Desert Wolf by Heather Long Read Free Book Online Page A

“I see no reason to engage you on that field. I will follow—as will all Quinteros. Ours have not chosen the path of the Outsider. Not yet.”
    He nodded once. “See to it they don’t.” If they did… Well, Cassius didn’t have to tell the other man what would happen. The pack had been borne in blood, honed in fire, and would be reborn in blood. They would grow stronger, form bonds and turn their indestructible will towards building a more unified pack.
    Sovvan and Faust had yet to take a step when Cassius rounded on them. “What are you waiting for? An engraved invitation?”
    “No.” Despite her shattered composure, the Omega didn’t give an inch. “I want to know what the hell you’re doing and what you expect me to do about it before I go another step. I have blood on my hands and I haven’t had to fight for my survival in years and never to this extent.”
    It flew in the face of all he was, but he needed her. “I will answer your questions, but not here. They need to sanitize the scene. I have a traumatized child to deal with, and a healer waiting to see to you.” Then like chewing glass, he devoured his rage and fought to project a calm he most certainly did not feel. “If it would please the lady, I would like to see to your security—physical and otherwise—before we engage in the intellectual. Then, if you disagree with my plans or feel the need to refute them—I swear on my life I will see you safely out of my territory.” Sparing a single glance to Faust, he added, “Both of you.”
    She sagged, as though someone had cut her strings. Faust caught her, wrapping an arm around her, and she leaned into him. The intense dislike for the sudden weakness sweeping over her measured equal to the ease with which her Hound held her unsettled him. His black rage coiled in the pit of his stomach, a viper waiting for the right moment to strike.
    “I’ve killed for you,” she murmured. Her golden eyes softened to an intense brown and, if not for his own night vision, he would have lost sight of them altogether. “Be worth it.”
    Inclining his head, he stepped aside and swept his arm toward their SUV avoiding any physical contact with either of them. The last thing they needed was for the Omega to feel his flaws—they were too innumerable and she already fought him on a level he hadn’t expected.
    Following them, he waited until they were inside before gripping the passenger side of the vehicle, and stepping onto the running board. His position would shield the Omega from anyone deciding they might take a shot at her. As Faust backed the vehicle away from the bodies, Cassius met Cyril’s contemplative gaze. The wolf had to have heard what he said. Leaving him alive to repeat what he knew remained a calculated risk.
    Don’t disappoint me.
    The weight of a stare drilled into him, and Cassius glanced into the SUV. Sovvan stared at him, a question written in the depths of her beautiful eyes. Even cut and swollen, she was lovely. Did she have the cajones to endure what he needed within her?
    Sorry, sweetheart. I can’t think of you as a person, only as a tool. If it costs the world you, but saves my pack? That’s a price I’m willing to pay.
    His wolf didn’t concur. In fact, the beast had been damn silent since they’d finished the battle. His animal never quieted, not for anyone and his senses remained on high alert. Jose stood at the side of his hummer, and Bianca sat in the backseat with the child in her lap. Their stressed expressions eased at his arrival. The healer glanced from him to the Omega and her Hound in the vehicle and the fist on his heart eased a fraction.
    He scented hope for the first time in years. Hope stained by blood but hope nonetheless.
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    P ain surged behind Sovvan’s closed eyelids. The rushing in her ears had to be the sound of her blood pounding through her veins. Everything hurt, from her swollen lip to her injured eye to the slices, cuts and scrapes decorating her