Absolution (Delroi Prophecy Book 4) by Loribelle Hunt Read Free Book Online Page A

his mind herself. Xan shook
his head.
    “Mikail
didn’t care who protected her. He gave the task of finding someone to me. I
would like to know how he survived the attack when she was kidnapped, however.”
    “Why
aren’t you asking?”
    “I
want to see them together.”
    She heard disapproval in his mental
tone, but she couldn’t discern the source or get a chance to ask before they
stopped in front of a door. After a brisk knock Goran entered. She and Xan
followed. A young woman walked in from a balcony to greet them. She looked
fragile and exhausted, the circles under her eyes almost as dark as her long
black hair. Smiling, she stepped forward.
    “Xan.”
    He hugged her. “How are you, princess?”
he asked softly.
    Anna Leigh was stunned. She’d never
seen him so gentle. It was obvious the woman was important to him.
    “We
cherish our females,” he whispered into her mind. “What her brother did is unforgiveable.”
    She felt the depth of his rage and
guilt and determination. The fury at Mikail. The guilt because he’d left Xiri
at the mercy of someone else. Determination to keep her--and the rest of the
weaker members of the clan--safe. There was also a surprising tenderness in the
way he held his young cousin. It was an unexpected facet of his personality and
she found herself more drawn to him that ever.
    “Remember
that when I make you angry.” His voice slid into
her mind, teasing and sexy.
    He released Xiri and led her to one of
the two sofas facing each other in the middle of the room. Goran moved to sit
next to her, while Xan and Anna Leigh sat opposite them.
    “Tell me what happened,” Xan ordered
the warrior, no gentleness left now that he was focused on someone else.
    “I went on a supply run with two of
the other warriors.”
    “Why weren’t they being delivered?”
Xan interrupted.
    “It was for replacement parts. We
didn’t have time to wait for someone to bring them to us,” Xiri answered.
    Her hand covered Goran’s clenched fist
and the warrior relaxed a little. Anna Leigh watched them closely. They were
obviously close but she didn’t sense the der’lan bond. Surprising given the way Goran looked at her, the way he subtly shifted
as if preparing for an attack against her. She felt Xan’s disapproval.
    “Why would you go on the supply run
and leave your der’lan to the care of
others?” he asked softly. Dangerously.
    Xiri gasped. Paled and tried to put
some distance between herself and Goran. He just moved with her. Anna Leigh
glanced at Xan to see him watching them with the narrowed eyes of a hunting
predator. Xiri lifted her chin.
    “I don’t want a mate, Xan. You can’t
force me to take one.”
    Silently, Anna Leigh applauded the
girl’s stubbornness. She got the feeling Xiri was going to need it.
    “We’ll get back to that,” Xan said in
a tone that screamed dominance and command. Xiri flinched and Goran grew even tenser.
“What happened after he left? Was Mikail there?”
    Xiri nodded. “He had a platoon of
warriors with him. They attacked from every side. Took me and the other
scientists hostage and stole our prototypes.”
    “One of was destroyed in the Green
Zone,” Goran commented.
    Xan nodded. “We saw the vid.”
    One of the cloaking devices Xiri’s
team had developed had been used to hide a vehicle the rebels used in the
attack against Zola and Parker. Zola had turned one of its missiles back and
blew it up.
    “Mikail brought you here?”
    “Yes. He wanted our research and
schematics.” Her eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “We destroyed it all when the
alarm sounded. It’s not recoverable and we refused to cooperate.”
    She paused, her expression turning sad
and fearful. Goran put his arm around her shoulders, tugged her close. Anna
Leigh was surprised the younger woman didn’t protest. Sighing, Xiri leaned into
the embrace. Anna Leigh wondered if she and Xan would ever be that comfortable
together. He chuckled in her mind. Moved his hand to