Beverly Rae [Cannon Pack 03] Running with the Pack (pdf)

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I didn t expect to give you that kind of a welcome. His indefinable expression left her wondering
and his lack of warmth unsettled her. Was he here to seal her fate? Was that why he seemed so& different?
Why haven t you come to see me?
Not that she couldn t guess why, but she wanted him to confirm her suspicions. If he came to tell her
what he planned to do to her, then let him get on with it.
Tucker, send the others away and take a position outside her door.
Tucker paused for a moment, then answered with a curt nod and stepped outside. With a voice
commanding and forceful like Daniel s, he ordered the guards away. Daniel closed the door, then faced her.
Lauren blew out the breath she hadn t realized she d held in check. Oh, my God. He s going to tell me.
Please, God, don t let it be too painful.
I stayed away because I had a lot of decisions to make. But the more I thought about what you told
me, the more questions I had.
Maybe she shouldn t have brought it up, but the words were out before she could stop them. You
mean about Torrie? About my part in her& demise?
He laughed, but his laugh held no humor. And yet, she didn t sense any anger, either. Demise? Don t
you mean her murder? Demise sounds too& nice. Too clean. Like she died in her sleep.
I m sorry, Daniel. I wish I could change things and bring her back to you, but I can t. If I d known
how shifters really were, I d have never gotten involved with hunters in the first place. Please. I hope you
believe me when I tell you how sorry I am. If not now, maybe you can later. After& you know.
He quirked his head at her, the familiar gesture bringing a light to her chilled heart. After what?
Irritation made an unexpected visit, threatening to make her say foolish things. She struggled to keep
her temper in check. Please don t toy with me. In fact, just do it now and get it done. Lifting her chin in a
brave gesture she didn t feel, she quipped, The least you can do is to make it quick.
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Running with the Pack
Make it quick?
Why was he playing dumb? To make her suffer more? If so, he d miscalculated. Instead of drawing
out the inevitable wait, he was pissing her off. However, she had to play nice. What choice did she have?
Yeah. I know I don t have the right to ask for any favors, but I d appreciate it if you d handle the deed
yourself. Get it over with as fast as humanly, or should I say, as fast as shifterly possible.
I don t think that s a real word.
His guffaw made her feel worse, but she wasn t about to let him put her down. Not even in death.
Gee, I can t tell you how happy I am that my death is providing amusement for you.
Your death? He gaped at her. Oh, that s what you re talking about. No, Lauren, I m not going to
kill you.
You re not? Then what? Are you planning on torturing me? Maybe holding me captive forever?
Turning me into a sex slave?
He chuckled again, then finally noticed her irritation. Sorry. I hadn t thought of any of those things.
Although the sex slave idea is interesting.
Daniel s sex slave? Yeah, it was definitely an interesting and appealing idea.
So if you re not doing any of that, are you letting me go? Had he forgiven her? Would he really turn
her loose? She didn t want to, but she allowed a brief spark of hope to thrive.
His smile died. No. But I still haven t decided what to do with you. Like I said, I have more
questions.
More questions? How much more can I tell you? Her heart plummeted to the floor and then, almost
as quickly, lifted again at the idea of spending more time with Daniel. Never mind. Fire away. She
blanched. Oops. I m sorry. Poor choice of words.
He waved off her apology. How did you become a hunter?
She scoffed at the memory. How else? By being stupid. I met John in a bar and, like anyone who d
spent her life studying and working, I thought he was dashing and dangerous. Then when he started talking
about shifter hunting, I couldn t believe this other world existed. I mean, compared to the other men I d
gone out with, he was Indiana Jones and Han Solo all rolled into one. Then once I accepted that
werewolves actually existed, the hunting part seemed adventurous, even glamorous.
I guess people can convince themselves of anything if they want to. Daniel moved to gaze out the
window. You started going on hunts?
Not right away. John had to spend a month lecturing me about shifters, how awful they were, how
hunters were doing God s work in wiping them out. We spent every night together, talking about
werewolves and how to kill them. She willed him to turn around so she could see his face, see if what she
told him made any difference.
In other words, you were indoctrinated first.
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His tone was flat and unemotional. She wanted to touch him, but was afraid to. More like
brainwashed, now that I look back on it.
Then you went on a hunt.
He d fed her the next line to her tale. That s right. After a couple of lessons teaching me how to fire a
rifle, John said I was ready for a hunt.
He whirled to face her, scaring her again. And that was when you killed Torrie.
She nodded, her speech failing her. Could he understand how stupid and trusting she d been? Did he
realize she knew better now? That, had she known, she wouldn t have killed his mate?
He shook his head, the movement so tired and so sad. It s strange. I should hate you. In fact, I
should ve already ordered your death or killed you myself. But I can t. His face closed up, confusion
etched in the lines of his face. The problem is that I can t help thinking that Torrie would have forgiven
you.
She would have? Tears formed, threatening to fall. Instead, Lauren thrust out her chin, defying the
tears to disobey her. Torrie must ve been a very special woman.
He cleared his throat, emotion flitting across his features. She was. Which makes my decision that
much harder. I keep thinking about what Torrie would have done. He laughed that mirthless laugh again.
This has caused me to rethink everything. Your punishment. Taking the pack on the offensive. Even what
I believe about hunters.
I m sorry. What else could she say? If she could bring Torrie back, she would. How else could she
bring him peace?
Do you realize how long I ve dreamed of avenging her death? How long I ve daydreamed about
killing the hunter who took my mate from me? He raked a hand through his hair and groaned. I never
expected her killer to be someone like you. In many ways, you remind me of her. Like you, she was kind.
She was always going out of her way to help someone in trouble even if that put her in danger. Always [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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