Free Huntbound (Moonfate Serial Book 2) by Sylvia Frost Page B

human,” barks Cal.
     
    “Cal,” Orion growls. “I won’t warn you again.”
     
    “Or what?” she sneers. “Going to use your werecall on me? Don’t see how you could, since you can’t even control your own mate.”
     
    “And how about your mate, Cal? How is he?” Orion says quietly.
     
    Cal’s entire face falls, her sneer replaced by a cold, hard, small expression. “You fuckwad.”
     
    “Get changed, take care of the coyote and meet at my car in twenty minutes. I need to speak with my mate.”
     
    “You know you’re technically not my boss,” Cal spits.
     
    From behind me I can feel Orion give a strained smirk into my hair. “Then it’s a good thing you hate technicalities.”
     

Chapter Fifteen
     
    Orion doesn’t even bother with a change of clothes before he hauls me toward a small wooded area at the end of the field. Normally, my eyes would be drawn to his nakedness, would devour the way his long cock swings with his stride, but anger, fear and shock have mixed in my veins to form a powerful antidote to desire.
     
    His friend killed a weremate. Just like that. Just tore her in two the same way werebeasts killed my parents seven years ago. And I have no doubt that Orion could’ve — would’ve — done the same. But I don’t say any of this. I don’t even fight it at as Orion drags me off to God knows where.
     
    I have no right to fight him anymore. I shot a silver bullet right in his direction.
     
    The underbrush transforms, closely cropped grass growing taller and wilder. “Where are you taking me?” I sound breathless, perhaps from the none-too-slow pace that Orion has taken up, possibly from the fear.
     
    Fear of him.
     
    “Somewhere we can talk without Cal nosing in.”
     
    “About what—”
     
    “Hush.” His words are soft, but underscoring them is the powerful thread of his werecall.
     
    My lips seal themselves shut. I couldn’t even question him if I wanted to. Dread itches in my veins. Is this how it’s going to be now? Him commanding me every moment, afraid that if he doesn’t I might shoot him?
     
    I would do it again, though. If it meant saving Lawrence, I would. I would risk anything.
     
    Soon the tall grasses give way to oaks and maples, but mostly those long, spindly trees that grow on the sides of highways whose names I don’t know. It seems more like an illusion of what the wilderness should be, than what it actually is.
     
    It must be good enough for Orion, though, because he stops when we’re only a hundred feet in, lets go of my hand and pivots to face me. In the half-darkness caused by the dwindling sunset and the patchy canopy above us he looks even more like a demon. And his eyes… They’re still glowing with an icy fury directed straight at me.
     
    I deserve it.
     
    “Do you want to die, Artemis?”
     
    “No.”
     
    “No?” He shakes his head once and takes a step closer to me. “No?”
     
    “No.” I take a step back, but my voice doesn’t shake. “I was aiming for the coyote, not you.”
 
    A twig snaps under his bare foot, and knowing his gracefulness I can’t help but feel he did that on purpose. A warning. “Why in the seven astrums would you even exit the car?”
     
    “I wanted to help,” I say. The moment the words have left my mouth I realize how lame they sound.
     
    He throws back his head and laughs, although there’s no real humor in the sound, and it’s discordantly loud enough that I notice a squirrel start in the bush behind him. “You wanted to help me? Oh, you’ll have to do better than that, little one.”
     
    “Why is that so hard to believe?” I step around a tree, hoping to put some leaves between us.
     
    “When have you ever wanted to do anything to benefit me?” He stops on the other side of the trunk so I can only see half of his face, but I don’t have to see his entire expression to be able to read the incredulity in his voice.
     
    The worst part is, he’s right. I didn’t get out