Rage & Killian Read Free Page A

her in a way she didn’t fully understand.
    With practiced ease she went boneless in his arms, her head sagging against his chest.
    “You’re hurting me,” she whimpered.
    “Shit. I’m sorry, Lucie.”
    On cue, the strong arms loosened their grip and Lucie was shoving out of his grasp and scrambling down the alley.
    If she could reach the…
    With a speed that shocked her, Rage had already caught up to her and was tossing her over his shoulders as he continued down the alley and onto a backstreet.
    “Parish is going to pay for this,” he muttered.
    Lucie scowled as she pounded Rage’s back. This wasn’t a chance meeting?
    “Parish sent you?” she demanded.
    “Yes.”
    She heaved a resigned sigh. “Put me down.”
    Ignoring her command, he picked up speed, heading away from the commercial district to a quiet residential neighborhood lined with weeping willows.
    “Not until we have a chance to speak,” he warned.
    She slammed her fist against the hard muscles of his back, nearly breaking her fingers.
    “Dammit, Rage.”
    “Temper, temper,” he teased, moving in silence despite the fact he was carrying a squirming, furious female.
    Lucie made a sound of frustration. If Parish wanted something from her, why the hell had he sent this male? The leader of the Hunters had been one of the few Pantera she’d ever let get close to her. And that was only because the stubborn bastard wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. He had to have suspected that she watched Rage more than any of the other males.
    Or was that the point?
    Did Parish assume that she would be so dazzled by the gorgeous Rage that she would fall into line like a good little Pantera?
    She wanted to laugh at the mere thought. She didn’t let anything or anyone control her. Not since she escaped her grandfather. But there was nothing amusing in the jolts of excitement that were streaking through her as the heat of Rage’s body seeped through her clothing and his musky scent teased at her senses.
    Shit. He was hauling her around like a sack of potatoes, but she was getting turned on.
    She’d dreamed a thousand nights that Rage would catch sight of her lurking in the trees and rush over to grab her in his arms. And yes, there’d been more than once she’d fantasized he would throw her over his shoulder and haul her into the shadows so he could strip off her clothes and kiss her quivering body from head to toe…
    Lucie heaved a groan of relief as they reached the white, plantation-style home set well away from the street that served as a local safe house for the Pantera. Circling to the backyard, Rage was forced to lower her to her feet as he placed his hand against the scanner hidden behind a potted plant. Slowly the door slid open and Rage led her into a large kitchen that was filled with a delicious smell that made her stomach rumble with hunger.
    Stepping away from the male, she glanced around the room that was lined with wooden cabinets painted a pretty white. The floor was made of flagstone, and overhead, the open-beamed ceiling had dried herbs hanging alongside a set of copper pots.
    A part of her itched to get out of the house that was filled with smells of home. The potpourri that was made from the Dyesse lily that only grew in the Wildlands. Rich moss that had been carried into the kitchen on someone’s shoes. And that enticing scent of food that was bubbling in a pot on the stove.
    Even worse was the flame of anticipation that licked through her at the realization they were alone in the house.
    Dammit.
    “Are you going to tell me why you kidnapped me?” she forced herself to mutter.
    Rage cocked a dark brow, his gaze taking a slow, leisurely survey of her tense form.
    “Kidnapped?” he drawled. “Isn’t that a little overdramatic?”
    She shrugged. “I was minding my own business when I was snatched off the street and forcibly brought to this house. What would you call it?”
    He flashed his wicked smile. “Your lucky