Bound to Fear Read Free Page B

was top of
the range and far more advanced than anything out in the general
market.
    The door slid open. Jack sat up but didn’t
get to his feet. He was expecting one of the guards, but instead a
small, almost hunched figure, hovered in the open doorway. Someone
shoved her hard, and she lurched forward and then turned and
snarled at whoever was behind her.
    Johnson, one of the less pleasant guards
followed her into the cell, and then a second man stepped in behind
her. This was someone new, and definitely not a guard. Probably in
his forties, with short sandy hair, he studied Jack as though he
were some sort of lab rat. Which he supposed he was in a way,
though that didn’t mean he had to like it.
    “I’m Dr. Latham,” he said. “I’m in charge of
your…case.”
    Jack didn’t answer, just curled his lip
revealing the tip of one sharp fang. The guard took a step back.
Latham remained where he was, his expression more curious than
fearful. He was a fool.
    A small gasp came from the girl. He’d almost
forgotten she was there; she was so small and quiet. Now he turned
to study her.
    She was presumably his dinner. Or not. He
had few rules, but not feeding from children was one of them. Then
she turned back to face him. Her intense golden gaze locked with
his, and he realized she was no child.
    He could see why he’d been mistaken. She was
short, maybe just a whisper over five feet, and slender—too
slender. Her dark red hair fell in ripples to her waist, and her
small, pointed face was pale as though she rarely saw the sun. She
was dressed in grey sweat pants and a white vest top. Her small
breasts pressed against the cotton, and he felt an unexpected stab
of lust.
    She’d controlled her initial fear and now
was returning his inspection with obvious curiosity.
    “So, can you read him?” Latham asked.
    “I’m trying,” she snapped. “Keep your pants
on.”
    She took a wary step closer. Jack breathed
in and caught a wild feral scent, like the forest at full moon.
    Wolf?
    And what did they mean, “read” him?
    Then he felt it, faint tendrils of power,
probing at his mind, seeking a way in. He slammed down his
defensive walls and saw her eyes widen.
    “Ow,” she said.
    “Well?” Latham prompted.
    “No, I can’t.”
    “You mean he’s shielded? Like us?”
    She studied Jack for a moment, her head
cocked to one side. He felt the tentative probing again, but his
mind was safely locked away behind his walls. At least he knew now
why the guards were shielded. She was a telepath, and the most
powerful one he had ever come across. And a wolf? How had she ended
up at The Facility? The pack usually looked after their own.
    “No,” she replied. “Not like you. Different.
You feel unnatural, an aberration.” There was a distinct sneer in
her voice and he got the impression she wanted them to hear it. She
was baiting them—probably unwise if she was a prisoner. “He feels
natural. Right. But there’s a big wall I can’t get through.”
    “Why am I not surprised?” Latham said. “Yet
again you manage to disappoint.” He glanced from her to Jack and
back to her. “Well, perhaps we can find one thing you’re useful
for.” He turned to leave the room, followed by the guard, but
paused at the doorway and spoke directly to Jack. “She’s yours.
Just don’t finish her off. She may yet prove of some use.”
    “Bastard,” she muttered as the door closed
behind them. Then she turned slowly to stare at him. Her lower lip
caught between her teeth, he suspected to keep it from quivering.
Otherwise, there were no outward signs of fear, and he was
impressed. Because she was afraid, he could scent her fear in the
air.
    “How old are you?” he asked. Just in
case.
    Her brows drew together, but she shrugged
and answered. “Twenty-one.”
    Good .
    He didn’t need to feed, but that didn’t mean
he wouldn’t enjoy it. She looked and smelled…intriguing. Vampires
loved werewolf blood; it was the sweetest. His gums