Read Online The Wolven by Deborah LeBlanc - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Deborah LeBlanc
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arms, Danyon let out a deep guttural growl. A warning thathis own transformation was imminent. “Do you understand me?”
Evidently recognizing the voice of his alpha, Andy’s eyes suddenly cleared, and his incisors withdrew. He immediately lowered his head.
“I want you to go and sit in the SUV,” Danyon commanded. “Wait for me there. When I’m finished looking over the body, I’ll wrap it in the tarp, then you’ll help me load it into the SUV. Until then, you’re to stay in the driver’s seat until I call for you. Is that clear?”
Andy gave one quick nod, then quietly hurried away as ordered.
Danyon breathed a silent sigh of relief. He hadn’t feared Andy’s transformation for himself. He’d feared it for Shauna. As angry as Andy had become, there might have been no controlling who or what he attacked. Chances were good that he would have taken on the feral madness of a vengeful wolven, its mind lost to understanding anything but destruction.
Danyon turned to Shauna, saw an expression on her face he couldn’t quite define.
Fear? Awe? Possibly both.
“That’s just another reason why you should have stayed away,” he said. “You’re lucky. No telling what might have happened if I hadn’t stopped his transformation.”
She looked at him steadily. “I’m his Keeper,” she said calmly. “He wouldn’t have harmed me.”
He looked at her standing there—tall, slender, delicate wrists and arms, long, beautiful neck—and knew Andy would have snapped her like a twig. Danyon might havelaughed at the absurdity of her statement had it not been for the way she said it. Not haughty, like someone acting too big for her britches. It sounded confident, like the voice of experience. That puzzled him. When had she ever been up against a raging were? He shook off the question. Now wasn’t the time to contemplate the matter. He had more serious issues to contend with.
He headed back to Simon’s body. “I’ll need more light over here.”
Shauna hurried over, directed the flashlights as he indicated. As light flooded over Simon’s body, she let out another, smaller gasp.
Danyon chose to ignore it. No time for emotional females. It was already late, and they still had Nicole to see to. He scrounged through the duffle bag again, and grabbed wire cutters and a pair of pliers. He snipped the silver wire wrapped around Simon’s ankles with the cutters, then, using the pliers, he carefully wiggled the wire free from the trench it had formed in the bone.
With that task complete, Danyon reached for the hacksaw and went to work on the remaining cables, the ones wrapped around Simon’s neck and chest.
It was a long and tedious process, sawing at awkward angles, blade slipping again and again until he managed to cut a thin rut in the cable. Sweat ran into his eyes, soaked the back of his shirt.
By the time Danyon had removed the cables and the additional silver wire he’d found beneath them, two hours had vanished. It dawned on him, too, that throughout that entire time, Shauna had not said one word.
He looked up to check on her and was surprised to find her sitting back on her haunches beside him.
She handed him a pair of latex gloves. “Thought you might be ready for these.”
He studied her face, saw no trace of fear. Only profound sadness.
“Thanks,” he said, and took the gloves from her. After slipping them on, he sank his fingers into the fur on Simon’s right leg, then worked them slowly upward, feeling for wounds.
“I don’t think this was done by a human,” Shauna said.
“I agree.” He kept his fingers moving. “The minute that silver touched him, he would’ve mutated instantly from the pain, then slaughtered anyone in sight. And if by chance he was in were-state before they used the silver…they never would have gotten close enough to wrap it around any part of his body.”
“What about a group of humans?”
Danyon shook his head. “Not even an army of three-hundred-pound
Evidently recognizing the voice of his alpha, Andy’s eyes suddenly cleared, and his incisors withdrew. He immediately lowered his head.
“I want you to go and sit in the SUV,” Danyon commanded. “Wait for me there. When I’m finished looking over the body, I’ll wrap it in the tarp, then you’ll help me load it into the SUV. Until then, you’re to stay in the driver’s seat until I call for you. Is that clear?”
Andy gave one quick nod, then quietly hurried away as ordered.
Danyon breathed a silent sigh of relief. He hadn’t feared Andy’s transformation for himself. He’d feared it for Shauna. As angry as Andy had become, there might have been no controlling who or what he attacked. Chances were good that he would have taken on the feral madness of a vengeful wolven, its mind lost to understanding anything but destruction.
Danyon turned to Shauna, saw an expression on her face he couldn’t quite define.
Fear? Awe? Possibly both.
“That’s just another reason why you should have stayed away,” he said. “You’re lucky. No telling what might have happened if I hadn’t stopped his transformation.”
She looked at him steadily. “I’m his Keeper,” she said calmly. “He wouldn’t have harmed me.”
He looked at her standing there—tall, slender, delicate wrists and arms, long, beautiful neck—and knew Andy would have snapped her like a twig. Danyon might havelaughed at the absurdity of her statement had it not been for the way she said it. Not haughty, like someone acting too big for her britches. It sounded confident, like the voice of experience. That puzzled him. When had she ever been up against a raging were? He shook off the question. Now wasn’t the time to contemplate the matter. He had more serious issues to contend with.
He headed back to Simon’s body. “I’ll need more light over here.”
Shauna hurried over, directed the flashlights as he indicated. As light flooded over Simon’s body, she let out another, smaller gasp.
Danyon chose to ignore it. No time for emotional females. It was already late, and they still had Nicole to see to. He scrounged through the duffle bag again, and grabbed wire cutters and a pair of pliers. He snipped the silver wire wrapped around Simon’s ankles with the cutters, then, using the pliers, he carefully wiggled the wire free from the trench it had formed in the bone.
With that task complete, Danyon reached for the hacksaw and went to work on the remaining cables, the ones wrapped around Simon’s neck and chest.
It was a long and tedious process, sawing at awkward angles, blade slipping again and again until he managed to cut a thin rut in the cable. Sweat ran into his eyes, soaked the back of his shirt.
By the time Danyon had removed the cables and the additional silver wire he’d found beneath them, two hours had vanished. It dawned on him, too, that throughout that entire time, Shauna had not said one word.
He looked up to check on her and was surprised to find her sitting back on her haunches beside him.
She handed him a pair of latex gloves. “Thought you might be ready for these.”
He studied her face, saw no trace of fear. Only profound sadness.
“Thanks,” he said, and took the gloves from her. After slipping them on, he sank his fingers into the fur on Simon’s right leg, then worked them slowly upward, feeling for wounds.
“I don’t think this was done by a human,” Shauna said.
“I agree.” He kept his fingers moving. “The minute that silver touched him, he would’ve mutated instantly from the pain, then slaughtered anyone in sight. And if by chance he was in were-state before they used the silver…they never would have gotten close enough to wrap it around any part of his body.”
“What about a group of humans?”
Danyon shook his head. “Not even an army of three-hundred-pound
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