“I hate to say it, but you sound a little like your dad. Nostalgic and a bit purist.”
Luke stood, wiping his hands on his pants. “Trust me. I’m not. That we should be free to live our lives the way we see fit is the one thing in which my father and I agree. The way we choose, each according to their nature. Unfortunately, we disagree on what constitutes the term nature.
“My father has a different definition. He believes nature comes from the blood. From lineage. I don’t. Bloodlines are part of what makes a person who they are, but not their sum total.”
“I heard stories of your father’s way of thinking. From Tanya and the girls. How he tried to push those beliefs,” Gabby replied, but didn’t go into details. From the look on Luke’s face, she didn’t have to.
“If I believed as my father does, I wouldn’t be here with you. I wanted to show you this place, so you would know where I came from, not just historically, but inside and out.”
He bent again, running a hand over an emblem forged below the established date. “This is my family crest. Its design is centuries old, but this itself is not what I wanted you to see.” He traced a pattern of triple swirls nested beneath the crest. “This is what I wanted you to see.”
Gabby squatted beside Luke for a closer look. “You said your family was from France. This looks Celtic in design.”
“This is called a Triskelion. Triple swirls representing the triple goddess. It’s from ancient Gaul, which is now modern-day France. This symbol has been part of my lineage for close to a millennium. My direct line is many centuries old. There’s a story still told today. You’re a Quebecer, maybe you’ve heard the story of Baron Bisclavret.”
Gabrielle shook her head.
“Marie de France wrote the story of Bisclavret in the 12th century. It is actually a true accounting of one of my ancestors couched in a fictionalized story. He was loup garou, a lycanthrope, or what modern fiction calls a werewolf.
“Obviously, Hollywood put its own stamp on the paranormal. Almost every preternatural race has been appropriated for fiction and film, but almost every detail is false. Many of those fallacies were intentionally circulated. The original fake news.
“Superstition and fear ran hot and heavy back then. Hell, witches suffered worse than most for centuries. Supernaturals had to do something to throw people off the scent.” He laughed low. “Pun totally intended.”
“Stupid.” Gabby grinned. “So your family came here all those years ago.”
He nodded. “The Laval chose this island, in a remote part of the new world. It’s not so remote now, but we still do our best to keep things quiet.”
Gabby straightened, still looking around at the ruined hearth. “About how and when you phase.”
“What about it?”
“You never answered my question. If push came to shove, could you shift into wolf form in a life or death situation?”
“That falls under the stipulation of crossroads, so yes.” Luke straightened as well. “A choice to protect and defend, or die.”
“I see.”
“Are you worried I won’t be able to protect myself or you, or God forbid, the baby?”
Gabrielle shook her head. “No. Like I said, I have particular defenses in my back pocket, but it’s nice to know we can be a team if we need to.” She shrugged. “Partners in crime and punishment.”
Luke wiped his hands on his pants, and his sleeve rose slightly.
“Your cuff,” she said, pointing to the three-inch leather and silver band on Luke’s wrist. “It has a silver Triskelion tooled into the leather.”
“Sterling silver. Another Hollywood exaggeration about Weres.” He rolled his shirt sleeve higher on his left arm. There on the curve below the inside of his elbow was the same symbol. Except these swirls were embossed into his flesh.
Gabby ran her fingers over the mark, and her body tingled in response. “That’s not a tattoo.”
“No. For a lunar wolf of my lineage, it’s how we know our line endures, and that we’ve found our mate.” He hesitated. “It’s how I knew you were pregnant.”
“So males of your line get this gallic mark every time they knock someone up?”
An incredulous crease knotted his forehead. “Of course not. We don’t go around impregnating random females. We leave that to incarnate demons. In fact, I couldn’t even if I wanted. I physically can’t.”
Now it was her turn for disbelief. “What do you mean you physically can’t? You can, and you have, multiple times with me.”
He laughed. “I don’t mean I can’t have sex. I mean I can’t impregnate just anyone. The only person who can carry my children is my mate. The woman my inner wolf recognizes, and who wears my mark.”
Tiny stings spread across her forearm, making her wince. She rubbed the spot, and then stopped to stare at Luke for a moment. Tanya said it. So did Ray.
Mate.
Now Luke said it, and the moment he did her arm sizzled with pins and needles. Gabby yanked her sleeve up over her elbow and then turned her arm over. There is was. The exact match to Luke’s mark.
“You do know what this means, right?” he asked, moving to stand toe-to-toe with her.
“I think you need to say it again.”
Luke pulled her into his arms, and he kissed the side of her head. “It means I’m not going anywhere. It means we’re a family. A unit. You’re my mate, Gabrielle. My forever.” He kissed her eyes, her cheeks. “My inner wolf howls, pacing for you when I’m away. All that’s left is for me to claim you.”
He kissed her nose and then went to kiss her mouth, but she pulled back.
