Warrior's Heart (Gifts Of The Ancients #1) by Bianca D'Arc Read Free Book Online Page B

or you’ll answer to me.”
    Hal only nodded, and Casey’s expression went soft.
    “I’m getting out of here. You stay here or go back to base. I don’t want to see your sorry ass for a while until I come to terms with this.”
    Hal nodded again, his eyes dark. “You’re still my best friend, Mark. I hope that won’t change, but I can’t fight the way I feel any longer.”
    Mark looked up at his friend as he neared the door. “How long have you been fighting it, Hal?”
    “Since she turned eighteen.” His eyes pinned her where she stood. “I finally admitted to myself on her eighteenth birthday how much I wanted her, and I’ve been in hell ever since.”
    “Damn.” Mark paused with his hand on the doorknob.
    “You’ve been being noble all this time? You’re more of a masochist than I thought.” He chuckled softly and opened the door. “You’re my best friend too, Hal. That won’t change. Give me a chance to get used to this idea, okay? You broadsided me, dude.”
    They laughed genuinely for the first time. Mark left, and they were alone once more.
    “Think we blew his mind?” Hal raised one eyebrow toward the closed door.
    “No doubt about it. I think he’ll be okay in time. He took it better than I would have thought, actually.”

Chapter Six
    They ate their dinner in uncomfortable silence. Mark was important to both of them in different ways, and Hal knew neither of them wanted to hurt him.
    He felt a moment of regret for putting them in this awkward position. He put down his napkin and pushed slightly away from the table.
    “I’m sorry, Cas.”
    “Don’t be. He had to realize I was grown up sooner or later. I think any man I chose would have garnered a similar reaction.” She sighed and picked up her wine glass. “Actually, I think he’s better off knowing I want to be with you. At least he knows you inside and out. He can’t object too hard because he knows you won’t hurt me.”
    “Not on purpose, at least.”
    Hal ran a troubled hand through his hair, resting both elbows on his knees. He had to come clean with her—at least as much as he could. It wasn’t easy to talk about what had occurred in Iraq. Still, Jeff was probably right. Maybe he could talk to her and get some of this burden off his chest.
    If she didn’t run screaming from him, thinking he was certifiably insane first.
    “No,” she agreed quietly, sipping her wine. “You’d never hurt me on purpose.”
    “Cas, something did happen to me in Iraq. I can’t tell you all of it. Not yet. It’s hard even for me to wrap my head around.”
    She placed her glass down with finality and cast her understanding gaze at him. “Whatever it is, you can trust me, Hal. Tell me what you can. I’m here for you.”
    “You’re going to think I’m nuts.”
    She tilted her head, her eyes narrowing. “Why?”
    “My unit went into the ruins of ancient Babylon before anyone else, Cas. Something happened there that freaked us out and changed us.” He shook his head and breathed deep. “If not for the changes, we all would’ve thought we’d had some kind of mass hallucination, but we each can do things now…things that can’t be explained.”
    He stood and started to pace.
    “How do you think I stopped that car the other night? You saw that, right?”
    Slowly she nodded. “I thought I imagined it, but you did stop it, didn’t you?” She got to her feet, backing away slightly, probably without even realizing it.
    Hal grimaced at her retreat. “That’s not all I can do. I suddenly have more strength than ten men, Cas, and it’s freaking me out a little bit.” He ran one hand through his hair in frustration.“It’s taken me some time to learn how much pressure to use. I was afraid to touch anything or anyone at first. I broke a lot of stuff. Metal stuff, Cas. Rifle barrels bent when I touched them and steel doorknobs came off in my hands.”
    “But you’ve been fine around Mark and me.”
    “I’ve spent months