Stolen Melody (Snow and Ash #2) by Heather Knight Read Free Book Online Page A

church. The rest you know.”
    “Goddamn,” he says, eyeing me with either respect or pity. I’m not sure which. “No wonder you were a virgin. You spent your whole life in maximum security.”

    “Why are we stopping?”
    Axel cracks his neck. “Time to feed and water the horses.”
    Hopefully he means the humans too. I am so freaking tired. My legs feel like rubber, and what with all the snow jumping, tomorrow my hips will probably be frozen in their sockets.
    “Don’t move.” Axel strides over to a redheaded guy with the fuzziest beard I’ve ever seen. I stand perfectly still. I’m not obeying orders. I feel like a calf in a field of prehistoric raptors, and one movement from me will send them all charging.
    This gives me time to observe our party. There are twenty-four of us, including me. Despite their crude jokes, which I pretend not to hear, the men are constantly scanning every tree, every building, every shadow as though expecting an attack at any time. A couple of them even use high-tech-looking binoculars.
    Axel ambles back. “Here,” he says and drops dried apples and some kind of jerky onto my palms.
    I eye the meat. I don’t know. I mean, it could be beef, but…
    “We’re not cannibals,” he tells me as if reading my mind.
    For the thousandth time today my face heats. I feel like such an asshole, but only for being caught out. The jerky turns out to be decent. It’s even a little garlicky. I could eat a whole cow right about now, and when it’s gone, I wish there was more. A lot more. I devour the whole meal in less than five minutes.
    Axel is taking a long pull from a metal thermos when that leader guy approaches. Axel doesn’t stop drinking, but his eyes settle on the guy and don’t move. Even when the guy stops in front of him, he takes a couple more swallows and then wipes the back of his sleeve across his mouth. He hands the thermos to me.
    Axel tilts his chin in greeting. “Centos.”
    “Diehl,” returns the leader.
    They study each other for a moment, and it reminds me of when two big dogs meet at the park. The first to look away is never the alpha, and true enough, Axel averts his eyes. I get the impression he did this on purpose, like he allowed the other guy to win.
    Axel indicates me with a tip of his head. “Name’s Imogen…” He frowns. We never did get around to my last name.
    “Barrow.” I’m looking at Axel, not Centos–Leader Guy. I’m not sure what their weird gang rules are.
    “Imogen Barrow.” His voice is smooth and without accent. I turn and find the guy inspecting me through narrowed eyes, and I edge closer to Axel. “Michael Centos. I lead this group. You’ll abide by my rules.”
    I blink. I’m speechless, actually. I don’t think I’ve ever been around this much testosterone. In the end I merely nod and shift my attention to my hands, which are gripping the thermos like it’s a holy relic.
    “She will.” Axel’s voice doesn’t reveal what he’s thinking. Or feeling.
    That Centos guy grunts and moves on without a backward glance. I practically sag. I’m so out of my league.
    I note that Axel is munching his fruit like nothing happened just now. I could scream.
    “Excuse me?” I hold the thermos out to him.
    He takes it and tilts his head, and for a moment all I can think is he has the most gorgeous blue eyes I’ve ever seen.
    “Hey. Rules. What rules? And what’s this code you keep talking about?”
    He lifts a shoulder. “You’re mine. That’s pretty much it.”
    “My ass!”
    Axel drops an apple chip and blinks as though pulling me into focus. “Did you just swear?”
    “I have no idea what I’m supposed to be doing here. What does ‘claimed’ even mean? What does it mean when you say ‘mine’?” I use air quotes around the word. “I’ve never seen anything remotely like you guys. If you don’t spill, that Centos guy’s likely to slit my throat.”
    He rubs his chin and studies me. “Claimed means you’re mine. No