Bound By Vengeance Read online

  Jackie stood there, unsure of what to do. This conversation had nothing to do with her, and yet she couldn’t bring herself to slink away like a coward without thanking Iain for stopping Torr.

  She backed up, well out of arm’s reach. Torr stalked off, causing her to flinch as he passed by.

  “I think he’ll leave you alone now,” said Iain. He didn’t move to touch her again, as so many men had. He stood still, just breathing, watching her with calm, black eyes.

  He wasn’t as tall as Torr, but still nearly a foot taller than she was. His broad shoulders seemed to fill the hallway. Even dressed in casual clothing, power emanated from him, radiating out in palpable waves. His arms and legs were thick with muscle, his chest layered with it. Faded jeans clung to his hips, the waistband tilted slightly with the weight of his sword, which she could not see, but knew was there.

  She could still remember the way her fingers had tingled at his touch the night he’d pulled her from her cage. Every Theronai here who managed to touch her had the same disconcerting effect, but with Iain, it had been different. She wasn’t sure what it was about him that had the ability to straighten out her jumbled nerves, but whatever it was, she found herself soaking it in, hoping he wouldn’t hurry off as he’d done so many times before during their infrequent, chance encounters.

  She looked at the ground, uncertain of what to say. “Thank you. For stopping him. He’s obviously not himself right now.”

  “It’s polite of you to make excuses for him, but that’s not going to help him in the long run. He needs to face facts. So do you.”

  Her spine straightened in indignation. She was the victim here. Who the hell was he to treat her as if she’d made some error in judgment? “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me. You go traipsing around here, acting as if you’re not a catalyst for violence.”

  “You think I asked for this? That I did it to myself? Torr was the one who went too far. I just left my room.”

  “That’s all it takes. You’re torturing these men, making them think they have a chance with you. If you had any sense at all, you’d pick one of them and get it over with.”

  One of them. Not one of us. She noticed the slight distinction and found it intriguing. Why wouldn’t he count himself among the rest of the men? He still wore both parts of his luceria, which meant he was available.

  Maybe it had something to do with the woman he’d loved and lost—the one whose death had left him a self-acknowledged cold bastard.

  She forced herself to look him in the eye while she lied, tipping her head back to make it possible. “I’ll pick someone when and if I’m ready.”

  “Yeah? Well let’s hope that no one gets killed while you take your sweet time.”

  “It won’t come to that.”

  “And just what are you going to do to stop it? These are big, armed warriors you’re dealing with, not pansy-assed suits, like the men you’re used to.”

  How had he known? She hadn’t told anyone about her former life. She didn’t trust anyone enough to risk giving away more information than was necessary. “Did you check up on me?”

  “I Googled you. I thought someone here should know who you really were, rather than daydreaming about who they wanted you to be.”

  “And?”

  “And what?”

  “Did you find a bunch of skeletons marching out of my closet?”

  He crossed his arms over his chest, making his shirt stretch to contain his muscles. The tips of several bare branches of his tree tattoo peeked out from under the sleeve. “You’re smart. Educated. A barracuda when it comes to business. People respected you. Feared you.”

  “You say that like it’s a good thing.”

  “In our world, it is. Of course, I don’t see any sign of the woman you used to be. All I see is a scared little girl who would rather hide than do the right thing.”

  “I’ve been through a lot these last two years,” she grated out through clenched teeth.

  “Who hasn’t? Life’s hard. Wear a fucking cup.” With that, he turned on his heel and left her standing there.

  Jackie watched him walk away, shaking with anger. And there was only one reason she would have been as infuriated by his words as she was: He was right. She was merely a shell of her former self, and she didn’t like who she’d become. She didn’t like being afraid all of the time—not just of the monsters, but of the people who lived here. And of her future.

  She gathered herself and marched the last few yards to Joseph’s office. It was time to take back her life.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

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