Read Online Imminence by Jennifer Loiske - Free Book Online Page B

couple they would make. Clarissa was on the threshold of womanhood. Just turned sixteen. Beside the tall Adam, my daughter, herself tall and slender, seemed to be right where she belonged. Her fair coloring emphasized his dark looks. Day and night; opposites, I thought. For what felt like an eternity, they stood almost touching. Then Adam’s hands moved to caress Clarissa’s sides. Her fingers explored his face with wonder. No one dared so much as breathe. Gunward had drawn me close and held me in an iron grip. I couldn’t move. Clarissa and Adam had shut themselves into a space of their own, where no one else was able to enter. Clarissa no longer trembled of fear; she now trembled of desire. Black eyes were fixed on green ones. Two bodies were entwined like lovers in an embrace. Fingers explored, caressed, searched. A small sigh escaped through Adam’s lips. Abruptly Clarissa, frustrated, pushed Adam off and marched out of the room. Only then did I notice I’d held my breath the whole time. Gunward barked an order to the other shape shifters and they disappeared into the night, led by Adam. Exhausted, I sat down on Clarissa’s bed. Gunward sat silently down beside me. After what felt like an eternity of silence, I finally asked:
    “Why, Gunward? You promised no one would hurt my children.”
    “I don’t know, love, but I promise I’ll find out,” Gunward rumbled tenderly.
    Anger flashed in his eyes and I knew he would go very hard on the young males. No one could evade punishment for defying an alpha.
    “Your children are unlikely to be shape shifters, if they haven’t shown any signs of it by this age. I am sorry. I’ll discipline the pack, but remember what I told you before. It’s you they want,” he continued pensively.
    “You can’t be serious!” I cried. “They are still children. Besides, it seemed quite clear to me that the black-haired male at least wants Clarissa, not me.”
    “They may look like children, but they aren’t. Remember that.” Gunward gave me a stern look and shook his head.
    “They are all more than thirty years old and have been looking for mates for a long time. That they look young is their own choice. They are all very dangerous and Adam more so than the rest. I will do all I can to make him leave Clarissa be, but you saw the sparks between them. If Adam has chosen your daughter, I may have to fight him to make him give up.”
    “Then you will fight,” I told him sternly.
    “I’ll talk to Clarissa. I don’t want her to have anything to do with Adam. She must understand their union couldn’t possibly work out. She’s only a young girl and I don’t think she really wants to get involved with shape shifters.” I allowed myself to sink into Gunward´s gaze for a moment and I knew he was thinking what I was thinking. There was a time when nothing could have come between us. After we had joined and promised ourselves to each other, we would have fought to the point of madness had anyone even tried to keep us apart from one another. I couldn't let that happen to Clarissa. Not like this.
    “Sofia, you forget there have been unions between shape shifters and ordinary wolves for centuries. When the choice has been made, it’s very difficult to back off,” Gunward pointed out quietly.
    I knew he was right. Such unions had indeed been happening for a long time and this was one of the reasons why there were so few shape shifters. A shape shifter couple could usually have several litters, but shape shifter cubs would be born to only one litter. If one of the mates was incapable of shape shifting, it was very rare for them to beget shape shifters. In fact, it had never happened as far as I knew. Regardless, I could not blithely hand Clarissa over to Adam. Clarissa was not a wolf and she made her own decisions. In this case, however, she had no idea what the consequences would be for herself or for Adam if she made the wrong decision.
    Silence returned between us. I didn’t