Bending Steele Read Online Free PDF

he
wanted her stripped down and—
    “Relax.” He held out a cup. “You can keep the
coat if it makes you feel better. For now.”
    He waited just long enough for her to take
her cup before he reached behind his back with one hand. She
tensed, waiting for a blade to spring free. Instead the harness
went loose around his shoulders and he tugged it off—careful of his
cup—before tossing it into a nearby chair. The only knife left on
his body was the hunting blade still strapped to his hips.
    As easily as he’d floated across the room to
her, Hexe sank back into the sofa and lifted his cup to his lips,
blowing gently at the hot liquid, his emerald eyes still locked on
hers. “What are you so scared of?”
    Steele stared at him for a second. She could
deny it, but Hexe would call her on it. He knew. Hell, he probably
knew exactly what she was scared of. That two weeks with him might
make it harder to live alone.
    So instead of answering him, Steele turned
away. “I’m tired. I’ll take the couch.”
    And this way, if she were sleeping, she
wouldn’t have to face him.
     
     

Chapter
Four
    Jacks cleaned the blood off his knife, the
metal catching the light of the moon, sending a sliver of moonlight
out over the skinned carcass before him. After days of climbing
through this frozen wasteland, he’d finally hit the fucking
jackpot. He slid the knife back in its pouch and stuffed it in his
bag, his nails red with blood. He didn’t need the meat, an animal
could get that. The skin, however... Jacks ran a hand out to touch
the soft fur, black rosettes spotting the white.
    Even the typical snow leopard hide was worth
a fortune on the black market, but for this one, fortune was too
pale a word. Shame the other had gotten away. Jacks frowned into
the darkness, the muscle in his jaw flexing as his teeth ground
together. He hadn’t expected the second. The shapeshifters were
hard to find in the mountains; able to slip into their feline
forms, they could climb the slick mountain slopes far easier than
he ever could. Especially loaded down with a pack and a rifle.
    And they were incredibly rare.
    But there were very few reasons for people to
be this deep into the mountains, so he’d stuck close to them,
trailing them and sure enough, they’d slipped easily from human to
snow leopard. He’d sighted the male first, they were worth more. A
shame they had to be skinned and packaged immediately. The hides
lost their potent magick if they sat too long. His fingers ached at
the image of the second fleeing. He would have liked to bag her as
well.
    Still, it wouldn’t hurt to try and follow her
trail. A mage or a skinwalker would pay dearly for one fur, but
with two, he could easily double his take for the trip. And snow
leopards were worth more than the average shifter. Especially for a
skinwalker looking for exotics.
    Jacks wrapped the fur in the mage-woven
fabric and slid it into the leather pack he’d brought specifically
for it. There was plenty of room for a second. He snapped the flap
shut and stuffed it in his backpack, staring out over the barren,
snowy tundra. The wind had picked up, chilly enough it could burrow
straight to the bone, leaving a man frozen. Raw. Exposed. He
flinched under another sharp blast of wind. He had enough to go
home. His family would be well set, his wife happy with her
trinkets, and he could retire.
    Jacks rose, slinging the bag over his
shoulders. The weight bore down on him, heavy with supplies and
enough provisions to survive a few more nights in the Himalayas.
He’d intended to head out after nabbing this one, but…two. The
thought nagged at him, a persistent bug in his ears that he
couldn’t shake. His family would never want for anything again,
they could have anything they wanted in life.
    The lure was irresistible. Not with a payoff
as good as this.
    Checking the position of the sun in the sky,
he still had a few hours to make a move. It hadn’t snowed and the
evening wind was light,