Claimed By The Enemy (Irish Wolf Shifters Book 3) Read online

  I touch my forehead to hers and we lay together, a sweaty, tangled mess of limbs as I try to get my breath back.

  Wow.

  I roll off her as I’m conscious of my weight and pull her into my arms. She lays her head on my chest and her face is hidden by her mane of hair. I push it out of the way and stroke her cheek. She has her eyes closed.

  “Shannon?” I ask her, “Are you okay?” She blinks her eyes open and smiles up at me, stretching like a cat. She looks like she’s about to purr like one too.

  “Oh, I’m grand,” she says. “That was…just so amazing.”

  “You sound surprised,” I grin. She blushes.

  “I guess I never expected my first time to be like that. Can we do it again?”

  I chuckle at her eagerness and stroke the soft skin of her back. I love the way she leans into my touch as though she’s already used to it.

  “We can,” I say, “and we will.” I hesitate as I remember that she still doesn’t know that I’m a wolf. I could kick myself, knowing that I should have told her before I took her virginity, but I seem to lose all sense of coherent thought around Shannon O’Donnell.

  She frowns.

  “I’m sensing a but?”

  I take her hand in mine and press her palm to my lips.

  “There’s something I have to tell you. I’m not quite who you think I am.”

  Chapter Seven

  Shannon

  I sit up straight, suddenly alert again.

  “You’re not Cormac Killanney?”

  He chuckles, although there doesn’t seem to be any amusement in it. I feel disappointment like a stone in my chest. Whatever he’s about to tell me, why the hell has he chosen to do it now? Why not before he made love to me and took my virginity? I was so certain that this was right that I didn’t even stop to wonder about his motives. Only now do I realize just how much danger I might have put myself – and Sean – in.

  And yet when I look at him something in me still reacts in that primal way that it did when I first saw him. Something that tells me, as crazy as it seems, that I belong with him.

  “No, I’m definitely him...although sometimes I wonder if life would be easier if I wasn’t,” he says with a raw honesty that disarms me. All my instincts tell me to trust him.

  “So what is it? What do you mean?”

  He sits up and puts his arms around me, running a hand through my hair. Even now I can’t help the way my body responds to his touch.

  “Before I tell you this Shannon I need you to know something...the first time I set eyes on you, before I even knew who you were, I knew straight away you were meant for me. That we’re meant to be together.”

  It’s crazy and far too sudden...but I know he’s right because deep down I know that’s exactly how I feel too. My heart leaps in my chest as I feel a thrill at his words.

  “But if you don’t feel the same way,” he hesitates and for just a second a look of vulnerability crosses his face that makes him look younger, “I will not chase you. You’re free to go...and you will still have my protection.”

  That surprises me, and I realize it’s an indication that he really does feel that strongly about me. Even though we’ve only just met I feel like I’ve known him my whole life. I take his hand in mine, curling my fingers through his.

  “I feel exactly the same way,” I whisper, seeing the relief flash in his eyes. “I don’t know why or how this happened so fast, but I do.”

  He nods and looks grim for a moment, as though he has made his mind up about something.

  “Okay,” he says, “then I hope what I’m about to tell you...well, I hope you will hear me out. Can you do that?”

  “I can,” I say, although his seriousness is starting to worry me. What on earth could be worse than the fact that he is my sadistic older brother’s sworn enemy?

  “Me and my brothers...we are not like other men.”

  Well duh, I think, you’re some of Ireland’s most feared gangsters.

  “You know we’re descended from Niall of the Nine Hostages?”

  “You and half of Ireland,” I point out. Our legendary king has left bloodlines everywhere, at least if the old tales are to be believed.

  “One of my ancestors...he pissed off a druid...”

  “Right,” I say, wondering where he is going with this. The last thing I was expecting was a mythology lesson.

  “Who cursed him. And ever since...the oldest Killanney sons in each generation...are werewolves.”

  I wait for the punchline, and when he just sits and looks at me I realize that there isn’t one. Because it’s not a joke. He isn’t joking.

  He thinks he’s a werewolf.

  “Okay,” I say slowly, as though I’m talking to a child, “it sounds like maybe you need to talk to someone who understands these things a bit better?”

  He drops my hand and sits back and his expression seems to close down and go hard. Back to being the gangster that everyone fears.

  “You think I’m delusional,” he says coldly. I’ve offended him, and now I’m worrying if I should be scared of him after all. Believing in otherworldly creatures is one thing...but believing that you are one? That sounds like severe psychosis to me. And here I am, sitting on a bed butt naked with a man who thinks he is a werewolf. Not just him...his brothers too. Because of a druid’s curse.

  My head is spinning. How did this situation suddenly go from being completely blissful to totally bizarre?

  I need to humor him, I think.

  “Not at all,” I lie, “But it is very...well...unusual.” To say the least.

  He sighs and some of the softness returns to his face.

  “I know, and I understand it might take some getting used to. But that is how I knew as soon as I saw you that you were mine...we only mate once. For life.”

  I gape at him. This could actually be romantic if he wasn’t completely crazy. He sighs again and I know he’s picked up on my thoughts.

  “You still think I’m crazy,” he says flatly. I don’t reply. I don’t want to lie to him again. I wonder if I can convince him to see a doctor?

  He stands up, a weary look on his face, and takes a few steps away from the bed.

  “Are you alright? What are you doing?”

  “Making you believe me,” he says. I feel a shudder go through me at his words...then I see his body suddenly shimmer all over...and he’s gone.

  Instead, an absolutely HUGE black wolf stands in front of me. I do the only sensible thing I can do in this situation.

  I scream.

  And then I grab my clothes and run.

  I pull my dress over my head as I run through the apartment and down the stairs, through the foyer and onto the street. I don’t know this area at all and I pause, trying to get my bearings. I need to get home.

  “Shannon!” I hear him call. He must have changed back. I panic, and run again, in any random direction.

  Chapter Eight

  Shannon

  I run without any idea of where I am or where I’m going. I don’t know Dun Laoghaire very well at all, and not for the first time do I realize how sheltered being an O’Donnell has made me. I head towards the light and noise coming from what I guess is the main street nearby, and as I start to see people and lit up buildings – nightclubs, by the sound of it – I slow down to a walk. My breath is coming in pants and my heart is beating so fast it could jump right out of my chest. The chilly spring air brushes my skin and I feel hyper alert. I don’t dare to look behind me, but I’m sure that Cormac will have followed me. Part of me wonders whether or not I actually want him to.

  Making love to him was so delicious – everything I could have dreamed of and more, but that doesn’t make it any easier to accept this new revelation. The fact that he’s my gangster brother’s biggest and most dangerous rival pales in comparison next to this.

  He’s a werewolf. I’m still having trouble accepting it as reality even though I’ve now seen it with my own eyes. It’s like
something out of a fairy tale. And we Irish love our fairy tales but we don’t actually believe them, okay so my great nan used to leave milk out for the brownies. I mean, they’re not supposed to be real.

  And not only is he a werewolf, but he seems to think that I’m literally his mate. His. For life. In spite of everything I can’t deny the shiver of excitement that goes through me at that thought. The idea of being his woman would be everything I wanted if it wasn’t for that extra detail. Of course, by running off I have left myself not knowing anything else about it. How much would it affect me if I were to stay with him? Could we have children? Could Cormac ever be dangerous? More dangerous than he is already, I mean. But gangsters I can cope with. Werewolves are a completely different story.

  I stop in the middle of the street outside a wine bar and wonder what the hell I’m going to do now. Regardless of what I said about going home, I know that isn’t an option. Patrick is going to want to know where I’ve been and why, and if Sean has shown him my text...the fact that I’m probably in more danger from my own brother than a shape shifter I’ve known for three days doesn’t escape me.

  So I have to go back to Cormac. Not only does that sting my pride but I also have no idea of the way back. I’m trying to remember what the name of the apartments were so I can at least ask someone when two guys cross the road and start leering at me. I shoot them a dirty look and turn away, but before I know it they’re on either side of me, uncomfortably close and breathing whiskey fumes in my face. They’re both tall and well-built, so although I’m no slouch in the self-defense department, there’s no way I could fight them both off if need be.

  “Can you move out of my way please,” I say politely but firmly, stepping to the side. They move with me, laughing.

  “Come on now be friendly,” one of them, a redhead with a green shirt on – not a good look – says, leering at my chest. His friend steps closer to me and runs a hand over my hip, reaching for my bum.

  “Get off me,” I snarl, twisting away, but I’m scared and it shows. He jerks me towards him roughly so I lift a knee and slam it right into his groin. He lets go and doubles over, cursing, and I try to walk off, but the redhead grips me tight by the arm. He’s not laughing now.

  “You little bitch,” he hisses, his eyes narrowed with malice. “You’re not gettin’ away with that.”

  I struggle under his grip, wincing as he digs his fingers in hard enough that it will leave bruises. His friend straightens up and grabs me by the other arm. “You’ll pay for that.”

  I feel panic rising in my throat and I’m about to scream, when a man appears by my side, stepping out of the shadows.

  “Get your hands off her,” he says in a perfectly calm and reasonable voice, even though I can feel him quivering with anger.

  Cormac. Somehow, I know that I’m going to be all right now. My attackers however are none too quick on the uptake. The redhead glares up at Cormac.

  “And who are you?”

  Cormac grins at him, although his eyes are like flint.

  “I’m Cormac Killanney. Pleased to meet you.”

  His name has the effect on the shorter guy that I would expect. He instantly lets go of me and backs away, hands raised in appeasement, but the redhead snorts in derision.

  “Of course you are. You expect us to believe that? Go away and let us have our fun.”

  The other man hesitates looking from his friend to Cormac as though he’s weighing up what to do. Then, so fast that his movements are no more than a blur, Cormac snaps out a hand and there’s a sickening crunch as the guy’s nose breaks and then blood pours down his front. He makes a terrified, gargling sound and then decides to do the sensible thing and runs away down the street without looking back, one hand pressed to his face.

  The redhead lets go of me, but is either too drunk or just too stupid to know what’s good for him. He takes a swing at Cormac that’s surprisingly coordinated for someone who’s clearly had a pint or ten. I get the impression that the redhead fancies himself as a bit of a hard man, and perhaps he is among his mates, but he’s bitten off far more than he can chew tonight. Cormac side steps the punch easily and grabs the man by the throat, lifting him clean off the ground and holding him there. The man gargles in fright.

  “Fun?” Cormac says in an almost amiable voice. “Well I don’t know about you but right now I’m having lots of fun.” He suddenly snarls and his eyes go all black, just like they did when he shifted in front of me. The redhead lets out a gargled shriek, followed by a rasping sound as Cormac increases his grip on his throat. Cormac looks at me.

  “Do you want me to kill him?”

  Startled, I shake my head. “I think he’s learned his lesson,” I say, ignoring the grateful look that the guy shoots me. I couldn’t care less about him, but I’m pretty sure even one of the Killanneys isn’t going to get away with committing murder in the middle of the street.

  Cormac looks disappointed, but he lets the man go. The redhead falls to the ground, scrambles up and runs off without looking back. Taking a deep, shaky breath, I turn to face Cormac. His eyes have gone back to normal, but his face is grim.

  “You could have been hurt.”

  I’m not sure what to say to that, so I just nod. I try to remind myself of the reason that I ran away...that he’s a werewolf...but all I can think about is the fact that this ridiculously sexy guy was naked and inside me just a few hours before. Now that my fear has subsided the way he just frightened off those men and stepped in to back me up...it turns me on, in a primal, almost animalistic way. My wolf. My protector. I swallow, trying to make sense of my feelings.

  “I’m sorry I ran away. It was just...too much.”

  “I understand,” Cormac says in a clipped voice. “If you’re still intent on going home then I’m at least going to see you back so that I know you get there safely.”

  “I can’t go back...not until this thing with Patrick is sorted.” And maybe not ever, once either of my brothers finds out where I’ve been.

  He nods but doesn’t reply, just stands there staring at me with an almost wary look on his face. He’s worried I’m going to run away from him again, I know. That I’m going to reject him.

  “I’m sorry,” I say and I know in this moment that I mean it, “I shouldn’t have run away. It just scared me when you...changed. But it makes no difference...I want to be with you. Maybe that’s crazy, but here we are. I can’t help how I feel...and I’ve never felt this way.”

  I see the relief come over his face and he steps forward, closing the gap between us in one stride, and cups my face in his hand. His thumb runs across my cheek, caressing my skin, and I turn my lips to his hand and nip at his palm. He growls low and quietly in his throat.

  “You know what this means? Taking a mate...it’s for life. You’ll be mine Shannon...and I’ll be yours.”

  I can’t think of anything better.

  “Yes,” I say, smiling up at him, bursting with emotion. I don’t know what’s going to happen next or how I’m going to sort out this mess with my brothers, but I do know that whatever my future holds it has to have Cormac in it.

  He kisses me and I step into his embrace hungrily, moulding my body to his. I can feel him growing hard through his jeans and my nipples stiffen where they are crushed against his chest. A rush of heat goes through me. “Take me home,” I whisper, “and let’s talk about it.”

  He nibbles my lower lip. “Just talk?”

  “Do you have any other ideas?”

  “I have lots.” I can see the heat in his eyes. I link my arm through his as we walk off through the streets of Dublin.

  “This mating thing,” I say, “Is there something we have to do, like a ceremony or something? A werewolf wedding?”

  He grins at that. “Not quite. There is a ritual we have...” he hesitates and looks suddenly uncertain.

  “What is it?” I prompt.

  “I bite you.”

  “You bite me!” This isn’t sounding particu
larly romantic.

  “Yes...on the back of your neck while I’m inside you. It leaves a permanent mark like a love bite. Marking my territory.”

  I want to protest that I’m not territory, but there’s something about the way he says it that doesn’t sound sexist at all, but actually sends a thrill through me. I like the idea of him marking me as his.

  “Does it hurt?”

  “I don’t think so. It’s not like I’ve done it before. But I know my brothers have done it with Keeley and Aisling. Aiden straight away I think, while Keeley and Brendan waited until after he proposed. It isn’t something we have to do, so if you want to think about it...”

  “No,” I say firmly. Whatever this is between us, I feel it too.

  Chapter Nine

  Cormac

  I take Shannon’s hand in mine as we walk back to the apartment, letting out a sigh of relief. For a moment there I thought I had lost her, and the panic that filled me at the thought unsettled me. This, I know, is what love feels like. I’m not entirely sure I like it. This protective, possessive, all-encompassing need to have her is a distraction from the many tasks at hand but it’s too late to change that now. Shannon O’Donnell has become my number one priority.

  The thought of going through with the mating ritual when we get back is making the tip of my cock wet. I want to mark her as my woman.

  A shrill buzzing cuts through the air. Shannon’s phone. As she takes it out of her pocket I see her brother’s name on the screen and see her hesitate.

  “It’s Sean,” she says. “He’ll be worried about me. I knew the text wouldn’t keep him happy for long. I’d better answer it, but where do I say I am?”

  “If you tell him the truth do you think you can trust him?” I ask, although it’s through slightly gritted fangs. The thought of trusting an O’Donnell with anything curls my stomach but I have to remember that he is Shannon’s brother and I have promised her that I will do what I can to keep him safe. Funny but I realize that I don’t think of Shannon as an O’Donnell. In my mind she is already a Killanney.