SelkiesSeduction (5 page)

Nikki’s eyes flew open, searching his face in panic. Binding
herself to him? Her lust-befuddled mind struggled to recall the question she’d
answered so blithely in the throes of passion.

She knew the myths of course. It was said that when a selkie
and her destined mate made love for the first time, a lifelong bond was formed,
making them inseparable for the remainder of their lives. A nice story, but
hardly borne out by reality. Despite the lovely fairytale, her parents’ bond
hadn’t been strong enough to keep them together. Nikki had been barely five
when her mother succumbed to the lure of the water and deserted her husband and
children without so much as a backward glance. The myth was just that, romantic
nonsense.

She’d merely been feeling a bit more needy than usual, and
she’d used Wolfe to satisfy herself. Surely, even if the myths were true, it
would take more than some words mumbled in the throes of passion to complete a
binding.

Quiet!
Wolfe tensed, one arm spread over Nikki’s hips
to hold her down while he studied the shadows surrounding the house. Someone or
something was moving up there.

He wasn’t ready to deal with her reaction to the binding
yet, so he welcomed the distraction. The wild look in her eyes at the mention
of bonding warned him that she wasn’t happy with him. Surely she’d known what
would happen if they mated? He needed to tread carefully until they could
discuss it, but not now. Something was definitely approaching the cabin.

There. Something’s moving.
He gestured to the left of
the house where moonlight reflected off a shiny object. As he studied the point
of light through the branches, another sliver of light glinted off to the
right. Winking in and out of view, it moved steadily in the direction of the
cabin.

Damn. They must have been here all the time, waiting for
us to settle before they made their move.
He absently stroked the smooth
skin in the hollow of her hip while he noted a third figure move into place
from the scrub brush uphill from the structure.

Nikki twisted out of his arms, leaving him feeling oddly
bereft and alone. She rolled onto her belly, giving her a better view of the
cabin.
These guys must be pros. They’re closing in from all sides. If we’d
stayed in the house, they’d have us trapped. How did they miss seeing us leave
the house?

The slight quaver in her tone betrayed the fear of exposure
that haunted her existence.

They were probably watching the Jeep. Who would have
anticipated us leaving on foot, this far from town? But it means they know you’re
in the area. They never left.

He slid a hand down to cup the delightful curve of her ass.
Good
thing you decided to seduce me, isn’t it?

Nikki glared up at him, her attention successfully diverted.
I needed to shift, to feel the water. I did not intend seduce you.

Wolfe allowed her to hear the laughter echoing through his
mind.
Maybe not, but you sure did a good job of it.

Nikki relaxed and a mischievous grin lit her features.
Yeah,
I did, didn’t I?

Wolfe lifted his hand and smacked her playfully on the butt,
then lowered his head to kiss the hurt away.
Vixen.

He glanced up at the ghostly figures slowly tightening in a
ring around the house.
I think we’d better get out of here before those guys
discover the cabin’s empty. They’re not going to be happy.

How are we supposed to manage that? Both your Jeep and my
car are up there.
Nikki nodded toward the cabin.
And we left the horse
in town.

Wolfe acknowledged her comment with an unconcerned shrug of
his shoulders. Standing, he held out a hand to help her to her feet before he
picked up her jeans and tossed them to her. He stooped to pull his own on.
We
hike. I have a hunting cabin up on Hunter’s Range. There’s no road into it, and
it’s not listed on any maps, so we should be safe for a bit while we figure out
what to do.

Nikki shivered as she shimmied into her jeans and reached
for the rest of her clothes.
This hiking through the bush to safely is
becoming quite the thing with you.
She tossed her head and ran her fingers
through her damp hair.
Good thing I didn’t run down here bare-assed naked
like I normally do.

Wolfe noted that she didn’t question his right to give her
orders, which was good because he didn’t intend to let anyone get their hands
on her. Keeping selkies safe had been the responsibility of the Druids for
centuries. Just how much did she know about her heritage?

Nikki slipped her shoes on and turned to catch him watching
her. She raised one eyebrow in inquiry.

Wolfe ignored the implied question. “Time to move.”

Nikki rose gracefully. “So what are we waiting for?” Her
grin faltered just a bit and he followed her gaze to the cabin, where a circle
of light could be seen slowly closing in on the small structure.

Taking her hand, Wolfe drew her away from the lake, heading
deeper into the woods where he felt at home. The creatures of the night were
silent, hiding from the disruption in their routine.

Wolfe squelched the urge to move faster. They needed to stay
away from the roads and main trails. The moonlight sent dappled shadows dancing
through the upper canopy of pines and made it harder to watch where they were
putting their feet. They didn’t need one of them to trip and hurt themselves.

“Watch out for low branches.” Wolfe reached out to snag one
just before it slapped her in the face. “We need to stay off the main trails
until we’re further away from the house. They may have posted sentries.”

He led the way, winding through the forest as if he was
strolling down a city road. When the trail widened out enough to allow them to
walk side by side, he captured her hand in his and they strolled along the
moonlit path as though they were sweethearts enjoying an evening outing.

“I get the feeling you weren’t all that surprised to find
those men at the lake this afternoon. Has anything like this happened before?”

Nikki shrugged her shoulders, not answering.

“Well?” He let his impatience show in the bite of his voice.
He couldn’t protect her if she didn’t tell him everything.

“No.” A hint of discomfort crossed her face. “I don’t know
who they are or how they found out about me, but I’ve always known it could
happen. I’m a selkie. Our race is on the verge of extinction, and it’s not
because of natural causes. People are afraid of differences. What they fear,
they destroy. I’ve never been hunted, but if someone has discovered my real
nature, I’ll have to go underground, change my name, everything that identifies
me. I’ve been so careful and I guess I thought no one would ever find out. It
was so easy to pretend that I’m normal.” Her voice wavered, and she dropped her
chin so he couldn’t see her expression. “Wonderful magical being I am, I’m sure
those men must have an agenda and it probably involves me getting hurt.”

Wolfe’s gut churned with a dark fury at the thought of
someone hunting Nikki, plotting to hurt her. His woman. “So this has happened
before?”

“Not to me, but I’ve heard stories. There are religious
sects that think anyone who isn’t one hundred percent human is an abomination
and needs to be destroyed. Then there are the scientists who would love to have
a specimen to dissect. And there’s always the lunatics with their own bizarre
agendas.”

Wolfe sensed the barely restrained panic in her voice and he
clasped her hand a little tighter.

She sighed and the sound ripped at his heart. “Some days I’d
give anything to just be human.”

The dejected slump of her shoulders spoke volumes. Wolfe
reached out to draw her close to his side, tucking her beneath his shoulder,
close to his heart.

She leaned into him. Just a little. Enough to cause a warm,
melting sensation, deep inside him.

* * * * *

“Come on, you can’t wimp out on me now. We’re almost there.”
Wolfe held out an impatient hand toward Nikki, who lay sprawled on the ground,
eyes closed in fatigue. They’d alternately walked and jogged through the woods
for hours, following narrow animal trails and avoiding any signs of
civilization. He could feel the exhaustion in every move she made, but he
needed her to hang in for just a little longer. If they pushed, they could make
it to the cabin before sunup.

Nikki stubbornly ignored his hand. “I can’t. I’m beat. I don’t
care if they find us, just let me rest.”

Wolfe crouched on his heels, his empathy for his mate
warring with his need to get her to safety.

Nikki’s chin jerked up and anger flashed in her eyes.

The corner of his mouth twitched with the beginnings of a
smile. He really had to remember to censor his thoughts around her.

“I am not your mate. I had sex with you, just sex, so you
can quit thinking like that. This isn’t the dark ages.” She rose to her feet
and glared up at him. “I told you I wasn’t looking for a partner.”

God, she looked cute stomping her feet in anger. He couldn’t
believe how much his life had changed in such a short time. Now he just had to
convince one pissed-off, magic-wielding shifter that she really wanted to happily
obey him and not kill him on the spot. It promised to be challenging, to say
the least.

“You’re a selkie.” He paused to organize his thoughts. They
needed to clarify their relationship for both their sakes.

Nikki’s eyebrows arched in disbelief. “I’m aware of that.
What’s your point?”

“I’m a Cosantoir.”

“A what?” Confusion furrowed her brow.

“A Cosantoir. We’re an ancient sect of Druids. We look after
the natural things of the earth. In turn, we’re able to harness the powers of
the natural world to help us to protect them, hence the name Cosantoir.”

“Sounds like a very noble calling.”

Wolfe winced as the icy sarcasm dripped from her voice.

“And you think being a Cosantoir somehow gives you the right
to just decide we’re a pair? To hell with what I want? Just because I’m not
quite human doesn’t mean I’m an animal you can own.”

“I don’t think you’re an animal.” She didn’t understand and
the hurt in her voice tore at his very soul. “I’m trying to explain the ritual
binding and I’m not doing a very good job.” He sighed. “I planned on waiting ‘til
we had more time, but maybe here, with the trees to guide me, is as good a
place as any.”

He folded his long length gracefully into a sitting position
and patted the ground beside him. “Come and sit. We need to straighten this
out.”

Nikki gave him a wary look and sank down onto the leaves
just out of reach. “I thought you were in a hurry to get to that cabin of
yours.”

He sighed again. She wasn’t going to like what he had to say.
Not at all.

“The men in my family have been Druids for hundreds of
generations. We belong to a sect known as the Cosantoirs. It’s the sacred duty
of the Cosantoirs to look after the earth. In order to do that, the Mother
Earth granted us powers not shared by other mortals. We have the ability to
harness natural powers, such as the four elements. We are all telepathic to
some degree.”

He paused and eyed her up to see how she took the next part.
“We also have the ability to bind our mates to us during our first joining.
Traditionally we ask if they are willing. The binding allows us to sense where
our mate is at all times and reinforces the private telepathic link between us.
We can communicate without anyone else being able to listen in. It enables us
to better protect them and our offspring.”

He could see Nikki tensing up and he hurried his conclusion.
“I asked you if you were sure you wanted to make love and you agreed. I thought
you knew what you were agreeing to. It never occurred to me that you didn’t
know about the consequences. You spoke your consent aloud with the heavens and
earth as witness. The physical act of intercourse sealed the binding. There’s
no going back. It’s done. We’re bound for all eternity.”

“The hell we are!” Nikki surged to her feet, slamming the
palms of both hands into his chest. “That’s not fair. I wasn’t paying attention
and you knew it. I didn’t intend to agree to anything but sex. I don’t want to
be bound to you or anyone else. Fix it. Now.”

Wolfe easily deflected her attack and captured both wrists,
holding her captive against his larger frame. He admired the way she glared up
at him, undaunted by his superior size and strength. She’d make a wonderful
mate.

He sighed. All he had to do was convince her that he was her
one true love and that she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

Not likely, you oversized idiot.
She blasted the
thought into his mind with the full force of her fury.
What part of “I don’t
want to be your mate” did you find hard to understand?

She punctuated the sentence with another glare from those
sexy green eyes.

The corner of Wolfe’s mouth twitched with amusement he dared
not show.
Methinks the lady doth protest too much.

Nikki wheeled around and stalked out of the clearing ahead
of him.

The lady is contemplating murder.

* * * * *

“That’s not a cabin.” Despite her exhaustion, Nikki stared
in awe at the structure intertwined with the massive oak tree. “It’s beautiful.
I’ve never seen a house built into a tree like that. It looks as if it belongs
here.”

The dwelling wove in amongst the sturdy branches of the
ancient tree. Patios and balconies skillfully balanced on outstretched limbs.
An aura of peace and tranquility permeated the clearing and the cheerful
chirping of birds and droning of insects formed a melodic background.

The selkie in her noticed the pond at the left edge of the
clearing. A cheerful waterfall splashed at one end and a small creek meandered
away from it. If she’d designed it herself, it couldn’t have been more perfect.

“Thank you.” Wolfe came up behind her and placed his hands
on her shoulders. “My grandfather owned a little over five hundred acres up
here and we built the house together, a bit at a time. The oak tree is sacred
to the Druids and to sleep in its arms is considered a privilege.” He gave her
a lopsided smile that lit up his sexy blue eyes. “It’s a whole lot easier to
sleep in a tree if you build a house in it first.”

Nikki eyed the tree house, unable to see any way to access
it. “So how do we get up there? Is your grandfather here?” Somehow, the
structure looked deserted, as if it were waiting for their arrival to come to
life.

“My grandfather passed away five years ago, but I’m sure his
spirit is still here, watching over his beloved forest. As for how we get up
there, we use the stairway.”

Nikki could hear the teasing note in his voice. She bet he
hoped she’d forgotten the binding thing. She hadn’t, but right now all she
wanted was a bed and maybe a shower. If he was under the delusion that she’d
bought into all that binding crap, well, that was his problem and they’d deal
with it later. After she got a good night’s sleep.