Suddenly, a feral growl split the night air. It was like nothing she’d ever heard before, and the malicious intent sent chills up her spine. It also caught the attention of her assailant, who turned toward the sound. “Bloody ‘ell!” he cried, before he released her and stumbled out of the alley.
Cosette’s vision blurred as she slowly turned her head. She wasn’t even sure if what she was seeing was real. A large, black wolf was standing there, its back curved and bristled, its yellowed teeth bared malevolently as it followed her assailant’s departure with cruel, dark eyes. Alone with the fearsome beast, Cosette could only breath a sigh of relief. She would much rather find her end by a wolf’s gnashing jaw, than raped by some putrid filth of humanity.
Without even finding it odd that this beast might appear at the precise moment she needed its assistance, or that those eyes seemed vaguely familiar as they silently regarded her, Cosette whispered, “Thank you,” before she sagged against the building.
As the wolf gave a mighty howl and bounded off in the direction of her assailant, the last thing she heard was a tortured scream as she drifted off into oblivion.
~ ~ ~
Davien resumed his human form and walked over to Cosette, where she lay unconscious in the alley. It hadn’t taken long to dispatch her assailant. He was a pitiful excuse for a human, his groveling worthy of the stage. But at least now the beast was content.
He bent down and gently assessed her injuries, feeling the beast stir anew when he saw the slight bruise on her cheek. Unfortunately, it was hard to kill someone who was already dead.
Davien closed his eyes, and summoned his coachman by thought. Over the years he’d learned that shifting his identity wasn’t the only thing he could control.
Within moments, Quinn pulled up to the alley with the carriage. After he carefully picked up Cosette, Davien climbed inside. He held her in his arms as they made their way to the outskirts of London where his sprawling estate fell over several hundred acres. Now that he had finally gotten what he’d come for, there was no need to remain in the city. After tonight, she was his.
Shadowlawn was a sprawling, gothic style mansion built entirely of gray stone and slate dating back to the Dark Ages. Some might have called it a castle, though there was a sad lack of knights in shining armor standing guard, and instead of the telltale moat, it was surrounded on all sides by a tall cast iron barrier. There were no colorful banners beckoning the master home, not one servant to be found attending to his or her duties. The entire estate might have appeared abandoned if it wasn’t for the fact the grounds were carefully manicured. It was silent as a tomb, only showing signs of life whenever the unmarked, black coach passed through its towering gates.
After they came to a stop, Davien strode up the marble steps, Cosette cradled in his arms. He went through the foyer and up the grand, red-carpeted staircase. He gently laid her down upon the massive, four-poster bed in the mistress’s chamber, the one directly next to his. He drank in every inch of her form beneath the shabby, serviceable gray dress, vowing that she would only be draped in silks and satins from now on.
He felt a rush of savage need to mate with her, but he refrained. He had never forced himself on a woman before. In time, she would willingly come to him.
It wasn’t until Davien began to tuck her under the downy coverlet, did a glint of silver abruptly catch his eye. It was a simple locket that had gotten tangled in her hair. He reached out to touch it, but quickly drew back when he felt a foreign sensation course through him, as if he’d just been burned. He glanced at his palm, expecting to see a mark on his skin, but there was nothing there, although the strange tingling still remained.
He glanced at Cosette, but she continued to breathe steadily. However, this only proved what he’d known from the first moment he’d laid eyes on her. They were destined to be together. Fated. And while she might fight it, she would eventually succumb, because she felt the same connection.
The beast yearned to rise up inside of him, the room vibrating with inner tension, and Davien knew it was time to leave, for when the creature spoke, he was required to listen. But before he walked to the door, he allowed himself one last glance at Cosette. Her dark hair spread out around her like an ethereal vision, the brown, almond-shaped eyes that had haunted his dreams, closed and relaxed.
With that picture in his mind, he left the room.
