Hunted (A Cyn & Raphael Novella) by D.B. Reynolds Read Free Book Online

day, and had both her and Kathryn diving for the ground.
    “ Cyn !” Robbie roared as he flew across the plateau. He jumped from the saddle before the big horse had even come a full stop, too much of a warrior not to have his rifle in hand as he crouched low and ran to where Cyn was scooting along the snow-covered ground, heading for the protection of a small cluster of good-sized rocks. “God damn it,” he swore as he grabbed her on the fly and half-carried her the rest of the way. Kathryn was already nearly there, having been closer when the shooting started. Robbie reached out now to snag her jacket and drag her behind the largest of the rocks.
    “I counted two shots,” Cyn said, pulling her Glock from its shoulder holster and wishing she had something with better range.
    “Rifle,” Kathryn confirmed. “Long range, probably—” She risked a quick peek and ducked back. “—the next hill over, those trees.”
    “What do you think, Robbie?” Cyn asked.
    The big Ranger shrugged out of his dark-colored parka, leaving him in nothing but a long-sleeved, off-white thermal Henley. Rolling to one side, he squirmed down into the snow and slipped the barrel of his Remington M24 around the side of the rocks.
    “Want me to put some snow on your head,” Cyn whispered, only half-facetiously.
    “Fuck you, Cyn . I can’t take you anywhere.”
    “Maybe he was shooting at you!” she hissed.
    Robbie grunted, his eye and his focus now on whatever he was seeing through the scope of his rifle. Eventually, he pulled the gun back, rolled over and sat up.
    “I think you’re right about where it came from,” he told Kathryn, “but the shooter’s gone. Probably saw his chance, took the shot, and then ran for it, maybe without even waiting to see what he’d hit.”
    “This can’t be a coincidence,” Cyn said. “First we’re tagged from the airport, and now someone’s shooting at us.”
    “Yeah, but why us? You and I can’t influence the damn challenges,” Kathryn said angrily.
    Cyn snorted. “Unless we die,” she said dryly. “When a vampire’s mate dies, it’s a devastating blow. Maybe they’re targeting you and me to get to Lucas and Raphael.”
    Kathryn blushed hotly, her already cold-pinked cheeks getting even redder. She shot Robbie an embarrassed glance. “Um, Lucas and I aren’t actually mated yet.”
    Robbie gave Cyn a meaningful stare. He clearly thought she was the target because her death would definitely hurt Raphael badly. Maybe even make him skip the Council meeting. She had to admit the evidence seemed to point that way, if Kathryn and Lucas weren’t mated. Sure, Lucas would mourn her death, but it wouldn’t hurt him the way the loss of a mate would. Of course, that assumed the shooter knew they weren’t mated, and besides, there were other reasons for shooting someone. It didn’t have to be related to vampire politics.
    “Who hates you enough to try to kill you?” she asked Kathryn, avoiding the whole mating issue. “Any big FBI busts you’ve been involved in lately?”
    Kathryn frowned. “Not really. I honestly don’t do that much field work, and when I do it’s mostly white collar stuff.”
    “I thought terrorism was the big issue these days.”
    “It is, but even there, my involvement is more in the way of tracing financial transactions, following the paper trails, not hunting down bad guys. Most of the people we arrest wouldn’t even know I was involved.”
    “No offense, but it sounds pretty boring. You have skills. When this is all over, I think we should talk.”
    Robbie groaned loudly. “I don’t want to hear this.”
    “Don’t be so dramatic. You think it’s safe to stick our heads up?”
    He grabbed his jacket and dug into a pocket, pulling out a pair of compact, but extremely powerful military-issue binocs. Propping himself higher, he began a systematic search.
    “You were a boy scout when you were little, weren’t you?” Cyn teased.
    “Babe, I was never