Dark Wolf (Spirit Wild) - By Kate Douglas Page 0,12

and running late. Her libido was working on overtime and her imagination wasn’t much better. So be it. Grabbing her handbag, Lily slipped out the door. The company limo she’d called for earlier waited in front of the house.

The driver opened the door, and she slid into the backseat. “Museum of Modern Art,” she said, checking her handbag for the speech she’d prepared.

The notes were there. She’d done this sort of thing a hundred times. So why was she so uptight about tonight?

And what if Aldo Xenakis approached her with his slimy comments, the way he’d done when she’d met him on Monday? And how the hell was she going to deal with his son?

Somehow, she just couldn’t drag up any good feelings about the coming evening. As they drove into town, she found herself turning in her seat, looking back in the direction of the mountain.

What kind of CEO would rather be running as a wolf across the grassy hillside? With a deep sigh, Lily turned and faced forward. Time to put on her business face and act like a grown-up, whether she wanted to or not.

3

Sebastian sipped an excellent champagne and paid just enough attention to the two gentlemen he was standing with to nod occasionally in the right places.

He wasn’t sure what he’d expected tonight. He hadn’t intended to be here by himself, but even though his father had chosen not to come, the evening had been . . . interesting. He’d actually been enjoying himself.

For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why.

Crowds and formal events had never been high on his list of things to do. He preferred the silence of the mountains, the ebb and flow of the ocean, even a hike in the foothills rather than a fancy event where the ultimate purpose seemed to be who had more, controlled more, or wanted more.

People had been pleasant enough, a bit curious when they realized he was Aldo Xenakis’s son, but he’d not run into any of the attitude he’d expected.

If anything, he’d been aware of a growing sense of expectation. It wasn’t just him. Those around him kept glancing toward the entrance to the room, as if awaiting royalty. He knew the honoree wasn’t expected to attend. Had he missed something? The mayor was already here. Was the governor coming?

He decided to relax and see what happened. Whoever was keeping everyone busy casting surreptitious glances toward the door would eventually arrive and the mystery would be solved.

A soft sigh spread across the huge room, as if everyone exhaled at once. Sebastian realized that he turned in absolute synchronization with every other person in the room.

Silence fell, and a few people pushed to get a better look. At times like this, he appreciated his above average height because it was a simple thing merely to peer over the heads of those between him and the entry.

There was a small cluster of people blocking the wide doorway into the ballroom, but they moved aside as if clearing way for royalty. Sebastian realized he’d lifted a bit to his toes in order to see who or what everyone was looking at.

The final person moved out of his line of vision.

Sebastian’s breath caught in his throat.

She was taller than average, as slim and graceful as any woodland creature, and yet when she turned and gazed in his direction, he sensed pure predator beneath the tawny waves that cascaded in wild disarray over her shoulders and curled around her slim hips.

Without a doubt, he’d never seen anyone as lovely or as mesmerizing in his entire life. The woman, smiling and greeting those who met her like subjects bowing to a queen, moved within an aura of light and color that jolted his psychic senses on a level never before touched.

He’d always seen auras—they were a normal part of his vision, and he rarely thought much of them. They were a part of the whole, just as important in his perception of each individual as the color of their hair or the shade of their eyes.

He’d never seen anyone like this woman. She moved in a shimmer of russet and gold, but the brilliance of her aura actually reflected in the physical plane, shimmering over her gown in a scarlet wave of light and life. So many shades of red, from the deepest bloodred to a shade bordering on orange.

She wore her will, her power, and her energy like a crimson cloak, radiating life and courage, and enough