NocC 003 - The Ancients 02 - Bonnie Vanak - Mated to the Wolf - Harlequin 2011-11 by Nocturne Read Free Book Online Page B

back. The Hunters they’d send would finish you off. Slowly, ripping you to shreds.”
    Numb with shock, she went to the bed and sat. Samantha stared at her wrist.
    “Take it out,” she said dully.
    He hesitated. “I’ve got the tools, but no anesthetic. It’s going to hurt.”
    “I don’t want anything foreign inside me, take it out!”
    The procedure was painful, but she gritted her teeth as he probed and prodded. Minutes later, he plunked a small microchip onto a plate. Grayson bound her wrist with gauze.
    “This should heal fast now that the white light inside you is at full power.”
    Her furious gaze met his wary one. “The white light wasn’t what healed me. My demon strength took care of that. But it’s all gone now. I want my powers back, Grayson. And don’t tell me we have to have sex again for it to happen.”
    “I can’t do that. Not until you stop this obsession with finding your parents’ killer.”
    “So it’s down to blackmail? You’d keep me weak and dependent?”
    “Not by choice. It’s for your protection. The minute you regain demon strength, you’re a target.”
    “I’d take my chances, but you removed the choice from me. You betrayed me, my trust, damn it.” She fisted her trembling hands. “You know what that feels like?”
    Lines of strain bracketed his mouth. “I do. I’m sorry, Samantha. It wasn’t my choice. I wasn’t about to let anyone hurt you. It’s my duty to protect you and I will not go against it. Never again.”
    White light inside her pulsed, longing to heal the old hurt in his eyes. It pushed her into surrendering her anger. Samantha touched his arm, feeling the muscles quiver. “Then make amends. Give me my powers back and then show me how to find balance. Work with me, Grayson.”
    His mouth compressed to a tight slash as he walked away. “I can’t.”
    “You won’t. Because you don’t trust me.”
    “Give me a reason to trust that you won’t race off to find Jerome Cabot and kill him and I may reconsider. I’m not turning my back on you.”
    Not since her parents’ deaths had she felt this empty. Even her anger was gone. She was shadow now, as gentle and weak as a baby. As helpless.
    “And I never turn my back on a Hunter. The last time I did, one killed my parents.”
    His expression shuttered. “It wasn’t your fault, Samantha. You had nothing to do with their deaths.”
    Anger shimmered inside her, fierce and bright. She welcomed the sting of rage. “I could have stopped him. I should have slit his throat instead of hiding like a coward.”
    “No, you couldn’t have. It wasn’t in you.”
    His deep voice was gentle. Pity was bad. It tore down her defenses, tugged her away from the path she’d chosen. She couldn’t lose sight of the goal. So what if her darkness was gone. She didn’t need her demon to kill.
    A butcher knife would suffice for the Hunter who killed her parents. Make him scream and burn.
    Samantha watched as he went to the window, lifted the curtain. His expression tightened.
    “Get dressed. We’re leaving right now.”
    “I’m not taking orders from you.”
    “Fine. Want to take them from them.?” He lifted the curtain.
    The cabin was set on a small rise, giving a clear view of the long road leading to it. In the distance were two black cars.
    “After they’ve cleared the barricades, they’ll be here in fifteen minutes.”
    She peered out. “The Society’s team, checking to make sure we’re lovers?”
    Grayson dropped the curtain. “Worse. Russell, enforcer in my pack, and an entire contingent of shifters. They’re not here to pay a social call.”
    “They’re after me, too?” Sweat popped out on her forehead. She rubbed her arms, feeling weak and trembling.
    His jaw tensed. “Not you. Me. And when they finish with me, they won’t let anything of mine remain standing. Including you.”

    Bitter cold stung Samantha’s cheeks. The thick sheepskin coat, new cords and cable-knit sweater did little to