The Legend of the Werewolf by Mandy Rosko Read Free Book Online Page A

of dawn.
    Not me. Not me. He thought. This was
someone else he was looking at.
    As if sensing his presence, Hadrian's
eyes found Mike’s.
    As though he was bodily picked up and
thrown out, Hadrian’s mind closed off to him.
    Shit . He’d stayed too long. Didn’t
matter. Hadrian’s stare didn’t scare him and neither did the show
inside his head.
    He glared back at the warlock. He
wouldn’t be moved by this man.
    “ I found you then, just as I have
found you now,” Hadrian taunted. “Come with me and I shall spare
the people here.”
    Mike didn’t move. Even as Hadrian held
out his hand as though expecting him to come.
    Mike wasn’t stupid. And he wasn’t about
to negotiate. Now that Hadrian had found him, he’d never leave
these people unpunished.
    Looks like he had to stay after
all.
    For now.
    “You’re out of your mind if you think
I’m going near you to do anything other than snap cuffs on your
wrists.”
    How did Hadrian find him? Mike didn’t even
know where he was. Since he’d been unconscious after Annie
clobbered him and brought him here, as far as he knew he was on a
ranch in California near his hometown.
    Hadrian frowned and lowered his
hand.
    Gordon shook his head. "Come down here,
the both of you. We all need to talk."
    Hadrian rubbed his long nose before
addressing Gordon, loud enough for Mike to hear before he joined
the group. "You know my demands. I want my property and my servant.
The boy as well for his ruthless attack on me. Then, I shall be on
my way."
    Westley tensed.
    "What?" Mike whipped his head between
the two men. "If you want to play your game with me that's fine,
but he has nothing to do with it."
    "I can defend myself," Westley
snapped.
    Gordon's body shook at the demand, his
eyes could've burned holes into Hadrian had he the Magic to do so.
"Asking for the rock is one thing. I'm not even considering giving
you my son."
    Hadrian shrugged his shoulders, his eyes
landing on Annie. A long, Grinch-like smile formed on his lips.
"The girl then, or the other boy. It matters not to me but I will
have my satisfaction for being attacked by that beast. If you allow
me the girl I can assure you she will be returned when I am
through." He licked his lips.
    Mike could see from the way he stared
that he would rather have Annie than any of the men. He clenched
his fists. Men who hurt women pissed him off.
    "In what condition I return her in depends
entirely on her co-operation," Hadrian said, as though every pair
of eyes were not glaring at him.
    Mike snarled and saw red. Hadrian
wanted to torture her. He could sense it. That sick, twisted little
twerp wanted to hurt her, rape her, all because she’d saved his
life. "You're not taking her!"
    "Boy? What other boy?" Gordon didn't
seem to hear the threats as he snapped his head from Annie to
Westley, both of whom had sheepish looks on their faces and didn’t
meet his eyes.
    Gordon rounded on Mike when they gave
no answer. "Who else was there? Not that dragon!"
    What? Mike looked past passed him to Annie
and Westley. He couldn't read their thoughts but their eyes
implored him to say nothing.
    That kid did have a dragon tattoo on his
arm but Mike didn't take it to mean that he was an actual
dragon.
    His hesitation confirmed Gordon's fear.
"Unbelievable! I told the both of you to stay away from
him!"
    Mike stepped in. "He's not dangerous,
he helped me escape and didn't leave your son behind when we
ran."
    Gordon glowered at him. "He's dangerous
enough."
    Hadrian coughed to return their attention
to him. Though he was being ignored, he was no more menacing for
it. "Do we have a deal?"
    Gordon clenched his jaw. Mike could see
him fighting for control of himself, but his answer came quickly.
"I am not the kind of man to send a member of my pack to
die."
    Hadrian stabbed his finger out in
Mike's direction, spittle flew from his mouth. "He's not of your
pack!"
    "He is now. As for the stone, well,
there is no proof that it was actually yours to begin