The Wolf Siren Read online

  Beside him, Lilly pushed to her feet. “I’m going inside,” she said, her voice distant, her hands trembling.

  He pretended not to notice. “Would you mind bringing me another cup of coffee?” He held up his mug, an excuse to get her to come back out.

  Staring at him, her blue eyes wide, she finally took his cup and jerked her head in a nod.

  “You might wait a second,” he continued, ignoring her agitation. “My sister might want coffee, too. If she does, I’ll get it.”

  She wanted to run, he could tell. Her face had the look of a startled doe caught in the headlights.

  “Don’t be afraid,” he told her softly, holding her gaze. “She doesn’t bite.”

  She blanched. “I’ll go now,” she said, rushing inside.

  * * *

  Lilly barely pulled the front door closed. A sudden image of a wolf, powerful jaws open, flashed through her mind. She blinked, breathing hard. She actually had to catch her breath. Automatic footsteps carried her into the kitchen and toward the coffeepot, where she inhaled the calming scent of Seattle’s most popular coffee. Her brother had packed several bags for her to take with her, telling her just because she was traveling to the other side of the country, didn’t mean she had to give up good coffee.

  Lucas. If she tried really hard, she could remember the time before. Before their father had learned they were Shifters, before something so natural and beautiful had been made to seem ugly and evil. Closing her eyes, she attempted to remember his wolf. She thought she could see it, a vague gray shape in her mind’s eye. But years of conditioning, years of being told what she’d seen was hideous and repugnant, dimmed her memory.

  Opening her eyes, she filled Kane’s mug, then her own. She rummaged in the cabinet, located one more cup and filled it, too. She found a tray, a plastic container of powdered cream, and some little packets of sugar and artificial sweetener. Lastly, she added a couple of plastic spoons. Then, squaring her shoulders, she turned and walked back outside, determined to face her foolish fears with her head held high.

  Kathy looked up and smiled, genuine pleasure lighting her eyes, a lighter gray than Kane’s, just like Kris and Kyle. “I brought over breakfast,” she said, her smile widening as she spotted the tray and the three mugs full of steaming coffee.

  “Coffee!” Drawing out the word and sounding ecstatic, Kathy set her covered dish down on the table. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

  “I take it you haven’t had your morning caffeine fix?” Kane drawled, grinning at his sister as she waited, looking about to pounce, while Lilly placed the tray on the table next to her dish.

  “I’ve been cutting down on caffeine.” Grimacing, Kathy waved away the coffee as Lilly tried to hand her a cup. “Eliminating it, actually.” She sighed. “And I won’t have any now. I haven’t had real coffee in two weeks. I’ve been drinking decaf.”

  “Decaf? Why even bother?”

  She blushed. “I’m pregnant.”

  Kane whooped, hugging her. Watching, Lilly noted the siblings had nearly identical smiles.

  When Kathy pulled away, she was still grinning. “But you can’t tell anyone. Tom and I want to wait to announce it until after the first trimester.”

  “Understood.” Glancing at Lilly, he gestured at his sister. “I’m going to go make some decaf. Will you be all right out here?”

  Slowly, Lilly nodded. Kane disappeared inside the cabin.

  An awkward silence fell now that the two women were alone.

  “Congratulations on the baby,” Lilly finally managed, pleased at how even her voice sounded.

  “Thanks!” Kathy’s gaze seemed friendly. “So how are you feeling this morning?”

  Lilly blinked. She might be a tad bit socially awkward, but the question confused her. “Fine.”

  “I’m glad.” Leaning forward, Kathy continued, her tone earnest. “We were all pretty worried last night. Kane never mentioned you being sick, but since it’s clear you are, we’re all willing to help any way we can.”

  Somehow, Lilly’s reaction to their inner wolves anticipating a change had registered as illness. Which, if she thought about it, in a way it was. “Thanks,” she replied, hoping that would be the end of it.

  Instead, Kathy touched her arm. “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s wrong with you, exactly? Is it a terminal thing or something minor?”

  Kane’s arrival saved Lilly from answering. He handed Kathy a cup of decaf, lowering himself into his chair and snagging his own mug from the table. He took a long, deep drink before looking up. “What’d I miss?”

  Kathy squirmed. “I was just asking Lilly about her health.”

  Frowning, he gave her a long look before glancing at Lilly. “Her health?”

  Pretending a sudden interest in her mug, Kathy blushed. “After what happened at dinner...you know.”

  Kane’s frown deepened. “Kath, I know you mean well, but—”

  “It’s all right.” Eager to smooth things over, Lilly interrupted. “She’s just curious. If I were in her place, I’d wonder too.”

  Though Kane’s gaze sharpened, he simply nodded.

  Meanwhile, Kathy leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. “Are you going to tell me?”

  Slowly, Lilly nodded. She’d have to choose her words carefully since she had no doubt Kathy wouldn’t waste any time repeating what she learned to all the others.

  “I’m recuperating,” she finally said. “You may have seen my story on the news. I’m the woman who was rescued in Texas after being held captive for fifteen years by a religious cult called Sanctuary.”

  Eyes wide, Kathy looked to Kane for confirmation. When he nodded, she jumped to her feet and threw her arms around Lilly, hugging her close. “I’m so sorry,” she murmured.

  To her surprise, Lilly’s eyes filled with tears. She stood frozen in place, unable to move, even when Kane’s sister released her and stepped away, murmuring what sounded like a cross between an apology and a desire to hear more.

  “Are you all right?”

  Lilly nodded. “I am. Now.”

  “Oh, my gosh. How awful it must have been to go through that.” Again, Kathy appeared to be on the verge of rushing her for another hug. In fact, Kane’s grip on his sister’s arm might be the only thing that prevented her from doing so.

  Fighting an overwhelming urge to flee, Lilly forced herself to stay put, legs rooted in place. “It was,” she said softly.

  Glancing from Kane to Lilly, Kathy opened her mouth to ask more questions. “Did you—”

  “Not now,” Kane said, his voice firm as he took his sister’s elbow and turned her back in the direction from which she’d come.

  “But...”

  “Congratulations on your news,” Kane said smoothly, effectively cutting her off before she could begin asking more questions. “Now please, go on back to the house. And I’ll have to ask you to keep what you know about Lilly under your hat for now. There are still a few of those Sanctuary people on the loose looking for her.”

  Finally, Kathy nodded. “Of course,” she said, her gray gaze landing softly on Lilly. “If there’s anything I can do...”

  “We’ll let you know,” Kane finished. “See you later.”

  Lilly watched in silence until the other woman disappeared around the bend in the road.

  “Does your entire family think I’m ill?” she asked, not entirely sure why she found the thought so upsetting.

  Head cocked, Kane drank his coffee before replying. “Their inner wolves could tell something’s wrong. When you started battling your beast, ours knew and reacted.”

  Horrified, Lilly swallowed. To disguise her shock, she reached for her own mug and drank, grimacing at the taste of cold coffee. “Can they... Can they see the thing inside me?” she asked, her voice quivering.

  “No. No one can. Not until you actually change.”

  At this, she was able to release a breath she hadn’t even known she’d been holding. “Good,�
�� she managed. “What’s on the agenda for today?”

  His smile took her breath away. “Nothing. Rest up, regain your strength and get used to the place. Tomorrow, if you feel up to it, we’ll take a drive and go into town. But as far as today goes, enjoy doing nothing.”

  Though she nodded and tried to look pleased, she felt even more uneasy. Kane couldn’t fathom how much of the past fifteen years of her life had been spent locked up in a concrete cell or chained to some machine in the lab at Sanctuary. Doing nothing was the absolute worst he could wish on her.

  “I’m assuming you plan on being around?” she asked, mindful of his refusal to let her out of his sight for very long.

  If anything, his smile widened. “Of course.”

  “I’m going for another hike,” she told him, almost defiant. “Exercise helps me think.”

  Without waiting for an answer, she started off down the road, once again heading in the opposite direction of the main house. Despite the beauty of the forest, the massive trees blocked too much of the sky. She felt uneasy here, hemmed in by nature, trapped. Though she hadn’t been allowed out much at Sanctuary, every so often Jacob Gideon had recognized her need for sunshine and fresh air. In the old days, her handlers had shackled her to keep her from running. She would have, too, especially believing Lucas dead.

  The last few times, they had to wheel her in a chair, she’d grown so weak. Still, she’d relished the open landscape, the sky so huge she could pretend to change into a mockingbird and fly away from her private hell. She’d never forgotten that the mockingbird was the Texas state bird. It made sense, because they knew how to adapt.

  Conscious of the big man shadowing her, she looked around. Here, not only were the birds different but she seldom saw them. There were no large grassy areas, no expanse of bright blue sky for them to fly into. The weight of the tree canopy felt heavy, as if made of glass. Or so she told herself, aware her finding fault with such beauty made little sense.

  But it did, to her. Because the real reason she felt uneasy in the green New York forest was because the monster inside her loved it.

  Chapter 6

  Kane liked the determined way Lilly strode through the woods. She reminded him of some warrior princess, her long legs eating up the ground with an athletic and graceful movement, her straight blond hair streaming behind her. He found her desire to walk interesting, as if she thought she could outpace whatever demons haunted her.

  By the time she left Leaning Tree and him, he hoped she would have managed to completely vanquish them.

  Ignoring the sharp pang he felt at the thought, he trod after her. As he inhaled the pine scent of the woods, he realized how much he’d missed his childhood home. He wondered if Lilly found it as beautiful as he did, wishing she felt comfortable enough with him to walk by his side.

  Someday. His chest constricted. He needed to give her time. And also, he needed to remember that in the end, once all the loose ends had been tied up and Lilly was free to live her life, he’d have to let her go.

  Finally, she appeared to have worked off her anger or whatever it was that drove her to push herself so hard. Stopping, she put her hands on her legs and bent over, trying to catch her breath. As he drew close to her, he made sure to stop several feet away, allowing her the distance she wanted.

  “So.” Straightening, she rocked back gracefully on her heels. “What’s next?”

  “Would you like to go into town this afternoon?” he asked, keeping his tone gentle. The stark misery in her gaze made him want to pull her close. Since he doubted she even knew he could see the emotions she so valiantly battled, he didn’t.

  “What for?”

  A casual shrug. “I thought you might want to see a bit of the area. Plus, there’s an Irish pub where the corned beef is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I’ve been craving it every since I knew we were coming back here.”

  Even saying the words made his mouth water. Corned beef. His particular Achilles’ heel. In fact, nearly every Shifter he knew couldn’t resist the temptation of red meat perfectly prepared. Judging from the way Lilly had reacted to that hamburger while they’d been on the road, he figured she was just like all the rest of them.

  “Do they have anything else?” she asked, scrunching up her face like a child tasting a lemon. “I’m not normally a big fan of beef.”

  Not a fan? He let that pass, pretty sure that she hadn’t been out in the real world long enough to even know what she liked. “Sure they do. There’s shepherd’s pie, some lamb stew, all kinds of excellent dishes.”

  “Do they have fish?”

  “Of course.”

  “I could eat that. I don’t eat a lot of red meat. Even when I was younger, I knew it wasn’t good for you.”

  He nearly rolled his eyes. Those were words he hadn’t ever heard another Shifter say. “You ate a burger on the way here. And seemed to enjoy it, from what I could tell.”

  “I did.” Expression abashed, she nodded. “I allow myself something like that every couple of months. Beef’s really not healthy for you, you know.”

  This he couldn’t let pass. “Maybe not for humans, but we’re different. We need our red meat.”

  “I’ll stick with fish.”

  He cracked another smile. “Okay.”

  Arms crossed, she continued to eye him, looking impossibly gorgeous, with her mane of blond hair and bright blue eyes. “I thought you wanted to keep me hidden?”

  Now he let his smile become laughter. “First off, Leaning Tree is a small town. Everyone already knows you’re here, I’m sure. They just don’t know who you are or why you’re with us, and we’ll keep it that way. Second, I grew up here. Most everyone in town is Pack, and even if your true identity is somehow found out, I can promise you we look after our own.”

  From the way she looked at him, he could tell she didn’t understand. The entire concept was foreign to her. Of course it was. From the time she was fifteen years old, she’d never had anyone else looking after her or even caring about her. Her twin brother had believed she was dead. Meanwhile, her own father had betrayed her, mistreated her and tortured her. He’d actually hired doctors to perform experiments on her while teaching her she was possessed by demons. Kane figured it couldn’t get much worse than that.

  “If it’ll make you feel better,” he told her, “you can put your hair in a ponytail and wear a baseball cap and dark glasses.”

  Expression solemn, she considered his words for a moment, and then nodded. “I think that’d be best.”

  So he found her a Yankees ball cap and borrowed one of his sister’s many pairs of dark sunglasses that Kathy always left lying around. Handing them to Lilly, he waited while she took them into the bathroom so she could see how she looked once she’d donned her disguise. In that respect, he supposed she wasn’t much different than any other woman.

  When she emerged a minute or two later, he grinned. With her long hair in a jaunty ponytail, the ball cap pulled low, and the oversized dark glasses perched on the end of her delicate nose, she looked like some Hollywood starlet trying too hard to avoid the paparazzi.

  “You know you’d look much less conspicuous if you ditched the hat and glasses,” he pointed out.

  “I like them.”

  Of course she did. Lilly didn’t do well in one-on-one situations. She thought the hat and sunglasses would help her hide. Who knew, maybe she was right.

  “Come on.” He held out his hand without thinking. Peering at him over the sunglasses, her gaze traveled from his face to his outstretched arm and then back again. When she finally slipped her small fingers into his, warmth flooded him.

  Maybe, she had begun to trust him. If so, this was sooner than he’d expected.

  His Corvette navigated the familiar winding roads effortlessly. He pointed out the stream he and his brothers had often fished in during the summer as kids, the corner store where they’d all ridden their bikes to buy candy after school and then the elementary school itself. The two-s
tory brick building looked as new as it had the year it’d been built, when he’d been in the third grade. Prior to that, he’d had a long bus ride to a school in the next town over.

  Lilly listened to him ramble, her expression bemused as she craned her neck trying to see everything the instant he pointed it out. She seemed more at ease than he’d seen her, so he continued to share his hometown with her.

  Finally, they turned another tree-lined corner and reached the outskirts of town. Here, old Victorian houses had been lovingly restored. These soon gave way to funky little art galleries, restaurants with sidewalk cafés, the old grocers with one of the best meat markets within fifty miles and various other shops and establishments, most of which looked exactly the same as they had when Kane was a child. Apparently, nothing ever changed in Leaning Tree.

  “We have some great restaurants here, too,” he told her. “Sue’s Catfish Hut, Papa’s Pasta, Joe’s Coffee Shop, plus Dublin’s.”

  She nodded. “I’m getting hungry.”

  The normally bustling downtown area looked sleepy in the midday sun.

  “It’s beautiful,” Lilly breathed. “Like something out of one of those books Blythe reads.”

  Since Blythe was partial to reading romances, Kane took this as a compliment.

  “Here it is.” They pulled up in front of the storefront that had been made to look like an ancient Celtic church. “We’re in between the lunch and dinner crowds,” he said, pleased. “I’m sure there’s still the odd tourist, but our timing is perfect. Dublin’s won’t be crowded.”

  “If you say so.” Though she still sounded less than happy, she couldn’t hide the interested excitement in her voice.

  He parked in the small lot to the side of the pub. “Here we go.”

  The dimly lit interior felt familiar and welcoming. Despite her desire for independence, Lilly stayed close to him as he walked the creaky old wooden floors and headed for the long mahogany bar.

  Shawn Ferguson looked up from the beer glass he was polishing, his shock of red hair looking as unruly as ever. His frown turned to a grin of delight. “Well, I’ll be. If it’s not Kane McGraw, finally deigning to show his face here in town.”