Gabe’s Fortune (Prospect Springs Shifters Book 3) Read online

  “I’ve never met a genuine fortune teller,” he said. “All have been scam artists. Tell me your tricks, and I’ll consider keepin’ you on with the show. Patrons seem to like you. Whatever it is you do, they believe it. And sometimes, hope and belief is what they need most.”

  He’d consider keeping her around? The nerve of him. “I don’t use trickery. I’ve been able to do what I do since as far back as I can remember,” she admitted. She glanced away briefly, thinking upon her childhood. It had been a far cry from happy, so she didn’t dwell upon it. She looked to him. “I will have you know, I’m no chiseler, Mr. MacSweeny, and I’ll thank you kindly to remember as much.”

  Doubt shone on his handsome face. She had half a mind to prove just how good she really was at what she did, but she knew better than to try. Besides, she never knew what she’d be shown, and while she tended to have a decent handle on her gifts within her wagon, she was too exposed here and her emotions were already high. So high, in fact, she wanted to take the walking cane with the wolf’s head that lay perched against his large desk and knock him on the head with it.

  “I hit a nerve,” he said.

  “Obviously,” she snapped back, folding her arms over her chest in defiance. How dare he insinuate she was a fraud?

  He remained in place, entirely too close for her liking at the moment. “Adeline, you have my apologies. I never meant to offer offense.”

  “I’m certain you mean everything you say,” she returned, shocked by her own candor. She wasn’t one to normally cause a fuss or stand up for herself. Adeline preferred to fade away into the shadows and avoid conflict. It had kept her alive this long. It was a good policy. But the urge to stand her ground with this man was great.

  “Is that Old World I hear in your voice?” he asked, hints of a drawl in his. She could tell he’d practiced, probably in hopes of sounding like a gentleman. While he succeeded for the most part, obvious hints of the New Territories remained that she could pick up on.

  Adeline glanced away.

  He chuckled. “They didn’t tell me you were a spitfire. Hell, from the way they go on about you, I assumed you’d be meek and meager.”

  Her jaw dropped.

  He grinned wider, pleased with how riled he had her. “You look like you’re fixin’ to set about to thrash me a good one.”

  The idea held merit, but she didn’t like violence. Never had.

  “Sayin’ you’re a spitfire is a good thing in my book.”

  Her gaze collided with his. “You like challenges?”

  “I love a challenge.”

  He leaned in closer to her and their lips nearly met. She had to clutch the arms of the chair to keep from touching his face. Desire assailed her, taking over rational thought. The man had offended her and all she could think about was how alluring his lips were. It would take nearly no effort on her part to close the small distance between them and press her mouth to his. Oh, and how she wanted to. She wanted to feel his lips as much as she wanted to continue to draw in air. She was perched to do just that when they were interrupted.

  “Adeline?” called Betsy, appearing at the entrance of the tent, barging in like she owned the joint, filling the entrance fully. “There you are, sweetie.”

  Relief rushed through Adeline as she reached out a hand to her friend. Betsy walked right past Gabriel as if he wasn’t even there. She took Adeline’s hand and drew her closer to her. “You all right, sweetie?”

  With a shaky nod, Adeline held tight to Betsy. “I’m good.”

  Betsy took a deep breath and then looked at Gabriel. “Mr. MacSweeny, I think our girl has had enough excitement for one day, don’t you?”

  “Actually,” said Gabriel, stepping closer to Adeline and causing a wave of panic to rush over her. He’d touched her already, but her skin had been protected by her skirts and her gloves. If he made skin-to-skin contact with her, there was no telling what would happen. “She and I are far from done with our meetin’.”

  “Funny, she looks as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rockin’ chairs.” Betsy eyed him. “You’re without a shirt, and if anyone other than me walked in here, rumors about you spoilin’ Adeline’s innocence would spread like wildfire. You ain’t that type of man, are you, Mr. MacSweeny? You the type that ruins a girl’s reputation?”

  He grumbled and stepped back. “Of course not.”

  Adeline breathed a sigh of relief as he put even more distance between them. She squeezed Betsy’s arm. No amount of words could express how thankful she was that Betsy had ignored her about being fine on her own and come to her aid all the same.

  Betsy looked over Gabriel in an almost unimpressed fashion. “You want to know if she’s the real deal? She is. I’ll swear by it, and so will anyone else here. Now, you’re done.”

  Adeline touched Betsy as the woman led her from the tent. Once they were free from it, Betsy patted her hand.

  “You okay, sweetie?” asked Betsy.

  Adeline let out a shaky breath. “I am. I think I am. I probably am. Yes. I am.”

  “Did he hurt you?”

  “No.”

  “But you got a read off him, didn’t you?” she asked, her expression knowing.

  Adeline nodded and then glanced away. “I wanted to kiss him.”

  Betsy bit her lips, trying not to laugh. “Understandable.”

  “Really? You wanted to kiss him too?”

  Betsy snorted. “Uh, no. But I can see why you’d find him appealin’. And it’s okay to like a man.”

  “You have Gusto,” said Adeline softly. “And you love each other.”

  “We do. Who is to say Mr. MacSweeny isn’t the man for you?”

  “He’s so…big.” There wasn’t another word she could think to describe him at the moment.

  Betsy laughed more. “He’s a looker alright. He was doin’ his fair share of lookin’ you over too, Adeline. The boy was downright undressin’ you with his mind.”

  “Was he?” she asked, surprised. “No. Really?”

  “You sound hopeful,” added Betsy.

  “I’d like to go back to my tent now.” She didn’t want to talk about what had happened with Gabriel because she wasn’t entirely sure herself. Nothing like that had happened to her before, and she wasn’t so sure she wanted a repeat performance.

  Betsy sighed. “We were hopin’ that just this once, you’d maybe join us all tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll finish setting up for Prospect Springs, and it would be nice to spend time with you, happy time.”

  Adeline glanced towards the freaks around the campfire, and while she normally stayed in her tent, with her protection area in place, she did long to be part of the group. Her meeting with Gabriel had left her shaken enough to want the company of others.

  “Where is Marvin?” she asked, unease settling over her once more.

  Betsy eyed her. “Why? He do somethin’?”

  Adeline cast her friend a long look that said more than words could.

  “Oh, sweetie, he took off runnin’ the other direction from this tent. I don’t think he’ll be stupid enough to show his face again tonight. I’ll have Gusto look out for him.”

  She took Betsy’s hand. “Okay.”

  A wide smile came over Betsy. “Good.”

  Chapter Four

  Gabriel finished buttoning his shirt, added a vest and put on his jacket before heading out of his tent. He followed the scent of the woman who had literally had him on his knees only moments before. Worry coursed through him, threatening to steal his hard-earned control. He’d assumed Adeline had returned to her wagon and tent and nearly started in that direction only to find her scent veered off.

  Following it, he found her near Betsy. Adeline was smiling at a man with honest to God devil horns coming out of his forehead as he played a fiddle and danced around a bonfire. The scene was something out of folklore, of a devil tempting all around with music and dance.

  The other freaks, as he’d been told they preferred to be called
, stood and clapped as they began to sing in harmony together. Ms. Adeline Carpenter didn’t join in though, she stayed off to the side, watching, her wide blue eyes soaking it all in, much like a child would. There was a sadness to her that he didn’t like seeing. He wanted to make her smile, damn the cost to his soul for daring to care. She was the type of woman that got under a man’s skin.

  The type that could make him weak.

  She was exotically beautiful. He’d heard others whisper of her heritage. Part gypsy, part who knows what. He’d been curious about her from day one. He’d caught various glimpses of her over the past week, and she always affected him in ways other women didn’t. Sure. He liked to bed women. But none had ever called to him on this level, demanding he stop everything he was doing and pay attention to them.

  Adeline did just that and more.

  He’d been surprised she’d answered his summons for her. The people of the show had told him she rarely left her tent or wagon. He’d caught her scent before she’d even neared his tent. He could have put a shirt on, knowing she was coming to him, but he hadn’t. Though he still wasn’t sure why.

  You know, he thought. You wanted to be closer to naked to make beddin’ her easier.

  He drew in a deep breath, disliking the truth. He had hoped to smooth talk her into his bed from the start and get rid of whatever it was that was gnawing at him. If he fucked her, it would ease, surely? But that wasn’t what had happened.

  He’d smelled her fear, sensed it even, deep within him as if it were his own. He’d charged out of his tent to find another male near her, touching her, and the fierce need to shout mine and lay claim to the small woman had nearly rendered him useless. All he’d been able to do, while fighting to keep his wolf and magik in check, was grab her and pull her into his tent and away from the man.

  Her fear had washed away nearly instantly, but his hunger for her had not faded. It had only grown. Gabriel considered taking a horse and riding into town to talk with his brothers and cousins about what had just happened. Never had he experienced anything so intense in his life before. He knew he should seek out his family, as close as the carnival was to Prospect Springs, and get their guidance, but he couldn’t bear the thought of leaving Adeline.

  Against his better judgment, Gabriel headed right toward the fire. The music stopped. He gave everyone a look and swept a hand out, motioning for them to continue with their fun and folly. They did, and he made his way closer to Adeline. She smiled wide and clapped along with the song.

  The song drew to a natural end and Betsy reached for the fiddler. “Pete, play another. Oh, look, Nelson is bringin’ his guitar. What a party we shall have tonight!”

  Pete began another tune, and a short man with what could only be described as a chicken beak began to strum a guitar. The crowd returned to dancing merrily. Most importantly, Adeline seemed pleased. She even slid closer to Gabriel as the sun began to set and the festivities continued. She kept sneaking peeks at him, as he did her.

  Gabriel had to admit he was enjoying himself. He liked feeling as if he was part of their tattered and torn family of sorts. The last time he remembered letting himself go in such a manner had been when he was with his own family. The MacSweeny clan was big on throwing large parties and family gatherings. Of course, with all his travels of late, Gabriel hadn’t been to any in some years.

  He missed them.

  Adeline shivered as the air cooled and night settled in around them. He removed his jacket with painfully slow motions, since he wanted to touch her but knew better, and eased the jacket around her shoulders. He thought she might protest. He could see the flicker of possibility in her blue gaze. She shivered again and wrapped his jacket around her more, stepping even closer to him.

  “Thank you,” she said softly, but loud enough to be heard over the continuing music. “You’re so warm.”

  “Do they ever tire?” he asked, nodding towards Betsy, who was now dancing with two of the men who helped with set up and take down of the show.

  Shaking her head, Adeline pressed her body to his so they were left standing side by side as they watched others dancing and singing. “No. They do this before every show opening, and they do smaller versions nightly.”

  “First one I’ve seen since I took it all on,” he confessed.

  “I suspect it is the first time they felt comfortable enough to do it since you acquired the carnival. Most thought you might be the devil in disguise, come to ruin their happiness. Are you, Gabriel?”

  He winked. “Seein’ as my thoughts are slightly devilish at the moment, possibly.”

  She blushed and pressed against him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, knowing his body was warmer than hers. The shifter side of him saw to that. She shivered, and he turned her, pulling her fully against his upper body. Damn, she fit perfectly against him.

  “Come dance, sweetie,” yelled Betsy, reaching her hand in Adeline’s direction.

  Adeline shook her head, holding Gabriel’s jacket snuggly around her. “No way.”

  Betsy laughed. “I don’t think our new owner would know what to do if he saw your wild side.”

  “You have a wild side, Ms. Carpenter?” he asked, intrigued.

  She grinned, putting her gloved palms to his chest. “Adeline, remember?”

  How could he forget?

  One of the men in the group passed Gabriel a mason jar of clear liquid. From the smell of it, someone had cooked up some powerful moonshine. With an incline of his head, Gabriel took the jar, keeping one arm around Adeline. He drank a big gulp, pulling applause from the group around him. He lifted a brow and held the jar out to Adeline. She shook her head and touched her throat, as if she’d already fallen victim to it in the past and knew better.

  Smart woman.

  Two men Gabriel knew to be part of the fire and sword-swallowing act emerged, each putting on a show in their own right. One spit fire, making everyone clap and shout. The other began to swallow his sword, and Gabriel couldn’t help but think of Adeline’s sweet mouth and what it might look like around his cock, swallowing him deep.

  He cleared his throat as his body stiffened. He needed to shift forms and let his wolf free. If he didn’t do so soon, he’d likely lose control, and he wouldn’t want her harmed in the process.

  He cleared his throat. “I best be on my way tonight.”

  She frowned. “You’re leaving so soon?”

  He hid his smile. “Few things I need to tend to.”

  She tried to remove his jacket. He waved his hand and pulled the jacket around her. “No. You keep it on.”

  Her gloved hand moved over his. “Gabriel, stay.”

  He wanted to but knew better. He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. “I need an hour or two to handle what needs to be done. Should the party still be happenin’ when I return, I’ll join back in.”

  She grinned as he walked away. He went first to his tent to remove any of his valuables, like his pocket watch and rings. He didn’t need to take them with him when he shifted forms. They were better off in his tent. He’d only been gone from the party a few minutes when he sensed something was off.

  Adeline was in distress.

  She was afraid.

  His wolf roared within him, wanting free. He stormed to the tent flap, pushed it open and glared across the area to the bonfire. The same man who had touched Adeline outside of Gabriel’s tent was now behind her, his gaze on her lower legs as he reached out and touched her long dark hair. Gabriel felt her panic, her fear, her pain.

  His wolf responded, surging up, making his mouth burn as his teeth lengthened. Claws emerged from his fingertips, and he knew his eyes were now amber. He also knew something else for certain.

  The man was not to touch his woman.

  Gabriel couldn’t stop himself as he covered the distance and swept past the man with the fiddle. He moved past Adeline as well, right at Marvin. The next thing Gabriel knew, he had Marvin lifted off the ground with one hand at the neck.
The man’s feet dangled as he beat at Gabriel’s hand, trying to breathe and break the hold.

  “Mine!” he shouted.

  Shouts and gasps surrounded him, but he paid them no mind, his gaze focused on Marvin. Snarling, Gabriel lifted the man higher. “Mine!”

  “Mr. MacSweeny,” said someone to his side.

  Gabriel ignored him and focused on the man he had hold of. “Every time you touch her, it hurts her. Lay a hand on her again, and I will rip it off.”

  Vaguely, he was aware people were trying to pry him off Marvin, but his wolf wasn’t done making its point. Neither was Gabriel. He saw the challenge in the man’s eyes. He knew deep down that he’d still try to touch Adeline, and that was not acceptable.

  Kill him, his wolf pushed at him. Kill him. Protect her.

  “He’s gonna kill Marvin,” someone shouted.

  “What is he?” yelled another.

  “Get back,” said the fiddler. “He’s a shifter. I’ve seen one other this way before, and it didn’t end pretty. He’s deadly right now. Back up. Give him space. Adeline, no, don’t try to touch him!”

  A hand came to a rest on Gabriel’s forearm, and just like that, the anger, the rage, the feral need to lay waste to the man before him receded. He glanced to his side to find Adeline there, her eyes wide, her lips pursed with a simple “no” perched upon them.

  “No,” she said softly. That one word from her calmed his beast instantly.

  He released his hold on Marvin, letting the man fall to the ground with a thud. Gabriel grabbed Adeline and pulled her against him as he once again ignored the shouts of the others. He locked gazes with her and she put a gloved hand to his chest, holding it there as she looked to Betsy.

  “I’m fine. He isn’t hurting me,” said Adeline, no fear in her voice. “He was protecting me.”

  “Sweetie, that man looks like he wants to drag you off into the wilderness, tear your clothes off and have his way with you,” returned Betsy.

  “Yes,” said Gabriel before thinking better. “Mine.”