Samhain (Matilda Kavanagh Book 2) by Shauna Granger Read Free Book Online Page B

smaller man behind him.
    Samuel was pale and blond, and his hair appeared extra bright in the dimly lit hallway. He nodded in acknowledgement, but didn’t say anything. He stepped in behind Jameson, being very careful to keep right behind his shoulder and just to the side. He was a wolf ready to attack at a moment’s notice. He was dressed in military chic, right down to his olive drab jacket and the black combat boots tied over his gray cargo pants. When he stood behind Jameson, he kept his hands clasped in front of him and his feet hip-width apart. I glanced at Kyle just in time to catch him hiding a smirk. I wasn’t the only one who thought Samuel was taking his job a little too seriously.
    “Please, come in.” I waved them farther in so I could close the door. When I turned, I saw the slight bulge under Samuel’s jacket at his waist. If he wasn’t keeping his arms so rigid in front of him, the jacket would hang and the gun would be better concealed. “Everything okay, Jameson? I mean, what’s up with G.I. Joe over here?”
    “Samuel?” Jameson glanced over this shoulder. “He’s my Third. My Second was otherwise occupied tonight.”
    “Guy’s gotta have a life, right?” Kyle said with a sly smile. Kyle held out his hand and Jameson took it, the two men gripping the other’s shoulder with their free hands before letting go.
    “So I hear you’ve had a visit from our peaceful, loving friends,” Jameson said as he turned toward the kitchen and walked over to examine the damage.
    “Kyle seems to think so,” I said, following.
    Ronnie had managed to clean the floor and was storing the broom and dustpan away when we walked in. She turned around, tucking behind her ear the one long red curl that had escaped her high bun. When she lifted her brown eyes, a smile automatically forming to greet my guests, she stopped dead. Her eyes fell on Samuel, and I watched her whole body freeze for a moment. It was over in an instant, and she recovered smoothly, her smile coming back as a deep crimson flush colored her face.
    “Hello,” she managed, her voice rough. She had to cough to clear her throat.
    I stole a glance at Samuel and saw that he too had a strange look on his face. His eyes, which he had been so careful to keep clear and straight, were locked on Ronnie’s face. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He looked like some hopeful puppy staring at a cookie that was just out of reach.
    “Ronnie,” I said slowly, creeping around the trio of wolves to come to her side. “You remember Jameson. He helped me with Malachi. This is Samuel, Jameson’s Third.”
    “Very nice to meet you,” Ronnie said, not even acknowledging Jameson. She seemed to realize her slight, and she blinked rapidly, shook her head, and tried not to giggle. “Jameson, very nice to see you.”
    “Veronica,” Jameson said with a nod.
    His eyes flitted to mine, and I gave a very small shrug. I wasn’t a werewolf with heightened senses, but even I felt the electricity zipping between witch and Were.
    “Ronnie, please,” Ronnie said, her face flashing a deeper shade of vermilion.
    “Do you need a cold drink or something?” I whispered to her.
    Ronnie looked at me like I was speaking Elfish. “Oh, oh yeah, drinks,” she said quickly, grabbing hold of the distraction. “I’ll make us drinks.”
    “If my glasses haven’t shattered,” I muttered as I turned back to the wolves.
    “Yes, this is very unfortunate,” Jameson said, picking up on the change of subject. “Very lucky you weren’t hurt.”
    “Oh, I got a nice face full of pepper spray.” I touched my cheek, feeling the lingering sting.
    “Pepper spray and a homemade bomb? Yes.” Jameson nodded, examining the scorch marks on the cabinets. “Yes, this was P.E.A.C.E. An initiation if you ask me.”
    “Initiation?” I asked.
    “When new members want to join, they spend time as lackeys, passing out flyers, organizing rallies, sending out mailers, all that crap,”