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The Wolf Siren
Karen Whiddon
Resistance is futile…As Pack Protector, Kane McGraw never gets involved with the victims he saves. But Lilly Gideon has intrigued him ever since he helped free her from a religious compound. So when he learns that she’s still in danger, he can’t stay away.Years of psychological torture have left Lilly without the ability to control her shifter nature. Any man she touches is driven mad by an all-consuming desire. Though she wants Kane, she’s forced to deny him the release they most crave. That is, until he decides it’s time to take matters – and her – into his own hands…
“We need to talk,” Kane said, his deep voice serious.
“I’m coming to understand that there’s a lot more to you than I or anyone else realizes.”
“I warned you I was messed up.” Lilly tried to keep it light, failing miserably. “Fifteen years of captivity will do that to a person.”
He took her hand, stunning her into temporary silence. “It was more than just captivity, I know. You mentioned they experimented on you.”
Her nod was the only answer she could manage.
“Lilly, I need you to tell me what happened to me when you sang.”
Once she would have hung her head. But this was not her fault. So she lifted her chin and looked Kane directly in the eyes.
“I don’t know how or why, but apparently when I sing, my voice is like the mythical sirens, compelling men. As it did you.”
Narrow-eyed, he stared. “Then why can’t I remember? Even if you could make me do something, you shouldn’t be able to make me forget.”
“I don’t know. But you kissed me.” Her face heated, which meant she was most likely a fiery red.
KAREN WHIDDON started weaving fanciful tales for her younger brothers at the age of eleven. Amid the Catskill Mountains of New York, then the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, she fueled her imagination with the natural beauty that surrounded her. Karen now lives in north Texas, where she shares her life with her very own hero of a husband and three doting dogs. Also an entrepreneur, she divides her time between the business she started and writing. You can e-mail Karen at KWhiddon1@aol.com (mailto:KWhiddon1@aol.com) or write to her at PO Box 820807, Fort Worth, TX 76182, USA. Fans of her writing can also check out her website, www.karenwhiddon.com (http://www.karenwhiddon.com).
The Wolf Siren
Karen Whiddon
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
To Patricia Ann Corcoran, 5-2-35 to 9-27-13.
You were many things in the 78 years you lived in this world, but to me you were first and foremost my mother. I will always miss you.
Contents
Chapter 1 (#u8c69d106-166b-53bd-b5a4-b0f5f54b81df)
Chapter 2 (#u91cafc02-f030-5c5a-bcdd-7049b1de6749)
Chapter 3 (#uf53aac4c-90f3-5176-8ae0-4b37fd263b02)
Chapter 4 (#udf6dd967-0f69-59e5-8254-97d3ed33cd34)
Chapter 5 (#u2eb01f7c-239d-5682-ae27-d12301d23c39)
Chapter 6 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 7 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 8 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 9 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 10 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 11 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 12 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 13 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 14 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 15 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 16 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 17 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 18 (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 1
“You look...” The tall, dark-haired man stared, his silver gaze intense. “A thousand times better than the last time I saw you.”
Clutching the door handle and peering out through the six-inch crack, Lilly Gideon tried hard not to tremble. Belatedly, she realized she never should have opened the door. But then, she hadn’t known this man had been coming up the sidewalk.
Or had she? Something, some inner restlessness, had given her the urge to step out onto the front porch. Surely, she hadn’t been going to meet this stranger who talked as if he knew her. He had a confident air of masculine authority and the sheer strength of his muscular body overwhelmed her.
She struggled to speak, to summon up some sort of relatively normal response. She was safe, she told herself over and over like a mantra, ignoring the shiver of dread working its way up her spine. Finally safe. Her brother, Lucas, his wife, Blythe, and her daughter, Hailey, were in the kitchen and would come running at the slightest sound. All she had to do was call. But staring at the handsome stranger, still she couldn’t seem to force words past her closed-up throat.
“Lilly?” he asked, the deep dustiness of his voice striking a chord inside her, as if her soul recognized him. “It’s me, Kane McGraw. Don’t you remember me?”
Pushing away the panic, she struggled to simply breathe. The chiseled planes of his rugged face did seem achingly familiar, but with her tangled confusion of memories, she didn’t know if this was a good thing or bad. He wore his dark hair short, spiky, a bit longer than military style, which added to his self-confident appearance. Once again, she found him intimidating.
Despite her best effort to appear brave, she let her hand creep up to her throat and dredged up words. “I...no. I don’t remember you.”
Her twin brother, Lucas, must have had a second sense, too. Something that told him she needed him right now. “Lilly?” he called, appearing in the arched opening that led to the foyer. “Are you all right?”
Relief flooding her, she turned her panicked gaze toward him, imploring silently for help.
“What’s wrong?” Lucas strode toward her, putting himself in front of her even as he yanked the door all the way open.
“Kane?” Despite hearing the joy in her brother’s voice, Lilly stepped back, taking refuge in the small space between the door and the wall. She hated the way terror still consumed her, but for now she didn’t yet have the strength to overcome it. Maybe someday, but not just yet. She only hoped that with time...
“Lucas!” The two men gave each other the quick shoulder hug used by men.
“That was fast,” Lucas said, the sun making his brown hair appear blond. He glanced at Lilly, and then back at their visitor, grinning. Lilly envied her brother’s carefree attitude. Newly married and in love, his clear blue eyes radiated happiness. She kept hoping some of it would rub off on her. So far, she hadn’t been so blessed.
Kane laughed, a throaty chuckle, drawing her attention. “As soon as you told me what you needed, I dropped everything. My vacation days were piling up unused anyway. I think the Society of Pack Protectors was shocked that I wanted to take them.”
Though the deep rumble of this stranger’s voice chased away the chill inside her, she kept herself utterly still, hoping she wouldn’t draw any attention to herself. Of course, her brother noticed immediately.
“Lilly?” Lucas held out his hand, waiting until she’d slipped her fingers into his before continuing. “Don’t you remember Kane? He helped us rescue you.”
The reassuring sincerity in Lucas’s expression calmed her enough to enable her to look at the other man. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “My memories from that time are all blurry.”
Kane’s smoky gaze held hers. “That’s understandable. You’ve been through a lot.”
She nodded, although fifteen years of torture, clinging to the edge of life, had been more than a lot. She was damaged, broken in more ways than one. Though she was eager to purge that time from her memory and heal herself so she could stride with confidence into the world, first she had to shake the paralyzing terror that dogged her every move.
Before she could run, she needed to walk. Before she could walk, she’d have to manage a crawl.
“Come on in,” Lucas said, pulling Lilly toward him so he could fully open the door. She yanked her hand free, fighting the awful tide of panic rising in her throat. Though she wanted to flee, to tear down the hall toward her room, where she could close herself in and feel safe, she kept herself still, legs rooted in the carpet. She hated her fear and used this to find the strength to stand her ground. Her hands were clenched into fists, but despite that, she managed to lift her head and study Lucas’s friend.
“Welcome,” she said, trying to remember how to sound warm.
At her greeting, he smiled. Not just any smile, but a devastating curve of the mouth that heated her and inexplicably sent her pulse racing. Before, she’d thought him good-looking, in a muscular, dangerous sort of way. But now, feeling the pull of his grin, she realized he was more than that. He was beautiful, like a dark angel who’d recently tumbled from heaven.
She shivered. She’d had enough of angels and prophets, thank you very much.
“Blythe will be happy to see you.” Lucas strode toward the kitchen, calling his wife’s name as he went. Blythe met him halfway, her long blond hair pulled into a neat braid. As she moved toward them, she appeared to dance on her bare feet. Her bright green eyes lit up when she saw Kane.
Lilly watched, as detached as if she were separated from the others by a thick sheet of glass. Blythe, hugged Kane as if he was a long-lost brother, then her daughter, Hailey, squealed with delight as she threw herself at the tall man’s legs.
Once the greetings and hugs were finished and things quieted down, Lucas led the way into the kitchen. He waited until everyone else had disappeared inside before returning to retrieve Lilly, who still stood frozen, unable to make herself move.
“Are you coming?” he asked, the concern in his voice making her feel guilty.
Rather than answer, she shook her head, sending her long hair whipping around her. Wrapping her arms around herself, even though the movement gave her no comfort, she swallowed. “I’m not feeling well,” she told him. “I’m going to go lie down.”
His expression sharpened, letting her know he didn’t entirely buy the lie. But then, as she’d known he would, he nodded. “I’ll bring you something to eat later then, okay?”
Angry—both at herself for lacking the courage to join them and, unreasonably, at him for cutting her so much slack—she nodded. Then, without another word, she spun on her heel and marched away to her room.
Once there, she didn’t dissolve into tears and throw herself on her bed. She supposed that would have been progress, at least. Instead, she went to the small desk she’d placed in front of the window, and took a seat, gazing outside and marveling once again at how green everything was here. As she’d learned to do while trapped in a dank, basement cell, she let her mind separate from her body. She wondered if she’d ever stop wanting to curl up and die.
* * *
Following Lucas and Blythe into the kitchen, Kane fought the urge to turn back and go after Lilly. His wolf had once again reared his wild head the instant he’d inhaled Lilly’s fragile and feminine scent. On the long drive from Texas to Seattle, he’d thought about this reaction, which had stunned him the first time he’d seen her, half-dead in a concrete cell. Then, he’d wondered if it had been a fluke. Now he knew it hadn’t. The question was, what was he going to do about it?
Though she no longer looked like a broken rag-doll, Lilly was still clearly damaged. Kane would have to be careful, especially since he’d just agreed to act as her full-time bodyguard.
“Does she know why I’m here?” Kane asked, taking a seat at the oak-planked, country-style table and accepting the beer Blythe brought him.
“Just a minute.” Lucas cast a warning look at Hailey, which Blythe picked up on.
“Hailey, why don’t we watch one of your DVDs,” Blythe said, taking her daughter’s hand and leading her from the kitchen.
Kane sipped on his beer. Lucas waited until the sound of the television came on before speaking. “No. Despite therapy once a week, she spends most of her time in a state close to terrified anxiety. I thought it better if she didn’t know.” He got up, crossed to the fridge and snagged his own beer.
“About any of it?”
Lucas’s troubled expression gave Kane his answer. “I’ve been trying to shield her as best I can. She isn’t aware of the break-in attempt. I had Blythe and Hailey take her out for ice cream when the police came to make their report.”
“And you’re confident they weren’t after Hailey?”
“Yes.” Lucas clenched his jaw. “They broke in through Lilly’s window. This might have been a coincidence, except they never left her room. They tore it apart like they were looking for something.”
“You also said someone tried to abduct her?”
“Yes. Someone tried to grab her when she and Blythe were leaving therapy, but Blythe pretty much convinced her that the guy was trying to rob them.”
“How sure are you that he wasn’t?”
Dragging his hand across his chin, Lucas nodded. “First off, he didn’t try and get their purses. Second, he left Blythe alone. The SOB went right for Lilly.”
Kane nodded. Both he and Lucas had dealt with the crazy cult members who’d belonged to Sanctuary, Jacob Gideon’s pseudo-religious organization. They’d worked together, along with The Society of Pack Protectors, to take them down. In the process, they’d not only rescued Blythe and her daughter, Hailey, but they’d saved Lilly, Lucas’s sister, whom he’d believed had been murdered fifteen years earlier.
“Most of the cultists are locked up,” Kane mused. “Though we’ve been made aware of a few others who weren’t there the day the raid went down.”
“You know how determined those bastards are.” Lucas didn’t bother to hide his bitterness. “My sister suffered for years because of them.”
“I think I should take her out of here,” Kane said. “And quickly.”
Lucas stared at him in shock. Of course, Kane had known getting Lucas to accept his plan wasn’t going to be easy.
“Hear me out.”
After a moment, Lucas finally nodded. His guarded expression made it clear he wasn’t happy with the idea. “Go on.”
“You want me to keep her safe.” Kane leaned forward. “I can do that. I’m good at my job. But...”
The word hung in the air. Lucas took a long drink of his beer, waiting for his friend to finish the statement.
“She needs to go into hiding.”
“You really think you can protect her better away from here?” The low pitch of Lucas’s voice told Kane he recognized the truth, whether or not he liked it.
“Don’t you?”
Grimacing, Lucas gave a reluctant nod. “Where are you planning to take her?”
“I think it’s actually better if you don’t know.”
