Read Online Repossession (The Keepers Trilogy) by Rachael Wade - Free Book Online

salute.
    “There won’t be much cover when we make it out of this cusp of trees. We’ll have to move fast.”
    “Okay. Let’s do it.”
    Jet gave me a tired nod and started forward again. His flashlight began to flicker and I grew nervous. The batteries wouldn’t last forever, and I didn’t doubt that they were right up there on the list of priority needs, like antibiotics. He shut it off with a curse, and I worked to keep up with him, listening for his movement to stay right on his heels.
    A branch snapping somewhere to the left caused us both to freeze, our breaths audibly hitching.
    “Could be an animal,” I whispered, so low I wasn’t sure if he could even hear me.
    “Not likely. Haven’t seen one since …”
    Another snap echoed in the night, followed by a soft rustling of branches.
    His hand found mine in the dark and slid over my fingers, checking to make sure I was ready to shoot. His flashlight turned on but he didn’t let go of my hand. Slowly, he guided the light to the left, keeping it low to the ground first, before raising it to illuminate the perimeter. “Well I’ll be damned,” he said, shining the light on a beautiful Siberian Husky. Its coat was dirt-ridden and matted, its blue eyes bright and feral with hunger as it stared back at us. Its mouth was moving, chewing on something, its gaze trained on us.
    That gaze ensnared me and without hesitating, I moved toward the dog.
    “Wait,” Jet snapped. “Wandering up to stray dogs in the woods is on my what not to do list.”
    “There are maniacal humans and an alien species running around, and you’re worried about a dog?”
    “That’s not the point, Skylla.”
    “He’s housebroken,” I said, still moving, keeping my gaze on the animal. “Nothing to worry about.”
    “You don’t know that. If he’s starving … Skylla! Damn it, will you listen to me?”
    I didn’t respond, just kept inching forward, stepping over a large log and some stray branches, turning my palms out and upward before bending down before the dog. A shiny silver tag caught my eye. “See? A collar,” I said, a little louder this time, carefully reaching under the dog’s chin to take the tag in my hand. A phone number and address was engraved across the silver, so faint in the stingy light that I couldn’t make it out. The dog flinched as I ran my finger over the words. “ Ssshhh , it’s okay, buddy. You hungry?” I swiveled on my hip and dipped a hand into my pocket, pulled out a small fistful of dried-oatmeal leftovers from our stay at the Black Hole. Lowering the crumbs to the ground, I petted his head as he hurried to lick them from the soil, his breath rapid as he inhaled the meager offering. I half expected Jet to criticize the effort, aware myself that we didn’t have much food between the two of us.
    But when I glanced back at him, I found him silent. Staring at the exchange.
    A flash of something soft glinted in his striking blue eyes as he locked gazes with me. The connection was so penetrating, I had to look away. My gaze dropped back to the dog, where something else caught my attention. Just a few feet behind him lay a soft flannel blanket, and a notebook of some kind. I rose to my feet and walked over to it, turning back to face Jet when I spotted even more items stuffed into a cardboard box near the blanket. “Hey, I need some more light.” I waved him over.
    Jet was at my side in an instant. The flashlight began to flicker again, and I knew I had to work fast. I dropped back to the ground to rifle through the cardboard box, and I could feel Jet’s gaze scanning the area around us, could feel the apprehension emanating from him. “We need to move.”
    “I know, hold on.” I continued to fumble through the box, finding a can of corn and then a few more notebooks, their pages blank and damp. I snatched the corn and blanket and held them up to Jet for him to stash away, then gave the box one last dig. My fingers stilled at something soft. I