Slade by Bianca D'Arc Read Free Book Online Page B

irrevocable step and gave into the attraction any more than she already had. She’d wind up with a broken heart. And would the mysterious cat shifter even think of her after he was gone? Sadly, she thought not.
    Better to focus on the task at hand. That phone call couldn’t have happened at a more opportune moment. She needed to get her mind off of his handsome, hard body and back on the mission. She’d promised to help find the murderers and she had already been able to help. She felt pride in the fact that her magic had enabled Slade to track them this far.
    Together, perhaps they could pick up the trail again and find those responsible for sending the entire shifter community in the Southwest into an uproar. The Redstone matriarch had been well loved.
    Kate had been impressed by the older woman. Grif’s mother had been the first one to extend the invitation to Kate to join the community. She’d taken Kate under her wing and helped her figure out her place in the group. Or at least, she’d begun to do that. And then she’d been brutally murdered.
    Kate had lost a champion among the were with whom she’d chosen to live. But much more importantly, she’d lost a friend. A tear came to her eye when she allowed herself to think of the kind woman who’d taken her in and made her feel welcome. So few times in her life had she felt that way, and Kate knew she was going to miss the matriarch of the Redstone Clan as much those who had known that brave lady much longer. She’d been that kind of woman. She’d made an indelible impression on the lives of everyone she knew.
    Slade ended the call, putting the phone away, and strode around to the driver’s side of the vehicle, a determined expression on his face. Would he now tell her their brief moment of passion had been a mistake? She didn’t want to hear it, even if she was beginning to believe that herself.
    “Matt picked up the scent,” he said instead, surprising her and deferring the dreaded post-kiss conversation to sometime in the future. Thank goodness.
    Slade slipped behind the wheel and closed the door, starting the SUV almost all in one motion. He moved fast. Shifters had incredible speed, agility and strength, she was coming to learn. Slade, perhaps, was even a bit sharper than the others she’d come to know.
    “Are you up for the hunt?” The look in his eyes dared her to join him.
    She felt her resolve firm as she thought again of the matriarch.
    “I’m up for it,” she replied in kind, already looking forward to helping Slade find out all he could from the trail. Whatever—or whoever—it led to.

Chapter Four

    “What did Matt say on the phone?” Kate asked as they got back on the road.
    Slade had to get his head back in the game. For a moment there, all he’d wanted to do was ignore the phone—ignore his duty—and sink into Kate’s luscious body. She was dangerous to his peace of mind, never mind his work.
    “Actually, i t was Valerie. She’s coordinating the messages. Matt called her first, but I don’t trust him not to call Grif next. Unless we get there fast, we’re going to have a family of irate cougars raining hell down on whoever owns that vehicle, whether or not they’re the ones we’re looking for.”
    This was a tricky part of their mission. Slade had been sent to defuse the Redstones. To run interference so they didn’t do something in their rage and grief to expose the entire shifter community to the human world. The secret must be kept. And Slade had to be the one to make certain of it. The Redstones weren’t clear headed enough at the moment to think before they acted.
    “I’m surprised Matt even bothered to call at all before rushing in where angels fear to tread,” Kate offered.
    “He’s pegged as the maverick of the family, from all accounts,” Slade agreed. “But he also seems more level headed than his years would indicate. Maybe he’s just used to following orders from having so many older, Alpha