Gabriel had done much worse, and he knew it. He didn’t expect to fair as well as Raoul.
He expected to die.
A dead calm settled over him. No matter their decision, he would not allow harm to come to Jessica. They’d taken her father. They would not take her too.
Regret left a bitter taste in his mouth, vanquishing the lingering sweetness of her kiss. He’d wanted so much more, and he had no right to those desires. No right to her....
Gabriel angrily thrust the thought to the corners of his mind, preparing himself for judgment. To help her, he must remain clear, focused. He could not allow thoughts of her to distract him in an already deadly contest. One false move could prove instant death ... no chance for survival.
Yet still, she entered his thoughts. He knew little enough of her, but even his limited contact had him distracted to the point where he thought of nothing else. He resolved to destroy those urges. He couldn’t have her, but neither would anyone else. He would see to it.
He looked up at the sky a brief moment, feeling the energy of the moon course through him. The moon shone down clearly, gilding his muscles with silver, days from ripeness. Had the moon been full dark, he would still have known he was not alone. Gabriel needed no light to see his brethren move from the shadows and into the circular clearing, ringing him until there was no opening for retreat.
Low, feral growls carried on the air, angry rumbles of dissension. His beast tensed at their challenging voices. The air vibrated with their energy, moving like chain lightning through the crowd. His beast answered their challenge, eager to face them, unmindful of the odds. His brain clouded as his beast threatened to take control. It stretched inside, uncurling through his limbs, making his muscles jump with power and barely checked violence.
It seduced, promised the euphoria only animalistic existence could provide ... the high of the fight, the rush of wolfen speed ... the taste of kill.
Gabriel closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, his hands clenched tightly. The lure was as seductive as a woman, stronger, in a way that insanity beat the sane.
With effort, he fought it back, until he was panting for breath. He opened his eyes and faced his pack as he would an enemy. What he saw confirmed what he’d already suspected. A shudder of remorse surged through him.
They were all naked. Ready to shift.
Ready to kill.
He knew it with absolute certainty.
More than anything, that fact brought home how serious his situation was--as if he could have ever been in doubt. And still, he did not regret finding Jessica, nor staking his claim to her. He regretted not warning her away from New Orleans, for not fighting her stubborn streak and getting her out of the city while she was still safe. The warding medallion would never hold now. It was a miracle the power had lasted as long as it had. Without it, she would be in danger wherever she went ... any place that neared a Lycan stronghold. She might not ever be safe again. She needed a mate able to fight for her, able to secure their place in the world. Perhaps an army would not even be enough....
He told himself he could have made her go, even though it was foolish to think she would have believed anything he said.
The menace of the pack quieted as their leader came forth, moving with stealth through the parted bodies and into the clearing.
Gabriel faced him, shielding the anger from his eyes, tamping down his sudden, fierce urge to shift. Gabriel did not speak. Instead, he waited to hear what the charges were. They were not animals--not yet.
Deron, pack leader, had forced them to retain some measure of humanity in the pack structure. He’d ruled them for over two decades, taken control when it looked as though the vamps would wipe out their race entirely in these parts. They’d been easy prey then, solitary. Deron had forged them into a group. Now Gabriel wondered how far Deron’s humanity extended. Ideally, Gabriel would be allowed to face his accusers and deny their accusations, and would be granted a fair trial by his peers.
He nearly sneered at that thought.
They were eager for blood, anyone’s blood--especially one who’d found someone precious and rare ... and dared to deny them equal chance to pursue it for themselves.
The hunt for women able to survive Lycan mating was fierce, and usually deadly for the female. He’d heard of some Lycan communities to actually hunt their females in a competitions of sorts, where only the fastest and strongest won and the weak perished.
Deron raised his arms, quieting the angry murmurs around them before he began to speak. “Gabriel Benoit, you stand before the pack charged with attacking fellow pack members John, Michael, and Cruz, and for claiming a female without fair contest. How do you plead?”
“I am no’ guilty for attackin’ John, Michael, and Cruz. For claimin’ the female, I am.”
The pack roared with disbelief, deafening him with angry howls and shouts. A wind rose, ruffling his hair, seeming to echo their fury.
“Silence!” Deron yelled above them. The noise reluctantly died down. “Explain yourself, Gabriel.”
“I found d’female held down by the three members. Her legs were spread, and Cruz knelt between dem, his cock hard and ready. They were going to rape her.”
Cruz spoke up from his right with a nasty growl, “She’s in heat. The pretty cunt begged for what I had to give her. She didn’t want you--”
“Enough, Cruz,” Deron said quietly, cutting Cruz off as effectively as if he’d slapped him. He turned his attention back to Gabriel. “The attack was only in the woman’s defense?”
Gabriel nodded, feeling his tension abate somewhat. Perhaps he would be given fair treatment. “She will attest to that fact if questioned.”
Deron studied him several minutes before finally nodding. “This satisfies.”
The crowd rumbled, but Deron cut them off with a fierce frown. “Do any here challenge my decision?”
No one spoke. “Very well then, my decision on the attack stands. Now, Gabriel, what have you to say to the second charge of taking the female without consent?”
Gabriel met his gaze steadily. “I am guilty. But I will no’ allow her to be taken from me. I issue a challenge here and now, to be settled tonight.” Gabriel straightened his fingers. Claws sprang from his fingertips like ivory knives, dull in the moonlight. “I will fight anyone here who thinks t’claim what is mine,” he said, his accent fading with deadly soft menace.
“In his form, the challenge stands. No shifting. Let it begin,” Deron announced and stepped back from the clearing to watch the games.
No challenge such as this had been issued in decades. The pack rumbled with excitement, the air charged with anticipation.
Gabriel stripped his jeans off and flung them away, out of the clearing lest they trip him in the heat of battle. He waited for the first challenger, his beast rolling inside with expectation of tasting blood this night.
He gave in to it, the swelling power, the quickening of his blood. It roared in his ears like a tempest. Strength bled into his pores, stretched through his every fiber in preparation for the fight. Some called the change the madness, for it was like that, animal instinct blotting out the human half’s rational mind. Even partial shifting was dangerous. He felt it now, felt the call of the moon and the wolf inside burning to be unleashed.
His senses heightened ... smell, sight, hearing. The soft sound of crushed grass drew his attention to the right. He shifted his gaze and watched as the bodies of his brethren parted.
From the shadows, Nardo stepped out. He looked bigger without his clothes, obscenely muscled. Naked as Gabriel, he rolled his neck and shoulders, stretching in a confident move as he strode cockily to the center of the ring.