Free The Werevamp Diaries: Moon Beam Dream (The Lynlee Lincoln Series Book 5) by Olivia Hardin Page A

Lynlee and Red, sliding into the alcove.
    The hounds recovered just as the three women were encompassed in glittering colors then disappeared.

Chapter 15
    T he second their bodies orbed into Lynlee’s grotto, Red issued a loud whimper and collapsed.  Since Rhiannon was still in wolf form, there was no way for her to catch the woman before she hit the floor with what must have been a painful thud. 
    “Wow, I thought I looked bad after my demon encounter.  This chick is death warmed over.”
    And that wasn’t a joke.  Sweat was pouring from Red’s brow, the rivulets tinged pink with blood.  Her skin was so pale as to be transparent, her lips tight bluish lines.  Even though she perspired, the woman was racked with the sort of chills that must have rattled her teeth.
    It took a few seconds for Rhiannon to morph back into her human form.  Even if her clothes hadn’t been destroyed when she shifted, what remained of them were back in the prison catacombs.  So there she stood naked as a jaybird, though she was so concerned for Red that she barely even noticed.
    That was until Prieto arrived, appearing within a big puff of purple smoke.
    “Geez, Louise!  Not again!” she cried out, using her hands to try to cover the important parts. 
    The fallen angel immediately turned around, raising a hand to cover his eyes.  “I didn’t see anything this time either.”
    “You’re lying!”
    Lynlee gently pulled one of the blankets from under Red and wrapped it around Rhiannon’s body. “Angels don’t lie,” she whispered to her friend.
    As soon as her nakedness was covered, Rhiannon stepped in front of Red, her shoulders back and her body prepared to shift again if necessary to protect her patient. “You’re not taking her back, Prieto.”
    He turned around to face them, and when she saw the expression on his face she immediately knew that taking her back wasn’t on the table.  His eyes glistened with concern, the movement at his temples clear evidence that he was gritting his teeth.
    Red moaned behind her, and when the agonized sound reverberated off the cavern walls, Prieto flinched as if he too felt the woman’s pain. 
    Rhiannon turned and knelt beside her, wiping the wet from Red’s brow in a sign of comfort. “I’m sorry, I didn’t bring my bag and my meds with me.  I thought... well, I thought when I got here you’d go ahead and pass on and there would be no more pain.”
    Red swallowed, tongue darting out to try to wet her parched lips so she could speak. “It’s okay.  Thank you.  There aren’t many people who would have done that.” She stopped to cough, though her energy was clearly in such short supply that she could barely even complete that action.  Panting for breath, she reached out a hand and grasped Rhia’s arm, her skin cold and clammy. “I’ll repay you one day.  I promise.”
    “Red?”
    It was Prieto, the sound of his voice almost foreign.  For all his cold and caustic tone on most days, now he seemed almost broken.  Clasping her blanket at her neck in one hand and her waist in the other, Rhiannon stood and stepped back. 
    Immediately he dropped to his knees beside the phoenix, and after just a moment’s hesitation, he pulled her close so that her head was against his chest.  Lynlee leaned in, clearly intent upon eavesdropping, but Rhia crooked her hand around her friend’s elbow and tugged her back.
    “You’re no fun,” Lynlee whispered with a frown. 
    Rolling her eyes in disdain, Rhiannon held the covers around herself and waited, watching closely as the couple spoke words to one another.  A tear slipped down Red’s cheek, and she wondered if it were the physical pain or some emotional pain.  How had the hearts of the prisoner and his captive somehow become intertwined? 
    Suddenly Red drew a gasping breath, tilted her head back and closed her eyes.  The edges of her skin began to glow orange, a vapor of black coiling up from her mouth and eyes and nose.