Beneath the Broken Moon: Part Two: Shifter/Vampire Romance Read Online Free PDF Page A

restraints of pain. That would do neither of us any good.
    “Just chill out, please. Brendan, they probably wouldn’t have saved us from the hunters to make us into a snack,” Carmela kept her gaze on me before shifting it to her foot.
    Grinning, Elliot circled us, keeping just out of Brendan’s reach. “A snack... Now that’s a tempting offer. Sadly, I’ve already eaten for the night. Maybe we’ll have to reschedule for some other time.” For someone who didn’t favor the nocturnal community coming together, Elliot certainly seemed to be taking this situation in stride.
    Brendan watched Elliot, a feral snarl rumbling in his chest. “Don’t even think about it, vampire.” At least it took his attention off Carmela and me for a moment.
    “I need something to stem the blood flow after I pull the shard of glass from your foot.” I looked around the room, unsurprisingly not finding a first aid kit, or even anything clean. I stood, ready to rip off a section of my shirt.
    Carmela opened her mouth to respond, but Brendan answered first. “Here. Use this.” He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket. It was stark white, soft, and made from fine linen. It had a golden B.K. embroidered on it. It was obviously expensive, and yet he was so eager to give it up for her.
    “Thank you.” I accepted the handkerchief and tucked it in my pocket to keep it from touching the dirty floor. My fingertips brushed the edges of the glass, and Carmela pulled her foot away from me. “Stop moving around, C...” I cursed myself. If I used her name, I’d strike up suspicion with her mate and Elliot. “Keep still. If I don’t get this glass out, you won’t heal properly.”
    “It hurts,” she said. Apparently, no one had caught my near-slip. Carmela closed her eyes and bit her lip, holding in the pain.
    Elliot knelt beside me and grabbed her shin, holding her leg firmly.
    Her eyes snapped open. She flailed her arm, and this made me happy I’d ended up binding the other one to her torso so well. Her panic spread through room, and Brendan growled, crawling closer to her. He caught her free arm, entwining his fingers with hers. The intimate act spurred jealousy in me; it took all I had not to pry their hands apart. “Just relax and let them take out the glass.” Brendan slid his other hand through her caramel-colored hair. “Everything’s going to be fine. I’m here.”
    I tugged the glass free—maybe a little harder than I needed to—and placed it in my back pocket. She yelped, and the wolf grunted, presumably from her white-knuckled grip on his hand. I barely restrained my smile. With the shard out, I tied the handkerchief around her foot to help stanch the bleeding. It wouldn’t do much, but it’d be enough to help her get home and seen by a doctor. I moved away from her, uncomfortable with the way she held Brendan’s hand but kept her gaze on me. “There, you should be fine soon.”
    “I’m not so sure about that.” Brendan sat up a little more, clenching his teeth against the agony of his wounds. “She was shot the other day, I presume with silver. That might explain why her skin didn’t heal around the glass. Her body may be too overloaded to heal with ease.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he jammed a fist against his forehead.
    Carmela raised her eyebrows at Brendan but stroked his arm, trying to soothe him. “It’s okay.”
    “No, it’s not. I shouldn’t have given that information to them. They’re our enemy.”
    She jerked away from him. “Enemy? They just helped us.”
    I glanced over at Elliot, who was perched on an old crate. “Fun evening, huh?” He shrugged his shoulders, looking amused by the bickering wolves.
    Pushing aside their arguing, I studied Carmela’s body. I’d removed the bullet from her shoulder a few days ago, and while she’d been shot with silver, I did find it odd that she still wore the brace. Hadn’t she shifted yet? What was her doctor thinking, allowing her to