Soul Deep: Dark Souls, Book 2 by Anne Hope Read Free Book Online Page B

to damn the soul he no longer possessed. There was enough blood on his hands already. He refused to see another Hybrid destroyed because he lacked the balls to stand up to the guy pulling the strings. Even if that guy was Cal.
    Angling his blade, he moved forward, forcing the others to take a step back. “No one’s hurting these two on my watch.”
    Surprise arrowed across Regan’s face, followed by gratitude.
    Thomas, who’d joined their ranks only three months ago, aimed a sharpened blade at his chest. His gaze reflected a hunger for violence that contradicted his cherubic features. “Move aside, Marcus. You’re not the one we came for.”
    Marcus squared his shoulders, adopting his battle stance. “Sorry, pal. Can’t do that.”

Chapter Nine
    She woke in an unfamiliar room, where the unmistakable smell of mold hung heavy in the air and swirls of dust danced like moths in the quickly fading sunlight. Gingham curtains covered the multi-paned windows, and the furniture looked like it was about a hundred years old. Standing across the room, backlit by the setting sun, was Marcus.
    Regan propped herself on her elbows, felt her side burn like hellfire. A wave of dizziness gripped her, and she collapsed on the lumpy bed again. “Where are we?” Her voice sounded foreign to her, flat and raspy.
    Marcus angled his head her way but didn’t turn to look at her. “Cabin in the mountains, ’bout twenty miles north of the complex.”
    “How did I get here?”
    “I carried you, after you went and got yourself stabbed.”
    She inspected her midriff, pushing aside her bloody shirt to find a blister the size of a baseball. The memories gushed back, and she shot up in bed even though it made the room spin. “Ben?”
    “He’s safe, asleep in the next room.”
    Regan exhaled in relief. She brushed the hair from her face and leaned against the wooden headboard. “What exactly happened?”
    Marcus finally flung a glance her way, and the storm brewing in his eyes made her instinctively recoil. “Isn’t it obvious?” He pivoted on his heels and began to stalk the room like a caged lion. “I saved your pretty little ass. Now I’m as screwed as you are.”
    “You killed them? The others?” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Marcus had never defied a direct order from Cal. Never.
    “No. I just maimed them. It was the only way I could get you and the kid out of there in one piece.”
    Gratitude tangoed with shock and outright confusion. “Why?”
    “Because I’m a flaming idiot.” He turned the full force of his anger on her. “And so are you. What the hell were you thinking, Regan?”
    She buried her face in her hands, shook her head. “I don’t know. I just couldn’t let Ben die. The compulsion to save him was stronger than I was.”
    He released a short laugh. “Yeah, I know what you mean.” The tension melted from his limbs, and he came to stand by her bed, his eyes raking over her body in a way that made her muscles stiffen and her stomach tingle uncomfortably. “How’s your cut?”
    “Raw and blistered, but healing. I’m kinda low on energy, though.”
    He lowered his tall frame beside her, firmly gripping her hand. Short of ingesting a soul, the Watchers’ bond was the best way to fight the draining effects of angel’s blood. By pooling his energy with hers, Marcus was essentially helping her refuel.
    His familiar heat traveled through her, a soothing balm that cleansed her system and sped up the healing process. She closed her eyes and savored the revitalizing tingle in her bloodstream, losing herself in the humming warmth of it.
    She could feel her wound shrinking, the blister fading, until nothing remained but a thin white scar. “Thank you.” Those two words were hardly enough to express her gratitude. “For everything.”
    She knew what saving her had cost him, the sacrifice he’d made, and it sent her mind reeling. He’d put everything on the line for her—his job, his home, his