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

little,” he said, without taking his eyes away from his search.
    She smiled. “What do you see?”
    “Snow, trees, rocks. Some grass. No bad guys.”
    “What do you think?”
    “I think I’m calling Steve Sipes back at the house to let him know what happened, and that we’re coming in.”
    “Who’s Steve Sipes ?” Kathryn asked.
    “Raphael’s head of daylight security. Lucas must have one, too, right?”
    “Yeah. Guy named John Breunig . He’s probably at the homestead, since that’s where Lucas is, but I can give him a call.”
    “Do that,” Robbie said. “ Sipes’ll call him, too, but it’ll be good if he hears from you directly first.”
    Kathryn nodded and punched a speed dial number on her phone, while Robbie did the same. Feeling somewhat superfluous—something she wasn’t used to in situations like this— Cyn rolled into a crouch, and ignoring Robbie’s glare, she stood and made her way across the plateau to gather the horses. They weren’t happy about all the excitement, but she soothed them one at a time and brought them in. Even Robbie’s monster gelding.
    Robbie was off the phone and glowering at her. “What if I’d been wrong? What if that shooter had still been active?”
    “If you’d really thought that, you’d have tackled me before I ever got up.”
    He stared at her a long minute, then huffed a laugh. “Come on. Let’s get you back to Raphael before I get any grayer.”
    * * * *
    It was nearly dark by the time they returned to Lucas’s big house. They’d met Steve Sipes and his security team halfway back. He’d detailed some of his team to continue on to the plateau and see what they could find in the little bit of light that was left. While the rest of the team had escorted the three of them back to the estate, which Cyn thought was massive overkill. Whoever had fired on them was long gone, and a crappy shot to boot.
    But she knew Raphael wouldn’t see it that way, and Robbie knew it, too. Raphael was powerful enough, and their bond was close enough, that even in his sleep, he’d have known that Cyn was in danger. So when they made it back to the stable, she passed the mare’s reins to Robbie, slid to the ground and ran for the main house. She didn’t recognize the security guys on the outer perimeter, but Sipes’s men were standing guard closer in, and two of them were waiting for her at the front door.
    She smiled as she ran past, hurrying down the hallway to the elevator. She entered the code and stepped inside, slipping through the doors downstairs before they were fully open and rolling onto the bed just as Raphael opened his eyes and reached for her. She laughed as he tumbled her beneath him and efficiently stripped away her clothing until he had inspected almost every inch of her.
    “I’m fine,” she said, reaching up to smooth his hair away from his forehead.
    “I see that,” he purred, dipping down to nuzzle the side of her neck. “You smell like horse.”
    “I think they were aiming at Kathryn, not me.”
    He lifted his head. “That would have been small comfort if you’d been the one shot.”
    “I’m sorry.”
    He stared down at her, meeting her eyes, and then smiled ruefully. “I’m beginning to think I’m the one who should apologize to you. I’ve brought this violence into your life.”
    “Raphael,” she said, letting everything she felt for him flood the link between them, “I love our life together. I love you . Without you, I’d still be sneaking around taking pictures of cheating spouses and probably end up getting shot anyway as a prowler. I’d much rather spend my life with you, no matter the risks. I love you,” she repeated.
      He kissed her then, his lips moving over hers in a sensuous caress as he pressed his hips between her thighs. There was no foreplay, no preparation, just his cock, familiar in its weight and thickness, in the velvet stroke of it as he pushed deep inside her with a single thrust. She was wet and ready