Free What the Heart Haunts by Sadie Hart Page A

a
world where everyone else died.
    Nalla shook her head. Khost had to be new.
She didn’t recognize him and he obviously hadn’t been running long
enough to be able to sense when another Hound was in his presence.
She leaned over the table, elbows braced against the lacquered
wood. “So Khost...do you really want to sit around a table all
night, or would you rather take a walk with me? Live a little on
the wild side.”
    A grin slashed over her face, purely
predatory. She made sure to put some magic behind her words. Herne
had sent her a pup and she’d make sure that immortal bastard
realized his mistake. After she’d wrung his Hound out and had the
pup straggling after her like a dog for a bone, she might send old
Herne a tip. If he wanted something from her, he should come get it
himself.
    Nalla let her voice turn sultry as she
whispered, “So whaddya say?”
     
    ***
     
    Khost shifted in the booth, watching her. She
seemed off. Edgy. Wild. He had to roll his shoulders at the last
thought. The whole night felt wild to him. Alive. Sweet Herne, but
he wanted to run. Not be sitting down here to try and track down
some valuable his god had misplaced. He just wanted this to be done
and over with.
    Don’t let her know what you are , Cissy
had whispered, when she’d begged him to do this. He won’t miss
you, not tonight. You’re too far down in the pack for him to
notice .
    But she’d misplaced the hunting horn a few
centuries ago and apparently, with the winter solstice on its way,
and the correct alignment of the ether-realms...she needed it back
or Herne was going to have Cissy’s head on a chopping block. And
this woman here was supposed to have it.
    She’ll keep it close to her, so all you have
to do is make nice.
    And apparently go for a walk with her. The
thought of stepping outside into the wind, feeling the fresh air in
his lungs and Khost wasn’t sure he could keep it together. He
shivered. His skin was damn near twitching off the bone. This was
the last place he wanted to be. But he’d seen what happened to a
Hound that displeased Herne; their god didn’t take nicely to
failures and he really didn’t want to see Cissy’s head rolling over
a cloud covered field.
    Khost leaned back, one hand raking through
his hair as he blew out a breath. One walk couldn’t hurt.
Then...what? Fuck, he didn’t know how to do this. Make nice? What
did that even mean? Maybe a walk would give him time to think.
“Yeah. That’d be good.”
    Her smile widened enough to flash teeth. With
one last tip of her beer, she swallowed another gulp, tossed a
handful of bills down on the table and eased out of her seat,
sidling closer to him. Heat scalded up his arm, raising the hairs
as every muscle in his body jerked to attention. Run , his
body screamed. Khost gripped the table to keep his hands off her.
If he didn’t watch himself he was going to grab her and haul her
after him for miles as he shook off the urge to be running loose in
the sky.
    Herne might not miss him tonight, but Khost
was sure as hell going to miss the Hunt.
    He stood up, edging away from her. She just
shook her head, wavy blonde hair bouncing around her face, and she
led him out the front door, the bells chiming behind them. The cool
touch of the night air was like a drug, his reaction instant. Every
nerve in his body came alive, burning hot and heavy. Khost
staggered a step, drawing himself up short before he could bolt off
into the darkness.
    “Let me just snatch my jacket from the rig,
then we can go.” She tossed him a look over her shoulder, her steps
light, fast. Short, quick strides took her straight towards the
semi at the edge of the parking lot. A forest stretched out behind
the truck, the rumble of a highway nearby the only sound in the
darkness.
    She jerked open the front door and grabbed a
leather jacket, shoving her arms into it before yanking it up onto
her shoulders. One handed, she dug her hair out from under the
collar, then reached down