Black Wolfe's Mate (Paranormal Shifter Romance) by Avelyn McCrae Read Free Book Online Page B

ones concerning old gods no one remembered.
    “Oh, yes,” she breathed with a significant blush. “Six times, in fact. It’s one of my favorites. Have you seen it?”
    “I have the DVD,” he rumbled in his deep voice.
    “Lucky you,” she murmured, suddenly seeming a bit shy. “Well, sorry about running into you like that.” She eyed him doubtfully. “I didn’t, um, hurt you or anything, did I?”
    The very idea had Dieter doing something he hadn’t done in a very long time. He smiled. “No.”
    Angelica laughed then. “Right. Good night, then.”
    When Dieter did not attempt to move, Angelica stepped around him. With a final smile and a shy little wave, she was gone, and he was left standing there, watching her until she was out of sight.
    He relayed the story in as few words as possible. When he was finished, Derrick looked every bit as stunned as the others.
    “Thor?!” Steffen chuckled, unable to conceal his amusement any longer. Christophe tried to hide his smile by turning away. Antoine simply roared with laughter. Even Silas’ mouth turned upward in a half-grin.
    “So, she has touched upon each of you,” Derrick said thoughtfully. “What of you, Niko? How does Angelica know your face?”
    The dark sentinel stepped from the shadows. He was the most reclusive of all of them. Hair of the darkest chestnut hung haphazardly, framing a face so perfect, it was distracting. Eyes of molten gold, liquid and hypnotic, looked out from beneath impossibly thick, dark lashes.
    “Our paths crossed in the night once,” Niko said quietly. Derrick held his breath. Niko was cursed with such beauty, women often found themselves drawn to him. It was one of the reasons he stayed far away from the guests. He performed his daytime duties from within their security office, only appearing outside the walls when there was little or no danger of coming in contact with human females.
    “And?”
    “And nothing,” Niko said. “She bade me a good and safe eve and went on her way.” Stunning the hell out of him in the process. She had barely glanced at him, or so he had thought. The detailed sketch suggested otherwise.
    Derrick shook his head, pinching the spot between his eyes. None of it made any sense to him, but there was little chance he would find the answers he sought this night. Tired and weary, he wanted nothing more than to simply crawl into bed with Angelica and hold her. Yet his pack was clearly looking to him for some guidance.
    It was more than a little odd that Angelica had managed to encounter each of them since her arrival less than a week earlier. Even more so that she had created images of them. Their very survival depended upon the ability to keep their secrets.
    It was hard to pose the question he knew he must. “Do you believe her purpose among us is a dark one?”
    The men exchanged glances with each other. It was Silas who answered. “No. There is not one among us who believes that.”
    “We found at least a ream of paper amongst her things,” Steffen added, producing a thick stack. “Sketches of the castle, the grounds, the ocean, other guests. All of this quality.”
    “She did all of this since she’s been here?” Derrick asked, surprised as he thumbed through the etchings. They were impressive, so perceptive and crafted with exquisite detail.
    Antoine nodded. “She must have. Niko found the receipt for the paper from a mainland shop, dated the day she arrived. That, and an inexpensive set of drawing charcoals.”
    “When did she have time to do all of this?” Derrick wondered aloud. All the times she had sat on the rocks or beach, not once had he seen her drawing or sketching.
    “At night, perhaps,” Christophe answered thoughtfully. “It appears she did not sleep much. We found a bottle of sleeping pills amongst her personal things, and it contained all but one of the original amount.”
    Christophe’s words stirred a vague memory, something she had said to him the night they spent