Forever (Shifter Island Book 3) Read Free

words. Or maybe he was figuring he’d give her enough rope to hang herself, to make herself look like a complete lunatic in front of the old man—like someone who needed to be carted back to the mainland and then locked up somewhere quiet.
    “Would you like me to tell you what you’re acting like?” she demanded.
    She could have gone on arguing with him all day, because he’d gotten her dander up now. She felt like every demeaning thing that had ever been said to her was piled up in her mind, driving her to keep going, to hammer at him until he backed down and apologized.
    That wasn’t likely to happen, but it didn’t mean she wouldn’t try, wouldn’t shield herself with every bit of self-esteem she had while she looked for chinks in his armor.
    As it turned out, she didn’t need to, because Aaron stepped out of the woods to stand beside her and said to Lane in a voice so fierce that it made her shudder, “Do not call this woman stupid again, you blustering horse’s ass.”
     

Three
     
    If Aaron had been any closer to the human, his eyes would probably have started to water. The man probably thought he smelled good—clean, fresh, appealing—but the mixture of scents from the grooming products he’d used was truly awful. That was one of the things that had driven Aaron away from the mainland: that so many of the people who lived there smelled so appallingly bad.
    Artificial.
    Phony , he thought.
    Like this man.
    Aaron knew the type. He probably worked in an office, and spent a lot of time worrying about his clothes and his car and impressing other men just like him. He’d want Abby to look—and act—her best at all times, too, because he felt that everything she did reflected back on him.
    Why, Abby? Aaron wondered. Why would you ever be interested in this man? Why would you let him touch you?
    The man, Lane, seemed ready to try to take a swing at Aaron if he came any closer, but Aaron was willing to bet that he had no real experience with fighting. He might have bloodied someone’s nose at some point in his life, probably by accident, but someone like that wouldn’t really know how to fight. How to quickly disable his opponent and walk away with nothing more than some bruises and scratches, if that.
    That brought to mind what had happened to his brother Luca, and it made Aaron wince.
    “This woman deserves your respect,” he said quietly. “She is not a child. In particular, she is not your child.”
    “And who the hell are you?” Lane demanded.
    Aaron forced himself not to look at Abby. “A friend.”
    “This is a complete waste of time,” Lane sputtered. “Abby, come on. We need to get out of here. If you want to talk about our relationship when we get home, fine. But I’ve already wasted enough time tracking you down. It’s been a week now. Do you realize that? I’ve been looking for you for an entire week . Taking time away from my job, my responsibilities…” His voice cracked. “Let’s go, now .”
    He straightened a little, pulling himself up to his full height, and jabbed a finger toward the path that led down to the dock.
    He had miscalculated, though. Instead of looking like a person of authority, he looked tired, nervous, and unsure of himself.
    Weak prey, Aaron thought. Even an elderly wolf would be able to take him down in seconds.
    “I’m not going anywhere with you,” Abby said firmly. “I mean it, Lane.”
    “Abigail—”
    “Stop calling me that!” she bellowed. “I’ve told you, over and over, that I hate it. You don’t listen to me, Lane. You never have. And you know what? It makes me loathe you. You stuck-up, pretentious jerk.”
    The old man, who had been standing in silence a few steps from Lane, leaned toward him and murmured something. When Lane ignored him, he shook his head and said to Abby, “Thought better of you, missy. Pretty girl like you. But, no harm done. Gonna take m’ boat back, and we won’t talk of it again.”
    “I’m sorry,” Abby