Dark Alpha's Embrace by Donna Grant Read Free Book Online

we start?” He reached for one of the books.
    River reacted on instinct from years of handling ancient texts. “Don’t!” she yelled, her hands outstretched to snatch the book from him.
    “It’s all right,” Kyran said as he walked up beside her. “I protected them with magic. I saw what you did for them at the library. They’ll not be harmed.”
    Baylon smiled as he opened the book and flipped through the pages. “It’s like each page has its own protection spell. It can’t be ripped, burned, or soaked.”
    “That’s good,” she said and dropped her arms to her sides.
    Kyran walked to the table, his long black and silver hair shoved away from his face. “The books are important to us as well.”
    “Which one do we start with?” Jordyn asked excitedly.
    River looked for the book that began it all. “It’s not here.”
    “Looks like we’ve got eighteen books to find, lads,” Talin said.
    Kyran tapped the book nearest him. “Do they go in order?”
    “In a manner. That’s how I read them, but with our timing, I don’t have to start there.”
    Talin turned and walked from the cavern as he said, “I’ll tell Cael we need to find those other books immediately.”
    “I’ll go help them,” Kyran said.
    River nodded, unsure of why he was telling her. After a few whispered words, Baylon left as well. Leaving her alone with Jordyn.
    It wasn’t that River hated people, she just liked being alone. Others always disappointed her. Besides, she’d spent her life hiding from the Dark. Making friends wasn’t part of the package.
    “I’m really glad you’re here,” Jordyn said.
    River looked to find Jordyn’s turquoise eyes trained on her. Jordyn’s blond locks were cut short, the pixie cut showcasing her narrow face and high cheekbones.
    “Yeah.” She removed her coat and walked around the table until she came to The Hidden . She took it and moved to one of the Chesterfield chairs where she curled up.
    Jordyn had a laptop in hand when she took the chair next to her. “Were these really your books?”
    “My family’s, yes.” River ran her hand over the cover. “I used to read them in front of my aunt’s hearth. I knew they were old, but I had no idea I shouldn’t have held them or read while eating.”
    “They’ve aged well.”
    “Aunt Maureen always cleaned them after I handled each book.” Holding it again as she had so many years ago brought back a torrent of emotions.
    River opened the book and the antiquated Fae dialect was as easy to read as English.
    “What are the books about?”
    She shrugged and glanced at Jordyn. “The Fae. It’s the accounting of each family. Some knew more than others, but they all had knowledge, that when combined is important.”
    “How did your family come to have the books?”
    River felt eyes on her and looked up to find Eoghan leaning a shoulder against the entrance, watching them.
    “He’s not being rude,” Jordyn said. “He doesn’t talk.”
    River kept eye contact with him as she told Jordyn, “I never thought he was being rude.”
    She recognized another soul who preferred solitude to the company of others. That wasn’t the reason Eoghan didn’t speak. If River had to guess, it had something to do with Bran’s betrayal, or even something farther back.
    His lips softened just a fraction as he nodded at her and walked away.
    “You never said how your family came to have all thirty books,” Jordyn prompted.
    River shrugged and went back to looking at the pages. “I don’t know. They were always there. I never thought to ask how we had them until it was too late, and I couldn’t get answers.”
    *   *   *
    Kyran returned with three of the books. He was surprised to find he was the first one back. When he walked into the library, as Jordyn had dubbed the cavern, he found River asleep, a book opened on her lap.
    Jordyn smiled at him. “I didn’t want to wake her.”
    “It’s fine, lass,” Kyran told her as he set the books on the