Read Online On The Prowl by Cynthia Eden - Free Book Online Page A

green brighter than her own—seemed to shine. “You’re a…panther?”
    “Hell, no.” He turned and headed up the path. “I’m a wolf, baby. Pure blood wolf. The baddest of the bad.”
    She glanced back toward the woods. The island was freaking huge—sandy beaches, thick woods, dense vegetation. The perfect playground for shifters. The panther had gone into the woods. Maybe…should she follow him? Rose took a step in that direction.
    “Don’t even think it,” the wolf shifter called back to her. “Because that is just asking for trouble. Julian’s beast is in control and if he were to hurt you while the panther was ruling…” He stopped and seemed to consider things. “That wouldn’t be pretty.”
    A cold chill swept over her. “I thought he stayed in control when he was a panther. That the man was always inside, guiding the beast.” So
maybe
she’d tried to learn about shifters. Her curiosity had been more than justified, given her history.
    “Not tonight. I could see it. His control was gone.” He gave a low whistle. “Which totally begs the question…just what happened tonight?”
    She bit her lip and decided that, okay, perhaps going into the woods after a panther wasn’t going to be her best plan. Rose turned and headed up the path. “Someone drugged me. And then there was a fire.” She winced. “A bomb. It blew up the boat we were searching on, and we barely got off the thing alive.” That explosion and her near-death experience had been way too close for comfort. “Uh, who exactly, are you, by the way?”
    “Right. No official introduction, huh?” He kept moving. “My name’s Rayce Lovel.”
    He was nearly as tall as Julian, and he had wide shoulders. But where Julian had dark hair—nearly perfect black—Rayce had thick, curling blond hair. And he just moved with an easy, almost carefree stride. He was teasing her, laughing, and…he just didn’t
seem
evil.
    But then, he was carrying a bound and gagged human over his shoulder.
    She didn’t speak again until they were in the house. House, mansion, prison…whatever. It was Luke’s domain. A massive structure that reeked of money. She stood in the foyer, glancing down at the marble beneath her feet. At least she wasn’t dripping on it, that was a plus, but her bare feet were leaving a muddy trail.
    When had she lost her shoes? When she’d first gone into the water off Key West? She hadn’t even noticed they were missing until that moment.
    “Be right back. Just going to get our guest settled…” Rayce marched down the hallway, but he paused and glanced back at her. “You should really just stay right…
there
until I get back. Don’t go exploring on your own, okay? Not exactly a safe plan.”
    Then he was gone.
    “Don’t hurt Francis!” Rose yelled. “He’s just a kid!” A kid who truly had seemed to be under a compulsion, just as Julian had mentioned.
    Simon says…
    She wrapped her arms around her body. The way Francis had been talking on the
Pandora
, it had certainly sounded as if Simon had been the one to give him the orders. But…Simon had been a human, right?
    Just an errand boy for the Collector?
    He’d seemed human.
    Or had he been something more?
    A big, spiral staircase led up to the next level of the house. She paced toward it and her hand reached out to slide against the smooth banister. The house felt massive. It also felt cold. Empty. Hardly a home—more like a fortress. But, really, what else would she expect from Luke? He wasn’t exactly Mr. Warmth.
    “The human is safe for the night.”
    She jumped. Rose had supernatural senses, but the wolf had just snuck up on her. She whirled around, heart racing, and found him standing just a few feet away.
    “All snug and safe,” Rayce continued dryly. “I even gave the kid some food.” His brows lifted. “And people say werewolves are heartless.”
    “Who…who says that?”
    He tapped his chin. “Wait. Maybe the saying is that we take
out
hearts.