Her Protectors (Peacekeepers Book 2) by Tamsin Baker Read Free Book Online Page B

to pound as fear skittered along his spine.
    “Jacky, come back. You’re not safe when you’re off our land.”
    She turned and smiled at him, raising one eyebrow. “You gonna come and get me, big guy?”
    “Oh, you wanna play again, do you?”
    Which wasn’t a bad idea. He needed her back on their land as soon as possible, and if that meant carrying her back over the threshold, then so be it.
    She squeaked and started running.
    “I’m going to get you.”
    He stepped into the stream and cold water soaked his shoes and the bottom of his pants. “You’ll pay for that, my beautiful girl.”
    He started running after her and something caught his attention. A noise, a whooshing. Something running. That smell. Death.
    “Jacky!”
    Pain thumped through the back of Ashten’s head and a high pitched cry pierced his eardrums.
    He hit the ground.
    Another scream sounded and Ashten jumped up, his magic flowing faster than it ever had before. He reached out for the male vampire in front of him, his white paw gripping the vamp’s neck and squeezing hard.
    “We…”
    Ashten threw him to the ground and slammed his foot through the vampire’s head. He didn’t care. He’d deal with the fall out later.
    Jacky.
    He began running in the direction he’d last seen her running.
    He circled around and around the trees, her sweet smell lingering, but there was nothing but air and grass.
    He roared into the sky, his heart cracking in his chest.
    He ran, true fear trickling along his skin like ice water as he got closer to his brother.
    Raylock came running out and Ashten reluctantly let his bear go, shifting back to human.
    “What the hell’s happened?”
    “Jacky’s been taken. Vampires. I killed the one who attacked me, but they grabbed Jacky when my back was turned.”
    Raylock growled, clenching his fists and pacing in front of him.
    “This is our land! That’s impossible.”
    “It’s not impossible. We were playing by the stream and we both stepped over onto the McGloughlin land. I was only a few feet on the farm, they must have been watching. None of that matters now. All that’s important is that we find her. How are we going to do that?”
    Raylock didn’t stop pacing as white fur sprouted out his face, then disappeared, returning a moment later. His anger and fear was obviously causing a problem with his shifting control.
    “Those fucking bastards! What do they want? They have to have a reason for grabbing her!”
    Ashten nodded, his mind clearing now that he had shared the problem with his brother and he needed to find a solution. “True. Let’s go find our brothers and get a hunting party together. Let’s get our mate back.”
     
    ****
    “You better let me go. Or there’s going to be hell to pay.”
    The three vampires in the room laughed at her, their strange faces contorting in the half light. It was sundown and her men still hadn’t found her. How was that possible? Weren’t they like, super paranormal?
    “We’re damned no matter what, remember? So what can your peacekeepers do that are worse than that?”
    “They can make sure you get there sooner.”
    One of the older males, although their actual age was almost impossible to determine, appeared in front of her, staring down at her, where they’d left her sitting in a chair. She wasn’t tied up, but she assumed that was because they knew she had no way of escaping. They were so strong, and so fast, she still couldn’t believe the way they’d literally flown in and stolen her.
    The man stared down at her, his red irises glowing with ill health. “If I were you, I wouldn’t try to upset us. We won’t kill you yet, but that doesn’t mean we won’t take you as close to death as possible, before we barter with your Peacekeepers.”
    Jacky bit her lip and tried not to shiver outright as the goosebumps flowed over her skin. She didn’t say anything else so he moved away and she could breathe again.
    Woah, they’re scary.
    She looked around the