Life had taken a complicated-on-so-many-levels, right-angle shift that left her head spinning. Since the day Raven invited her out to Lake Pontchartrain, she was caught in a whirlwind of revelations.
Whirlwind.
It was the only word that fit.
Meeting Luke was a whirlwind within the whirlwind. It was so easy. The plan was to get him alone, and make the most of their weirdo weekend, and then go home.
“Where is everyone?” Gabrielle walked into the kitchen, with its oversized windows overlooking Lake Pontchartrain.
Luke stood at the counter making a sandwich big enough to choke a horse. “After what happened this morning? My bet is toes up, resting.” Knife in hand, he looked up with a sexy, crooked grin. “Or toes curled. If I know my cousins, Aiden and Jared are with their respective mates, letting off a little steam.”
She nodded, turning to look out at the water. Steam. Luke was that and more, and whether it was sheer luck or fate, the two had the house and the beach to themselves for the time being.
“This place is amazing,” she said turning quickly from the window. “Katrina did so much damage, it’s nice to see the house survived.”
He nodded, stacking thin slices of tomato onto his sandwich. “It didn’t. Alain built this place after the hurricane. This is my first visit, though Aiden and Jared have been here a few times. I’m busy with my pack, just outside Montreal.” He shrugged. “It’s hard finding time to travel when you’re the next alpha.”
“I guess that means your father is the current alpha.”
Luke chuckled softly. “And I’m guessing Raven didn’t tell you much about who we are or what’s been happening.”
“Bits and pieces, but no. Not really.”
He nodded again. “In this house, you’ve got elders, heirs and spares. Alain is our resident elder, and the alpha of the pack here in New Orleans. After their father’s death, Aiden took over as alpha of the pack in New York, with his brother Jared as his second.”
“Are you all cousins?”
“Nope. We come from different packs, but we’re all members of the same clan. If that makes any sense. We make up the Sentinel Brotherhood, or at least part of it. Aiden isn’t just the alpha of his pack, he’s also the head of our brotherhood. From what you witnessed just today, I’m sure you realize we’re in a serious fight.”
His French-Canadian accent was delicious and sexy, despite his grave words.
“I do. And since I haven’t left skid marks on the street trying to get away, I’m sure you see I’m not going anywhere. I said I’d help, and I meant it. Besides, I need Capiria to un-stymy my stymied witchiness.”
“Stymied is not a word I’d use to describe any part of you, and I’ve got a keen eye when it comes to people. Especially pretty adventure junkies.”
Gabby gave him a close-lipped smile at that. “I’m not an adventure junkie. I just like to have a good time.”
“That is an understatement.”
She glanced across her shoulder toward the windows. “Look, I know it’s hotter than hell outside, but the water looks amazing. Any chance that sandwich might stretch for two, and we could head down to the beach?”
His answering grin made her stomach jump. “I think that could be arranged. Alain stocks his fridge with a nice local IPA. Grab a six-pack, and I’ll whip up a few more sandwiches. The beer is on the bottom shelf. It’s the one with a skull on its label.”
“Ghost in the Machine. That IPA happens to be a favorite of mine.”
The two headed down the back stairs to the grassy sand, Luke carrying two chairs and an umbrella, while Gabrielle carried the cooler bag.
“This lake still surprises me,” he said, anchoring the umbrella.
“Why?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I think of large bodies of fresh water as a northern thing. Pontchartrain is as big as Lake Champlain.”
“A little bigger, actually. Then again, it isn’t really a lake. It’s an estuary. I grew up around Lake Champlain.”
“Whereabouts? I know the area well.”
“Lake Crest, New York. I was born in Montreal, though. My mother was American, but my father is from your neck of the woods.”
He cocked his head, surprised. “A fellow Quebecer.”
“Only until ten years old. Though, I still hold dual citizenship.”
They sat on the grassy bank and ate in relative quiet, looking out at the bright vista.
“Luke,” she began.
Hmmm?
“What does it feel like when you shift?”
“Why do you ask?”
She shrugged. “No reason. If it’s too personal a question, that’s fine. I was just curious.”
“It’s not personal. It’s just an odd question for a born shifter. Like asking someone what a body part feels like.”
She grinned, peeling the corners of the condensation-soggy label from her beer bottle. “You mean like asking a dude what it feels like to have balls?”
Luke coughed, choking on his beer.
“Oops.” She chuckled, wiping the mess she made of the label on the edge of her towel. “Raven should’ve warned you all about my mouth. I haven’t got much of a filter.”
His crooked smirk took on a seductive curve. “Your mouth is perfect, bébé. Filter or no.”
Blushing wasn’t usually part of her deal, yet here she was with heat flaming her cheeks. She pressed the cold bottle to her face.
“You okay?” he asked, but the slight flare to his nostrils told her he knew exactly what was up.
“July in Louisiana,” she answered quickly. “We’re crazy to be out here.”
He tipped the end of his bottle to his lips. “It
