Midnight Whispers - Paranormal Romance by Catherine Bullard Read Free Book Online Page A

could
splash some icy water onto her face.
    Apparently it
wasn’t enough, because when she came back inside her Aunt took one look at her
before her own face blanched in horror and concern.
    “Kyra!” she
exclaimed, rushing over and placing her small hands on either side of her face.
“What on earth is wrong with you, child? Are you ill?” She peered into Kyra’s
eyes, then felt her forehead. “You look like death warmed over.”
    Kyra tried to
crack a smile, but her lips didn’t seem to have enough energy for it. “I’m just
tired. I haven’t been sleeping very well lately.” She was unable to stifle the
yawn this time. “The nightmares… they’ve really taken a toll.”
    “Well why
didn’t you say something?” Aunt Sylvia drew back with a frown. “I would have
made you a batch of chamomile tea. It’s always soothed me whenever I’ve had a
restless night.”
    “I’m sorry. I
guess I never really thought about it.” Not quite true,
unfortunately—Kyra had debated whether or not to try a herbal remedy, but
she knew somewhere inside her that her problem wasn’t physical—it was
mental. The wolf call was pulling at her soul, and no amount of chamomile tea
was going to release its hold on her.
    “Well, I’ll
make sure to make you some tonight before bed,” her aunt said firmly. “Now why
don’t you go and lay down for a bit?”
    Kyra shook
her head. “I actually think a walk might do me more good. Clear my head, get
the blood flowing. Do you think you would mind if I went out for a bit?”
    That
something flickered in her aunt’s eyes again, the same look Kyra had caught
before when she’d mentioned the woods, but Sylvia only nodded. “Don’t be too
late, child.”
    Kyra promised
not to be, then grabbed her shoes and bonnet and stepped outside. Unlike her
first days here, when she’d walked through the fields with a bounce in her step
and the sunshine in her heart, her feet dragged wearily through the grass and
the sun seemed to pound as relentlessly as her headache did. Rather than allow
herself to be held down, she picked up the pace determinedly, allowing a seed
of anger to root itself in her heart as she headed for the woods. By the time
she reached the edge of the trees, the anger had become a bud, and had burst
into a blossom of rage as she entered the maze.
    Who do
these shifters think they are, controlling my life like this? she thought
as she strode through the maze with her fists balled at her sides. As if it
wasn’t bad enough that Bryce held me tied to a bed and then claimed that I was
mated to him, he then invades my dreams and refuses to let me sleep! Why can’t
they all just shut up for one night with their stupid wolf call so that I don’t
have to fight it?
    Thoughts like
this continued to whirl in her agitated mind until she was fairly steaming. By
the time she exited the maze, she looked as if the top of her head might blow
off. The two shifters on duty seemed to notice, because their eyes widened as
they looked at her, their stances automatically shifting to a defensive
posture.
    “An
intruder!” one of them exclaimed, pulling a knife from his belt.
    “Don’t be
daft!” the other one snapped, though he kept his eyes firmly trained on her.
“That’s Bryce’s woman…  what was her name… Kyra!”
    “I. Am. Not.
Bryce’s. Woman,” Kyra growled through clenched teeth as she stepped forward. “I
am my own woman, and I am tired of this nonsense.” The guards stiffened
and glared at her, and she had to steel herself to keep from bolting—she
knew she wasn’t entirely welcome, that she was a stranger and they wouldn’t
take kindly to her tone. “Please,” she said more softly, “tell Bryce that I am
here.”
     
    ****
    Bryce walked
briskly toward the gate, his heart jumping in his chest. Adam, one of the
shifters that had been assigned guard duty for the day, had come running,
telling him that Kyra was here and demanding to speak with him.
    He’d heard
the