Seduced by the Wolf by Bonnie Vanak Read Free Book Online Page B

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    Ariel had avoided him all day. Caught up in pack matters, he’d sent two of his men to watch and guard her from a distance as she roamed the grounds, searching out scents. He knew she wanted distance from him.
    He knew. Hated this, hated the fact that he couldn’t give her what she wanted, not with his cold, dead heart. But no way in hell could he let her go.
    Last night she’d given him something no one else could. Hope. He felt it stirring deep inside him, and it fed him strength. It wasn’t merely sex. Yet he couldn’t voice it.
    Couldn’t face the pain of opening himself to her, sharing himself and then losing her just as he’d lost her long ago.
    Chloe’s sweet smile and docile manner were fading into the past. He’d loved her. Always would. But it was Ariel now claiming his thoughts. Ariel haunting his dreams.
    Sharp pain seized him at the thought of whatever monster lurked out there seizing her and hauling her into the deep, dark cave.
    Jarrett caught her arm. Something evil had infiltrated his territory. He wasn’t about to let Ariel leave.
    â€œIt’s too dangerous.”
    â€œTo return to my people?” Her large blue eyes widened, making her look vulnerable and even more Fae. “Are you afraid I’ll break our agreement?”
    I’m afraid you’ll never come back . Images of Chloe, bloodied and dying, danced across his mind. He concentrated on Ariel. “I’m coming with you.”
    Ariel looked delicate in a turquoise sweater and new jeans one of the females had loaned her. The tips of her toes peeked beneath the jeans. Curls spilled around her slender shoulders. Yet he knew a toughness resonated inside her, the same kind that drove her to hunt down whatever was taking her people.
    Chloe hadn’t been tough. She was soft and female and afraid. Her fear had driven her out of the hiding place he’d ordered her to seek during the battle, because she’d needed him at her side.
    Ariel might be afraid, but she never showed it. She’d never admit needing protection.
    So he took matters in hand and wrapped his fingers around her wrist, leading her back to her home. Something nasty lurked out there, and he wouldn’t risk losing her. Never again.
    Because you care , a voice inside his head mocked.
    Because I need her.
    They shifted for the six-mile trek across meadows and the river. Instinct urged him to keep to the shadows. His wolf senses flared with caution as he padded across the dead grass, making sure Ariel was at his side. As they approached the Fae colony and a group of cabins, dread filled him. No lights shone from the inside. No welcoming fires as in the past.
    The small village seemed deserted and dead as a ghost town. A foul stench, laced with something familiar, ground him to an abrupt halt. Jarrett’s ears flattened. He nudged Ariel with his nose, signaling her to stop.
    What is that smell?
    It came from the cabin closest to the mountain. Jarrett’s heart banged against his chest. They communicated in wolf form, same as the old days. All his people could communicate telepathically after shifting, but the ability did not extend to Fae. Except Ariel.
    She’d always been special.
    Decaying bodies , he told her.
    Ariel shifted back. Naked, trembling, she stood in the meadow. Moonlight glistened off her pale skin.
    Jarrett cursed and shifted as well, clothing himself by magick. He had no clothing for her. Damn, the temperature was dropping fast.
    But she didn’t seem to care. Instead, she ran to the cabins sitting in the lee of the mountain like gray ghosts.
    The Fae compound was laid out in a square, with a wildflower garden separating each house. Jarrett raced after Ariel, cursing silently. She was lighter and faster, her Fae powers making her feet fly over the dirt path.
    She headed for the largest cabin, darting inside like a frantic dragonfly. Jarrett followed.
    He knew what she would find.
    The stench