Courage of the Wolf

  Courage of the Wolf

  Bonnie Vanak

  Werewolf Sabrina Kelly longs to put her family's brutal slaying by a demon behind her. Finding her destined mate might bring her solace…though in her heart, she knows she only wants her long-time friend Michael Anderson. Instinct tells Sabrina he desires her as strongly as she craves him, yet still he pushes her away….

  As an immortal Justice Guardian, Michael has vowed to protect Sabrina…and deny his hunger for her. It's his duty to make Sabrina find the courage to challenge the demon once and for all—though it may cost him the only woman he could ever love.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 1

  Just another day in a tropical paradise filled with demons.

  Right.

  If only it was just a typical day and not the very one he’d been dreading.

  Ambling backwards on the roadside, Michael Anderson scanned Florida’s Alligator Alley for a silver Lexus. As always, Sabrina Kelly was late. The Draicon werewolf would be late for her own funeral.

  The thought sobered him.

  Minutes later, Michael pushed a hand through his long, ragged hair as Sabrina’s car pulled off the road. He breathed in her scent of fresh lavender as the Draicon werewolf hurried toward him. Dressed in a pink sweater set and a floral skirt, she looked like spring. Cut razor straight, her black hair swung just below her jawline. Wide, sea-green eyes shone with intelligence.

  When she threw herself into his arms, he hugged back, feeling a lump rise in his throat. The vision came to him again. Blood. Death. Sorrow.

  Michael set her back down on her feet. As much as he wanted to use his powers as an Immortal Justice Guardian to direct destiny, he could not. Punishment would be severe if he broke Guardian laws. He’d already broken a big one to buy Sabrina time.

  Years ago, when he was still a Draicon werewolf, he’d made a promise to keep her safe. The burning need to protect her had never stopped. It wasn’t love, but a fierce admiration of her strong spirit and honoring the deep friendship they’d shared in the past.

  “Why did you want me to pick you up on this road? Forget how to dematerialize?” she asked.

  He shrugged. “I like walking. And I thought it would be nice to ride with you in the Lexus to your grandparents’ anniversary party.”

  “You knew I was taking the Lexus and not the Expedition? Oh, of course, you know everything.” She shook her head. “Even what type of underwear I have on.”

  “I don’t know everything.”

  When she turned, he flicked his fingers. A microburst of air sent the fabric swirling upward.

  “White lace,” he noted with a grin. “Very nice.”

  “Michael!” she scolded him with a smile.

  A faint blush raced across her cheeks. It was like watching the sun chase away the night. Enchanted, he watched her moisten her pink lips. What would her petal-soft mouth feel like beneath his as he took her, hard and fast?

  He swallowed hard at the startling, sexual thought. Sabrina was off-limits.

  He was a Phoenix, an Immortal Justice Guardian who’d died and been reborn to his powers. Michael patrolled the earth, doling out justice and destroying predators of paranormal creatures. He’d succeeded at his job until a year ago, when the Hellfire demon Ambrosis slaughtered Sabrina’s parents and five siblings as Sabrina tried to save them. Her family had been heading to visit her grandparents when the demon attacked them as they took a brief respite from driving.

  If he could, he’d die to keep her safe. But he couldn’t die again. Sabrina had to face her own demon. Guardian laws demanded he must not interfere.

  “Let’s go,” he muttered.

  The sun sinking toward the horizon warned they were running out of time.

  Inside the car, his senses drank in her scent as if he were still a Draicon werewolf. Trees, palms and scrub brush passed in a blur as the car sped toward Florida’s west coast.

  “Michael, you’re the only friend who still bothers with me. Thank you,” Sabrina told him.

  “I’m not just your friend, Brie. I’ve watched over you since I became a Justice Guardian. You’ve shut yourself off from the world.”

  She blinked hard. “If not for you, I’d never have done this. I can’t bear the memories.”

  White showed on her knuckles as her fingers tightened on the steering wheel. “All I can recall is fighting. Pain, and then nothing. Nothing except waking up to see my family was dead.”

  “You still don’t remember what happened to you?”

  “It’s a blur, except I have the scar to remind me. I have nightmares about Ambrosis, and this voice keeps telling me I must have the courage to face him again. But ever since I lost my family, I’m terrified of something else happening.”

  Michael looked away. “You should pay attention to your dreams. Often, they contain messages.”

  She inhaled deeply. “Dreams are just dreams. Let’s not talk about it. It’s hard enough for me to drive on this road again. I haven’t been this way since Ambrosis killed my family.”

  A fist of guilt slammed into his guts. He stared out the passenger’s side window.

  I’m sorry, Brie, but I must do this. It’s my duty as a Justice Guardian.

  Familiar landmarks appeared on the roadside. Sabrina’s hands shook. “This is the place. If I’d never insisted on Dad stopping so we could hunt in the swamp, they’d still be alive. I’m going to speed up.…”

  “Pull over,” he told her.

  “Here?”

  “Now.”

  Blood drained from her face, but she steered the Lexus onto the narrow shoulder.

  “Stay here,” he ordered, hating her fear, smelling it like burnt wood.

  He got out. Clouds the color of lead hung low in the gathering dusk. He breathed in the fertile scent of dank earth. The task before him lay on his wide shoulders like twin weights. A haunting loneliness gripped him.

  He hated this part of the job.

  In the canal paralleling the Alley, an alligator swam by in silence, its eyes peeking through the dark brown water in cool indifference.

  Michael vaulted over the chain link fence, and walked a path through cypress and pine trees until he reached a tree island surrounded by shallow swamp water. At the northwest side, he touched the earth where a great battle had been raged. Sorrow squeezed his insides.

  From his backpack, he withdrew a single white gardenia, the blossom fresh and preserved by magick. He laid it on the ground where the blood of Sabrina’s family had been spilled.

  A mocking crow cackled overhead. Michael fisted his hands as he walked to a small pool. No animals ever drank from this vile water—the home of Ambrosis. Michael had imprisoned him here after the battle that claimed Sabrina’s family.

  Hellfire demons were attracted to paranormal beings possessing enormous integrity, strength and courage. They siphoned off those qualities for energy then killed the victim.

  Beneath his palm, the dark water rippled. His immortal senses “saw” Ambrosis. With his index finger, Michael traced a sacred pattern in the muck below the shallow water. The ground vibrated.

  An eerie, haunting scream rent the air. Disturbed by the sound, a great blue heron resting in a nearby cypress tree flew off.

  The face of Sabrina’s nightmares appeared in the pool. Nasty laughter echoed through the swamp. The demon vanished below the water.

  It was done, consequences be as they may. His duty as a Guardian was fulfilled.

  �
�Forgive me, Brie,” Michael whispered.

  He stood, dusting off his hands on his jeans. Shouldering his pack, he headed toward Sabrina’s car, but not before the earth gave a mighty shudder and the demon’s triumphant roar echoed through the silent clearing.

  Chapter 2

  Ribbons of violet and rose laced the skies over the tranquil Gulf of Mexico. Palm branches fluttered in the cooling breeze. On the sand, a man drove a tractor, picking up turquoise umbrellas and chair cushions. She’d been here a full day, yet could not relax in the serene tropical atmosphere.

  Sabrina braced her hands on the hotel railing and stared down at the Tiki Bar three stories below. Her grandparents' gray-haired pack mingled with each other, clinking glasses as they watched the sunset.

  Her grandparents waved up at her. Intense feelings rushed through her as she waved back. Losing her family had left her cold and empty, as dead as those she’d lost. But when she’d emerged from her car, her grandparents engulfed her in hugs and kisses, reminding Sabrina that she was still loved. She hadn’t seen them since losing her family. Nathan and Martha were the only family she had left and she would never allow anything to happen to them.

  Michael stood in the circle’s center. A hank of dark brown hair hung over his forehead. He wore a blue-and-red Hawaiian shirt, navy shorts and nothing on his feet. His long, leanly muscled body was tall, filled with enormous strength and his face had a hard edge about it, contrasting with a mouth almost too sensual for a man.

  When he was still a Draicon werewolf, Michael’s eyes had been brown. After he became a Justice Guardian, his eyes burned a silvery blue, hinting at his enormous powers.

  Sabrina’s hands trembled. Flutters in her belly intensified into something deeper. Okay, you’re smitten with a guy who’s not only immortal, but can kill everyone here by blinking.

  She’d been friends with Michael all her life, ever since he was a Draicon werewolf farming the land next to her pack’s. His sunny smile and boyish charm masked his quiet strength and fierce loyalty. But her girlish crush on him was useless. Sabrina had resigned herself to adoring friendship.

  Shortly after her eighteenth birthday, Michael died while fighting a demon that tried to kill her. He was reborn as a Phoenix, a Justice Guardian.

  Sabrina rubbed her clammy palms, stepped back into the room. She closed the sliders and shivered. Ever since her family’s death, it seemed like she could never get warm enough.

  She went downstairs.

  Approaching Michael, she spotted the red-and-blue phoenix mark on his throat. Clutching a sword in its claws, the bird rose from a bed of ashes. The symbol of a Justice Guardian.

  Sabrina accepted the imported beer Nathan handed her. The beer tasted like cold, wet ashes. Ever since surviving Ambrosis’ attack, food and her favorite beverage held no appeal. She shivered again.

  Her grandfather swirled his scotch and soda. “Brie, we’re celebrating life, enjoy yourself. Liven up!”

  Martha kissed her cheek. “I’m so glad you’re with us, honey. It’s a miracle you’re here. How about running with us later?”

  “I don’t feel like shifting, Grandma,” she said. “The last time I did, my family died. They died despite the fact…”

  She didn’t finish, knowing her words would accuse the Phoenix standing next to her. The Gray Wolves looked troubled, as if she’d dropped a bomb into the middle of their merriment.

  Michael gently clasped her wrist. The contact was electrical, making her shiver with pleasure this time. He led her to the lee of a sturdy palm. Beyond the gently sloping beach, the sun descended into green Gulf waters. Pregnant with rain, purple clouds scudded across the distant horizon.

  “Brie, tell me what you want to know. I’ve only been waiting nearly a year for you to ask.”

  Silence draped the air between them. Finally, she summoned her courage.

  “You’ve saved thousands of lives. Why couldn’t you save my family?”

  He glanced away. “I tried, but Tristan locked me in a cell. I knew what would happen, but my mentor said I could not interfere with destiny.”

  She blinked away hot tears. “I thought you forgot about me.”

  The silver blazed in his blue eyes with fierce intensity. “Understand this. I’d never forget about you.”

  “I wish I had died that day. At least I’d have been with my family.”

  The beer bottle flew out of his hand as he hugged her in a grip that sucked away her breath. Michael set her back, his expression grim. “I sense your fear, Brie. What’s wrong?”

  “I had a hallucination yesterday about Ambrosis. This voice kept telling me I had to fight him like I had before or something horrible will happen. I feel like I’m losing my damn mind. It took everything I had to risk coming here, but I didn’t want to disappoint Nathan and Martha.”

  “Maybe it’s a warning.”

  Sabrina lifted her troubled gaze to his. “I can’t face Ambrosis again, Michael. He killed my whole family because I insisted on hunting through his territory.”

  “You didn’t know it was his territory,” he said gently. “Hellfire demons attack for the pure joy of killing innocents. You fought him with everything you had.”

  “And now I’m terrified of him. What if he kills someone else I love?”

  She glanced at Nathan and Martha. “All I have left are the Gray Wolves. They can’t fight back, they’re elderly and not strong enough.”

  Michael’s jaw tightened. Not a good sign.

  “You did lock Ambrosis away, right?”

  “The demon will only arise when I release him,” he agreed.

  “Good. I’d die if anything happened to my grandparents and I don’t have the strength to fight anymore.”

  “You have enormous inner strength, Brie.” He cupped her cheek. “I believe in you and I always will.”

  The contact between them felt sizzling and intense. Sabrina put her palm on his chest. Feeling the heavy muscles there, the silky hairs springy to her touch. She slid her fingers across his firm chin, the dimple clefting it, up to the soft texture of his lower lip.

  Tracing his mouth, she murmured, “You deserve someone to take care of you, Michael. Don’t you ever get tired of saving the world?”

  He quivered beneath her touch, studying her with hot intensity. As she reached up on tiptoes to kiss him, Michael stepped back. For a minute his eyes mirrored her own longing. Then they shuttered.

  “Don’t, Sabrina,” he said quietly. “We can’t do this.”

  Humiliated, she turned her head. Why couldn’t she ever stop reaching out for him? “Sorry to bother you,” she muttered.

  “Brie, you never bother me.”

  Two hands settled gently on her shoulders, turning her back to him. “I just don’t want to hurt you. I’d do anything to keep you from being hurt.”

  Kissing him and finding out he didn’t feel the same sexual attraction would hurt, she admitted. She’d already lost far too much. Emotional distance was necessary. He was an immortal who could break her heart. If only she’d found her destined mate, she’d have someone to help her regain her life.

  “I suppose I should go back to finding my destined mate. I’ve even slept with a few Draicon just to see if they were the one.” Sabrina intended her bold confession to serve as a jab for Michael’s rejection.

  She heard Michael let out a low hiss in response and then raised her chin.

  “I don’t sleep around. That’s not me. But sometimes I get so lonely….” Damn. She hated saying this, hated the thin, trembling tone of her voice.

  “You’re never alone, Sabrina.”

  His reassurance nearly broke her. She shoved the beer at him. “I’m going for a swim.”

  She felt his gaze burn through her sweater as she headed upstairs to change.

  Minutes later, she stood at the diving board. The tangerine bikini was old and she wished she’d bought a one-piece. Slashed across her belly was the angry pink scar left by Ambrosis when he’d tried to gut
her.

  Sabrina went to dive.

  The pool went dark red as it filled with blood.

  She pitched in headfirst. Coldness and death washed over her. Sabrina kicked upward, her eyes tightly shut. She broke the surface. Treading water, she opened her eyes.

  The bodies of her parents, brothers, sisters floated in the viscous liquid.

  A high scream tore from her throat. Then the images disappeared, replaced by children laughing and splashing in the clear blue water. Sabrina blinked.

  I’m going crazy.

  She flailed her arms again, saw Michael looking at her.

  Help me, she mouthed silently, before submerging into the depths.

  Chapter 3

  After surviving a vicious attack by a Hellfire demon, Sabrina was drowning in eight feet of water and struggled to break the surface for air.

  She felt strong arms grasp and haul her upward. And then surfaced with a series of violent coughs. Air sluiced through her lungs in biting gasps.

  Michael towed her to the edge, climbed out and hoisted her from the pool as if she weighed no more than cotton candy. Her grandparents hurried over.

  Sabrina couldn’t stop shaking. Michael held her, smoothing back her hair as Martha wrapped a towel around her. “Easy,” he murmured. “It’s okay now.”

  Nathan’s eyes went wide. When he saw she was all right, his shoulders sagged with obvious relief. “Honey, I thought I taught you better than that when I gave you swimming lessons. I hate the idea of losing you again…it kills me.”

  “The pool…I saw bodies. My family,” she whispered.

  Michael gave her a long, thoughtful look. “What do you remember about their deaths and your attack?”

  The familiar red haze fogged her brain. Cold seeped into bones. “I can’t remember!”

  He wrapped the towel tight around her. “Let’s get you warm.”

  Sabrina leaned against him as he guided her up the stairs. In her room, he turned on the shower and gestured her toward the bathroom. But when her knees sagged, he undressed her and gripped her shoulders gently.