Dying Wish: A Novel of the Sentinel Wars Read Free Page B

intriguing. Why wouldn’t he count himself among the rest of the men? He still wore both parts of his luceria, which meant he was available.
    Maybe it had something to do with the woman he’d loved and lost—the one whose death had left him a self-acknowledged cold bastard.
    She forced herself to look him in the eye while she lied, tipping her head back to make it possible. “I’ll pick someone when and
if
I’m ready.”
    “Yeah? Well, let’s hope that no one gets killed while you take your sweet time.”
    “It won’t come to that.”
    “And just what are you going to do to stop it? These are big, armed warriors you’re dealing with, not pansy-assed suits, like the men you’re used to.”
    How had he known? She hadn’t told anyone about her former life. She didn’t trust anyone enough to risk giving away more information than was necessary. “Did you check up on me?”
    “I Googled you. I thought someone here should know who you really were, rather than daydreaming about who they wanted you to be.”
    “And?”
    “And what?”
    “Did you find a bunch of skeletons marching out of my closet?”
    He crossed his arms over his chest, making his shirt stretch to contain his muscles. The tips of several bare branches of his tree tattoo peeked out from under his left sleeve. “You’re smart. Educated. A barracuda when it comes to business. People respected you. Feared you.”
    “You say that like it’s a good thing.”
    “In our world, it is. Of course, I don’t see any sign of the woman you used to be. All I see is a scared little girl who would rather hide than do the right thing.”
    “I’ve been through a lot these last two years,” she grated out through clenched teeth.
    “Who hasn’t? Life’s hard. Wear a fucking cup.” With that, he turned on his heel and left her standing there.
    Jackie shook with anger as she watched him walk away. And there was only one reason she would have been as infuriated by his words as she was: He was right. She was merely a shell of her former self, and she didn’t like who she’d become. She didn’t like being afraid all the time—not just of the monsters, but of the people who lived here. And of her future.
    She gathered herself and marched the last few yards to Joseph’s office. It was time to take back her life.

Chapter 2
     
    N ormally, once Iain walked away from someone, he put the conversation behind him and let it go. He simply didn’t care enough to carry around other people’s baggage. But this time was different.
    He couldn’t get Jackie out of his head. She lingered there, in the back of his mind, like a puzzle left unsolved.
    His monster—the dark, enraged beast that lurked within him, always threatening to break free and kill—had perked up, its ears twitching with interest.
    Even through the layers of clothing, he’d felt something when he touched her. Some deep, resonant vibration that seeped into the coldest parts of himself. His hand still tingled, and the pain pounding through his body—which had eased slightly upon contact with her—had now returned with a vengeance.
    He was used to pain. It was part of his life. He accepted it the way he did his own skin, but since meeting her, he noticed it more.
    Jackie had the ability to affect him when no one else could. Not that it mattered. She couldn’t save him. He’d stopped Torr from making a mistake. There was nothing left to think about.
    And yet there she was, haunting a small corner of his mind with the memory of how warm she’d been, how delicate her arm had felt under his fingers. When he’dtouched her, there had been something there—some subtle change inside of him. He couldn’t tell what it was, and even if he could, it wouldn’t have made any difference.
    He was damned. Soulless. No one knew of his dangerous state but him. Even his luceria hummed when he got near Jackie, as if hoping for a reprieve from death. The thing apparently didn’t accept that it was too late for