was asleep. The male was also asleep. The other female—Victor’s mother—was awake.

Compelling mortals was generally easy. Members of the supernatural community were more difficult; some, like Alpha werewolves and master vampires, were impossible to influence. Focusing on the female werewolf, he probed her mind, implanting the idea that she wanted to go out into the backyard.

Moments later, he heard the sound of her footsteps coming toward him. The handle was turning when he caught the pungent scent of werewolf on the wind, followed by a howl that was too close for comfort.

Hissing softly, Gideon dissolved into mist. Mere seconds later, three wolves bounded onto the patio and quickly shifted into human form. One of the men was Kay’s father. The other was Victor. The third man was Victor’s father. Victor and Russell grabbed towels from a nearby shelf to cover their nakedness as the patio door swung open.