Mated to the Enemy’s Daughter

HELP YOUR FRIENDS ESCAPE TO Mystic Isle

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EXCERPT

Two things hit him at the same time. Gabrielle Landrum was breathtaking.

And his wolf wanted her.

The warm light from the sconces on either side of the door gave her a luminous glow.

“Ms. Landrum. Come in.”

Garrett’s body tightened as he took a step back to allow the lovely shewolf inside.

She quickly scrubbed her snow-covered boots against the welcome mat. Gentry followed, closing the door behind them.

Garrett’s brothers hadn’t been exaggerating. Her dark chocolate locks fell in riotous waves around her shoulders. He’d never wanted to sink his fingers into a woman’s hair the way he did hers. Was it as soft as it looked? What would it feel like tickling across his belly?

He let out a breath and fought for control.

Smells good.

Her vanilla, leather, and frosty scent made his inner beast’s nose twitch.

“Gabrielle,” his mother said, as she and Kelsey stepped into the entryway. “Good to see you again.”

Gabrielle ducked her head in greeting. “You, too.”

She turned then, as if sensing his attention.

Big brown eyes locked with his. He saw equal amounts of fury and nervousness there. But no ice. Interesting.

She was smart enough to respect him, be nervous about her reception, and yet, headstrong enough to walk into the enemy camp.

That was a potent combination.

And sexy as hell.

The rest of the world melted away as she took two steps toward him.

His gut coiled tight, ready for a threat, prepared to defend his mother, his pack. But his wolf gave a long, slow whine.

What the hell was that about?

And why did he feel pulled to this woman against his will? Did she have some sort of magic? Had she cast a spell? He didn’t know of any witches in the area but—

“Can we talk, Mr. Kingsdale?” Her voice was soft, but not even. He heard her nervousness, almost a stutter. It shouldn’t have been endearing, but it was.

And the way she said his name sent a bolt of need straight through him. She hadn’t addressed him as Alpha. Or Garrett. No. Mr. Kingsdale. She was appealing to the human in him.

What she couldn’t know was that the way his name sounded on her lips spoke to everything male in him. A deep breath made the sweater tighten across his chest and he had to force his hands to remain at his sides.

Knock it off, Garrett.

His wolf snarled at the directive. 

Too bad. She might be gorgeous with her pale skin and rosy lips and those black fringed eyes, but she was still the enemy.

For a single moment, he considered hustling her away from his mother, from Kelsey, but he detected no threat from Gabrielle. In fact, he had a hard time sensing her wolf’s energy.

He opened his mouth to answer, but another voice rose above the instrumental version of Dashing Through the Snow.

“What the hell are you doing here?” His brother Travis descended the stairs, concern and agitation rolling off his shoulders.

Gabrielle pivoted, her spine straightening. Her hands clenched ever so slightly, and then she relaxed her fingers. She had to expect a less-than-warm welcome given that she’d just walked into her rival’s home.

What surprised Garrett was his own response. The closer his brother got, the more irritated Garrett’s wolf became. He felt him press against his skin, the need to shift, tackle, defend.

“Travis—” Their mother’s warning tone didn’t slow Travis’s steps. He was almost on top of Gabrielle when he halted.

“It’s a valid question,” Travis said, his dark brown eyes locked on Gabrielle. His hands hung at his sides, at the ready. “Have you forgotten who she is?”

The look on his face said he hadn’t.

Was it Garrett’s imagination or did Gabrielle step closer to his side?

His brother must have noticed, too, because his eyes narrowed on her. He didn’t back down, not that Garrett expected him to. Not without a fight. Fuck, he missed the days when he and Travis had gotten along. Two peas in a pod and all that.

That seemed like a lifetime ago.

“Ms. Landrum is here to speak to me,” he said.

Travis’s head whipped toward Garrett, his scowl deepening. “Of course she is. We all know talking solves everything.”

A low growl rumbled from their mother. Garrett held a hand out to still her. “It’s okay, Mom. We all know Travis doesn’t care for my leadership style.”

“What leadership style?” His brother spat the words. What had started years ago as an occasional joke had become outright jabs in the last few months.

Garrett’s entire body vibrated as his wolf lunged toward his brother. Travis obviously felt the energy shift because he got into Garrett’s face. Gentry, who always had Garrett’s back, stepped into his peripheral vision.

“Gonna hit me, brother? Do it,” Travis said.

For a moment, he thought about it. He visualized wiping the cockiness right off Travis’s face, watching his brother fall from a well-placed fist to the face. But that’d only be the beginning. Travis had never backed down a day in his life and just because they had an audience now didn’t mean he’d wave the white flag.

“I’ve had enough fighting for one day,” Garrett muttered. For a lifetime.

“Of course, you have.” His brother sneered as he took a step back.

One day Travis would learn that everything couldn’t get solved with fists or teeth. That day couldn’t come soon enough, because Garrett was so tired of the infighting. But mostly, it hurt him to see his brother in pain.

This was not the real Travis.

Gabrielle released a soft breath and Garrett glanced over at her. Her gaze was ping-ponging between him and his brother. She was as still as a deer in headlights, and he saw what he’d missed before. Her fear.

But she was a werewolf. Why would she be scared? Her back was up, shoulders down, making herself look as tough as possible. It was a subtle shift, but he had seen it often enough in his prey.

And damned if she wasn’t trying her hardest to quell the fear. Mask it with bigger emotions. She clearly didn’t want to show any weakness.

Garrett stepped between his brother and Gabrielle. “I’ll call you if I need you.”

He stared Travis down. His tone brooked no argument, and his brother knew it. Garrett was the alpha now, and everyone heeded his wishes.

It wasn’t lost on him that he’d given his enemy his back. In fact, the entire room was still, quiet, as if they were realizing the same thing.

“You’re fucking crazy, G.” Travis’s gaze cut to Gentry, then their mother. His jaw flexed.

Garrett’s muscles tightened, ready to put Travis in his place. He’d always prided himself on his patience, but his middle brother stretched it thin.

“Don’t make me repeat myself, brother.”

Of all the Kingsdale males, Travis had the quickest fuse and the least fucks to give. After his mate had left him, he’d lost his sanity for a while. That was the only reason Garrett tolerated his brother’s behavior.

“Now you’re picking rank p—”

Garrett cut him off. “Do not finish that sentence.”

Travis’s response was immediate. “Or what?”

Garrett switched tactics. “I just washed her packmates’ blood from my hands, brother. Is that not enough for you?”

Garrett might worry that he wasn’t a good enough leader. And Travis seemed content to plant those seeds of uncertainty. But there was no way Garrett was letting his brother intimidate a woman. A scared woman.

Not in his house. Not ever.

That’s not how he was raised.

Which proved just how far gone Travis was since Elana had left him shattered.

“I’ll be around,” Travis huffed and stalked off toward the kitchen.

For a full half minute, no one moved or spoke.

Garrett let out the breath he’d been holding and turned to Gabrielle. She tucked a sheaf of hair behind her ear, her gaze locked on his chest.

It was impossible to tell her age, but her mannerisms and youthful glow made him guess early twenties. Sadly, she didn’t seem shocked by his brother’s anger or caustic words. Which meant something had made her immune to both.

This close, her heart was a heavy drum beat. But he no longer smelled her fear.

“Well,” their mother said, sounding at a loss for words. He was barely aware of her because he couldn’t tear his gaze from Gabrielle Landrum’s gorgeous face. “I apologize for my son’s behavior.”

She stepped forward, always intent on keeping the peace, but Gabrielle shook her head. “He’s just protecting his family.”

Her soft-spoken response floored him. Was he mistaken or did she sound wistful?

It was hard to remember that this woman was the daughter of the man who’d caused such turmoil the last few years. They looked nothing alike, smelled nothing alike. And where her father was brash, she was quiet.

He’d expected threats.

Temper.

A fist to the jaw.

“I’ll be in the kitchen,” Gentry said, obviously sticking around in case there was trouble. That foresight made Garrett doubly glad that Gentry was on his side.

“Help yourself to some cookies.” Claire Kingsdale loved a house full of people and all the noise that went with it. That was just one reason she pressured Garrett to find his mate. She wanted grands in the worst way.

Gentry muttered a thanks and disappeared around a corner.

“Gabrielle, can you stay? Some of the girls are coming over in a few hours. We’re decorating sugar cookies.”

The news didn’t surprise him; his mother invited available females to the house on the regular. She wanted her sons mated and making babies.

Kelsey’s chin jerked toward his mom. She snapped her dropped jaw closed.

Without a word, she stalked from the room. If Claire noticed, she gave no inclination. Her curious gaze moved between him and Gabrielle.

“We’ll see. Gabrielle might have plans,” he said, when she remained silent. 

She nodded.

“Armond, would you bring us some coffee?” he asked, knowing the man needed something to occupy himself.

The vampire nodded and backed away, his steps silent on the hardwood floor. Taking the hint, his mother turned to follow. “The invitation’s still open.”

When they were finally alone, Garrett took a steadying breath. Once again, Gabrielle’s intoxicating scent hit his senses. Just like before, his wolf whined. If he didn’t know better, he’d think the beast wanted a belly rub from this female.

That wasn’t going to happen.

She rolled a shoulder, as if trying to work out a kink. From what he could see beneath the well-worn leather jacket, she wore a thin sweater and jeans that clung to her generous curves.

Her hands hung at her sides, but he noticed the restless way her fingers moved against the dark denim.

This felt like a trap, somehow. It was as if she’d walked straight out of his fantasies. Her brown eyes lifted to his. In the warm light, they seemed sparked with gold flecks.

Focus, Garrett.

Easier said than done when she rolled her bottom lip between her teeth.

Forcing his gaze away from her, he extended his hand toward his office. The sooner they talked about whatever it was she wanted to discuss, the quicker he could get her out of his sanctuary.

It would be next to impossible to scrub her from his memory.

And that brought a fresh round of frustration. The Landrums couldn’t be trusted. No matter how appealing she was, she was still a Landrum.

“Let’s talk in private.”