Read Online Defying Destiny by Olivia Downing - Free Book Online Page B

pinning him to the ground with
    his body weight. The teen whimpered, but
    didn’t move. After a moment, Nash moved
    away, but Zorn didn’t get up. He was
    expected to retain his pose of submission
    until the victor of the battle left.
    The three females approached Nash at
    once, licking his face, presenting their
    hind ends to him for the customary sniff.
    He didn’t humiliate them by refusing to
    show interest, though he felt none. The
    females were too young. They were not in
    estrous, and though fighting always
    aroused him and any one of the girls
    would have stood still while he sated his
    lust, he wouldn’t take advantage of his
    position in the pack. He sniffed each
    female in turn, exciting them with his
    attention, and then trotted in the direction
    of his cabin.
    Zorn’s voice stopped him. “Why,
    Nash?” he asked, his voice cracking with
    emotion. The boy had reverted to his
    human form and sat, naked, in the traces of
    snow on the stream bank. “Why do you
    care so much about that horrible human?
    She murdered your brother. She killed
    Cort. You should kill her and be done
    with it. If you’re not Wolf enough to do it,
    I will.”
    Nash took his human form as well. He
    wasn’t sure how to make this boy
    understand. “She killed Cort because she
    doesn’t understand us. She is the last of
    the Wolf Hunters. I think if she comes to
    know us, then she will no longer try to
    bring harm to our pack. Maybe she can
    even help with our curse.” Nash’s
    research on the curse hinted at such, but
    wasn’t exactly clear on the how or why.
    For years, he’d try to convince the pack
    that the Hunters were the key to their
    salvation, but had given up on that avenue
    when he’d believed that they’d died out.
    Maralee had rekindled his hope for peace
    after five hundred years of strife.
    Zorn made a sound of disbelief. “You
    place a lot of faith in a killer.”
    Nash nodded. “Perhaps. She has
    twenty-six days to prove it’s deserved. If,
    by the next full moon, she still clings to
    her murderous ways, I will not prevent the
    pack from slaying her.”
    Zorn’s face cracked with a delighted
    smiled.
    “Until then, you will bring no harm to
    her,” Nash continued. “If you try to
    frighten her again, or hurt her in any way,
    you won’t get off with a warning.
    Understood?”
    “Yes, sir,” Zorn said, ducking his
    head. Nash never handed out empty
    threats.
    Nash gave him one long look and then
    took his Wolf form again, thankful for the
    warmth his thick fur provided. How was
    he supposed to convince Maralee they
    weren’t animals if members of his pack
    behaved as such? He quietly padded
    through the forest back to his cabin and
    found his clothes on the porch. Taking his
    human form, he redressed quietly and then
    let himself back into the house. His heart
    thudded with panic when he found the rug
    near the fire vacant. The rest of the house
    was dark, but flickering came from the
    kitchen. He took a step in that direction.
    “Is that you, Nash?” Maralee called
    and peeked out of the kitchen at him.
    He didn’t understand why relief
    lightened his chest at seeing her. He
    smiled and moved towards her in several
    long strides. She gasped in surprise when
    he pulled her against him and claimed her
    mouth with a hungry kiss. Fighting always
    ignited his instinctual need to mate. He
    was not likely to be safe company for an
    innocent young human this evening. One
    who always smelled ready to mate.
    Maralee didn’t dissuade his advances.
    She buried her fingers in his hair and
    drew him closer, making little sounds of
    pleasure in the back of her throat. He tore
    his mouth away from hers and looked
    down at her. He had never mated in his
    human form before, and wasn’t sure how
    to proceed. He knew what a Wolf would
    do in such a situation.
    He backed her into the round, kitchen
    table. She couldn’t seem to look away
    from his eyes. Hers were wide and silver
    in the dim candlelight of the