Zurlo, Michele - Torment [Daughters of Circe 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read Free Page A

Soren were going to find a mate, it would be one of his own kind. He would not disgrace the town or his family by marrying an outsider, and there were plenty of willing women in town to satisfy his baser needs. Half-breeds were not welcome.
    Shade met the gossip with silent judgment. None of them understood why he chose to live so far away. They knew it wasn’t because Soren had won control of the house, the inheritance, and the town. The fight, though vicious and instigated by demons, had been fair. Both brothers sustained damage, but nothing permanent. Shade didn’t harbor resentment against Soren, just as Soren wouldn’t have resented Shade if the outcome had been the other way.
    He might have killed him, but he wouldn’t have resented him.
    Besides, that was decades before he ever met Hope. He wouldn’t have met her if not for the fight that drove him from Lyton.
    The only problem most wolves had with an outsider was they tended to be human. Humans didn’t live long enough to make a relationship with them anything other than temporary. Besides, most humans weren’t built to sustain anything long term with a werewolf. They were far too frail to survive the multiple births and the hard life of the Appalachians. Triplets were as common among werewolf offspring as single births were to humans. Like males, female wolves were larger and heartier than their human counterparts, and they could easily handle having twins or triplets or more.
    Turning a human was rarely an option, as most of them did not survive the process. Besides, prejudice against half-breeds was enough to send most decent people running the other way. Life for a half-breed was difficult for many reasons, not the least of which was the lack of a clear mentor or master. Left to their own devices, half-breeds typically did something to call attention to the fact that werewolves were not fiction. Then it was up to the pack to deal with the leak. It never ended well for the half-breed.
    Soren was Shade’s closest friend and his biggest enemy. Headstrong and unbending, Soren provided the necessary leadership for the tiny village. However, Soren’s compulsion couldn’t help but come between them. His demons craved power. Hope had begged Shade to forgive Soren. She promised to return. Shade had done the best he could by his brother, but he still waited for Hope.
    At any rate, Soren would be home by daybreak. He was most likely roaming the countryside in wolf form. Without the light of the moon, he would stay that way until daybreak. Shade parked his truck in the middle of the driveway that led from the break in the high stone fence surrounding Soren’s estate to the massive house. It would annoy Soren, but that was one of the perks of having a brother.
    Opening the unlocked door, Shade headed directly to the kitchen. The staff would have the night off, so he expected an empty house. However, he smelled her the minute he walked in. Tiffany. They had been friends, lovers, and more.
    “Does Soren know you’re in his house?” he called, his great voice booming through the cavernous halls.
    Within moments, she appeared in the foyer, clad in a minimal amount of clothing. Shade surveyed her offering with cool detachment until she blushed and stammered. “I–I–I was hoping to surprise him.”
    He lifted his thick black brows. “He’ll be surprised, but I’m not. It took you longer than I thought to switch your tactics.” Turning away from her, he continued his path into the kitchen.
    She found him digging in the refrigerator for leftovers. Alethea, the housekeeper who had been there longer than the boys, was very good about leaving copious amounts of prepared food for both men.
    Tall even for a female werewolf, Tiffany stood proud at six-seven. With her large blue eyes and pouty lips, she was more beautiful than any wolf Shade had encountered, and she knew it. Her honey-blond hair fell thickly to her waist. Like most women in their pack, she never cut it.