Hunter of Shadows Read online

  NANCY GIDEON RETURNS TO HER STEAMY NEW ORLEANS PRETERNATURAL WORLD WITH AN IRRESISTIBLE NEW SHAPE-SHIFTER ROMANCE.

  The secrets he knows about her could get him killed.

  Transferring to the New Orleans Police Department, Detective Silas MacCreedy has a hidden agenda: to secure his clan’s place once again in the Shifter hierarchy. What he didn’t count on was stumbling upon a sexy assassin who could shred his best intentions and lead him into a dangerous dance that threatens to engage his heart.

  But the ones he doesn’t know . . .

  Monica Fraser knows just how to make a man beg—for his life. But she has no clue how to fight her attraction to the fiercely intense detective who seems determined to get in her way, both professionally and intimately.

  . . . could kill them both.

  When emotional attachments to the past and an unexpected glimpse of a different future have her questioning her deadly purpose, Nica must discover the truth about her secret abilities in order to free herself from the forces that control her. But that freedom comes with a price—trusting those she’s been ordered to eliminate.

  “Vivid, dark, and memorable. . . . I couldn’t put it down.”

  —Janet Chapman on Masked by Moonlight

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  Praise for Nancy Gideon’s “darkly compelling”*

  By Moonlight series

  BOUND BY MOONLIGHT

  “Bound by Moonlight has everything I want in a romance! Sizzling passion, a sexy hero, and paranormal love to last the ages.”

  —Gena Showalter, New York Times bestselling author

  CAPTURED BY MOONLIGHT

  “These lovers have much to overcome, including their own self-sabotaging character traits. Gideon adds new clues and layers to her world while placing her protagonists in terrible danger, both physically and emotionally. Terrific series!”

  —Romantic Times*

  “Exhilarating adventure . . . and extremely erotic sex.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “Captured by Moonlight is profoundly moving as emotional challenges endlessly crop up amid the perilous danger.”

  —Single Titles

  “As good as if not better than its predecessors . . . Gideon has written the perfect paranormal romances.”

  —Romance Junkies

  “A deliciously complex novel full of love and devotion, personal angst and paranormal intrigue. I highly recommend it.”

  —Night Owl Reviews

  CHASED BY MOONLIGHT

  “Gideon does a terrific job with her world-building as her characters and readers discover dark and hidden secrets.”

  —Romantic Times

  “Another dynamic thriller in this series filled with exciting drama and erotic romance . . . This book will keep your senses alert and the blood pounding.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “An outstanding romance overflowing with emotional issues and innovative supernatural elements.”

  —Single Titles

  “The boiling-hot duo of Max Savoie and Charlotte Caissie returns, and the thrillride just keeps getting better. . . . This series is a must-read!”

  —Bitten by Books

  MASKED BY MOONLIGHT

  “A paranormal romance series with intriguing characters and zippy action . . . Gideon masters the tension required to keep her complex and engaging story moving.”

  —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

  “Definitely a series to keep an eye on!”

  —Romantic Times

  “Sizzling . . . dark and compelling!”

  —Susan Sizemore, New York Times bestselling author

  “Vivid, dark, and memorable . . . I couldn’t put it down.”

  —Janet Chapman, New York Times bestselling author

  “The reader won’t find more excitement anywhere.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “Brilliantly spellbinding with fascinating supernatural aspects, heated passions, and unanticipated dangers.”

  —Single Titles

  “An exceptional read. It will have the reader laughing one minute, crying the next. It’s a compelling story and a tremendous first book in Gideon’s new series.”

  —Reader to Reader, NewandUsedBooks.com

  “Darkness and danger never seemed more appealing. Gideon’s paranormal world comes alive with dynamic characters and seductive werewolf lore. A must-read!”

  —ParaNormal Romance Reviews

  These titles are also available as eBooks

  Also by Nancy Gideon

  Masked by Moonlight

  Chased by Moonlight

  Captured by Moonlight

  Bound by Moonlight

  Available from Pocket Books

  Pocket Books

  A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  1230 Avenue of the Americas

  New York, NY 10020

  www.SimonandSchuster.com

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2011 by Nancy Gideon

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Pocket Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

  First Pocket Books paperback edition December 2011

  POCKET and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.

  Cover illustration by Craig White

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  ISBN 978-1-4391-9950-3 (print)

  ISBN 978-1-4391-9953-4 (eBook)

  For my Pocket team: Micki, Parisa, Ayelet, Min,

  Julia, and, of course, Louise

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Prologue

  Silas MacCreedy identified certain sounds with New Orleans: the mournful wail of a saxophone on the corner of the Square, the whine of mopeds darting along the narrow streets like flies needing a good swat, a hard blues backbeat and drunken laughter drifting out from open doorways.

  A sharp female cry wasn’t one of them.

  He’d lost sight of the men he’
d been following, and he couldn’t afford to let the trail grow cold. But no one else on the early evening street had reacted to the possible call for help. Either they couldn’t be bothered, or the sound was too faint to reach their ears. He should continue on; he had vital things to do. Yet . . .

  Aw, hell. MacCreedy shut out the city soundtrack, listening.

  A scuffle on loose stone. The crack of a hand against vulnerable skin.

  He sighed and turned down the shadowed side street, his tread light with caution. “Better ready than dead” was the motto that got him home safely at night.

  The dark, narrow alley ahead was the perfect place for bad things to go unnoticed. He breathed deeply through his nose, drawing in a taste of what he was walking into. A female. Four males. Not human. He could separate their scent signatures, now that he was closer, and he smiled at his good fortune. These were the same men he’d been tracking.

  His job was surveillance, to stay hidden and see where they’d lead him. But he couldn’t just watch while they indulged their nasty habit of preying on women.

  He eased into the mouth of the alley, knowing he had only a moment to assess the situation before they saw him. Not good. The woman was on the ground with one man crouching over her. The three others crowded in close, their breaths quick and raw with anticipation.

  “Am I interrupting something?” Silas said politely.

  All eyes flashed to where he stood in shadow, where they could see his large, looming figure but not his face. He expected the dangerous glares of challenge from the males. In the dim alley their eyes glowed with an unnatural brilliance. They were big men, roughly dressed, smelling salty from gulf water and exertion. Dockworkers. Shape-shifters, needing no weapons other than their rough strength and preternatural abilities.

  His own kind.

  MacCreedy took his hand away from his holster. He would enjoy dealing with them as soon as he got their victim to safety. But maybe they’d just run like the bully­ing pack animals they were, rather than face consequences. He could see hesitation in their feral gazes and fleetingly hoped they’d make a stand so he could teach them a lesson. That would almost be worth having his cover blown.

  Fight or flee, you cowards.

  He was ready for them, hands fisted, muscles loose and lethal. But a quick glance at the female caught him off guard.

  Beneath a tangle of long black hair, her cheek was red from the slap he’d heard. She was slender, dressed in a sweat jacket and jeans, nothing provocative that would draw her attackers’ attention. A battered backpack lay on the dirty stones beside her. Though her face was partially cloaked by her hair, he got the impression of sharp angles and a wide mouth.

  And instead of the wild-eyed plea for help he expected, her stare was steady and ice cold.

  Her voice was a sudden slash of lightning. “Unfortunately, you’re intruding on a private party.”

  In an instant, Silas realized he’d confused predator with prey.

  Her arm made a quick arc. She must have held a blade within the loose sleeve of her jacket, for the male straddling her fell back, gripping his throat as if he could stop the sudden geyser of blood. She agilely rolled free of him, was on her feet and, just as fast, was on the next man with an inhuman snarl. Gripping her arms to jerk her away, another of her would-be attackers sealed his own fate.

  Eyes blazing hot and golden, she turned in his clumsy hold and took his face between her hands. With a sickening crack, she broke his neck.

  MacCreedy’s instincts finally overcame his astonishment. He needed the remaining two men breathing, so he ignored the terrified pair scrambling for their lives to deal with the female determined to kill them. The instant he grabbed her slender upper arms and felt whipcord muscles tighten beneath his grip, he realized his mistake. A possibly fatal mistake.

  “What have you done?” she snarled, whirling to confront him.

  She had beautiful eyes, deep blue, as sultry as the twilight sky. Something sparked within him as he got his first good look at her, a quick flame of recognition of someone he’d never seen before. It made him slow to respond.

  “I thought I was saving your life.”

  The upward swing of her elbow caught his chin with a force that made him stumble. The sweep of her leg clipped behind his knees, dropping him to the ground, where his head cracked onto the cold cobbles, making the world spin. Then she straddled him, her strong features and lovely eyes harsh.

  “You should have stuck to saving your own,” she said grimly. “Too late now.”

  Knowing she would kill him, he hit her with everything he had, the force knocking her head back. She simply gave it a shake, then smiled at him.

  “It’s not nice to hit a lady,” she chastised with short jabs to his midsection.

  MacCreedy twisted, trying to throw her off, growling, “If I thought you were a lady, I wouldn’t have done it.”

  She was quick and impossibly strong. Even though he could have taken down the four males, he couldn’t get the best of her despite all his training.

  When his jacket fell open, the metallic flash of his badge didn’t make her hesitate. But the sight of his inner wrist as she wrenched his hand away from his gun made her pause. Her gaze fixed on the scarred brand burned into it.

  Then she eased back with a small laugh. “This is your lucky night. You get to live through it.”

  He had to know who she was.

  When she started to lift off him, MacCreedy gripped her arm in a staying gesture. “Wait.”

  Clearly surprised, she cocked her head as she studied his face. A slight, amused smile curved her lips as she said, “As much as I’ve enjoyed the tussle, I’m in a hurry, hero. But I guess there’s enough time for a quick thank-you.”

  Braced for another attack, Silas was stunned by the sweetness of her assault. She took his mouth with hers, engaging his tongue in a tangling flash of desire and cool mint before she pushed back to whisper, “Thanks for the rescue, even though it was bad timing.”

  Then she was gone, leaving MacCreedy lying between two bodies, with the taste of her on his breath and her heat burning in his blood.

  One

  A quick glance at the clock over the bar told Monica Fraser she was twenty minutes late. Not a good start for her first week on the job.

  She slipped into the small servers’ galley and stuffed her jacket into a cubby next to the cash register so no one would notice any bloodstains. A quick brush of her palms smoothed her hastily braided hair, then she snatched up her change pouch to secure it about her waist.

  “Sorry I’m late,” she began as another woman came in to ring up some drinks.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Amber James reassured her. “We haven’t been busy and I covered for you. Told Jacques you were in the back taking care of female things.” She grinned. “That shut him up.”

  Not sure how to respond, Nica returned the smile. She wasn’t used to kindnesses with no strings attached. “Thanks.”

  Amber shrugged it off. “That’s what friends are for.”

  To the softhearted waitress, it was that simple. Amber had enthusiastically scooped her into that huge category titled “friends” without knowing a thing about her, without first weighing and negotiating terms for their association. She had no idea what a foreign concept that was to Nica.

  Nica should have thought her foolish for having such uncomplicated views, yet part of her was reluctantly envious. While her coworker’s vision was carefree and rose-colored, Nica’s was as fiercely narrowed as a sniper scope. But then, Amber’s life expectancy was measured in decades, not in seconds. There was no real comparison.

  “I owe you one,” Nica insisted, feeling the need to pay her way.

  “If you insist, I’ll let you take care of table four. They’re loud and seem to have no control over their hands.”

  “Maybe I’ll have to teach them some manners.” She winked with an aggressive confidence that made Amber chuckle.

  Cheveux du Chien wa
s just starting to fill up with the evening’s patrons; an exclusive clientele gathering under the unsuspecting nose of New Orleans. Though the city was proud of its diverse cultures, discovery of this hidden pocket of preternatural citizens would have been far from welcome news. In much the same way, Nica knew she’d be ostracized and feared if these clannish souls recognized her for what she was. The four she’d met in the alley had. Two of them wouldn’t be describing what they’d seen; that left a pair of loose ends to deal with when her shift was over.

  Blending in was how she’d managed to survive for so long in her dangerous profession. Though she chafed with urgency, Nica forced an outward calm. Draw no attention. Break no patterns. Even if it meant a nerve-tautening delay. The pair would go to ground like frightened rabbits, but she’d find them again. They’d been easy to lure into that alleyway, where her secret would have been successfully laid to rest if not for her misguided savior.

  Suppressing a growl of irritation, she efficiently cleared the glasses and empties off the nearest table, then gave it a polish with the cloth tucked in the back pocket of her tight black jeans. Hero? Meddler was more like it. Bursting onto her scene with a cop’s unerring instinct to be just where he wasn’t wanted. A cop who also wore the brand of the powerful Terriot shape-shifter clan. Interesting, but none of her concern as long as he didn’t interfere in her business.

  Interesting and a damned good kisser, she thought as her tongue touched her lower lip.

  It had been careless not to kill him, especially when the stakes were so high—not only professionally but personally as well. She was so close to obtaining her freedom, she could taste it.