Night of the Wolves

Night of the Wolves
Heather Graham

A victory for evil? Guided by visions as she hunts for her father’s murderer, Alexandra Gordon returns to Victory, Texas – and lands straight in the arms of fearsome lawman Cody Fox. A dedicated soldier in the war against evil, Cody wears his battle scars with honour, all the while hiding a shameful secret from perceptive Alexandra.Their attraction is instant and unstoppable, but soon it may cost Alex her life. For an ancient evil has been awakened and is stalking the townsfolk after dark…To protect Alex, Cody must choose between a showdown with the devil – and the fiery beauty whose kisses soothe his tormented soul.

Praise for the novels of

HEATHERGRAHAM

writing as Shannon Drake

“Drake constructs a well-drawn plot and provides plenty of sexual tension and romantic encounters as well as exotic scenery.”

—Publishers Weekly on The Pirate Bride

“Bestselling author Drake … keeps Ally’s relationship with her aunts and godparents playful, forming an intriguing contrast with the grim progress of the murder probe, while satisfying romantic progress and rising suspense keep the book running on all cylinders.”

—Publishers Weekly on Beguiled

“Drake is an expert storyteller who keeps the reader enthralled with a fast-paced story peopled with wonderful characters.”

—RT Book Reviews on Reckless

“[Shannon Drake] captures readers’ hearts with her own special brand of magic.”

—Affaire de Coeur on No Other Woman

“Bringing back the terrific heroes and heroines from her previous titles, Drake gives The Awakening an extraspecial touch. Her expert craftsmanship and true mastery of the eerie shine through!” —RT Book Reviews

“Well-researched and thoroughly entertaining”

—Publishers Weekly on Knight Triumphant

Also available from

HEATHERGRAHAM

writing as

SHANNON DRAKE

THE PIRATE BRIDE

THE QUEEN’S LADY

BEGUILED

RECKLESS

WICKED

Night of the Wolves

Heather Graham

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

To some of my favorite Aussies,

with a bit of Kiwi, too.

Rosemary Potter

Cherie Watts

Christina Tanvadji

Frances Bomford

Monthiti Danjaroensuk

Margaret Bell

and

Mandi Hutton

PROLOGUE

1838

The Republic of Texas

FIRST SHE HEARD THE HOWLING of the wolves. In the West, once you got past the cities and out on the trails leading to the lands of the ranchers and homesteaders, the sound wasn’t unusual. It was still eerie, but it wasn’t unusual.

But this was so early.

And after that, when the air went so very still …

That was when Molly Fox knew that something was wrong, seriously wrong.

Bartholomew, who was generally a fine guard dog, was acting like anything but. He started to whine, tucked his tail between his legs and, keeping low to the ground, crept into the bedroom and under the bed.

The strange silence continued. Molly listened, but she couldn’t even hear the sound of the wind moving through the trees.

Taking Lawrence’s old rifle, she went out on the porch. As she stood there, she saw the dying sun far on the western horizon.

As she watched, it seemed to fall to the earth like a fiery globe, sending out tentacles of flame to tease the heavens. It was beautiful, but then, as if it had been enfolded in a dark blanket, it suddenly disappeared as it plummeted to the earth. The last vestiges of pink and pale yellow, mauve and silver, faded from the sky. Even twilight was gone; night had taken over.

Molly stood in the darkness for a moment, then gave herself a shake and quickly retreated inside to light the kerosene lamp on the table.