Dark Wolf (Spirit Wild)

3

Sebastian sipped an excellent champagne and paid just enough attention to the two gentlemen he was standing with to nod occasionally in the right places.

He wasn’t sure what he’d expected tonight. He hadn’t intended to be here by himself, but even though his father had chosen not to come, the evening had been . . . interesting. He’d actually been enjoying himself.

For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why.

Crowds and formal events had never been high on his list of things to do. He preferred the silence of the mountains, the ebb and flow of the ocean, even a hike in the foothills rather than a fancy event where the ultimate purpose seemed to be who had more, controlled more, or wanted more.

People had been pleasant enough, a bit curious when they realized he was Aldo Xenakis’s son, but he’d not run into any of the attitude he’d expected.

If anything, he’d been aware of a growing sense of expectation. It wasn’t just him. Those around him kept glancing toward the entrance to the room, as if awaiting royalty. He knew the honoree wasn’t expected to attend. Had he missed something? The mayor was already here. Was the governor coming?

He decided to relax and see what happened. Whoever was keeping everyone busy casting surreptitious glances toward the door would eventually arrive and the mystery would be solved.

A soft sigh spread across the huge room, as if everyone exhaled at once. Sebastian realized that he turned in absolute synchronization with every other person in the room.

Silence fell, and a few people pushed to get a better look. At times like this, he appreciated his above average height because it was a simple thing merely to peer over the heads of those between him and the entry.

There was a small cluster of people blocking the wide doorway into the ballroom, but they moved aside as if clearing way for royalty. Sebastian realized he’d lifted a bit to his toes in order to see who or what everyone was looking at.

The final person moved out of his line of vision.

Sebastian’s breath caught in his throat.

She was taller than average, as slim and graceful as any woodland creature, and yet when she turned and gazed in his direction, he sensed pure predator beneath the tawny waves that cascaded in wild disarray over her shoulders and curled around her slim hips.

Without a doubt, he’d never seen anyone as lovely or as mesmerizing in his entire life. The woman, smiling and greeting those who met her like subjects bowing to a queen, moved within an aura of light and color that jolted his psychic senses on a level never before touched.

He’d always seen auras—they were a normal part of his vision, and he rarely thought much of them. They were a part of the whole, just as important in his perception of each individual as the color of their hair or the shade of their eyes.

He’d never seen anyone like this woman. She moved in a shimmer of russet and gold, but the brilliance of her aura actually reflected in the physical plane, shimmering over her gown in a scarlet wave of light and life. So many shades of red, from the deepest bloodred to a shade bordering on orange.

She wore her will, her power, and her energy like a crimson cloak, radiating life and courage, and enough blatant sensuality that he felt the connection clear across the room.

His body reacted on a level totally separate from his brain, though he wondered how many other men in the room were suddenly as aroused as he was. He sensed a thread of desire drawing all of them closer, but he fought the pull. Fought the need that pulsed deep and steady on a level he’d never once experienced.

He planted his feet, even though they wanted to move. He felt his wolf rise and forced that creature back as well.

Who was she?

What was she?

He stared at her as she raised her eyes and glanced in his direction. Then she quickly turned away, and once again appeared to focus on the small crowd that pushed closer. He recognized the mayor and a few city officials, but they were nothing. No one of interest. Only the woman.

His heart thundered in his chest with the certainty that she was every bit as aware of him as he was of her. He pushed, sending a soft yet powerful mental command, calling her to him.

She fought him. Smiling, shaking hands, and sharing air kisses with one person after another, she slowly worked her way across the room. Her aura spiked, the red growing brighter, stronger, and he knew she drew on her own psychic power as she continued to ignore him.

Look at me. Now. Raise your head and look at me.

I think not. You’re much too pushy.

Stunned, Sebastian took a step backward. She’d heard him. Heard him and answered him telepathically. She’d not raised her head, not looked his way, but she’d still managed to put him in his place.

Damn. She was absolutely magnificent.

He started slowly across the room, working his way through the throng that continued moving in her direction, as if they merely needed a chance to be close, to touch her hand, to speak to her.

The same way he did. He might have felt like a fool, except she was so obviously enjoying herself, so entirely involved in the people pressing all around that he couldn’t deny the joy he felt in her pleasure.

It was as if she took the goodwill of those around her and sent it back tenfold. His father had charisma, but he couldn’t touch this young woman. She was charisma personified, a veritable magnet, drawing everyone to her. Who in the hell was she?

He turned to a matronly woman standing beside him. She, too, was trying to get close. “I don’t know who she is. That woman who just came in. Do you?”

She looked at him as if he’d just stepped out of a cave. “Why, that’s Lily Cheval. Her father is the one being honored tonight. He couldn’t be here, so Lily’s attending in his place.”

Lily Cheval. He should have known. “Thank you,” he said, but the woman had managed to move a few steps ahead and wasn’t paying him any attention at all. Her focus, hell, the focus of every person in the room, was entirely on Ms. Cheval.

Sebastian turned his head and studied her again. His father had lied. She wasn’t merely attractive, she was absolutely breathtaking, from her long, tawny curls to her caramel skin barely covered in some sort of fabric that flashed like dark fire.

With the crimson flame of her aura all around, she was a burning torch of pure sensual energy. The crowd had moved closer now, and Sebastian was no more than ten or twelve feet from her.

She raised her head, and he was drowning. Drowning in eyes of deepest amber, eyes so pure, yet filled with so many secrets, he didn’t care if he never found the surface again.

A sharp pain pierced his skull, a sense of intrusion, of foul air and darkness.

Sebastian blinked. Lily stared at him for a brief moment. Her aura spiked a brilliant lavender, then faded to a muddy brown. Her eyes went wide, and her hand went to her temple. Slowly, gracefully, she crumpled to the floor.

Someone screamed. A man called for calm. A woman was on her phone dialing 911. Sebastian shoved his way through the few people still separating him from Lily Cheval. He knelt beside her. Her aura was shifting color again, from gray and brown to a brilliant gold.

Someone or something watched over her. He wasn’t certain, but he placed his fingertips against her throat and felt for her pulse, then brushed her hair away from her face. It slipped like silk through his fingers, but she was breathing on her own and, other than being unconscious, seemed perfectly okay.

He used his mind. They’d communicated a moment ago. Would it work again?

Lily? Can you hear me?

Who are you? What did you do to me?

I didn’t do anything. My name is Sebastian. Sebastian Xenakis.

Why am I not surprised?

Now what did she mean by that? He gazed at her and realized anyone watching them would think he was merely staring at an unconscious woman. I was looking at you and then . . .

It felt as if you shot something into my head.

A sharp pain?

Exactly. What was it?

I don’t know, but I felt it, too. Can you sit up? People are staring. I’m afraid they’re beginning to wonder what’s going on. A slight shudder went through her. He wrapped his hand around her lax fingers.

I am so embarrassed. Do I have to?

Biting his lips to keep from grinning, Sebastian glanced up and realized one of the waitstaff was standing close by. “I think she’s coming ’round. Is there a quiet room somewhere?”

The man nodded. “Follow me. Are you sure it’s safe to move her?”

“Yes. She’s almost conscious. I’d like to get her somewhere private.” He slipped his hands beneath her slim body and lifted her easily. She was tall—almost six feet—but so slim she barely weighed anything. She felt fragile in his arms, but he knew differently. She was a wolf, and powerful muscles rippled beneath her skin.

Her dress was slick and slippery in his hands, and he clutched her tightly against his chest. Dropping her wouldn’t be the best move about now, but it was more about feeling her body close against his than actually keeping her safe.

Peripherally aware of the anxious undercurrents in the room, of the bright flashes from cameras and cell phones, he moved quickly through the crowd, but he didn’t feel Lily’s body relax until he’d slipped through the doors and out of the ballroom. As the big double doors closed behind them, Lily opened her eyes and winked at him.

Sebastian felt it all the way to his toes.

Holding her close, he followed the waiter down a short hallway and slipped through a door the man unlocked and held open to a private office. Along with the desk and bookcases, a leather couch stretched along one wall.

Sebastian nodded to the waiter. “Thank you. I’ll bring her out as soon as she feels up to it. I think we’ll be just a few minutes more, okay?”

The man sighed. “That’s good. I hope she’ll be okay. You’re sure we don’t need a paramedic? Shouldn’t she be awake by now if she merely fainted? We wouldn’t want her to miss this reception. Her parents have done an awful lot for the museum and the folks who work here. This is our chance to thank her family.”

“That’s good to hear.” Sebastian gave the man a gentle mental push.

The waiter frowned, glanced about him nervously, and then left the office.

“That wasn’t very nice.”

“Excuse me?” Sebastian glanced down at Lily. She was still lying in his arms, but her beautiful amber eyes were wide open and she was smiling.

She was even more beautiful up close, and her aura was back to that amazing red. So much power in her. And enough sensual energy to destroy whatever shreds of Sebastian’s control remained.

Somehow he found what scraps were left and helped her sit.

“Shoving that poor man out of here like that. That really wasn’t very nice of you, was it?”

How the hell had she known he was . . . well, shit. Obviously his mind was an open page to her. Now that was rather disconcerting. “It was only a little nudge.”

“You took away his free will.”

His eyes snapped to hers. When he saw the sparkle in their amber depths, the spikes of yellow in her crimson aura, he knew she was teasing him.

“I’ll grant you that, but it gave you the privacy to quit pretending to be unconscious. How long do you think you could have run with that, figuratively speaking, of course?” When she merely rolled her eyes at him, he sat back against the arm of the couch so he could study her. “What happened in there, anyway?”

She shook her head as she carefully rearranged her gown. “You tell me. I raised my head and caught you looking at me. The moment our gazes connected, it felt like you shot me through the brain with a laser.”

Shaking his head in denial, Sebastian practically stumbled over the words. “I felt something, but the power didn’t originate with me. I think someone used me as a conduit.”

Lily frowned. “Any idea who?”

“No. Do you?”

But he did, and he found himself wondering what his father’s other business tonight had been. How strong the man’s powers really were.

“No. But I will.” She stood up, brushed the short hem of her skirt down, and shoved the thick curls back from her face.

Sebastian stood and placed his hand lightly on her back, just above the draped fabric that hugged her perfectly rounded bottom. The moment he connected with her warm skin, he felt a slight frisson, a sensation as if energy flew over the surface, from her smooth back to his calloused fingers.

It was slightly unnerving.

It was horribly exciting.

He wanted more of the same.

“You’re sure you’re okay?”

She slowly turned her head and glanced over her shoulder. Her full lips curved in a wide smile. “Oh, yeah. C’mon. I’ll buy you a drink.”

He laughed and guided her toward the door. “The champagne’s included. You’re making me feel like a cheap date.”

She stopped in the doorway and touched the back of his hand with her fingertips. “I really do appreciate your getting me out of there. I’m sure my picture will be in all the tabloids tomorrow, and my father will have a fit, but it could have been much worse. Thank you.”

He grinned. “I understand fathers like that. Have one of my own.” Then he shrugged. “You don’t have to thank me, especially if whatever happened was my fault to begin with.”

She gazed at him, a slow, steady, painless yet thorough unpeeling of his soul. He fought the impulse to lower his eyes. Instead, he faced her directly.

“I don’t believe it was your fault.” She smiled, but she stepped away from him.

Sebastian shook his head. “I felt something, which means whatever attacked you probably used me.”

“If that’s the case, you’re as much a victim as I am.”

He hadn’t thought of it that way. The idea made him shudder inside.

“No matter,” she said, shrugging those perfect shoulders. “Still, I’d like to know what happened.”

Sebastian opened the door and then followed her out of the office. “So would I, Ms. Cheval. So would I.”


She’d never been so aware of a man in her life. Lily kept her spine straight and her pace steady as she walked ahead of Sebastian Xenakis, leading him back to the reception. Her head pounded in time with each step, and she knew her father was trying to reach her, but she couldn’t relax enough to let him in.

Not while Sebastian followed mere steps behind. His scent tickled her nostrils. She’d almost given herself away as he leaned over her when she went down. Had almost wrapped her fingers around his neck, pulled him closer, and kissed him.

She’d never felt so aroused—not with any man. Her skin prickled with the passage of air as she walked. Her breasts ached, and her nipples had tightened into sensitive peaks against the slick fabric of her gown.

She’d almost skipped wearing panties tonight, with the dress fabric so sheer and clinging so close, but she was thankful now for the tiny scrap of silk and lace she’d chosen. At least they absorbed the moisture of her arousal.

She’d never lost control this way. Lily Cheval epitomized control, even with sex.

Yeah, and if I repeat that a thousand times, I just might make myself believe it.

She really had to get herself together. Pausing just outside the door, she turned to Sebastian. “Do you mind going in ahead of me? I really don’t want to make an entrance that will draw even more attention, and if the two of us walk through that door . . .”

“I understand.” He smiled and her heart thudded even harder in her chest. That smile changed his looks from drop-dead gorgeous to absolutely devastating. “If anyone asks,” he said, “I’ll tell them you wanted to freshen up.”

She nodded. “Thank you. That’s exactly what I’ll do.”

She watched him walk away, mesmerized by the smooth flow of dark fabric over muscular thighs, the way his tuxedo jacket curved over his slim butt.

He was beyond beautiful, and it felt as if she’d gone without for far too long. He went into the ballroom while Lily turned away and found a quiet corner. She needed to connect with her father. He would have sensed whatever it was that knocked her flat. It might have felt intrusive, except she knew he would always worry about her.

She was, after all, his favorite. I’m okay, Dad, but you’re giving me a headache.

I’m sorry, but I’ve been worried sick. Are you all right? What happened?

I was hoping you could tell me. What did you notice?

You disappeared from my thoughts. I can feel when you block me, and it reassures me of your presence. I could not feel you at all. Do you have any idea what . . . ?

Not really. I’d just arrived at the reception, felt a sharp pain in my head, and the next thing I knew, I was on the floor.

Are you okay?

I’m fine. A very kind man helped me to a quiet office. I’m ready to go back to the reception.

Do you have any idea what caused it?

She did, but Lily wasn’t ready to discuss her suspicions. And she definitely didn’t want to talk about Sebastian Xenakis. Not until she’d spent more time with him, had a better chance to see what he was really like.

There was something about him. Something not entirely human, but she needed to know more. Wanted to know more.

Not yet. I’ll let you know as soon as I have some ideas. Now let me do the job you sent me to do, all right?

She heard his soft chuckle. Then there was only silence.

Miraculously, her headache was gone.

Though she’d lived with the amazing link to her father since before her birth, Lily had never questioned it. She’d learned to block him at an early age, but she really didn’t mind the link. He’d never obsessively interfered with her life, and he’d been a powerful source of strength as she’d grown and matured.

When they were physically closer, his contact never made her head hurt. Something about throwing his thoughts all the way from Montana to San Francisco and having them bounce off her natural shields appeared to cause the pain.

It was better than being totally open with him, and he really did respect her privacy. She only shared what she wanted, and she’d learned to hide things from him. There were some things no daughter wanted to share with her father.

The surging arousal she felt for Sebastian Xenakis most definitely made him one of those things.

Smoothing her dress over her thighs, Lily went back to the ballroom.

Every eye in the room seemed to focus on her. Conversations halted. Smiling, she simply held her hands out in a helpless gesture. “I’m fine,” she said, speaking to the room at large. “I’ve had a busy day and must have skipped one too many meals. Please, enjoy yourselves. I’m going to attack the hors d’oeuvres.”

She walked toward the long buffet table, but Sebastian was there ahead of her, filling a plate with a selection of meats and chilled sushi rolls. He held it out to her.

Lily took it from him. “Thank you. How did you know?”

He glanced at the items he’d chosen. “I figured any wolf worth her salt would prefer rare beef and raw fish over broccoli and tomatoes.”

Lily had no control over her laughter. “You figured right,” she said. She took a small slice of crisp sourdough topped with rare tenderloin and nipped the meat neatly off the piece of bread. “Delicious.”

Sebastian’s eyes practically glowed. Such an unusual shade of blue—deep teal like the purest tropical lagoon. He focused them on her until she thought she might drown in those blue-green depths.

“Open.”

Lily blinked and opened her mouth, like a baby bird waiting to be fed. He slipped a bite of raw salmon between her lips. She bit down on the clean, fresh taste of the fish, barely aware that she actually chewed.

Her entire focus was on Sebastian. Never had a man filled her senses the way he filled them now. His hair was crisp and dark, almost black, with a noticeable widow’s peak. He wore a neatly trimmed beard that perfectly framed a mouth she wanted to savor. His skin was tan—not as dark as hers, but definitely not the pale shade of a man who spent his days indoors.

No, Sebastian Xenakis was a creature of nature. She sensed that in him. Sensed his wildness, his love of freedom, his strength.

And something more. Something she’d not expected.

She sensed his magic. It was as much a part of him as Lily’s was of her. He was magic. He wore it like a second skin, the inborn magic of a true wizard.

Unlike her father’s magic, or her own, though, Sebastian’s carried a darker edge. A sense of night, of starlit skies, and deep, dark, caverns. It wasn’t unpleasant, just different.

Very, very different.

Not like his father’s, either. When she shook Aldo Xenakis’s hand at the restaurant on Monday, she’d felt his dark magic like a layer of slime over his skin. It repelled her, a force both ugly and unclean and more than a little bit dangerous.

There was nothing at all repellant about Sebastian. He carried that same sense of danger, of darkness—but not.

Why was his different?

Why was he so different?

And why, she wondered, did it matter to her so much?


There was no way to avoid the obvious. Lily Cheval fascinated him every bit as much as she aroused him. Sebastian couldn’t take his eyes off her. When she stood at the podium and thanked the organizers for the event, he felt as if she spoke directly to him. When she talked about the link between the art museum and the community and the importance of the preservation of works both great and small, he was ready to pull out his wallet.

It was obvious that Lily Cheval was beloved by the people here, every bit as much as her absent father. The Chevals had become strong pillars of this dynamic city, supporters of important causes, and popular for their altruism and good works.

He couldn’t help but draw a comparison to his own father, one that was so embarrassingly lacking that he quickly shut down that line of thought.

At the moment, Lily was speaking to a group of women who’d cornered her near the podium. Sebastian watched her, wondering if she would search him out when the conversation ended as she’d done a couple of times this evening.

Already he felt a sense of ownership. She wasn’t his. He barely knew her, and yet he felt as if he’d known her all his life. Felt a connection that had no explanation, but knew it was one he wanted time to explore.

She broke away from the group with smiles and a few soft-spoken comments. Then she was there, beside him, looking up with those beautiful amber eyes, and once again he was lost.

Lost, and loving every second of the mystery.

“It’s been a long day, Sebastian. I’m ready to leave, but I wanted to thank you for your rescue.”

“You’re going home?” He hadn’t thought of the evening ending. Had somehow pictured himself leaving with her, but one didn’t barge in on the life of a princess, and Lily Cheval was the closest he’d ever come to royalty.

She shrugged and glanced to both sides. “Actually, I’m headed across the bridge to Mount Tam. I really need to run tonight.”

“Would you care for company?” He took her empty glass from her hand and set it on the table beside him.

She smiled. “I wish, but I plan to shift. My wolf hasn’t had nearly enough freedom this week.”

“That works for me.” There, he thought. Let’s see what she makes of that.

Lily frowned. “Are you Chanku? I don’t sense it in you.”

He shook his head. “Not Chanku, but I have other skills. I’ve mastered a trick or two.”

Her eyes went wide for a moment. “I see.” Narrowed, as if she judged him more carefully than she had earlier. “Then yes. I would love to have company. Please. Will you join me?”

His heart thundered in his chest, but he merely nodded. “Did you bring a car?”

She shook her head. “No. I came in the company limo. We can take that, or . . .”

“I brought my car. Do you have a wrap?”

She nodded, and he wondered if she regretted accepting his invitation. They waited while one of the staff retrieved a dark, glistening shawl that wrapped her in russet and gold fire.

Her aura spiked. The reds were back. Darker, deeper, flashing true crimson, more brilliant than before. Did she have any idea how openly she broadcast her own arousal?

Then he wondered if she saw auras as well. If she knew he was hanging on to polite behavior by a thread.

He touched her back lightly with his fingers, guiding her toward the door. More than a few noted the fact they left together, and he wondered how long it would be before his father got word.

Wondered if he already knew.

They waited in front of the museum while the valet retrieved his vehicle from the large lot. Lily dismissed her car and driver, but her thoughts were hidden behind strong shields. Sebastian wondered what Lily was thinking, why the easy communication between them had ended so suddenly.

He opened her door, and she climbed in, every move graceful and composed. Had she been born with grace or did she have to learn it? Had she always known her place in the world or, like him, had she ever wondered where she belonged?

No. Not Lily. She knew who she was. Why she was.

He tipped the valet, got behind the wheel, and headed north toward the Golden Gate Bridge. They traveled in silence through light traffic. This late at night, the bridge was almost empty of vehicles. A gibbous moon, almost full, cast a soft glow across the water flowing beneath the bridge on the incoming tide.

Mount Tamalpais was a dark shadow against a glimmering sky when Sebastian pulled into the lot overlooking the Golden Gate. He shut off the engine and glanced toward Lily. She studied him with eyes gone dark in the night.

“Do you shift magically?”

He nodded. “I do. I’m still learning. At home, in Montana, I pull energy from an ancient oak. Sometimes I think the damned oak is sentient, it has such rich power. I’m hoping I can do it here without my favorite tree.” Chuckling softly, he added, “I’ve got this terrible fear I’ll be left standing in the dark, bare assed and buck naked, unable to shift.”

She laughed and grabbed his hand. Squeezed it like an old friend. “That would totally ruin your image, wouldn’t it? C’mon. I’ve had enough of fancy clothes and high heels. Let’s hunt.”

The parking lot was empty when they both got out of the car. He’d parked toward the back of the lot, in shadows cast by a windblown cypress. This was nothing like the tree he called on at home, but he sensed a similar power in the tree, in the air, in the mountain behind him.

It would have to do. Turning his back to give Lily privacy, he quickly shed his jacket, tie, and shirt. Kicked off his shoes and stripped out of his pants. Almost laughed as he realized this was one of the oddest first dates he’d ever been on.

Then he sobered, as he thought of what lay ahead. Fear of failing lay like a lump of stone in his chest. He hoped like hell he’d be able to shift. Hoped Lily wouldn’t stand witness to an embarrassing failure.

His father’s critical words filled his head, the man’s absolute inability to accept his son’s occasional mistakes. Then Sebastian forced his mind in more pleasant directions. He thought of the evening ahead, of the chance to run beside the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

He wondered if her wolf was as beautiful as the woman. His heartbeat thundered in his ears as his body tightened, giving him yet another thing to worry about.

He hoped like hell Lily wouldn’t turn and look, wouldn’t see how painfully aroused he was, because then she’d know.

How very much he wanted her. And how fragile was his control, hanging by little more than a tiny thread of humanity.