Read Online Dark Moon Rising (The Revenant Book 2) by Kali Argent - Free Book Online Page A

dance.”
    “Oh, always so serious.” Kara’s long, painted nail traced the vein that snaked down the side of his neck. “It doesn’t have to be this way, you know.”
    “I’ll take my chances.” Rhys didn’t cringe away from her touch, but the look he gave her could have leveled mountains.
    “I don’t really need your permission,” the female continued, her tone taking on a grating, whiney quality. “I could just claim you as mine.” She pressed closer, rubbing herself against Rhys’ chest. “Right here. Right now.”
    Thea ground her teeth together until her jaw hurt. Sharp, pointed claws extended from her fingertips, shredding through her too-tight dress when she dug them into her thigh. Her canines elongated, piercing her bottom lip, and the night fell into hues of gray and green as her eyes shifted to their feline counterpart.
    “You could try,” Rhys challenged. “How did that work out for you the first time?”
    Splaying both her hands across his bare chest, Kara arched toward him, her lips brushing over his collarbone. “You will be mine, Rhys. The sooner you accept that, the easier this will be for you.”
    Yep, Thea was going to kill her. She didn’t know the bitch, didn’t care if it would mean signing her own death warrant. She was going to kill her.
    Kara’s hands travelled south, caressing every dip and curve of Rhys’ body in their trek toward the waistband of his shorts. Then, without warning or provocation, she slashed her claws across his stomach, opening deep gashes in his flesh. Rhys hissed, but made no attempt to stem the flow of blood, nor did he retaliate. When she lifted her hand again, her eyes locked on the side of his face, Thea had seen enough.
    With a fierce growl, she stepped out of the shadows, placing herself between her mate and the she-wolf just in time to catch Kara’s arm on its downward arch. “I don’t fucking think so.”
    Kara echoed the growl as she tried to jerk out of Thea’s hold, but her anger made her clumsy. When she swung out with her free hand, Thea ducked it easily, twisting around the wolf and kicking the back of her knee to drop her to the deck. One hand fisted in Kara’s hair, the other wrapped around her throat, claws biting against her fragile skin, Thea could have ended it right there.
    “Thea, no!”
    In her distraction, she didn’t see Rhys move until it was too late. Bounding forward, he wrapped his muscular arms around her torso, pinning her arms to her sides, and carried her several feet away from the were-bitch. On her feet instantly, Kara spun toward them, her upper lip curled over her fangs, and her eyes filled with rage.
    “You stupid, pathetic bottom feeder.” She took jerky, uneven steps toward them, her fingers splayed at her sides, her claws still dripping with Rhys’ blood. “You’re going to wish you hadn’t done that.”
    “The only thing I wish is that I’d finished the job.” Her mate still held her in an iron grip, lifting her so that her feet dangled off the floor, giving her absolutely no leverage. “Rhys. Is. Mine.”
    Kara roared, her features twisting into an inhuman expression of fury. “I’ll kill you.”
    Thea laughed. Kara appeared to be the same age as her, or close to, same lean build, approximately the same height, but she was all anger and self-entitlement with little to no discipline.
    “I’d love to see you try.”
    “I’m going to love ripping—”
    “Kara, enough,” deep, rumbling voice ordered.
    Everyone went still, even Thea. Tall, with broad shoulder and a lean waist, an older male stood in the entryway between the patio and the main room. Cropped close to his scalp, his dark hair held just a hint of gray at the temples, and his eyes crinkled at the corners as they narrowed on the she-wolf. His ash-gray shirt molded to his frame, the fabric straining over his chest before the hem disappeared into a pair of tailored black dress pants. The string lights glinted off his polished loafers,