Page 24 (1/2)

There was more to it She was sure of it But she also didn’t think he was lying in his assesser It wouldn’t fit with theto know He had a sense of honor about hiured out yet, but it was there

"Is it one of the ones who put the scars on your back?"

He stiffened, and she knew she’d gone further than she should have

"I don’t want to talk about the you to I’ht be--"

"I certainly hope not But even if it is, it’s no concern of yours"

Lyra recoiled a little at the coldness in his voice, so She wondered again who had done that to him, what it meant But that, it seemed, was off limits He didn’t seem to want to talk about the past Which should have been fine

Except that she wanted to know ht to

The car lapsed into silence as she pulled into the driveway, coainst the dark She’d had so many simpler, happier times here It was a co was so cos were complicated She’d known that the path she’d started on would be a lonely one But it surprised her how much Jaden’s co denied herself

The sort of connection he see, albeit teotten Jaden was there with her, until he spoke up with a new hesitance in his voice

"Will you give soht to the rest of what I’ve said?" he asked as she pulled the keys fronition and put her hand on the door handle

That was the big question, she supposed And there would be no avoiding it, one way or another Lyra took a deep breath, turning to look him in the eyes "I think it’s probably a bad idea," she said "But I honestly don’t know I guess I need soh," Jaden said softly, and she didn’t think she’d ever seen him look so serious despite the fact that he rarely s as I’m here Just let me know"

Her heart, treacherous as ever, fluttered nervously in response

"Deal," she said, and then, anxious to get her racing heart under control, changed the subject to soed, and we’ll head out to the fields on the west side of town on four legs Less conspicuous" She couldn’t help a s as you think you can keep up"

"Don’t worry about me," Jaden said "I’ a personality, but he’s rin was utterly wicked and full of sensuous proh to take hih the underbrush, hisa sound as he headed for the falls He’d needed a run, badly But even that had failed to ease his ht… so he would try to find his peace at the falls and hunt sos that hid froe kinship to the town’s unwelcome visitor Both he and the vampires found comfort in blood

He hadn’t been surprised to find Lyra playing bodyguard to the bloodsucker She was prickly, but the sharp exterior hid her biggest weakness: a soft heart He kept tabs on her He knew full here she ran off to on the occasions she decided to disappear She’d hung around vamps before, and why not? That’s where the poas Where it would always be He could understand the attraction to power

But Lyra was never going to have the ithal to gain any for herself, or for the pack That alone made her unfit to be Alpha, more important even than the fact that she was just a woht as he host

He hoped he would have ti didn’t worry him He’d have help if he needed it, which he wouldn’t The competition was pathetic, noneto be a problem This Jaden was no transient no-na, and yet the wolf had been told nothing about hiht’s attee the situation if he was being cut out of the loop?

He’d clawed his way in, and he’d worked his ass off to line everything up The pieces were all in place And he’d be da to screw it up at the lastsad cow eyes at some freshly minted Liliht he could get aith it

The wolf leaped over a fallen tree and kept his pace steady, letting the scents of the forest at night calm his frayed nerves He had a lot on his plate these days--ht, keeping it all together proved al

Just three weeks, he told himself A little over three weeks, and I’m set