Read Online Whispered Visions (Shifters & Seers Book 3) by Tammy Blackwell - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Tammy Blackwell
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the tumblers in the outer door fell into place before he exploded off the arm of the chair.
“You. That room. Now,” he barked, pointing towards the door connecting them to the other sitting room. He put every ounce of his considerable dominance into the command, but being a high-ranking member of the Alpha Pack herself, Lizzie just pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow.
“You’re supposed to say ‘please,’” came a helpful reminder from the couch. “And we ask. We don’t tell.”
Lizzie’s cheek twitched with a poorly suppressed grin.
“Lizzie, will you come into the other room with me, please ?” The words came through clenched teeth. As much as Lizzie would love never having this conversation, she knew there was no way he was going to relent. Layne Hagan simply didn’t know how to let something go.
Refusing to be completely biddable, Lizzie held up her banana peel and waited until Layne snatched it from her with a grunt of annoyance before pulling herself off the chair. “If you’ll excuse us,” she said to Pari and Caroline, who were looking at the pair of them like they had become some sort of farm-themed cartoon characters.
She tried to measure her steps and not favor one side more than the other, but knowing he was watching, it was nearly impossible. Every ache and pain seemed magnified times a hundred under his gaze. Realizing she wouldn’t be able to sit down with anything resembling grace, she settled for leaning against the arm of a chair.
She barely had time to draw a breath before Layne was in her face.
“How bad are you hurt?”
“How badly are you hurt?” she countered. He might have been able to hide his limps and shallow breaths a bit better, but there was no denying the raw skin circling his wrists or the way the white of his right eye was nothing but a red, bloody mess.
Layne’s chin jerked up a notch. “I’ll heal.”
“And I’ll what? Be bruised for the rest of my life? Just because I don’t Change under the full moon doesn’t mean I don’t have a normal human’s ability to recover from injury. I’ll be fine in a few days.”
This close she could see the flare of his nostrils and all the tiny lines that formed in his pursed lips. “Lizzie…”
Whoever coined the phrase “stubborn as a mule” should have spent a little time with a coyote Shifter.
“I’m bruised and sore, but nothing serious,” she said. “It hurts to take deep breaths, but I’ve seen enough broken ribs to know mine are fine.” At least, she thought they were. She realized she never bothered asking any of her friends exactly how a broken rib felt, but surely it was different than the sharp ache in her side.
Her face must have given her thoughts away because Layne’s jaw set even more firmly. “Let me look.”
“At what? My ribs with your x-ray vision?”
“You’ve seen people hobbling around the Den whining about having to spar with the Alphas,” he said. “I’ve been in the gym and seen what they look like after they’ve hit the wall. Not to mention the up-close-and-personal I got back in February when Joshua thought it would be fun to forget how freakishly strong he is and punch me in the side.”
Annoyingly, he was right. Layne was a trained fighter, which meant he knew more about this sort of thing than she did. Not for the first time, she resented her position in the Alpha Pack. She was treated like a precious jewel, which sounded nice until you started feeling strangled by the fine velvet you were wrapped in. Most of the time, she was okay with it. Lizzie was a girl of simple pleasures. A rainy day, a big picture window, a cup of hot chocolate, and a good book was her idea of heaven. But every once in awhile, she craved something more. Something bigger. Some days she wanted the bloody-lipped lifestyle the other half of the Alpha Pack lived.
Well, maybe not the bloodied-lip part. Getting beat up sucked.
But even with the pain, fear, and helplessness she felt, part of
“You. That room. Now,” he barked, pointing towards the door connecting them to the other sitting room. He put every ounce of his considerable dominance into the command, but being a high-ranking member of the Alpha Pack herself, Lizzie just pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow.
“You’re supposed to say ‘please,’” came a helpful reminder from the couch. “And we ask. We don’t tell.”
Lizzie’s cheek twitched with a poorly suppressed grin.
“Lizzie, will you come into the other room with me, please ?” The words came through clenched teeth. As much as Lizzie would love never having this conversation, she knew there was no way he was going to relent. Layne Hagan simply didn’t know how to let something go.
Refusing to be completely biddable, Lizzie held up her banana peel and waited until Layne snatched it from her with a grunt of annoyance before pulling herself off the chair. “If you’ll excuse us,” she said to Pari and Caroline, who were looking at the pair of them like they had become some sort of farm-themed cartoon characters.
She tried to measure her steps and not favor one side more than the other, but knowing he was watching, it was nearly impossible. Every ache and pain seemed magnified times a hundred under his gaze. Realizing she wouldn’t be able to sit down with anything resembling grace, she settled for leaning against the arm of a chair.
She barely had time to draw a breath before Layne was in her face.
“How bad are you hurt?”
“How badly are you hurt?” she countered. He might have been able to hide his limps and shallow breaths a bit better, but there was no denying the raw skin circling his wrists or the way the white of his right eye was nothing but a red, bloody mess.
Layne’s chin jerked up a notch. “I’ll heal.”
“And I’ll what? Be bruised for the rest of my life? Just because I don’t Change under the full moon doesn’t mean I don’t have a normal human’s ability to recover from injury. I’ll be fine in a few days.”
This close she could see the flare of his nostrils and all the tiny lines that formed in his pursed lips. “Lizzie…”
Whoever coined the phrase “stubborn as a mule” should have spent a little time with a coyote Shifter.
“I’m bruised and sore, but nothing serious,” she said. “It hurts to take deep breaths, but I’ve seen enough broken ribs to know mine are fine.” At least, she thought they were. She realized she never bothered asking any of her friends exactly how a broken rib felt, but surely it was different than the sharp ache in her side.
Her face must have given her thoughts away because Layne’s jaw set even more firmly. “Let me look.”
“At what? My ribs with your x-ray vision?”
“You’ve seen people hobbling around the Den whining about having to spar with the Alphas,” he said. “I’ve been in the gym and seen what they look like after they’ve hit the wall. Not to mention the up-close-and-personal I got back in February when Joshua thought it would be fun to forget how freakishly strong he is and punch me in the side.”
Annoyingly, he was right. Layne was a trained fighter, which meant he knew more about this sort of thing than she did. Not for the first time, she resented her position in the Alpha Pack. She was treated like a precious jewel, which sounded nice until you started feeling strangled by the fine velvet you were wrapped in. Most of the time, she was okay with it. Lizzie was a girl of simple pleasures. A rainy day, a big picture window, a cup of hot chocolate, and a good book was her idea of heaven. But every once in awhile, she craved something more. Something bigger. Some days she wanted the bloody-lipped lifestyle the other half of the Alpha Pack lived.
Well, maybe not the bloodied-lip part. Getting beat up sucked.
But even with the pain, fear, and helplessness she felt, part of
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