Mated to War Read Free Page A

pockets.
    It was something Charli had
learned firsthand after her mother’s death. She had been sent back into her
father’s care. Her awareness between right and wrong was tested every time she
refused to help him make his boss money by picking the winners of certain
races. Each time she refused, or predicted incorrectly, her father would beat
her. Those she could handle. It was the cocked gun his boss’s cousin had
pointed at her head while he held the racing fixtures in front of her that had
her complying.
    While one of her abilities had
her in her father’s clutches, it was another that aided her escape. Her skill
with the computer brought her to the attention of her technology teacher, which
led to offers of college placements and scholarships. She secretly accepted the
offer that placed her on the other side of the country, while she continued to
play the scared schoolgirl frightened of her father and his associates.
    In their arrogance they often
left her to her own devices while they went about their business. It offered
her the opportunity to leave the nightmare behind. Of course life wasn’t that
simple. She soon learned through her only high school friend that her father
had knocked up his current girlfriend. It wasn’t until four years later that
she would meet her little sister.
    A vision showed her father
killing Emily’s mother. Charli immediately raced to the airport, hoping to
prevent the devastating outcome. Unfortunately, the weather had other ideas.
She was snowed in. Emily’s mother was murdered while Charli sat in the airport
terminal waiting for the weather to clear. Her father had been jailed and as
Emily’s only living relative, Charli had been granted custody.
    It broke her heart every time
she thought of that day she arrived at the house to see police tape surrounding
the front yard. Emily’s mother had been stolen from her by her own father. Then
she didn’t even get to say goodbye to the woman who had raised her. Charli
couldn’t chance her father’s boss turning up in the days that followed or at
the funeral. She swept Emily away from the only home she knew in order to protect
her from evil. They only returned for the court hearing granting Charli
custody. For the last two years, they had been hiding in plain sight in a city
where plain and ordinary were lost amongst a sea of extravagance.
    Returning to the present, Charli
acknowledged that her paranoia was getting the best of her. No one was
following her. No one was even glancing in her direction. Her dull grey suit
guaranteed her anonymity as she blended in with the concrete buildings.
    Shaking her head in
embarrassment, she continued toward the restaurant where her client would soon
be arriving. It was customary for Charli to arrive to a meeting at least ten
minutes early. It allowed her to choose her seat. She always booked the table
in a quiet corner, against the wall. She couldn’t allow anyone to gain the
upper hand and sneak up on her. If only her client understood the rules. He was
already seated when she arrived at the restaurant. And in her seat, no less.
    “Miss Smythe, it’s lovely to
meet you,” the elderly man said, standing and offering her his hand when she
approached the table. “Would you care for a drink while we wait for Mr.
Martin?”
    “I didn’t realize I would be
meeting anyone else, Mr. Borris,” she stated suspiciously.
    “Please call me Henry.” He
smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. Something stirred in her
stomach, screaming at her to move. Before she could, a hand landed on her
shoulder.
    “Hello, kitten. You are one hard
woman to track down!” came the voice that had been haunting her dreams for the
last week.

Chapter Two
     
    Judge found pleasure in the
shock-filled face that was staring at him. His mate deserved nothing less and a
whole lot more in his book. He had been in a constant state of agony and
arousal since experiencing her delicate scent. And to make matters