Read Online The Gathering by Lily Graison - Free Book Online Page A

her.
He could hear the sound of voices and remembered what he was
supposed to be doing.
    Nodding to the cup, he said, “Someone will
bring you something else in the morning. Do you need anything?”
    She shook her head again, a long curl falling
over her shoulder as she did. He stared at it draped over her left
breast. The urge to run his fingers through those tightly woven
curls made his fingers twitchy. He cleared his throat again. “Well,
goodnight, then.”
    He turned and practically ran from the room.
When the door clicked into place, he exhaled a long, noisy breath.
He stared at the floor, replaying the entire encounter again in his
minds eye. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
    Looking back at the door, he imagined her
there, the cup he’d brought her clasped in her hands as she drank
the contents. He glanced at his wrist, irritation taking hold as he
spotted the bandage there. Tugging at his shirtsleeve to cover the
wound, he shook his head and walked away from her door. He reminded
himself of why he hated vampires with a mental list of every
disgusting, annoying trait he could think of about the species. The
mantra worked. Or at least he told himself it did.
     
     
    * * * *
     
     
    Rayna ignored Garrett as he stood by the door
watching her. The task of packing her clothes was difficult enough
without having to look at him while she did it. She was still mad,
still furious at the circumstances that now dictated how her life
would be, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to talk to him
rationally even if she tried.
    Slamming the dresser door shut, she tossed
her underclothes into the suitcase and turned to the bathroom. When
she’d collected her things and turned, Garrett was blocking the
doorway. He looked angry. His mouth set into a tight, thin line.
The soft brown of his eyes were sparking with shades of amber and
Rayna knew she’d not be able to just walk away like she’d planned.
Like he’d told her to do. Regardless of the fact she couldn’t stay,
he wasn’t going to just let her go either. That wolf of his
wouldn’t let him.
    The silence stretched until it was a near
tangible thing. It hung like a specter in every corner of the room
and each breath she took became harder as her heart began to hammer
inside her chest. Her hands tightened on her make-up bag, the
hairbrush handle grew damp with moisture from her clenched fist.
Inhaling deeply, she looked him in the eye. “Either say what’s on
your mind or move out of the way.” To her surprise, he moved, but
just barely. She squeezed past him, choking back a gasp when her
arm brushed his stomach and her wolf stirred. She swallowed the
desire to throw herself at him and tried to think of something
other than how much she wanted him. How much she wanted to
stay.
    “When I first came to Wolf’s Creek, Malcolm
was mated to a woman named, Evelyn. She was Alpha female of the
pack.”
    Rayna snapped her suitcase closed, ignoring
Garrett, and looked around the room. Her jacket was draped over the
chair next to the window and she rounded the bed, intent on
grabbing it. Garrett grabbed her arm as she passed him.
    She stared at his hand. “Let go of me.”
    “Not until you hear what I have to say.”
    She sighed and gave him a bored look. “Fine.
Say it, then leave.”
    The color of his eyes flashed amber again and
the muscle in his jaw clenched. “Malcolm shared a room with a woman
named, Diana. She was a Beta.”
    “I don’t really care about the history
lesson. Now let go of my arm.”
    His grip on her loosened but he didn’t let
her go. “I know you don’t care but you’re going to hear it anyway.”
He stared down at her, his gaze roaming her face before he looked
back at her eyes. “Carmen wants to be recognized as pack leader.
That’s all she’s ever wanted. If Malcolm was able to spend his
nights with a woman of his choosing, and not his mate, there’s no
reason why I can’t.”
    He should have just slapped her. It wouldn’t
have