Read Online Lesser of Two Evils by K. S. Martin - Free Book Online Page A

warm water soothe
her.
    “What are you doing?” Ethan
startled her awake. The water snapped off, and he wrapped her in a soft, warm
towel. “I said, stay there. The doc said to eat first.” Her eyes wouldn’t stay
open. “Oh no you don’t. Kerry! Wake up.” She blinked several times. “You will
eat before you pass out again. I mean it.” He put her down in the wing chair
and handed her the mug of broth. “Drink it.” He towered over her, scowling. He
was scary when he was angry. She sipped, then gasped. “It’s hot. Drink it all.
When I come back, it better be gone,” he thundered. His bedside manner sucked.
    The woods outside were a flurry of
activity. Squirrels were bouncing and flying from tree to tree. Birds were
hopping about, and taking off. The raven was back and squawking, then she
spotted them. The turkeys. Straight out though the trees, five fat turkeys. The
wolf urged and pushed. The glass went suddenly white. She turned and he was
standing in the middle of the bedroom. His hands on his hips, a deep scowl marring
his brow, and anger rolling off him in waves. Realizing what she’d done, Kerry
nibbled her lip and went back to her chair. She needed to get control of the
wolf. She’d dropped her broth and her towel to walk to the window. Those damn
turkeys. He was in the middle of changing the sheets when she’d spotted them.
    “Sorry,” she whispered and used the
towel to mop up the broth. “I don’t know what gets into her sometimes.”
    “Sit. Stay,” he hissed.
    “I said I was sorry.”
    He nodded and padded from the room.
She watched his backside as he went. It was nice as far as backsides went. It
was nicer than Eric’s and she’d studied that one. Ethan and Eric were
definitely different. Eric was fun. He was always coming up with stuff to do,
finding things to chase, and water to splash in. He didn’t boss her around the
way Ethan did. Eric also didn’t look at her the way that Ethan did either. Now
that she thought about it, Eric never looked at her that way. She didn’t
want to disappoint Ethan, even though she kept doing it. It was time to let
Eric go, let him be past. He didn’t love her. Not that Ethan loved her, but
maybe if she behaved, he might love her. She wanted to please her new Alpha.
    “Here.” He bumped her arm, and she
realized that she’d been sitting there with her eyes closed. “Drink all of it.
Don’t make me discipline you.” A shiver of fear went through her as she
wondered what that would entail. He finished changing the sheets and put the
dirty bed linens in a hamper. He came over and sat in the chair opposite her.
“When you see game outside, what happens in your head?”
    She sipped her broth and shrugged.
    “Do you have any control at all
over her?”
    Concentrating, Kerry thought about
it. Did she have control? “I can make her go one direction instead of another.
Chase a buck instead of a doe, or one turkey instead of the flock.”
    “But can you control her? Not chase
any turkeys and walk through the middle of the flock without reacting?”
    Kerry swallowed more broth and swung
her head slowly.
    Ethan sighed and put one foot up on
the opposite knee. He stared at the white window and tapped his finger to his
lips. He pushed the button on the remote, and the glass went clear. Her wolf
went on alert, looking for game. The window went white again. “I think it’s
because you grew up hungry.”
    “My father made me hunt. I was just
a pup the first time I went out. He wouldn’t let me eat until I brought in
game. He said if you wanted to eat, you had to hunt. I was expected to help. It’s
not her fault.”
    “I know, but now it’s a problem.
You aren’t safe alone out there, and she doesn’t get that. Are you finished?”
He nodded at the mug and Kerry looked inside. It was nearly empty, so she
finished it. “Good girl.” He took it and set it on the table. “Come.” He held
out his hand as he stood. “Did you shift?” She nodded.