Zurlo, Michele - Torment [Daughters of Circe 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) by Michele Zurlo Read Free Book Online Page A

and Shade had taken a trip to see a human settlement. They attracted the notice of a witch who decided to hunt them. Within two hours, Soren had acquired the ability to cast potent charms. The skill proved handy when humans began using radar, and then later when they launched satellites and developed GPS. Soren fashioned charms to keep their village hidden and undetectable.
    The government wasn’t an issue. It was easy to manipulate. Tourists were to be avoided at all costs. Most wolves had only stopped eating humans in the last two or three hundred years. Though their flavor had fallen out of favor, they were considered lesser beings, annoying and unwelcome.
    All of these memories and facts zinged through Shade’s mind to crash into one truth that would not go away. Torrey was Hope. She didn’t know it, which he found completely baffling. The Daughters of Circe were not only reborn, but they retained memories of their previous incarnations. Torrey should have recognized him, but she hadn’t. She should have known how to use her powers without the aid of a mentor, but she didn’t.
    He needed to get into his truck and drive away. He needed to hide Torrey away where Soren wouldn’t find her. He wanted to bury himself in her and never emerge. He wanted Torrey. He’d waited almost fifty years for her, and the wolf in him would not let her go.
    Granting her request didn’t present too much of a challenge. Soren’s lust for power would make for an easy negotiation. All he would have to do would be to deliver Torrey to Soren, exchange her for Riley, and see Riley safely home. He could accomplish it in a day.
    Shade’s problem was the tightness in his chest at the thought of standing by helplessly as Soren killed the woman he loved yet again. Even if she didn’t know him, something deep inside Torrey’s soul had to recognize him. Yet, he knew her resolve, too. That was the same. She had forced him to let go last time. She had used her powers to stop him from killing Soren.
    Closed eyes failed to block the pain that had never quite abated.
    How could he then turn her over to his brother for a ritualistic sacrifice? A witch couldn’t give up their power until the moment of death. He wasn’t okay with Soren performing this ritual in the first place. He had no plans to attend, but he had no plans to try to stop Soren. This wasn’t something his brother wanted to do; it was something he had to do.
    This wasn’t going to be simple. Torrey was courageous and intelligent. She needed to learn to use her powers. He hoped she was a quick study in this incarnation.
    The return trip to her apartment didn’t take long. The sun peeked over the horizon, shedding a weak pink glow over the grey concrete.
    Her building was tall and nondescript, blending in with the myriad buildings in the area. One street corner looked much like the others. Differences lay in the street accessories—newspaper boxes, mailboxes, and the occasional tree.
    Standing on the sidewalk, he looked up. She had left the window wide open. With a quick glance up and down the street to make sure he wasn’t being watched, Shade leapt, easily scaling the wall with the help of a couple of window ledges.
    Torrey lay, sprawled across the couch on her stomach, sleeping. Though Shade entered the room silently, her eyes opened. She lifted her head, staring expectantly.
    “You found her?”
    He hated dashing the hope in her voice, but it had to be done. Eventually, he would be able to give her an affirmative answer. This morning, he could not. Shade shook his head.
    Her face fell. Those light brown eyes darkened with disappointment. She pushed a strand of hair away from her face. It was similar to the movement in the bar that nearly broke his resistance. He knew she hadn’t meant it to be alluring, but it was. That simple act, a mannerism so like something Hope would have done, tugged at his heart.
    She bit her bottom lip, and it took all of Shade’s willpower to not