Blood Bonds by Adrienne Wilder Read Free Book Online Page A

Four and my Agent.’”
    Haley ran a hand through her curls. It did nothing to help the serious bird’s nest starting to form. She looked at Garrett. He was still staring at her.
    The fact he had not asked her if she was ready to leave did not go unnoticed. Maybe he wasn’t quite convinced she didn’t belong here.
    “Pip...”
    “Don’t call me that.”
    Yeah, Garrett did not like anyone using his first name. Whatever possessed his parents to call him that was beyond Haley. Pip was what you named a three pound Chihuahua, not a three hundred pound man.
    Of course, Humans go through a lot of anatomical changes. Maybe he did look like a “Pip” when he was born.
    “Garrett, sir. I’m fine.” Haley crossed her arms and tried to forget the fact her clothes made her look like a contestant on Survivor.
    Garrett gave her one more up and down then nodded. “Come with me.”
    Haley all but ran out of the room.
    It took a lot less time getting out than it did getting in. The guards had suddenly gone A-OK with no ID inspection. Section eight point what-ever didn’t seem to apply when it came to pissed off Senior Special Agents. And Garrett was pissed. His scent was hot like peppers.
    When the last steel door slid open it took every ounce of dignity and professionalism Haley had to keep from throwing herself across the ground and rolling in the sunlight. Blue September skies never looked so good.
    She looked at her watch. The face was smashed.
    Garrett said, “It’s three o’clock.” He watched her from the corner of his eye.
    “Damn. I missed my class.”
    “I told them you were sick. Put it off till next Wednesday. I figured you’d have your act together by then.”
    They stopped at the first series of external check points and waited for the chain link gate to slide open.
    Haley looked at him. “What’s that supposed to mean, sir?”
    He didn’t answer her right away; he waited for the buzzer to sound, the gate to open, and for them to get halfway across the walk to the second check point. “Three guards are in the hospital. One of them was taken out on Life Flight. He’s messed up pretty bad. Won’t ever be the same again. Has a wife and two kids.” They stopped at the second gate and the Alchemists on the catwalk took their time letting them out. The exit was half the distance of the other two check points. With the guard tower in front and the barrier behind them, it formed a perfect box, effectively sandwiching them between two gates.
    “I’m sorry about them.” And Haley was. Niles might not have cared about Human life, but she did.
    “I know you are.” Garrett looked up and made an angry sound in the back of his throat. “Damn.”
    Haley saw it too. A crowd of people rushed around the edge of the prison yard, carrying large homemade signs slashed with red letters--kill the wyrm.
    Garrett groaned, “Christ on a Cross, don’t these people ever sleep?” His eyes flipped up at the Alchemists who were moving like molasses in January. Obviously giving the protesters enough time to make it around the yard to where they were about to exit.
    Wasn’t this a restricted zone? Unauthorized personnel will be detained and all that? Haley was pretty darn sure the Earth for Humans junkies were not authorized.
    “Someone must have made some phone calls.”
    Garrett grunted in agreement. “Some of the guards here have life memberships.”
    “Great.”
    The first of the protestors slammed into the fence screaming obscenities. Garrett stepped in front of Haley and flashed his ID. If they saw it, none of them cared.
    “Kill the wyrm!” The chanting drowned out any threats Garrett made.
    “I’m sorry about this,” Garrett said.
    But this wasn’t anything unusual. Sad to say it was pretty much standard operating procedure.
    Haley side stepped a protestor’s attempt to impale her through the fence with the sharp end of his sign handle. There weren’t that many of them--fifty tops. But it didn’t take long