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  “Tiamhaidh is the most honest shape shifter I know,” Gavin confirmed. “He’ll help if he can.”

  “That’s good, but I still don’t understand how they pulled off the kidnapping if you all share your awareness with the whole pack. They’ll know your plans in advance! You can’t possibly succeed! They’ll stop this Tiamhaidh before you even get close to them!”

  “Calm down. I know this is difficult to understand. I thought I explained it already but I'll try again,” Gavin spoke slowly as if to a small child.

  “Gunward and Adam were on their way to the island of Senja in Norway, to ask the elders to free Sofia from her union with Gunward, when you left Sofia. She called Gunward and he had no choice except to make Adam come with him and come here. He only sent a quick call to us and we set off at once to come to Sofia’s aid. The rest of the pack believed Gunward was on his way north and would be too far to rescue Marie even if he knew of the abduction. When Gunward reached Sofia, he shut the rest of the pack off his awareness and focused entirely on Sofia. Doing so he also shut out those of us who were in the vicinity of the awareness of the rest of the pack, and joined us with himself and Sofia.”

  “Is that even possible? Sounds pretty unlikely to me,” David scoffed.

  The shape shifters passed frustrated glances between them. There was no time for explanations right now. If Marie had to be found before nightfall, they needed to hurry.

  “Trust me on this,” Daniel said quickly.

  “If the rest of the pack knew Gunward at all, they’d know nothing could keep him from Sofia’s side when you aren’t there. Especially considering that Sofia herself called him. This kind of stupidity might be excused if they were only cubs, but as things stand this is inexplicable. They should have mapped out the situation better before setting out. Gunward’s rage will be terrible when we find them.”

  “If you find them,” David added doubtfully.

  The other men merely gave David a long look and finally he had to give in. What other choice did he have? None.

  Adam and Gunward were already halfway out when Daniel and Gavin joined them, leaving David standing alone in the entryway. David could only stare at the other men’s backs as they disappeared into the forest that was lit by the morning sun. Only when he could no longer see the men did he turn and head to the bedroom. He knew that the only way to help was to rest and to support Sofia. David stripped off his jeans and T-shirt and slipped into bed next to Sofia. He looked at his wife and drew her into his arms. A few hours of rest, he thought and closed his eyes.

  CHAPTER 15

  Tiamhaidh stared at the girl huddling in the corner. The second he had laid eyes on her, he had known he would be forever bound to her. She was not meant for him, but he did not care. He leaned against the wall, apparently at ease, but communicated to the other males that the girl was his. The others were bickering silently and throwing angry glares at Tiamhaidh. Fools, he thought. Adam and Gunward would be raging mad when they heard about the kidnapping. They would rip those young idiots to shreds if they so much as laid a finger on the girl. Therefore he had to interfere and protect the girl.

  Liar, a voice whispered in his mind. The moment he had seen the girl he had awoken from a deep sleep and the coldness inside him had vanished. For all his life, all the lonely years, he had been waiting for that moment. Everything he had accomplished in his life lost meaning. His only reason for existence was to find this girl and now here she was. Lying on the floor, her clothes dirty, her hair tangled, and her face streaked with tracks of tears. She’ll be sure to love you. Idiot, Tiamhaidh grunted to himself. He couldn’t stop glancing covertly at the girl. She had gotten a bloodied bruise on her forehead when Matt had thrown her roughly into the car. In spite of being clearly frightened, the girl was nonetheless capable of flinging murderous glares at Tiamhaidh and holding her head up with dignity. Tiamhaidh's thoughts returned to his own childhood.

  He remembered his fear and terror when his parents had abandoned him. He had been a mere cub of six months when he had realized he was a shape shifter. His parents were young shape shifters with very limited gifts, who had survived the wolf persecutions of the early 20th century by constantly changing shape, mainly between the common dog and cat. When Tiamhaidh had been born towards the end of the 1970s and found himself to be a considerably more skilled shape shifter than his parents, he had been ecstatic. His parents, however, had not been thrilled when he had demonstrated his skills; they had been terrified and decided to banish him from the pack.

  The miserable young wolf cub had been forced all too early to rely on himself, and for years he had prowled in the vicinity of villages, begging the local dogs for livelihood, afraid to show his skills to anyone and avoiding other wolves. Too many years had passed before an older wolf had encountered him and taken him under wing. Tiamhaidh had been a very skilled fighter by then, but it was with the guidance of the older wolf that he became almost invincible. The older wolf also taught him that changing shape was a gift, not a curse, and that it was a privilege, not a shame, to be born as a shape shifter. Regardless of this, Tiamhaidh had not learned to trust other wolves and had not wished to seek their company. After the old wolf’s death Tiamhaidh had settled down near Senja and the elders, but made it clear from the beginning that he wanted nothing to do with the other shape shifters. He spent his days practicing different martial arts in human form and his nights roaming the fells as a wolf. All the other wolves called him The Hermit Wolf and not even a young female wolf, let alone a human woman, dared approach the big handsome male without permission.

  A few years ago Tiamhaidh had encountered Gunward on a nocturnal excursion. Initially suspicious, Tiamhaidh had circled wide around the other male, but eventually curiosity had won and he had cautiously approached Gunward. Gunward greeted him politely and then turned his back and loped farther away. The same thing occurred from time to time when the males met at night, and finally Tiamhaidh had gone straight up to Gunward and stared challengingly into his eyes. Gunward had returned the stare and, with laughter in his gleaming eyes, ran diagonally up the side of a fell. Tiamhaidh had let out a disappointed yowl, but when he noticed the other wolf had stopped to wait for him, he forgot all his reservations and ran after Gunward. The two males hunted together and gradually something akin to friendship had formed between them. Gunward respected Tiamhaidh's privacy and had never approached him, always allowing Tiamhaidh to make the first move. Only when Gunward had gotten the news that Sofia had been discovered had he called for Tiamhaidh, and Tiamhaidh had decided to try life with the pack.

  Here he was. Amid chaos. Six idiot shape shifters had decided to accomplish an insane kidnapping mission and somehow, not wanting any part of it, he had found himself in the thick of it all. How in the world would he be able to convince Gunward that he had no part in this, and what on Earth did the others think they could possibly achieve by this? Sofia belonged to Gunward, never mind how far he might be from the woman. No one could challenge Gunward, except possibly himself, and he felt no need to fight over a woman who had no wish to be his. An accusatory voice in his head laughed. For this girl he would have to fight. Was he ready to do it? It would change everything. Yes, he believed himself ready, for he had never experienced anything like this. What if she doesn’t want you? the voice in his head whispered. Not even your own pack wanted you. Tiamhaidh's eyes narrowed into gleaming slits and his hands clenched into fists. Would he be prepared to leave the girl alone if she wished it?

  “Hello,” a quiet voice whispered.

  Tiamhaidh quickly glanced at the girl. Had she said something out loud?

  Large, moss-green eyes looked at him from beneath long, black lashes. The lashes were wet with tears and the eyes still somewhat foggy, but Tiamhaidh had never seen such beautiful eyes. He stared at the girl like a madman.

  “Could I have a glass of water and my medication?” the girl asked timidly.

  Medication! The girl was ill. Some kind of a difficult i
llness that could only be kept at bay by drugs, Tiamhaidh dimly recalled. Had any of those idiots remembered to take the girl’s medication along?

  “Matt,” Tiamhaidh snapped. No one moved.

  “Mathanan!”

  A dark-haired, burly male slowly turned around.

  “Did you take the girl’s medication with you?” Tiamhaidh asked calmly.

  “There was no time to take anything except the girl herself. Her drugs are no doubt in her school bag,” Matt said negligently.

  Tiamhaidh dashed to the chair where the girl’s backpack was, grabbed the pack, and emptied it on the floor. Some school books and a pencilcase hit the floor noisily, but no matter how much Tiamhaidh shook the pack, nothing else fell out.

  “The pack is empty, you damned fool! The girl must have her medication,” Tiamhaidh shouted.

  “Come on, stop making such a racket. Simon can go get some drugs from the pharmacy.”

  “Mathanan, listen carefully. These drugs aren’t available at the pharmacy and without them the girl will die. What do you think Gunward will do to you if she isn’t all right when they come? And you can be sure they’ll come soon. Sofia will have howled the heads off Gun and Adam by now,” Tiamhaidh growled menacingly.

  “It’s a long way to the elders, Tiamhaidh. It’ll be at least a week before they get here,” Mathanan laughed.

  Tiamhaidh straightened in a flash and before Matt knew it he had been lifted up against the wall, held in an iron grip. Tiamhaidh's bright blue eyes glared at Matt.

  “A week! Mathanan! Are you mad? After a week you’ll only have the girl’s corpse in your hands! Get those drugs at once!” Tiamhaidh shook Matt violently.

  “Tiamhaidh! Understood,” Matt choked out.

  “Simon, take Ciall with you and go get those blasted medicines. Bring all the drugs you find and take care not to blow this one!” Matt commanded.

  Tiamhaidh let go of Matt, and Matt slumped to the floor. He threw Tiamhaidh an irate glance and tried to recover at least a part of his lost authority. Matt's throat was badly reddened and he rubbed it with one hand. The others had the sense to stay out of the situation, as Matt's furious expression let it be known that someone was going to feel his anger keenly.

  Ciall, the youngest of the males, got up with reluctance but dared not challenge Matt. All the males were reluctant to enter Sofia’s house, for even though the elders had often stressed the importance and uniqueness of this female, they had also warned them that Sofia was one of the most dangerous shape shifters. No one knew exactly what she was capable of; probably even she herself did not know. Besides Sofia, there were only a few shape shifters who could influence the thoughts of others and prevent others from exploring their minds. In addition to that, Sofia was capable of manipulating others to do anything she wanted, and she could also share another’s mind while she was in a certain shape. Taking a new shape posed no difficulty whatsoever to her and she could shift from one shape to another within seconds. The elders had scared the other shape shifters so thoroughly with stories of Sofia's skills that the mere thought of facing Sofia terrified them. And yet they had dared kidnap Sofia's child. They must have been out of their heads, to have agreed to Matt's foolhardy plan. There were other things, too, but even the elders were unwilling to discuss Sofia’s skills. However, fear of Gunward and Adam’s rage sufficed to make the youngsters follow Matt's instructions without grumbling and they left without delay to fetch the medicines from the home of David's parents. Tiamhaidh dropped Matt to the floor and attempted a friendly smile at the girl.

  “Thank you,” the girl whispered.

  Tiamhaidh looked thoughtfully at the girl. There was nothing special about her. Nothing to differentiate her from all the women and girls who had offered themselves to him over the years. Nothing, and yet everything. Tiamhaidh felt peace descend upon him. For decades he had honed his skills to make himself a dangerous predator. He had learned numerous martial arts, spent years in the shapes of the best predators, sought peace for his soul which urged him to continue his search, to always strive to be better than others. And now he had finally found the purpose of his life. Effortlessly, Tiamhaidh moved closer to the girl and touched her chin. He stroked the curve of her chin, the beautifully shaped neck. His ice-blue eyes looked over the girl with wonder.

  Marie regarded the stranger with bafflement. A young man, better-looking than any of the boys she knew. This was a man, though, no longer a boy, and clearly older than herself. Probably twenty at least, she thought. Dark, short hair, dark stubble. He looked like he’d just got out of bed. Marie’s thoughts took a new direction and suddenly she blushed bright red. The man smiled a lopsided smile. As if he’d known exactly what Marie was thinking. His eyes are absolutely blindingly gorgeous, she thought and sighed softly. She tried to look sternly into his eyes, but couldn’t help nervously licking her lips. He drew a sharp breath and let go of her. Marie was now able to observe him more closely. He was tall but not too tall, about 180 centimeters or perhaps a little over. He was strongly muscular and dark tattoos encircled his arms, disappearing underneath his sleeves. His entire body was superbly trained, down to each individual muscle, and Marie found herself wondering what other tattoos his clothing might conceal. He moved with effortless ease. Everything about his movements spoke of body control. Each move he made happened so effortlessly that looking at him, one hardly noticed before he had moved to another spot. Everything the man did indicated complete control of his body. Still, Marie was quite certain that she was making the man nervous. She boldly lifted her gaze back to the man’s face and licked her lips. His eyes darkened and each muscle seemed to tighten. Marie held her breath. The other males had assembled behind the man, cautiously, confused. They had never seen Tiamhaidh behave like this. Tiamhaidh was always dangerously collected. Never, not once in his life had anything made him this nervous. Even though the other males had known Tiamhaidh only for a short while, they had heard disconcerting stories about his skills, one of which was to remain coldly calm even in deadly situations and come out of those the victor. A low growl rose from the throats of the males. Matt sidled closer to the girl and kicked her foot. Tiamhaidh yelped and threw him aside like a rag doll. Not for a moment did he tear his eyes off the girl.

  Tiamhaidh’s fists were clenched tightly as he stared at the girl, desperation in his eyes. Only now did he understand what a lie he had been living all his life. If he did not get this girl, he would never find peace for his soul. It would not matter what shape he lived in, for without Marie he would only be an empty shell. A shadow of the man he ought to be.

  Marie got up slowly. She thought she must be mad to even think of toying with this man. The other men around her frightened her and they emanated uncontrollable violence, but this dark man was different. Marie knew he wouldn’t harm her. She closed her eyes, wishing all this was only a dream. Still, she knew that this man’s image would follow her for the rest of her life. What did this all mean? Only yesterday she’d been a young girl, almost a child, but now she felt like a woman. A woman, who had a strange power over this man. Tiamhaidh, Marie thought and opened her eyes. His blue eyes were still locked on her face. The men had moved closer and Marie felt her back touch the wall. A few more centimeters and she wouldn’t be able to move. She gulped. If she lifted her hand now, she could touch the dark man. She could barely breathe. She heard the low growl of the other men, but none of them rose to challenge Tiamhaidh again.

  None of them dared, Marie realized. He lifted his hand as if about to touch her, but swiftly lowered it again. Marie still stared at him. She took a step closer. He didn’t back off even though they were now close enough for her to feel the warmth emanating from his body and his breath on her face. This is unbelievable, Marie thought. She lifted her hand to his cheek and he moaned softly. Strange thoughts filled her mind and she saw herself and this man together. She felt herself move north to the fells and the sensation was so real that she could have sworn she felt the cold wind in
her hair and the fresh fragrance of the forest. She saw herself and a dark brown wolf next to her, and knew she had finally come home. Marie’s eyes were locked with the man’s eyes and carefully, as if afraid everything would shatter, she lowered her hand off his face. Tiamhaidh quickly seized both her hands. Marie breathed sharply. It felt as if life were flowing into her. As if she’d slept throughout her earlier life and only now come into life, and the strangest thing was, that she knew he felt the same. The other men backed slowly away from the room, leaving the two of them alone together.

  CHAPTER 16

  What does this mean? Marie wondered, and at once her mind received an answer which clearly originated from the man.

  “Impossible,” Tiamhaidh thought.

  “Absolutely impossible,” Marie echoed in her mind.

  “Marie, you don’t understand. This can’t be happening. I’ve never heard of this being possible.”

  “This has to have happened sometimes, hasn’t it?”

  “Marie, I’m not even human!”

  “Not exactly, that is,” Marie added.

  “I know. But I somehow see into your mind. As if my thoughts were part of yours and vice versa. Amazing!”

  “Yes, it is.”

  Tiamhaidh pressed Marie gently against the wall and looked deep into her eyes. Marie felt herself sinking deeper and deeper into his gaze. His eyes were a brilliant blue and Marie felt her thoughts becoming blurred.

  “Don’t do that,” she whispered.

  Tiamhaidh went on staring. Their eyes were only a few centimeters from each other and Marie found herself wondering what it would feel like to press her lips on his. She felt her mouth go dry, and swallowed.