Bailey Bradford - Southwestern Shifters 06 - Reverence Read Online Free PDF

It’s the little blue truck out front.” He offered one of the key rings to Harley. “Have a safe drive, and if you need anything—”
“Y’all’ve done enough,” Harley spat out, only the anger wasn’t in his words. Instead, he sounded grateful and his damned eyes started burning. His hand shook as he swiped the keys and Harley turned and strode as quickly as he could without actually running for the front door. His heart slammed so hard against his chest that it hurt, and breathing seemed almost impossible as his lungs cramped with the need for air. Part of him wanted to stop, turn around, and at least ask about the man he’d seen lying in that bed, hooked up to machines and IV’s. What would it hurt to ask now, when he was leaving? But Harley didn’t, couldn’t, because he was afraid of the fact that he even wanted to ask.
What the hell was happening to him? Harley thought Nathan called his name, but the door was right there, the steel cold beneath Harley’s fingertips. He grabbed the knob and twisted, then cool, crisp air stung his skin and bright morning sunlight assaulted his eyes. Harley dived out of the door, not even caring if he shut it or anything. His mind and body were in chaos, panicking at leaving, possibly, though that made no sense at all. He wanted to leave, wanted to never have anything to do with another shifter again! So the panic had to be from something else, though Harley couldn’t fathom what that would be.
The truck was a blurry dark shape in front of him. Harley’s eyes were running—from the sunlight, he was sure. He rubbed at them and almost gouged an eye out with the keys as he stumbled to the driver’s side door. “Fuck it. Fuck everything.” Harley pressed the button on the fob. The door locked popped and he got in the truck, not caring what make or model it was, only feeling a pressing need he didn’t understand.
It had to be the urge to get away. Nothing else made sense. There was no reason for him to feel like he was abandoning the injured stranger, a thought that kept popping up in his head. He certainly couldn’t have felt safe with a pack of shifters around him. Probably he was terrified they’d stop him. Harley jammed the keys in the ignition and started the truck. He didn’t even buckle in before he threw it in gear and floored the gas pedal. Dirt and rocks spewed behind him and the truck fishtailed wildly, making Harley gasp as he worked to keep from ending his escape by introducing the truck to a tree or two.
No one stopped him. Harley didn’t look in the rear-view, even though there was an odd tug in his gut to do so. He wasn’t looking back.
    Nathan watched Harley flee with a mix of anger and sadness. He heard Marcus approaching behind him as much as he felt it, and when Marcus hooked an arm around his waist and pulled him back, Nathan went willingly.
“What, exactly, was that?” Marcus asked, his voice deep and rumbly and firing all of
    Nathan’s sexual pistons despite the scene he’d just witnessed.
“I’m afraid it might have been Harley breaking.” Nathan’s budding arousal fell flat and
he turned in Marcus’ hold. Marcus’ dark eyes always drew Nathan in, and he thought he
could get lost in them, as he’d thought so many times before. He gave himself a mental shake
and concentrated on what he wanted to say instead of his mate’s attributes. “He was panicking, and almost so much that I thought he was going to pass out. The
further away he got, the worse it was. I don’t know why, except maybe he didn’t believe we
would let him go. Maybe he thought we were toying with him.” The very idea of that made
Nathan sick, his stomach going all queasy and nasty in a split second. “I thought, after that
night he finally left his rooms, well, I’d hoped Harley would realise we weren’t going to hurt
him. Maybe seeing Val lying there, looking more dead than alive only scared Harley more.” Marcus growled and put his other arm around Nathan as