Rebirth (Rogues Shifter Series) by Gayle Parness Read Free Book Online

attitude. My fear drained away as anger spilled in to take its place. I glowered and stretched my arms in evil anticipation of shoving him off of that top branch and hearing him scream as he fell.
    Up I went, all the time keeping my eyes on Ethan, passing branch by branch never looking down at the ground.  Before I knew it I was sitting on the branch right next to him.  But instead of making a snide comment, he patted my shoulder, smiling, and said “Wow, you can really climb fast! That was cool.”
    That remark destroyed my murder-by-pushing plan as I stared into his gleaming brown eyes in surprise, seeing only genuine admiration in his gaze. Rob called out from below, “Good work, both of you! Now you can come back to earth.” Stupid me glanced down and the world instantly flipped and spun in a nauseating tumble. I grabbed onto Ethan’s shirt for dear life and closed my eyes, shocked to hear myself whimpering a little. He put an arm around my shoulders to steady me, his other hand on a branch above us.
    My voice sounded squeaky but I was too scared to feel embarrassed. “Ohgodohgod! I can’t move. I'm gonna pass out.”I was shaking so hard I thought I'd break the branch in half. Don’t think about the branch breaking. The branch is sturdy. The branch will not break. We are sitting on the strongest branch ever grown on a tree. This is the freakin' super branch of all branches.
    My head was nestled against Ethan’s shoulder and I could smell his uniquely spicy scent, For some reason, it calmed me a little. He held me securely, murmuring words of encouragement into my hair. He seemed very calm, not phased at all by my fear. Still, I could've used a dose of Rob’s wintergreen tranquilizer to stop the trembling.
    Ethan continued to speak softly. “Try to relax. You’re going to get down one branch at a time exactly the same way you got up here. I’m going to help you." Placing a finger under my chin, he forced me to look at him. "You’ll have to trust me.” He spoke to me calmly but with authority, not like the goofy, flirting Ethan that I’d seen so far.
    "I can’t do this, I really can’t.” My eyes were glued shut as I dug my face back into his chest and desperately clutched at his shirt . I think I heard a seam rip, but I was way beyond caring.
    “H ow do you expect to get down if you don’t climb down?”
    Swea t dampened my brow and palms and my trembling hadn't subsided. I continued to cling to his shirt as I answered him, my voice sounding muffled against the material. “I don’t freakin’ know, Ethan. Maybe you can knock me out and carry me down unconscious? I definitely can’t do this the normal way."
    "Nah, you're too hard-headed." I knew he'd meant it to cheer me up, but I wasn't really in the mood to laugh. He grunted, then took a firm hold of my chin, forcing me to look him in the eye again. Our faces were only inches apart. “You will do this. You will climb down and I'll be behind you the whole time. I won't let you fall. I'll keep you safe.” He let that sink in for a minute. “Tell me you trust me.” I shook my head  up and down quickly. I did trust him.
    "Say it. O ut loud."
    "I trust you." The words were a shaky whisper, but he seemed to hear them.
    “Good. Face the trunk. Put one hand here next to mine and the other there on that smaller branch. I’ll be here for every step. Don’t look down at all.”
    His calm manner and reassuring voice gave me a touch of confidence , and so after a very shaky start, I was able to follow his orders all the way down to the ground with only a few tearful, frozen pauses along the way. When my feet touched the forest floor beneath the tree, I sat down hard, wrapped my arms around my knees and sobbed with relief and embarrassment.
    I looked up to see Rob glance at me with concern then pat Ethan on the back and walk back to the cabin. Ethan sat down on the ground next to me and reached out to hold my hand in support. “You really did great. If