Broken: Hidden Book Two by Colleen Vanderlinden Read Free Book Online

acceptable.”
    Brennan gave a small nod, ceded the point. We stood there, awkwardly, for a couple of minutes. I remembered my discussion with Eunomia. He deserved to know something was up.
    “I’m going to be taking on some additional shit. If I ask you to keep things running around here…”
    “You know I’ll do it, Molly,” he said. “I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me what’s going on?”
    “Not yet. Because I don’t completely know. It might be nothing.” I hope, I thought to myself. “Once I know, you will. I promise.”
    He nodded. Sometimes, I hated how clearly I could feel him. Nain had been tricky to read sometimes. Brennan’s feelings were clear. Love, concern, sadness. Longing. It threatened to drown me, knock me over and pull me into its depths, and I didn’t know if I would be strong enough to surface again.
    “I care about you, you know,” I said softly. “Just not the way you want me to.”
    He blushed a little. I knew he wished I couldn’t feel him. It really did complicate everything. There was no place he could hide, not from me. “Like a brother,” he said, irritation in his tone. Frustrated. Guilty.
    “Like a friend. It is a compliment. I want you to be happy. And even if I could feel for you what you want me to, I would hurt you. Over and over and over again. You know it. I already do.”
    “It would be worth it. And you’re not the monster you think you are,” he said quietly.
    “No. I’m much worse. Find some gorgeous shifter who will adore you. Make baby shifters with her. Be happy.”
    He shook his head. “That is not going to happen. You’re asking me to replace you in my heart. I can’t.”
    “Please stop saying shit like that,” I said, felt tears slipping from the corners of my eyes. I hated that. I have this thing about crying. I don’t do it, and those rare times I do, it makes me want to destroy things.
    I’m a wreck, basically. I know. Emotionally stunted, or whatever you’d call it.
    Brennan walked over to me. He gently cupped the sides of my face, wiped my tears away with his thumbs. “Okay,” he said softly, soothing. “Okay. I’m sorry,” he whispered.
    I nodded, tried to force the tears back. He gently rested his forehead against mine.
    We stood that way for a bit as I tried to get my emotions under control again. It took longer than I expected, and he waited it out with me. His presence, his calm, soothed me after a while. He took a breath, then murmured, “I am here for you, however you need me. I will be your friend, your receptionist, your butler. I’ll be Alfred to your Batman, Jarvis to your Iron Man. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere, Molly.”
    I nodded again, took his hands in mine and removed them from my face, gently. “I’m broken,” I whispered, releasing his hands.
    “Not broken. Never. Not you. You’ve been twisted, ripped apart. But you are not broken,” he said.
    “Remind me of that when I start to fall apart, Alfred,” I said, stepping back from him a little.
    “I will,” he answered, meeting my eyes one more time. Then he walked away, up to his room, and I went up to the roof to spend another night alone.

Chapter Four
     
    Meetings and destroying, destroying and meetings. This was my existence. I hadn’t been wrong about the fact that new adversaries would pop up in the void left by Astaroth and all of his people. I had, however, underestimated how damn many of them there would be.
    They were power-hungry, impatient, and, usually, dumb as rocks. This was a really bad combination when it came to trying to protect the Normals from them, keep them out of the crossfire when two big bads decided to face off over territory. It was easy for me to catch and either destroy or gently convince the morons to go elsewhere. The hard part was trying to get to them before they hurt people. They were reckless in their desire for power.
    In addition to frequent calls from Chief Jones (since when had I become a member of