Love Bites (Bitten Book 4) by C.C. Wood Read Free Book Online

alliances with other packs and shifter species as well as vampires.
    “Calder.” Belinda’s quiet voice interrupted my circling thoughts and she smiled when I looked at her, as though she knew exactly what I had been considering.
    I turned to meet Lach’s steady gaze and I realized he knew what I was thinking about as well. The corner of his mouth kicked up in a vague smile, but he didn’t say anything.
    “Okay, so what happened?” I asked.
    By the time Lachlan finished his story, my gut was tied in knots. It took every ounce of willpower I possessed not to sprint out of the house, go to my mate, and drag her back to my den where I knew without a doubt that she would be safe.
    The war was spreading and it was only a matter of time before it reached the pack.

Chapter Four
    Ricki

    I came awake, gasping for breath. I felt as though the darkness was pressing down on my face, filling my nose and throat. Abruptly, I realized that Pepper was wrapped around my head and that the thickness that seemed to be filling my airways was actually her fur.
    Turning my head, I shoved her off my face, sputtering and brushing away stray cat hairs from my lips and nose. She groaned irritably and remained sprawled on the pillow next to me. Though I wiped my face several times, I still felt as though I had hair everywhere, so I rolled out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom.
    By the time I splashed cool water on my face to remove the remnants of cat fur, I was wide awake and my head was pounding. I winced when I saw my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were bloodshot, the red more pronounced due to my pallor.
    After leaving Calder standing on the sidewalk yesterday evening, I’d come straight home and found the lone bottle of tequila in my cabinet. I kept it on hand for when my girlfriends came over for Margarita Madness. Four shots later, the sharp ache had been washed away by numbness. I lost count after that.
    As rough as I felt this morning, I knew I’d consumed quite a bit more than I thought. I bundled my hair on the back of my head, securing it in a messy knot with a rubber band, before shuffling into the kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee.
    While I waited on my Keurig to brew, I took two ibuprofen and washed them down with water. I hated feeling like this. Somehow a hangover from a fun night out with my friends didn’t feel as nasty as one caused by overindulging on tequila while sitting alone on my kitchen floor.
    When my coffee was ready, I carried the cup into the bathroom and took a quick, almost scalding hot shower. Half an hour later, I was clean, dressed, and finishing up my second mug of coffee. The headache that had gripped my skull when I awoke had faded to a dull, manageable throb.
    My stomach was still twisted in knots, but I no longer felt like something scraped off the bottom of a shoe. I sat down on a barstool at my kitchen counter with a glass of ice water. I really wanted more caffeine, but I knew rehydrating would help more than anything.
    As I forced myself to drink, I grabbed a notebook and began making a list of boutiques, managers, and store owners I’d met over the years of working for Candy. I needed to find another job, fast. I had enough money put away to last a couple of months, but I didn’t want to go through my savings before I found work.
    Ten minutes later, I had a game plan. First, I would call Shane Hearn. His family owned a chain of consignment stores throughout Texas. They specialized in vintage and designer clothing. Shane had offered me a job several times in the last year, and I’d been considering it for a while, but the cut in pay made me nervous. Now, it was better than no pay at all.
    I jumped and barely resisted the urge to scream when a sudden pounding rocked my front door. Hesitantly, I walked through the living room and put my eye to the peephole. The door shook under the force of another blow, but I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized that it wasn’t the Gestapo