Mortal Obligation by Nichole Chase Read Free Book Online

gleamed like a slick pearl in the moonlight and Ree knew this was not a cheap boat.
    “You should be safe now. I don’t think anything could get through our protection,” The large man said almost kindly when Ree neared him. He had a thick Southern dialect that roughened his already gravelly voice. Coming from a mouth buried deep inside of his thick beard, it made his words even harder to understand.
    “Thank you,” she replied as the ball of tension in her stomach began to unravel. The man looked large and intimidating, but there was something comforting in his tone. He reminded her a great deal of some of her uncles.
    “I'm Eric,” he turned and offered her his hand.
    “Ree McKenna,” She smiled as his large hand engulfed hers in a hearty handshake.
    “McKenna, huh? Seems like I remember some McKennas from around Guyton.” He watched the darkened water as they pushed through. Ree pulled her sweater tighter against her body. Even inside the little cabin of the boat she could feel the bite of the Georgian winter. Customary of the crazy weather patterns along the coast, the wind had picked up, making the crossing even more uncomfortable.
    “My grandparents live in Guyton, now,” Ree replied, interested. She hoped he would offer more information, but he merely grunted in a friendly fashion.
    Paden walked over to them and stood behind Ree placing a hand on her shoulder. Despite feeling overwhelmed and tired beyond her comprehension, she tingled at his touch. She tilted her head up to look at him, and saw that his fangs were gone. Now that she thought about it, the burning sensation in her chest and stomach had abated, and she didn’t feel like there were things pressing on her.  
    “Feeling better?” his voice was quiet, meant for her ears alone. She nodded her head and offered him a small smile in return. His fingers tightened on her shoulder before he turned to introduce himself to the captain of the boat. She was glad to see that Paden didn't take his hand off of her as he talked to Eric about where they are going. She let her gaze run over the others that had taken seats in the small cabin. Each of them looked lost in their own thoughts. Bryce had his arm over Juliette’s shoulder, while she looked out of the window. Weylin was watching Paden and Eric as they talked about where they were headed. Melanie, on the other hand, was watching Ree and Paden with a small smile. When she met Ree's eyes, she motioned for her to sit next to her on the bench. She patted Paden’s hand before stepping over to the padded seat Melanie was occupying.
    “How are you doing?” Mel asked as she made room for her.
    “About as good as the rest of you,” Ree said. She really did like Melanie and didn’t want there to be any bad blood between them over Paden. “Really tired for some reason.” Ree yawned as if on cue.
    “Oh, I don't know. Weylin and Bryce and I haven't started glowing or growing fangs yet.” Melanie laughed. “Seems like we might be doing a little bit better than you.”  She held up her hand, her pointer finger and thumb pinched together to emphasize her statement.
    “Well, that’s true. I wish I had a better idea of what was going on.” Ree sighed heavily. She was so exhausted she could probably sleep for days. She leaned back against the wall of the boat and fought the weight of her eyelids. She tilted her head to the side in an attempt to pop her neck and shake off the lethargy settling onto her shoulders. Her whole body was sore, like she had run a marathon in half the time it should take. A yawn escaped her mouth, causing her eyes to water, and she sighed in defeat. She doubted that even a case of energy drinks would make her feel more awake.
    “I guess this boss of yours will explain everything,” Mel shrugged. She was always so laid-back and relaxed; it made everyone else look like they were a wound up soccer mom. “From what it sounds like, she has some important things to tell you. I