Read Online Fever (Blood Moon Rising, #1) by Lola Taylor - Free Book Online

Morning,” she said
sleepily.
    “ Morning,” he said gently.
“I’m sorry to wake you, but we have a lead on the witch who helped
Onyx.”
    She sat straight up. “Well, what are
we waiting for?”
    He grinned, his admiration for her
growing. Good lord, he was falling hard and fast for this one. He
just hoped they didn’t crash before they’d been able to bond
forever.
    Gage had already prepared his room
with a change of clothes for her. It seemed natural, with her being
his future queen. They both got out of bed and dressed in a hurry
before meeting Nik and Erik downstairs. Nik was wearing typical
battle attire - sweatpants and a hoodie that had a picture of a
bottle of moonshine and a caption that read “I got Moonstruck in
Moonstruck.” Not the cleverest title, but he seemed to like wearing
it, calling it his “lucky sweatshirts.”
    Erik was dressed a little more
practically. The older wolf had on camo, the dog tags from his army
days dangling around his neck. Gage and Danica greeted them.
“Thanks for coming,” Gage told Erik.
    He chuckled, shaking his head. “After
serving that prick Malachite for so long, I’m never going to get
used to hearing my Alpha actually thanking me for doing something
he could have easily commanded me to do.”
    Danica looked at him
curiously.
    “ Alphas can force their
cohorts to do their bidding,” Gage explained. “Some abuse that
power, turning their packmates into slaves.”
    “ That’s
terrible.”
    “ It was,” Gage replied,
then led her down the steps.
    The car was waiting out front, the
heater going full blast. Nik and Erik took the front seats while
Gage and Danica crawled into the back.
    He stared out the window, brooding.
The more he thought about it, the more taking Danica along seemed
like a bad idea. But the thought of leaving her here,
unprotected….
    She wouldn’t be
unprotected, though, would she? his
conscience said slyly . She would just be where he couldn’t see her, which would drive
him bonkers. He had no intention of hovering over her, but
considering the situation, he failed to see how he could do
anything but. He couldn’t afford to be reckless about this, not
when it meant losing the thing he valued most on this
earth.
    “ You’re
worrying.”
    Gage looked up to find Danica watching
him curiously. “I’m fine. Just thinking,” he lied.
    “ You’re tapping your foot,”
she said, pointing.
    He looked down, finding his foot had
begun patting out its own nervous rhythm. He hadn’t
noticed.
    “ It’s the same habit I have
when I get worked up over something. Drives my coworkers crazy when
I’m wearing heels.”
    I’ll be
damned . He had the feeling she could read
him like a book if she wanted to. The only other person who could
do that was Nik.
    Gage bit his lip, bouncing back and
forth between his decisions and getting all the more anxious for
it.
    On the verge of telling Nik to turn
around so Gage could place Danica under maximum security, he
started to open his mouth when she reached over and grabbed his
hand.
    He blinked, looking down.
    With a small, confident smile, she
squeezed his hand, and his agitation slipped away. He squeezed
back, enjoying her nearness and the strength it gave
him.
    “ Teammates work together,”
she said.
    He slowly smiled. “That they do.” He
wasn’t used to sharing power. The closest confidante he had in his
pack was Nik, but even he knew his place. With Danica, he would
have to start thinking about her as a partner and not as her
protector, though he intended never to stop that aspect. He already
knew the first he kissed her he’d die for her.
    Several cars followed them, about half
his pack, a string of trucks, SUVs, and two door sports cars that
made an odd caravan. Witches were clever. If she became aware of
their approach, she might call for help herself. They needed to be
prepared for the worst, though he hoped through a little diplomacy
it wouldn’t come to blows, magical or otherwise.