Free Feral Seduction (Feral Protectors 2) by Liv Brywood Page A

apple might not fall too far from the tree in this case,” Luna said in a haughty voice.
    What a bitch. Just because her father was a consummate liar didn’t mean she lied too. This was why she couldn’t go to the police in Joshua Village.
    Ben returned from the other room. “The officer I had patrolling the area said he didn’t see or hear anything out of the ordinary. I suggest you go back to the motel and get some sleep. Like I said earlier, there’s nothing I can do about this until tomorrow. I don’t know about you, but I’d like to get some sleep tonight.”
    Brandy’s shoulders fell. He didn’t believe her and he was throwing her out, again. Coming here was a mistake. There wasn’t anyone in the world she could trust.
    “Fine. Forget it. I’ll stop bothering you.”
    Brandy wanted to wipe the smug smile off Luna’s face. She didn’t even know the woman, but she already disliked her.
    Ben opened the front door. “Do you want me to drive you to the motel?”
    She shook her head. “No.”
    Outside, she bent to grab her shoes off the floor. Her uncle closed the door, leaving her on the porch alone. She’d never felt more vulnerable in her life, not even during the trial, when everyone in town had seemed to band together to ostracize her.
    She sat on the front step and put on her shoes. Where would she go now? For all she knew, the stalker waited in the mist, ready to pounce.
    She eyed the edge of the forest. Maybe she should forget about trying to get her uncle’s help. Maybe she should go home and try talking to the sheriff in Joshua Village. What other choice did she have?
    She contemplated leaving immediately, but decided she’d be more vulnerable if she tried to travel at night. It would be safer to sit on her uncle’s porch until sunrise. If she stayed within screaming distance of his house, he could at least come out and scare the stalker away.
    She decided that the porch was her best option. She sat with her back to the wall. She scanned the fog, ready to yell at the first sign of movement.
    Hours passed before the sky began to incrementally lighten. As the first rays of light crested the forest, the relentless mist finally thinned. The veil of fog pulled back toward the sea.
    She stood and stretched the kinks out of her muscles. She scrutinized the marina as the hazy morning broke. A handful of fishermen appeared, tackle boxes in hand, but there was no sign of her attacker.
    The front door opened. Her uncle stepped onto the porch. “You’re still here?”
    “I had nowhere else to go.”
    “I told you to go back to the hotel.”
    She didn’t want to argue about something that didn’t matter anymore. “Did you call Hugo?”
    He leaned against the doorframe and folded his arms across his chest. “I did. He denied making any calls to your house.”
    “He’s lying.”
    Her uncle shook his head. “Go home. Or better yet, go see your father. Lying has consequences. He’s proof positive of that.”
    She narrowed her eyes. “Fine.”
    She stomped down the steps.
    She’d give anything to have an ally. She flashed back to her conversations with Stryde. He’d believed her right away, even though she’d lied to him when she’d first met him. Why was it so hard for anyone else to believe her?
    Maybe Stryde would help her. She’d have to travel through the forest to get home anyway, so she might as well stop and ask him. He seemed like the type of man who would not only believe her, but might actually be willing to do anything he could to protect her.
    Convinced that Stryde would help her, she followed a trail into the forest and headed in the direction of the river. It didn’t take her long to hear the rushing water. She didn’t know how far upriver she’d have to go to find his cave, but she knew it wasn’t too much further.
    She stayed hidden in the tree line, unless she needed to step out to look for the ledge outside his cave. It had to be somewhere near here. She recognized the huge