Read Online Provoked by Rebecca Zanetti - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Rebecca Zanetti
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around Amber’s bicep.
“Tell me everything about Hanson and these northern rocks.”
“Let go of me.” Amber tried to break free with little success. “I’ll scream.”
“You scream, and I’ll gag you.” Calm and reasonable, Kane’s voice remained pleasant as he issued the threat. “No police.”
Ass-hat. Amber opened her mouth to shriek.
Kane’s palm instantly fit over her lips, stifling the sound. His free arm banded around her waist, lifting her almost two feet so they were eye-to-eye. Then he waited, no expression on his angled face.
Fury shook her shoulders. She kicked out, aiming for his knees. Kane turned them, smashing her between the wall and his body.
His body was harder than the cedar.
Amber struggled, mostly immobilized, the heat from Kane sending her senses reeling. Anger melded with something hotter in her blood. She tried to bite his palm.
He pressed harder so her teeth couldn’t find purchase. “I bite back, sweetheart.” His fangs dropped low with the warning.
She stopped struggling. Her eyes widened to let in more light, and heat slammed down to her abdomen. His obvious control over himself even while trying to frighten her gave her an odd sense of security along with a bizarre desire to challenge his control. What was the vampire like when he actually let loose?
When had she truly begun to think of him as a vampire? His fangs remained low, leaving her no mental way out. Vampires truly existed.
One of his dark eyebrows rose. “Have we reached an understanding?”
Slowly, she nodded.
“Good.” He removed his hand, and his fangs retracted. “Now I’m going to put you down, and we’re going to walk nicely through the hospital to the parking lot. Understand?” Waiting for her second nod, he set her down.
She bit her lip as she calculated the odds of getting away from him. But did she even want to? A vampire, one as strong as Kane, would come in handy with Hanson and his men. “Will you help save my grandma?”
“If you promise to help save my brother.”
She breathed in through her nose, mind reeling. “By fighting demons.”
Kane jerked his head and grabbed her hand in a firm hold. “No. You’re not going to fight demons.” He frowned, heading for the door. “You’ll shield with your mind but from a safe place. I won’t let you get harmed.” His jaw set hard at the end. “Trust me.”
Famous last words. “What if I can’t figure out how to help you?” What if he was wrong, and she wasn’t gifted? One tiny headache didn’t mean she had a gift. Wouldn’t she know if she had some weird mental ability?
“Let’s get your granny back, and then we’ll figure out how your gift works. One thing at a time.” His voice stayed low, but a tenor of urgency ran through the dark tone.
Maybe the vamp wasn’t as in control as she’d thought. She followed him into the still-quiet hall and out the front door. The wind whipped into her face as she glared at the Suburban. “We don’t have windows.”
Kane exhaled a puff of breath in the cold as he eyed the parking lot. “Any idea who owns the brown truck?” He pointed to an older Chevy half-hidden under snow.
“No. That truck has been there since Grandma was brought in. Maybe a patient owns it.”
“Good.” Long strides helped Kane draw her across the lot. “Let’s wipe off the snow.” Using his bare hands, he shoved several inches of snow off the windows. “What does Hanson want with the northern rocks?”
Amber shuffled snow off her boots. “My community owns fifty acres, and the northern rocks make up three acres. This is all about water rights. Well-testing around the rocks show plenty of water, and Hanson wants to put in several high-end subdivisions centered around a golf course. We won’t let him.”
Kane smoothed snow off the hood of the battered truck. “Your community? What kind of community? Like a commune?”
Amber laughed. “Well, kind of. We don’t go around naked or anything. But
“Tell me everything about Hanson and these northern rocks.”
“Let go of me.” Amber tried to break free with little success. “I’ll scream.”
“You scream, and I’ll gag you.” Calm and reasonable, Kane’s voice remained pleasant as he issued the threat. “No police.”
Ass-hat. Amber opened her mouth to shriek.
Kane’s palm instantly fit over her lips, stifling the sound. His free arm banded around her waist, lifting her almost two feet so they were eye-to-eye. Then he waited, no expression on his angled face.
Fury shook her shoulders. She kicked out, aiming for his knees. Kane turned them, smashing her between the wall and his body.
His body was harder than the cedar.
Amber struggled, mostly immobilized, the heat from Kane sending her senses reeling. Anger melded with something hotter in her blood. She tried to bite his palm.
He pressed harder so her teeth couldn’t find purchase. “I bite back, sweetheart.” His fangs dropped low with the warning.
She stopped struggling. Her eyes widened to let in more light, and heat slammed down to her abdomen. His obvious control over himself even while trying to frighten her gave her an odd sense of security along with a bizarre desire to challenge his control. What was the vampire like when he actually let loose?
When had she truly begun to think of him as a vampire? His fangs remained low, leaving her no mental way out. Vampires truly existed.
One of his dark eyebrows rose. “Have we reached an understanding?”
Slowly, she nodded.
“Good.” He removed his hand, and his fangs retracted. “Now I’m going to put you down, and we’re going to walk nicely through the hospital to the parking lot. Understand?” Waiting for her second nod, he set her down.
She bit her lip as she calculated the odds of getting away from him. But did she even want to? A vampire, one as strong as Kane, would come in handy with Hanson and his men. “Will you help save my grandma?”
“If you promise to help save my brother.”
She breathed in through her nose, mind reeling. “By fighting demons.”
Kane jerked his head and grabbed her hand in a firm hold. “No. You’re not going to fight demons.” He frowned, heading for the door. “You’ll shield with your mind but from a safe place. I won’t let you get harmed.” His jaw set hard at the end. “Trust me.”
Famous last words. “What if I can’t figure out how to help you?” What if he was wrong, and she wasn’t gifted? One tiny headache didn’t mean she had a gift. Wouldn’t she know if she had some weird mental ability?
“Let’s get your granny back, and then we’ll figure out how your gift works. One thing at a time.” His voice stayed low, but a tenor of urgency ran through the dark tone.
Maybe the vamp wasn’t as in control as she’d thought. She followed him into the still-quiet hall and out the front door. The wind whipped into her face as she glared at the Suburban. “We don’t have windows.”
Kane exhaled a puff of breath in the cold as he eyed the parking lot. “Any idea who owns the brown truck?” He pointed to an older Chevy half-hidden under snow.
“No. That truck has been there since Grandma was brought in. Maybe a patient owns it.”
“Good.” Long strides helped Kane draw her across the lot. “Let’s wipe off the snow.” Using his bare hands, he shoved several inches of snow off the windows. “What does Hanson want with the northern rocks?”
Amber shuffled snow off her boots. “My community owns fifty acres, and the northern rocks make up three acres. This is all about water rights. Well-testing around the rocks show plenty of water, and Hanson wants to put in several high-end subdivisions centered around a golf course. We won’t let him.”
Kane smoothed snow off the hood of the battered truck. “Your community? What kind of community? Like a commune?”
Amber laughed. “Well, kind of. We don’t go around naked or anything. But
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