she nodded, suddenly understanding. "he'd go to a fancy prison for white-collar criminals if he got caught otherwise. wolves would have to take him out," she said solemnly.

"does it bother you?" duncan wrapped his finger around a wisp of hair that had pulled loose from her ponytail.

"no. it would be disastrous if he went to prison. you have no choice."

"aye."

"so you're the one who's destined to take him down."

"once i secure our money."

once the catamaran had docked, duncan couldn't help how protective he felt toward shelley. he didn't want silverman to even think he could get near her while she was on the island. he glanced around the area, looking for signs of anyone who might be watching them. any of silverman's hired human goons could see shelley and him on the lighted dock. but as wolves, he and shelley could also see silverman's men if they hid in the dark to observe the two of them.

duncan suspected silverman would come himself, though, wanting to take a look at his competition, wanting to see if he could get a whiff of duncan's scent and learn if he was human or wolf. duncan smiled in a dangerous way. if he'd thought duncan was only human, silverman would soon know he had real competition for the female wolf's affections.

for the first time since duncan had met shelley, he wondered where the notion of winning her affections had come from. he appreciated the way she'd offered to let him stay with her and admired her for her frugality, not caring for the kind who would throw their money away on everything and nothing. he loved how she wanted to help him in his quest, despite the danger that could entail, and agreed with her about how wolves should behave when it came to mates. but competing to win her heart was another matter entirely.

he kept his arm around her waist, holding her close like a lover who couldn't get enough of being with his date. just like him, she was wary, looking around-but carefully, not like someone who was sure anyone was out to get them. she snuggled closer, wrapped her arm around his waist, and leaned her head against his chest as if to tell anyone watching that she was duncan's. he kissed the top of her head to show her how much he loved her playacting and to do his own part.

she didn't say anything until they were inside the rental car, away from the others on the cruise who either took a shuttle ride back to their hotels or climbed into their own rental cars. when she and duncan were on their way back to the villa, she finally spoke. "did you see him?"

"nay. i wonder if he knows i'm a wolf yet. thinking i'm human might be the reason he's still persisting in seeing you. he'd figure he easily had me beat."

"or not. i might just want to have some fun on my vacation with a human. no ties that way. since he's a wolf, he may realize i might not want to get involved with him in case he wanted a mating and i didn't. in any event, i'm sure he'll figure out you're a wolf quickly enough, if he doesn't already know." she patted duncan's thigh and said, "want to run as a wolf?"

he frowned at her. "i thought you wanted to go swimming." he was looking forward to seeing her in her string bikini again.

"that, too. the night is young."

he thought about them running as wolves in the dark, which did appeal. the moon was at its zenith tonight. he and his family were royals and could shift at will. even so, the full moon called to him whenever it appeared.

if they shifted back to their human forms on the beach, why bother with swimsuits? he smiled.

she laughed. "so, what exactly are you thinking?"

he shook his head. "i forget how observant a female wolf can be."

"oh yeah, just keep smiling when you're thinking all those wicked thoughts, and i'll be sure to know you're up to no good."

chapter 8

as soon as shelley and duncan arrived back at the villa, they both hurried into the house, laughing and kissing and putting on a real show in case silverman or one of his people had followed them. they were only playacting, but it felt real with both of them perfectly comfortable to show each other a lover's affection.

duncan was again considering taking shelley home with him. only this time to meet the family-not just to see the castle gardens. taking her home would mean the whole family ganging up on them to see who she was and pondering why he was bringing here there.

they shut the front door to the villa behind them, and shelley headed for the guest bedroom. "i'll be down in a moment. in my wolf coat. you can get the back door. too bad the villa doesn't have a wolf door."

"i imagine that's because no pets are allowed at the villa."

"wouldn't the owners be surprised to know what is staying at their place? by the way, i want to return to the reserve tonight."

he frowned again at her. "in our wolf coats?"

"yup. silver palm trees shine in the moon's light, and i want to observe it. it's the perfect way to see them. i won't be spending time cataloging plants or taking pictures. i just want to run through there as a wolf before i leave the island. this evening the moon is at its fullest, and the palms should be spectacular." she smiled and hurried up the stairs.

duncan wasn't a plant enthusiast, but her own enthusiasm made him rethink his interest in vegetation.

he had just finished closing all the blinds when he heard the familiar sound of a wolf running down the stairs. he remembered how beautiful shelley had looked in her wolf coat when she'd attacked him in a mock battle last night and wished she wanted to do so again.

she headed past him as if his only mission was to open the back door for her, and he hurried to strip out of his clothes. she didn't turn to watch him, just waited patiently, standing at the door like a dog who wanted to play outside, her tail wagging enthusiastically. he opened the door for her, then followed her outside and watched her dash across the sand. he closed the door and summoned the need to shift, to join her and run and play and enjoy the wind in his fur and his face, the talcum-powder-like sand beneath his paws. the shifting was done quickly, his muscles stretching in a smooth, comfortable way to accommodate his wolf change until he was standing as a lupus, watching the female still heading toward the water.

he fought seeing her as his female, but he couldn't help himself. she was his. at least for now when she had no male from a pack who could watch out for her. she was his-to protect and enjoy.

with his ground-eating stride, he raced to catch up to her. she ran so fast that she was like a greyhound, and he loved stretching out his legs to join her. he definitely wanted to protect her from the sharks in the sea some more, but running as wolves was just as exhilarating.

she dashed into the water and snapped at the salty spray, bounding like a wolf pup, jumping and running. for a moment, he just stood and watched, fascinated by her playful side. he wanted to tackle her, but he was used to wrestling with his brothers and male cousins in feral wolf rough-housing with no holds barred, which often accidentally drew blood. he was afraid to play with her like that, afraid of using his brute strength against hers, fearing he'd injure her and she would see him in a different light-savage instead of heroic.

she took off down the beach. he bounded after her.

she ran as if she were in a race to the finish, her tongue lolling to the side as she panted, and his did, too. but running together like this as wolves made him feel even closer to her, their shoulders brushing, their flanks touching. when he felt the overwhelming urge to turn his head and lick her, which he did, he saw the surprise in her green eyes. she smiled a little in a wolf's way. he smiled back and continued running alongside her, pushing their endurance as if they were on a hunt and ready to take down some prey.

if she hadn't been with him, he would have loved to have gotten sal out here to confront him wolf to wolf.

when duncan and shelley reached the mastic reserve trailhead, they ran along the narrow path through the trees and vines toward the north of the island. traveling through the mangrove swamp, they saw the moonlight reflected off the silver fronds of a stand of palms. they both paused to look at the spectacular sight, which seemed magical in the dark forest. they continued on until they stopped at the halfway point up the trail where the majestic mastic tree towered overhead.

he noted colorful parrots, a dove, and even a woodpecker half hidden in the leaves of the trees. and some kind of a furry varmint; he had no idea what it was. as soon as it saw them, it scurried into the underbrush. lizards appeared on branches and leaves, and disappeared. shelley ran on, and he raced to catch up.

he often ran in the ancient caledonian forest at night back home, sometimes alone, sometimes with his brothers or cousins. loping through an ancient forest on an island paradise with a woman who made him harden with a touch or a look wasn't something he'd ever thought he'd experience. he didn't think running through the highland forest would have the same impact on his feral senses as being with her did right now. running with her as a wolf in his woods was a very appealing thought.

when they came to the end of the trail, she looped around, licked his face, offered him a wolfish smile, and raced back down the path to the trailhead again. the time had come to swim with the mermaid in the sea. he liked that notion better than running in a forest with her as a wolf-even in paradise.

duncan estimated it was nearly midnight when they arrived back at the beach in front of their villa. he was so intent on watching shelley's every move that he'd only given silverman a sliver of thought since they're returned to the villa. silverman be damned.

shelley didn't return to the villa to shift into her human form and grab a swimsuit as duncan had expected. he'd been looking forward to seeing her in that string bikini again. although he wanted to feel more of her this time, to touch her breasts barely secured in the skimpy top, run his fingers over her nipples erect beneath the shimmering blue fabric, and slip it down beneath the surface of the water so he could touch all of her, feel all of her.