Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 128413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 514(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128413 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 514(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Groaning, Remi deliberately made a lot of noise as he walked out so that she wouldn’t shoot him by accident—though her chances of hitting him were so low as to be miniscule. When she swung around with the gun pointed, he held up his own hands. “I mean, you have a point one percent chance of actually hitting me, but don’t shoot.”
A glare.
Yes, a definite glare, before she smoothed it over with the ice-coated exterior of Silent perfection she’d shown him yesterday. His heart kicked anyway, his leopard on the hunt.
There you are, the cat purred.
“I apologize.” She lowered the weapon and the movement disturbed the air currents, sending more of her luscious scent in his direction. “I didn’t intend to convey aggression…but you did sneak up on me.”
His body stirred in a way unexpected, as drawn to this Auden as he had been disturbed by the woman he’d first met. “I made enough noise for a herd of drunk bears.”
This time, she looked like she really wanted to shoot him.
Amused, he nodded at her target before she could give in to her rage. “Let me guess—your first time with a laser weapon?”
A pause and he knew her training was telling her to lie—according to what he’d picked up from hanging out with Arrows, powerful Psy were taught to cover any and all vulnerabilities. Or they had been under Silence. Who knew how long it would take for that to change, or if it ever would. A century of indoctrination wasn’t exactly easy to shrug off.
Auden finally seemed to realize there was no point in lying when he’d witnessed her stumbling attempted shot. “Yes,” she said at last. “It’s probably not safe for you to be close by.” A grudging warning.
His cat, contrary feline that it was, liked her better for being aggravated by his teasing. “I can’t leave you here with that.” He sighed to further nudge up her anger, to better see her. “I’ll lose my mind worrying that you’d lasered off your foot or blasted your cheekbone.”
Her eyes went black.
Remi stayed relaxed, his hands on his hips—he’d seen other Psy eyes do that when in the grip of great power—or great emotion. Auden Scott was becoming more fascinating with every second that passed.
“I,” she said in the most precise diction he’d ever heard, “know not to turn the weapon toward myself.”
Remi stopped playing. “You’re on the lowest setting. Highest setting, that thing kicks like a horse. You could accidentally trigger it in a direction you don’t want.”
The black didn’t retreat.
Well, hell, now he’d pissed her off. But no way was he leaving before assuring himself of her safety. “I can show you how to hit your target.”
Her fingers tightening on the weapon as her hand came to her belly, she took a small step back.
Shit.
Remi wanted to kick himself. He’d gotten so caught up in her clear ability to go toe-to-toe with him that he’d forgotten her vulnerable state. To Auden Scott, he wasn’t Remi, her alpha who’d die to protect her; no, he was a stranger, bigger and stronger than her.
“You can keep hold of the weapon,” he said. “I can direct you from a distance.” Changelings might be tactile by nature, but skin privileges were just that: privileges. No changeling with any honor would just take that precious gift, no matter the context.
“First,” he said when she remained silent, “you need to learn the stance. You’re standing wrong for your current balance.”
He showed her the standard stance, then modified it for her present center of gravity, and after a long moment, she tried to copy it.
“Yeah, you almost have it.” Eyes on her legs so he could judge how well she was doing, he gave her step-by-step instructions to get her into the exact stance—it went painfully slowly, but at least she was willing to listen.
“It doesn’t feel right,” she muttered at one point, the steely facade falling to expose a woman with soft features and even softer lips.
“It will,” he said, shoving aside the unexpected spark of attraction for this woman who was an enigma in more ways than one; Remi couldn’t risk lowering his guard with her, not when he was responsible for an entire pack. “First, put the weapon away in your pocket, then lift your hands as if you’re holding it.”
It took her a long minute to follow his instruction, but once they got going, she proved a fast study. Sharp. Quick on her feet for a woman seven months into a pregnancy. “You’ve had training,” he said when they came to a stop. “In movement, if not in shooting.”
“Standard drills to help me evade kidnappers if I was ever in that position.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Not what I thought you were going to say.” But it made sense; she was the only child of two Councilors. A certain caliber of person would’ve seen her as a payday.