Seeker of Shadows Read online

  NANCY GIDEON CONTINUES HER COMPELLING, SENSUAL NEW SERIES WITH A SEDUCTIVE TALE OF FORBIDDEN ALLEGIANCE AND REDISCOVERED LOVE.

  His town.

  Susanna Duchamps came to New Orleans to settle a debt and to temporarily escape the controlled constraints of her life among the Chosen. What she finds is an opportunity to make miraculous strides with her research into Shifter genetics . . . and an unexpected, but never forgotten, man from her complicated past.

  Her rules.

  Shifter club owner Jacques LaRoche is fiercely protective of his freedom. Stripped of his memories of a former life, he longs for the mate he lost . . . until the enticingly familiar presence of a mysterious stranger from the north ignites a primal, nearly uncontrollable need to release the untamed beast inside him.

  Their last chance.

  Susanna dares not tell Jacques it was she who sacrificed his past and her future years ago, to protect him and the secret she carried. But her arrival in New Orleans comes with consequences. When a bloody confrontation erupts between their enemy clans, will she betray her lover once again—or throw her own life on the line so they can finish what they started?

  “An exciting addition to the inventive series.”

  —Night Owl Reviews on Hunter of Shadows

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  SimonandSchuster.com

  THE SOURCE FOR READING GROUPS

  Author photo © Damon Kappell/Studio16

  NANCY GIDEON is the award-winning author of more than fifty romance novels under her own name and several pseudonyms. A Michigan native, she works as a legal administrative assistant. Her critically acclaimed Moonlight series—Masked by Moonlight, Chased by Moonlight, Captured by Moonlight, and Bound by Moonlight—and Hunter of Shadows, the first book in her new Shadows series, are available from Pocket Books. Visit www.nancygideon.com.

  Praise for Nancy Gideon’s “darkly compelling”* novels

  HUNTER OF SHADOWS

  “The author has created a story full of intrigue and action, with many plot twists that will keep readers on their toes. Compelling characters, a kick a## heroine, and a hero torn by his loyalties make for an intense read.”

  —Bookaholics Romance Book Club

  “An exciting addition to this inventive series.”

  —Night Owl Reviews

  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

  “Will keep you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what will happen.”

  —Paranormal Haven

  “An intriguing series filled with complex but fascinating characters.”

  —Night Owl Reviews

  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!”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “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.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “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 thrill-ride 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)

  “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

  “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

  ALSO BY NANCY GIDEON

  Masked by Moonlight

  Chased by Moonlight

  Captured by Moonlight

  Bound by Moonlight

  Hunter of Shadows

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  Pocket Books

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  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 © 2012 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 June 2012

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

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  ISBN 978-1-4391-9951-0

  ISBN 978-1-4391-9954-1 (ebook)

  For all my friends in the blogosphere

  —thanks for getting me out there!

  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

  Prologue

  He checked his watch, concerned though not yet worried. She could have been late for any number of reasons.

  He risked another impatient look down the sterile hallway. Meeting in such a public place was dangerous, but neither of them could wait another three days for her schedule to open up. An
ticipation growled through him. Hell, he couldn’t wait another three minutes.

  He paced the storage room, hating circumstances that forced them to steal time together in closets, into hiding what neither of them was ashamed of. It wouldn’t always be this way, not if he could help it. She deserved better. She was worth more than a rushed tangle of heavy breathing on a hard tiled floor.

  The door slipped open and she was in his arms, her soft scent masking the antiseptic odor of their surroundings.

  At the first touch of her lips, he forgot everything beyond the sweet satisfaction of holding her tight. For a moment, consumed by the sensual feast, desire overcame the fear of discovery.

  She trembled in his embrace—with eagerness he thought, until tasting the salt of her tears.

  “What’s wrong?” he whispered, trying to draw her closer to the dim light so he could see her face.

  She ducked her head, refusing to answer as her shaking intensified. Her breath came in quick snatches as her hands anxiously kneaded his forearms.

  A cold thread of alarm began to uncoil in his gut. Then the door flew open, flooding the small room with glaring light. His first move was to thrust her behind him, shielding her from view. But she wouldn’t release him. Her hands clutched his arms, slowing his reactions for the second it took to lose whatever little advantage he might have had.

  Pain, sudden and swift, dropped him to his knees. Burning, then numbness raced down his extremities until his arms and legs grew useless.

  He heard her cry out in shrill distress.

  “No! Don’t hurt him! Please! You promised!”

  The raw emotion in her tone, the scent of her fear, tore a roar of near madness from his throat. He tried to stand, fought to get one foot under him. The effort was excruciating, yet still he struggled.

  Something struck him in the temple, sending him crashing to the floor, where his arms were secured behind him in cuffs of silver that ate like acid into his wrists. He pulled against them, trying to get free. To get to her.

  The sound of her weeping was more caustic than the silver as his ankles were also bound, leaving him trussed and helpless.

  What was happening? He couldn’t let them take her!

  He tried to shout her name as a muzzling mask wrapped about his face, sealing out light, sealing in his furious snarls.

  Then her hands covered his, squeezing frantically as she sobbed. “Don’t fight. Please. Just let them take you. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

  What was she saying? Sorry?

  Then realization hit hard.

  No!

  With the sudden sharp stick of a needle, anguish gave way to a slow roll into unconsciousness. Her voice was the last thing he clung to as awareness slipped from him.

  “It has to be this way. I love you. I will always love you. Remember that. Remember how much I love you.”

  Then, nothing.

  One

  So this was how a lamb felt at the slaughter.

  Nothing in Susanna Duchamps’s isolated world prepared her for the barrage of sensations within the dark walls of the Shifter club. Sound battered her ears. Music pounded in a visceral pulse. Brutish figures hunched over tables, their voices loud and rough, their laughter carnal. Even the scent burning her nostrils was frighteningly feral, urging her to step back before she was noticed. Before she became a tender meal.

  The moment she’d crossed the threshold of Cheveux du Chien, the safe separation between their species was gone and she became the unprotected prey.

  And at their mercy, instead of the other way around.

  Too frightened to move, Susanna feared she wouldn’t survive this huge mistake.

  “You made it.”

  Recognizing the direct voice of Nica Fraser, she turned, hoping her smile wasn’t wobbly with relief.

  For an instant, the sight of the deadly mercenary-for-hire in her guise of waitress confused her. The last time she’d seen the tall, willowy assassin, she’d been in a stylish cashmere sweater dress and tall boots, looking more like a society fund-raiser than a black-denim-jeans-and-skinny-tank-topped barmaid. But in the cool, measuring stare, she saw the dangerous chameleon who’d risked her life to restore the one thing that made Susanna’s worth living. That’s why she’d answered Nica’s surprise call to come quickly and secretively to New Orleans.

  “You said you needed my help, so here I am. It’s the least I could do to repay you.”

  Nica waved off her gratitude. “Believe me, I was paid plenty.”

  “Not by me,” came Susanna’s somber response. She glanced around, aware that their meeting was drawing attention she couldn’t afford. “Is there someplace we can talk privately?”

  Noting the carry-on bag with its Chicago–New Orleans tag still attached, Nica asked, “Don’t you want to get settled in and freshen up first?”

  “No offense, but I don’t want to settle in here. I’d rather get right to business.”

  Nica’s quick smile softened her rather hawkish features. “Now I remember why I liked you. Follow me. We can use my boss’s office while he’s in the stockroom checking in a new shipment.”

  They threaded a gauntlet of crowded tables. Hard rock rained down from an extensive sound system tucked in between ductwork and industrial lighting that dangled by chains and pulleys from the refurbished warehouse’s soaring flat, black ceiling. The beat was as primal as the clientele. Up close, the brute power of the rugged males was as raw as the harsh liquor in their glasses. Gleaming stares fixed upon her, some just curious, some vaguely menacing. She clutched her bag tighter and stuck close to her companion.

  “Your boss?” she called over the noise. “You work here?”

  Nica chuckled without looking back. “Quite a drop in pay grade, but my man’s a stickler for legality. Honest work for honest pay and all that self-righteous nonsense. Good thing he’s more relaxed in other areas or I’d never put up with him.”

  Startled by the comment, Susanna glanced at her shoulder. Faint scarring showed beneath the thin straps of her tank top. “You’re bonded.”

  “Amazing, huh? Good thing he admires my other qualities or he’d never put up with my lack thereof on the domestic front. They say opposites attract.”

  Susanna said nothing as they climbed a short flight of wide steps to a room off a dark hall that had probably once belonged to the plant supervisor, who could keep an eye on his laborers through a broad expanse of glass. Those windows now gleamed with a reflective opaque of privacy.

  Given the rough element in the bar area, the office of Cheveux du Chien was surprisingly professional, from its red, black, and chrome décor to the surveillance equipment and high-end computer. Closing the door sealed out the raucous sounds from the floor.

  “How was your trip?” Nica asked as she waved her guest to one of the black leather couches.

  “Long. I’m not particularly fond of train travel.” She sighed as she sank into comfortable cushions and let her heavy bag drop along with her anxiousness.

  “But it’s expedient and difficult to trace,” Nica justified. “You didn’t have any trouble with the tickets I sent, did you?”

  “No. I didn’t expect to. I know you’re very good at your job. I wouldn’t have come here, otherwise. I’m sure you appreciate the danger this puts me and my family in, just talking to you.”

  “I do. But I also know you’re not as delicate as your expensive pastel suit would suggest. I wouldn’t have asked you here, otherwise. We’re professional females, you and I, and there’s little we won’t do in the name of business or family.”

  “Why am I here, Nica? Business or family?”

  “A bit of both, and I think you’ll find it very worth your trouble.”

  A pique of interest pushed away her travel fatigue. “Go on. What kind of family business requires an obgyn?”

  Nica hesitated for just an instant, then amended, “That’s not all you are. You’re a geneticist in a very specialized field.” Catching the jump of alarm in S
usanna’s eyes, she added, “I had to know who you were, and what you were involved in, when you hired me. That information goes no farther than the two of us if you decide you can’t help me.”

  Susanna relaxed, forcing her mood to become equally receptive. She trusted the other woman. Nica understood the importance of secrecy and security when survival was in the balance. It was how both of them lived their very different lives.

  “So,” she ventured carefully, “exactly how much do you know about what I do?”

  “Everything. I know your practice within the human world is a cover so you can access their databases. I know your private interest is in combining Shifter and Chosen DNA, and that even though the Purist Movement has offered to fund your research, you’ve refused their aid because of their reputation for, shall we say, meddling.”

  “They don’t care about honest research. They’re only interested in furthering their propaganda of separate being better, and separate and not equal, better still.”

  Nica grinned. “Bet it feels good to say that out loud.”

  Susanna returned a wry smile. “One watches one’s words when political ears are everywhere.”

  “And long, unforgiving memories. It must get tricky hiding your true focus from them.”

  Again, Susanna had no comment. The shadow of her enemies reached too far for her to feel comfortable speaking her opinion. There was too much in the balance. Instead, she asked more pointedly, “What part of my research concerns you?”

  “Shifter regeneration properties.”

  Her reply was cautious. “Personal or military application?”

  Nica laughed. “I’m no friend of the military, or anything governmental, for that matter. I’m enjoying my newfound freedom a little too much to place it anywhere near their opportunistic hands.”