Praetorian Series [3] A Hunter and His Legion by Edward Crichton Read Free Book Online Page A

sight of it brought back that original curiosity and misunderstanding concerning our two timelines, and how we’d apparently fucked it up, as Archer had so eloquently stated upon our first meeting.
    I glanced up at Artie now, a question on my tongue, when I felt something hard poke against my arm.  I looked over and noticed Marcus prodding me with a plate containing steaming pieces of meat, and finally noticed the animal skewered upon a spit that must have been recently taken off the fire.
    I reached out and took it, picking up a piece of meat with my fingers to inspect it.
    “What mystery meat is it this time?”  I asked the Roman.
    “Antelope ,” he reported.  “Helena killed it this morning.”
    I glanced at her, seeing that she dutifully sat with the binoculars still fixed to her eyes, and smiled.
    “Sounds good to me,” I answered, having no problem with the less than normal meal.  I popped the stringy but juicy morsel into my mouth and started chewing.  I swallowed and felt my stomach immediately settle, and I sighed contentedly as Vincent passed me a small loaf of bread.  I tossed another piece of meat into my mouth and savored its warm, flavorful texture before swallowing it down.
    “Feel better, Hunter?”  Archer ask ed mockingly.
    I turned and offered him a momentary look before turning aw ay, doing my best to appear unfazed by his tone.  I leaned my head back and closed my eyes as I tore off a piece of bread with my teeth, and chewed.
    “Indubitably, my dear Watson,” I replied with a smile.  When I noticed Stryker and Martin trade questioning glances, I decided to return my attention back to Archer.  “What?  They don’t have Sherlock Holmes in your timeline?”
    The man stared at me angrily.
    “Apparently not,” I said with the flick of my eyebrows.
    “ Obviously not,” Archer clarified.  “I told you before that you fucked things up!  We’re wasting time here.  We need to start figuring out where things went wrong and how we can fix them.”
    “Have patience,” Vincent said, punching his open hand in a downward motion.  “Time, believe it or not, is on our side now.”
    I gave Vincent’s shoulder a pat in appreciation before speaking .  “If only it were as easy as you think, Paul.  I’ve been trying to figure this shit out for years.  A few conversations over breakfast isn’t going to help you.”
    “No, but it’s a good place to start,” he countered.  “My team and I volunteered for this mission knowing it might be a one way trip, knowing that we may be here for a very long time, knowing that fixing the timeline may mean we’ll be unable to return to our home at all, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to simply waste my time while you get your shit together because you can’t get a handle on your emotions!”
    I shot to my feet and he joined me, and I got ready to throw my metal plate at his face, but Artie also stood and placed herself directly between us.
    “Stop it!”  She ordered with upraised arms .  “Bickering isn’t going to get us anywhere.”
    She had a point, but my anger wasn’t diminishing at her words.  I felt my arm starting to raise the plate on its own, but Vincent lifted his hand to push it down, enticing me to sit as well.
    “Take a seat, Lieutenant Hunter,” he ordered.
    My anger subsided at his words, and I slowly sat with a nod of thanks to the older man, but I wasn’t placated completely.  I could never trust Archer, not after what he’d done to Artie, and warning bells were going off in my mind not to start now.  There was something off about him, something that suggested he was keeping things from me, only I didn’t know what.
    Archer sat as well, but Artie remained standing.  She stared down at Archer intently, but he refused to meet her eyes, so she turned back to me.
    “Archer isn’t wrong, Jacob,” she said.  “We did come here for a reason.  We need to talk and get our stories straight.  All we really