Taken by the Alpha Wolf by Bonnie Vanak Page A

soft,
round breast.
    His future mate was naked.
    Gabriel stared, his eyes widening.
    “Whoa, okay, if that’s Metro Zoo, I’m
changing my zip code. Being locked up can’t be that bad,” he
said.
    “Stop looking at her.” Etienne ordered.
    Cindy glared at him. “Your gun is digging
into my side.”
    Mindful of the sidearm in his shoulder
holster, he eased off and stood so she could clothe herself. Cindy
got up, waved her hands.
    Nothing. Still naked.
    He took in an eyeful of slender legs that
stretched out like the Seven Mile Bridge in the Keys, and all that
silky skin. Blonde hair the color of corn silk swung down past her
shoulders. Her oval face was patrician and elegant, her carnation
pink lips full and lush.
    Etienne dragged in another breath, averting
his eyes. Now was not the time to think about sex. Nope, maybe
later, when they were safe and he could remember exactly how her
breast felt in his big palm, the nipple tight and peaked…
    He rubbed his chin. “Cyn? The clothes.”
    Something flickered in her gaze. She waved
her hands. In an eyeblink, Cindy was dressed in designer jeans, a
white blouse with a scalloped neck, expensive sandals, and a string
of elegant pearls around her slim neck.
    Blinking, he nodded at her neck. “Pearls? In
the swamp?”
    “This is what I always wear. It’s
easier.”
    “Let’s go.” He gently snagged her wrist.
    “What is this?” she protested. “Etienne,
what’s going on?”
    “It’s your wedding day, chere . I’m
taking you home with me to be mated.”
    Cindy’s blue eyes widened. “Is this a
proposal? Ever hear of the old-fashioned idea of popping the
question?”
    “No time.” He paused, hoping she’d believe
him. “Someone’s planning to abduct you. In the next two days.”
    Her mouth twisted. “Original. I’ll give you
that much. Let’s see… is it you?”
    “I’m intercepting.” He studied his charge.
“Your father’s gotten involved with some bad guys. The Diaz
brothers don’t like anyone sharing their sandbox.”
    Her gaze darted to Gabriel, who continued
surveying the grassy plain. “Your brother told you this?”
    Gabe had the power of mind-reading. Etienne
shook his head. “One of my men, correction, my former men, passed
along the intel.”
    Ensign Tyler Harris had gotten it from an
undercover FBI agent working on the case of the Diaz brothers. And
even though Etienne was officially Navy-free, Harris risked his own
hide and called Etienne. His former team were all tight.
    “My father’s been Liony Diaz’s attorney for
six years. All Liony cares about is his cancer foundation. What
could he want with me?”
    A cold fist punched his chest as he thought
of Harris’s report. What Diaz had done to the last female he’d
taken, her grayish face frozen in a scream…
    Lots, he thought, studying the lush contours
of her body. “You don’t want to know. Liony’s the front man for his
brother, Jorge, who operates a Columbian drug cartel. He launders
money and when someone gets in his way, he targets a family member
to launder as well.”
    “I can protect myself,” she said.
    He didn’t like the doubt shadowing her face,
the rapid way her pulse beat. “Can you?” he asked calmly. “Cyn, why
are you having trouble shifting?”
    No answer, just a guilty glance away.
    Frustrated, he glanced at his brothers. What
he wanted to say wasn’t meant for their ears. He concentrated on
her. Using the mind link unique to all Draicon destined mates, he
tried communicating with her telepathically.
    I need you, Cyn. I need you with me, at my side
because if you ended up like the last victim, I’d die. I’d fucking
die. Right now all I can think about is getting you to my home,
knowing you’re safe and then getting you naked. I’ve been patient
for a year, but hell, each time I’m near you, it takes all my
control not to touch you, taste you, claim you… I’m crazy about
you, chere. And it’s not just biology.
    But as he hit the send button