Ever After by Carrie Ann Ryan, Leia Shaw, Marie Harte, Rebecca Royce, Lia Davis Read Free Book Online

stood on one side, Alec on the other.
    Colin curled a lip then spit on the ground in front of them. “No. Not yet.” He turned on his heel, his shoulders tense.
    Leslie relaxed next to Fawkes and he wrapped his arm around her.
    “You’re going to have to tell me why I did that later,” Fawkes whispered and she nodded.
    “I don’t know exactly what that was about, but you’ll have to tell me later,” Liam said before he walked away, Alec following quietly behind like always.
    “Thank you,” she whispered.
    “I’d do anything for you, Leslie. You know that. It’s what being a true half and mate means, but you’ll have to tell me. Okay?”
    She nodded then wrapped her arms around his waist. She’d forced a dominant demon to stand back and not fight. What kind of person did that make her?
    She needed to make some decisions and quickly. If she didn’t get over her aversion to fighting, she might lose the one thing she hadn’t known she could have.
     

 
    Chapter Five
     
    She felt so soft and warm against his side that Fawkes wasn’t sure if he wanted to let her go. Ever.
    That might prove a problem considering they were in public and some of the other wolves were staring. Really, though, he should have been used to the staring by then. They always watched him, first with fear, then with trepidation.  Now, it was a mix of curiosity and sheer bafflement.
    He wanted to think it was merely because he was a demon with his arm wrapped around  a wolf, but he had a feeling it had much more to do with Leslie herself, than him.
    That was something he’d have to change.
    He’d stayed away from her for two months because he’d been an idiot. At first it was because he wasn’t exactly sure what he was feeling. After all, he’d never met his true half before. For all he knew the connection he felt was because she was absolutely gorgeous.
    The last thing he wanted to do was follow her around like a helpless little demon because his dick got hard.
    He frowned and shook off that last crude thought. Leslie was worth more than that.
    Not that Colin and his little crew had the same thought.
    If Leslie hadn’t held him back the day before he’d have punched that fucker’s face in.
    Colin, Ben and the other wolves he hadn’t cared to get their names of before, seemed to want to have their own small Pack within the main Pack. Hunter had told him that he had the crew on his radar, but technically, they showed more dominant wolves respect.
    The Beta of the Pack had already threatened to kick their asses and it hadn’t been enough. He’d given Fawkes—an outsider—permission to provide justice. If the crew came anywhere near Leslie, he’d fight back.
    Well, he would if Leslie would let him. For some reason she had an aversion to violence. No, he knew the reason.
    Dorian.
    That brother of hers had scared her more than the others thought. Sure, she stayed with Hunter at first because she’d had nowhere else to go, but then most of them had thought she stayed because she liked it. He’d seen the way she was around Hazel and how her eyes would light up every time she saw the little girl. She’d sigh with contentment when she held her and would laugh when Hunter would act overprotective.
    Yet, Fawkes had a feeling she stayed for other reasons.
    No, not because he was near, but because she didn’t want to leave.
    She couldn’t leave.
    Staying in a house with a sadistic, power-hungry, asshole had scarred her. He knew she shied away from violence, but she was a wolf.
    How could she stay away from it all?
    Wolves here entwined with the darkness and violence as much as demons were. Wolves went on monthly hunts that always led to blood or sex. That was just the way of it. He knew she was submissive, but now she was ignoring her call—ignoring who she was.
    He didn’t know what to do about it.
    “Fawkes? What’s wrong?”
    He looked down into her big brown eyes, then kissed her nose. She sighed against him and he hugged