Free Allegiance of Honor by Nalini Singh Page A

own. The vicious Psy serial killer who’d taken and tortured Brenna had wanted to mark her, break her, then end her life. But he was the one who was dead. Brenna had survived, grown strong, reclaimed every part of her self. And the monster? She’d banished him from her mind until he couldn’t even stalk her nightmares.
    People called Judd tough; he had nothing on Brenna Shane Kincaid.
    “Want to join us?” He held up a muddy hand, while Drew said, “Yeah, Bren. Come play.” His voice was suspiciously cheerful.
    Raising her hands and clearly realizing both her brother and her matewere up to no good, Brenna backed off. “I love you both, but no. Not when I’m wearing these clothes.”
    She was gorgeous and so incredibly smart, Judd’s mate. She was also in the middle of the White Zone with kids who’d figured out the adults were in the mood to play. The first water balloon hit her ten seconds later, catching her on the back. Her yelp of surprise was followed by a second balloon that soaked her front, revealing the lines of the simple white bra Judd had watched her put on this morning.
    He loved watching her dress, loved the way she moved about so energetic and chatty in the morning. And he loved that she fed his touch hunger with demands of her own. Judd liked nothing better than to get his hands on her.
    “Since you’re wet anyway . . .” Rolling to his feet, he started to stalk toward her.
    “You keep your distance,” Brenna ordered. “Judd Lauren, I mean it! I am not getting mud all over—”
    Giving up trying to make him behave when it was clear he wasn’t about to listen, she took off into the trees, kicking off her flats along the way.
    Judd went to race after her . . . only to be brought down hard by a grip on his ankle. All the air in his lungs exploded from his mouth as he went chest-down right into the spot the pups had made their impromptu mud-creation zone. When he looked back, it was to see a certain blue-eyed wolf smirking at him. “Remember that time you used telekinesis on me?” Drew said. “I decided I’m still holding a grudge.”
    Judd took a breath then unstuck himself from the mud by pushing up onto his hands.
    Drew tightened his grip.
    And Judd took a leaf from Ben’s book of mischief. The pup was a master at innocent misdirection. Judd’s misdirection wasn’t so innocent. “Indigo’s on the ground,” he said after pretending to look to the other end of the White Zone. “I think Hawke’s making her eat grass.”
    Drew’s hold grew slack as his head snapped in the direction Judd had been looking. “What?” It was a growl. “Where?”
    Breaking free before the tracker could figure out Judd was lying through his teeth, Judd followed his mate’s scent into the forest beyond the clearing of the White Zone. She’d made good use of her head start, but while she was a wolf, he was an Arrow. He was also teleport-capable. He didn’t cheat though, staying on foot and using only the tracking skills he’d learned since becoming a real part of SnowDancer rather than simply existing within the pack.
    When he caught Brenna, it was because she’d paused to take a rest by a large, deep pond. It had a mirrorlike surface kissed by sunlight and surrounded by purple blooms with yellow hearts as well as by tiny white wildflowers that reminded him of daisies, the mountain flora having adapted to survive at this altitude. Careful to stay upwind so she wouldn’t catch his scent, he crept up behind her.
    “Judd!” she screamed as he wrapped his arms around her and rubbed his muddy face against the side of hers, his equally muddy chest sticking to the back of her wet shirt.
    He wasn’t expecting her to hook her foot around his legs, unbalance him. They fell into the pond together, came up spluttering.
    Splashing water at him, Brenna grinned. “Serves you right.”
    “I needed to wash off the mud anyway.” Going under, he scrubbed his face clean before coming back up and hauling her