Southern Shifters: Pryde and Precious (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Heather Long Read Free Book Online

mistaken identity?” She spread her hands, daring to glance at him. “I have no idea. I keep telling you, I’m a botanist. I didn’t even know who Darcy Ashwood was until I saw her name on some of the early research. After I sent the requests to the chem companies, I looked her up. She was an amazing telepath, profoundly strong…and she disappeared. One of the rumors says a shifter killed her for her work.”
    “She’s not dead.” John placed the tablet on the coffee table and rose. Pacing to the windows, he studied something in the distance.
    “Are you sure?”
    “Positive. She mated a snow leopard…a scout who used to work for the clans. He went AWOL and took his mate with him.”
    “AWOL? Your military side is showing.” Still, it was a comfort to know the powerful telepath who’d come up with the plan for erasing scent wasn’t dead.
    “He didn’t have much loyalty for those who’d given him shelter, and apparently the feeling was mutual.” His shrug echoed with discomfort. “As far as I know, she isn’t dead and neither is he. They are somewhere out west, happily mated, and living beneath the radar. It’s a good plan, considering if they had been found, they would have been banished.” Something in his tone tugged at her.
    “Or worse?” She didn’t really need to ask.
    “Or worse.” Twisting away from the window, he slid his hands into his pockets and studied her. “You’re feeling better.”
    “That wasn’t a question.”
    “No, but you’re feeling better.”
    Was she? She rubbed her jaw. The soreness in her head seemed to be ever-present. “I have a headache.” She spread her hands to show him her palms. “And I still don’t know why they sent me this project or how this is supposed to end…or where my plants are.”
    A brief smile softened his mouth. “You’re more worried about your shrubs than you are the project.”
    “I can’t do anything about the project…but the plants are mine.” Chances were, no one knew she was missing. Simon never came to her apartment. All she had to do was answer her emails promptly—though she’d avoided reading anything new when she’d unlocked the tablet. She hadn’t even checked to see if the tablet connected to the Internet.
    “Well, I hope you accept my apologies, but we can’t do anything about them at the moment. The team on your apartment scrubbed your presence, which meant everything had to be moved. I’ve put it into storage…”
    “There were delicate experiments in my fridge. I need them to be maintained at the same temperature…”
    “Arianna,” he said, raising a hand. “I understand your concerns. For now, I need your patience.”
    Sucking in a deep breath, she tried to control her rapidly escalating pulse. “My patience.”
    “Yes.” He glanced at the window again. A muscle ticked in his jaw, and his distant expression did nothing to ease the tension coiling in her gut.
    Attempting a different course, she stood. “I’ve answered your questions.”
    “As much as you were able, yes. Why were you chosen? What specialty do you possess that made them select you for Project Pryde?”
    “I don’t know, and I told you I’m a botanist. I create hybrid flowers…”
    “To what purpose?”
    “To survive. Some of the world’s most beautiful flowers are found in remote areas with very specific climates. Others, such as those with medicinal purposes, bloom only in tropical regions. They could be beneficial to people in arid areas, but they cannot grow there.” Clenching her hands into fists, she fought to get her breathing under control. The last thing she wanted was another anxiety attack, but the panic swelling in her chest had other ideas. “My work could make lives better.”
    “Human lives.”
    “Lives. Does it matter if they are human? Shifter? Psi? We’re all human on some level. I don’t care what species you are…I care that I can improve life expectancy, quality of life, and that the hybrids I’m