Bound to Shadows by Keri Arthur Read Free Book Online Page B

won’t ever happen, Kye, and we both know

it.”
He uncrossed his arms and reached out, his fingers caressing my cheek. My skin tingled with the

heated contact and my breath froze in my throat.
“But we will. We must. We are each other’s destiny, even if neither of us particularly wishes

it.”
“As I said before, destiny can bite my ass.” I pulled away from his caress and glanced at my

watch. “Now, if you want to avoid Directorate scrutiny, I suggest you leave.”
“Then Gateway has been murdered?”
He studied me calmly, a small smile teasing his lips, and I wondered whether he was reading my

thoughts again. Kye was a siphon, which meant he could take on the psychic talents of others and

use them to his own advantage. So when he was with me, he was telepathic. And despite the fact I

had psychic shields strong enough to keep even the oldest vampires out, Kye seemed able to slip

past them and catch any unwary thoughts.
Although if he could thread his way through the turmoil his reappearance was causing, he probably

deserved to catch an unwary thought or two about the victim.
“I need to know what happened to him, Riley,” he added,
Tough was my automatic response, but I knew better than to say it. I

might as well wave a red rag in front of a bull. I wanted Kye out of my life, not haunting me in

an attempt to gain the information he needed.
“It’ll take twenty-four hours for the report to come through. Call me.” I didn’t bother giving

him the number. I had no intention of making things easy for him.
He nodded and pushed away from the door frame. “I’ll talk to you later, then.”
I didn’t reply, just watched as he turned and walked away.
And tried not to think about the way his jeans clung to his butt, or the loose-limbed, sexy way

he walked.
Once he was through the gate and out of sight, I blew out a relieved breath and closed the door.

The little dog had finally stopped barking, but the minute I opened the bedroom door, he charged

out, making a beeline for his dead master. I scooped him up. “And what are we going to do with

you, then?”
He glanced at me and whined. He really was a cute little thing, and while I couldn’t leave him

here, I didn’t particularly want to dump him at a shelter, either. Which meant either taking him

with me or finding him a home.
Dogs and a pack of wolves generally weren’t a good idea, and although he didn’t seem to have a

problem with me, his reaction to Kye suggested it would be a different matter when it came to

Rhoan and his mate, Liander.
So he needed a home. It’d be nice if I could find him another vampire.
The thought stalled and I grinned.
I knew the perfect person.

T o say Sal was surprised to find me standing on her doorstep

would be the understatement of the year. She and I had a whole lot to do with each other on a

professional level—she’d taken over my position as Jack’s main assistant and generally handled a

good percentage of my calls—but we weren’t friends and weren’t ever likely to be.
“Riley,” she said, her normally sultry tones decidedly frosty. “I’m on vacation. From you and from the Directorate.”
“I know. I just thought you might be able to help out a friend,” I said, the little dog still

half hidden under my jacket.
Her gaze narrowed. “And why would you think I’d be interested in helping out one of your

friends?”
“Because his master’s just been killed, and I don’t really want to dump him in a shelter.” I

pulled the little dog out from under cover and offered him to her. “His previous owner was a

vamp, so he has no fear of us nonhumans.”
A point he proceeded to prove with his ecstatic tail wagging and happy little panting. Obviously,

it was just Kye he had a problem with.
“God, he’s darling,” Sal all but purred as she plucked him from my arms and snuggled him against

her. Then her gaze narrowed. “What’s the catch?”
“Nothing. I