Read Online Awakening the Demon's Queen by Calle J. Brookes - Free Book Online Page B

understand—no Dardaptoan would abandoned their child. It
just wasn’t done. “That’s something else you’ll have to ask your
cousin. I promised I wouldn’t discuss it.”
    “ Darn it, now I’ll never get
any answers.”
    “ Have you tried just asking
them?”
    “ No. I’ve always tried to
work up to it, or work around it.” Jade hopped to her feet just as
Jierra returned, clean and wrapped in a towel. Kindara handed her
daughter a pair of the strange human pajamas. “I’ll do that now.
While you’re in the shower. I’ll just ask them flat-out if their
werewolves.”
    “ You do that.”
    ****
    Rathan waited until the females were out of
his sight before turning to the wolf. “We need to alter our
plan.”
    “ I still want them dead.”
Rand’s rage was a quiet fire in his words. “They took my sisters
and cousins. Do you know how terrified they probably
were?”
    “ Probably as terrified as
Kindara’s daughter was, is. Or as Kindara was when she realized who
you were. We were wrong to take them.”
    “ I’m not giving her back.
She’s staying here.”
    “ For how long? You want her
angry and terrified of you for centuries? That’s how long she’ll
live, how long you’ll live. You want to keep her prisoner that
long?”
    Rand’s eyes blazed. “That’s our business, not
yours.”
    “ It became my business the
instant I decided to claim her mother as consort. That makes Jierra
near as my child without blood. And I can only say I hope the
Dardaptoans treated Mickey and Josey and the others better than
we’ve treated our captives.”
    “ So you are saying we should
just give them back? And what...let Mickey and the others stay
there? Give up their entire lives to be with these
bastards?”
    “ I say we simply let them
have a choice. If we follow our original plan and kill the
Dardaptoans, who do you think that will hurt the most? Your sisters
and cousins. The bond between Dardaptoan Rajnis are incredible;
they are just as strong as Lupoiux bonds. To break one would be
horribly painful. Almost excruciating. Do you want to do that to
your sisters?”
    “ Do what to his sisters?” A
feminine voice had them both jerking to face the stairs. “Where are
his sisters? Where’s mine? And what’s a Dardaptoan and why were you
planning to kill some?”
    Rathan looked between Rand and his cousin.
They hadn’t sensed her presence, but Rathan had long accepted that
this particular Taniss female had the ability to mask her presence
in a way most humans didn’t.
    “ It’s nothing, Jadie. Just
go on up to bed.” Rand settled on the leather couch and tried to
look casual.
    “ No. I don’t think I will.
Something is going on, something besides our sisters being
kidnapped. Who are those women and why did you bring them here?”
Jade had the stubborn look that Rathan recognized. Most of the
Taniss females shared that look and were near on impossible to
budge from their goals.
    When Rand remained silent, Jade stalked to
him and stood arms crossed over him. “Look I know you’re a werewolf
and so is my dad. I figured that out back when I was like ten, so
that doesn’t surprise me. And Rathan is obviously not human,
although I can’t figure out what he is. Is he a Dardaptoan?”
    Rathan hadn’t been surprised by someone like
this in a long time. “You’ll have to tell her. If not she’ll just
try to find the answers on her own.” And if a member of the Kind
found out about her curiosity, they would eliminate her to protect
their peoples. “And that will be dangerous.”
    “ What is a
Dardaptoan?”
    Rand sighed. “First, you need to understand
that what I tell you can’t be repeated.”
    “ Big surprise.” Jade rolled
her eyes before settling on the couch across from her cousin. “I
won’t tell anyone.”
    “ I am a werewolf, a Lupoiux.
We’ve existed since before humans,” Rand said.
    “ How did you end up being a
wolf?”
    “ Your dad took me camping
when I was eight. We were