Read Online Blood Bond by Heather Hildenbrand - Free Book Online Page B

here,” I said in a low voice,
motioning for Cambria to come closer.
    Behind her, Derek shifted. I didn’t have to
turn to know Wes and Bailey were doing the same. Cambria’s eyes
widened at something over my shoulder. I heard the sound of ripping
fabric.
    “Wes and Bailey just shifted,” she said,
still staring.
    “I know.”
    Her head tilted to one side, her expression
thoughtful. “Bet they lose a lot of clothes that way.”
    I smiled crookedly in spite of the
tension.
    A growl sounded from behind me. Wes.
Werewolves—lots of them—had come into view and positioned
themselves in a circle. We were surrounded. I swallowed hard. The
surrounded part didn’t bother me nearly as much as their appearance
up close.
    “Check out their eyes,” Cambria
whispered.
    “Hybrids.” I stared into their yellow eyes,
pumping my fists open and closed to keep my hands from shaking.
What if it happened again? Right here in front of my friends, what
if I shifted into a monster?
    “What do you want?” Wes called out, his
words only half discernible through the growl that coated them.
    A mangy wolf the color of mud stepped up,
eyeing Wes, then me. There was something familiar about him. “We
want the girl,” it said.
    “Is he talking about Tara?” Bailey asked
Wes. He’d scooted closer, so the two stood shoulder to shoulder.
Bailey always itched for action. More often than not, he was made
to sit out. I could imagine the amount of adrenaline flowing
through his animal veins right now. His vanilla-colored coat
bunched and tensed with coiled muscles. Beside him, Wes was
rigid.
    “What do you want with Tara?” Wes asked.
    “Justice. Revenge.” Its shoulders rippled. I
couldn’t tell if it was a shrug or anticipation.
    “You’re here to avenge Miles?” Wes asked. He
shook his head. Disbelief and disgust colored his voice. “He was
using you. He didn’t care about you before and now he’s gone. Not
coming back. Let it go. You still have a choice. You can choose to
join us and save yourself from CHAS.”
    The wolf’s eyes flickered at that. Had he
been a Hunter before Miles changed him? Maybe that’s why he seemed
familiar. “We are not afraid of CHAS. Let them come.” His eyes
settled on me again. I shivered. “Last chance to give up the
girl.”
    “Did Miles order this? If something happened
to him, you all come after her?”
    “We do not take orders from Miles.” The last
word dragged out, becoming a snarl. A whine went up with the other
wolves. Paws stomped and scraped at the ground.
    “You can’t have Tara,” Wes growled back,
“but you’re welcome to try.”
    He was answered by a short howl from the
leader. The rest chimed in, pawing the dirt, inching forward.
    “We don’t even have weapons,” Cambria
hissed.
    She was right. My hands were achingly empty.
If I had nothing to use against them, maybe shifting wasn’t such a
bad idea. It had worked the first time. But then, there weren’t any
witnesses left besides Wes when I was done. I held back a shudder.
What if I hurt my friends?
    “Here!”
    At the sound of Cord’s voice, I turned just
in time to grab the branch hurtling toward my head. Another was
right behind it. I snagged that one and handed it off to
Cambria.
    “We do now,” I said.
    Cambria twirled the branch in her hand,
adjusting her grip, testing the weight. She didn’t even blink as
she shifted into a crouch, branch at the ready. The confusion at
being caught off guard disappeared. In its place was fierce
determination. She’d transformed to a Hunter, trained and ready to
face Werewolves. I tried to channel the same thing as the hybrids
slowly advanced.
    “Last chance to give up the girl, and we’ll
let you live,” said the pack leader. The alpha.
    “Go to hell,” Derek said. He’d stepped up
next to Wes and Bailey so that the three of them now formed a wall,
a united front. Beside him, Bailey pawed restlessly.
    “You first,” growled the alpha.
    Then they attacked.
    The