A Mate For Christmas

Chapter2

"I am sorry. I do not usually fall apart on strangers."

Evie pulled away from Gideon, wiping her face with her sleeve. Her eyes were puffy and her nose was running and she looked like a complete mess. Perfect.

Gideon shook his head. "You have nothing to apologize for. That man was cruel to you." His jaw tightened. "I should have done more than grab his wrist."

"You did enough," Evie said. She looked around, suddenly aware they were standing in the middle of a Paris street on Christmas Eve. Snow was falling heavier now, coating everything in white. "I should go. Find a hotel or something. Thank you for your help."

She reached for her suitcase handle. Gideon got there first. He picked up her suitcase like it weighed nothing.

"Where are you staying?" he asked.

"I do not know yet," Evie admitted. "I was supposed to stay with Dave. Obviously that is not happening now."

"It is Christmas Eve," Gideon said. "Every hotel in Paris will be booked."

Evie's heart sank. She had not thought of that. Of course they would be booked. What was she going to do? Sleep on a bench? At the airport?

Fresh tears threatened to spill. She blinked them back furiously. She had already cried enough for one night.

"Come with me," Gideon said.

"What? No. I cannot—"

"You can, and you will." Gideon's tone left no room for argument. "I have more space than I need. You can stay with me tonight. Tomorrow we will figure out your flight home."

"I do not even know your name," Evie protested weakly.

The stranger smiled. It transformed his whole face, making him look younger. Warmer. "Gideon. Gideon Blackwood. And you are?"

"Evie. Evie Price."

"Evie," Gideon repeated, like he was tasting her name. His eyes went distant for a moment, like he was listening to something only he could hear. Then he focused on her again. "Come, Evie Price. Let me help you."

Evie knew this was a bad idea. Her mother had always warned her about strange men. Never get in a car with someone you do not know. Never go to a stranger's home.

But right now, Evie was too tired to care. Too broken. And something about Gideon felt right. Safe.

Maybe she was being stupid. Maybe she would regret this. But honestly, this day could not get any worse.

"Okay," Evie said quietly. "Thank you."

Gideon's smile widened. He pulled out his phone and made a quick call in French. Evie caught the word "voiture" which she thought meant car.

A scream pierced the night.

Both of them turned. Down the street, near a darkened alley, a woman stumbled into view. Her coat was torn and blood ran down her arm. Behind her, three large shapes moved in the shadows.

"Help!" the woman cried in French. "Please, someone help me!"

Gideon went completely still. His whole body tensed and his eyes narrowed. For a moment, Evie could have sworn his eyes glowed brighter.

"Stay here," Gideon commanded. His voice had changed. Deeper. More dangerous.

"What? We should call the police—"

"There is no time." Gideon thrust her suitcase back at her. "Stay here, Evie. Do not move. Promise me."

Before Evie could answer, Gideon was running toward the woman. He moved faster than any human should be able to move, his coat billowing behind him like wings.

Evie stood frozen, clutching her suitcase. She should run. Should get help. But her feet would not move.

The three shapes emerged from the alley. At first, Evie thought they were large dogs. Then she saw them more clearly under the streetlights.

They were wolves. Massive wolves with gray and brown fur. Their eyes glowed yellow in the darkness and their teeth were bared.

"Oh god," Evie whispered. Her hands started shaking.

Gideon reached the woman just as the wolves lunged. He pushed the woman behind him and faced the creatures. He said something in a language Evie did not recognize. It sounded ancient. Guttural.

One of the gray wolves snarled and leaped at Gideon. Evie screamed, certain she was about to watch this stranger who had helped her get torn apart.

But Gideon caught the wolf in mid air. Caught it. With his bare hands. He threw it against a brick wall like it weighed nothing. The impact made a sickening c***k.

The wolf fell to the ground and did not get up.

The other two wolves circled Gideon, growling. The woman behind him was sobbing, pressed against a shop window.

Evie's heart pounded. This was not real. This could not be real. Wolves did not attack people in the middle of Paris. And people did not throw wolves like they were toys.

The brown wolf feinted left, then lunged right, going for Gideon's throat. Gideon moved with impossible speed, faster than Evie's eyes could track. He grabbed the wolf by its scruff and slammed it into the ground. There was another terrible cracking sound.

The brown wolf yelped and scrambled away, limping badly.

The third wolf, larger than the other two, did not attack Gideon. Instead, its yellow eyes locked onto something else.

Onto Evie.

Evie's breath caught. The wolf's lips pulled back, revealing teeth longer than her fingers. It started walking toward her, slow and deliberate.

"No," Gideon's voice rang out. He stepped between Evie and the wolf, even though she was a good thirty feet away. "You will not touch her."

The wolf snarled. It looked at Gideon, then back at Evie, like it was calculating whether it could get past him.

Then it lunged. Not at Gideon. At Evie.

Evie screamed and dropped her suitcase. She tried to run but her legs were frozen with terror. The wolf was so fast. Too fast.

She was going to die. On Christmas Eve in Paris, she was going to be killed by a wolf.

Gideon appeared out of nowhere. One second he was twenty feet away. The next he was in front of Evie, catching the wolf in mid leap.

They crashed to the ground right at Evie's feet. Gideon's hands were around the wolf's throat. The wolf snapped and clawed, trying to break free.

Gideon's eyes were glowing now. Actually glowing gold, like lamps. And his teeth looked longer. Sharper.

"Mine," Gideon growled, and his voice was barely human. "She is mine. You dare threaten my mate?"

The wolf's eyes widened. It stopped struggling for a moment, like it understood what Gideon said.

Then Gideon twisted. There was a horrible cracking sound and the wolf went limp.

Evie stared in horror. Gideon had just killed a wolf with his bare hands. Broken its neck like it was nothing.

People were coming out of nearby buildings now. Someone was shouting in French. Evie heard sirens in the distance.

Gideon stood up. He looked at the dead wolf, then at Evie. His eyes were still glowing. Blood covered his hands and shirt.

He looked like a monster.

But when he spoke, his voice was gentle. "Are you hurt?"

Evie could not answer. Could not move. Could not process what she had just seen.

A black car screeched to a stop beside them. A man in a suit jumped out. "Alpha! We need to leave. Now."

Gideon nodded. He turned to the wounded woman, who was still pressed against the shop window. He said something to her in French. The woman nodded, tears streaming down her face.

Another person appeared, a young woman with dark hair. She wrapped a coat around the wounded woman and led her away, speaking softly.

Gideon turned back to Evie. "We have to go. The police will be here soon and they will have questions I cannot answer."

"What were those things?" Evie whispered. "What are you?"

"I will explain everything," Gideon promised. "But not here. Please, Evie. Trust me for just a little longer."

The sirens were getting louder. Blue lights reflected off the wet streets.

Evie looked at the dead wolf. Even as she watched, something strange happened. The wolf's body began to shimmer. The fur seemed to melt away. The shape changed.

Within seconds, it was not a wolf lying there anymore.

It was a naked man.

Evie's vision tunneled. The world spun. She heard Gideon calling her name, felt his arms catch her as her legs gave out.

Then everything went black.