Blackwing Defender (Kane's Mountains Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

vouching for her.”
    “You calling in a favor?” Kane asked.
    “Nah, brother. It’s me who owes you. You were there for me when my brother died. You were there for me all those months in Apex. Winter is a gift. Not me begging a favor.”
    Kane narrowed his eyes at Winter and let off an explosive sigh. “ If I decide to add to my crew, I’ll consider her.”
    Ben murmured, “It’s good to hear your voice again, Kane. Good to know you’re okay after…well…everything.”
    Kane’s frown deepened. “You too, Ben.”
    Ryder was smiling at Kane with the mushiest expression in existence when he ended the call.
    “Shut up, man,” Kane muttered as he strode past them both and exited the room. “We’re still not okay.”
    Ryder dragged Winter out of the room with him, following on the heels of the dragon.
    Kane paced in front of the kitchen. “Roe, what do I do?”
    “Make the decision to add to our crew or not. As Second and as your mate, I’ll back your play.”
    “What do you want?” he asked, approaching her. He placed his hands on her hips and rested his forehead on hers in such an intimate moment, Winter’s cheeks heated with a blush. “Roe, do you need a crew?”
    Rowan clutched his shirt and kissed him gently. “I need whatever makes you happiest.”
    Kane sighed and eased back, leaned his shoulders against the refrigerator and rocked his head back until he was staring at the rafters of the ceiling. “Winter will be my first interview, but this doesn’t mean I’m adding to the crew—and stop clapping, you asshole,” he griped at Ryder, who was in fact performing a victory slow-clap. “We’ll see how I feel about this after all the interviews are done. If my instinct is to keep my crew how it is, just me and Roe, then that’s what’ll happen. And no pressure from you,” he barked out, jamming a finger at Ryder as he passed. “Roe, Second or not, you have just as much say as me.” Kane threw open the front door and strode out onto the porch. “Listen up!” he yelled over the chaos and noise. “I will be taking interviews for my Blackwing Crew, but my decisions will be slow or none-at-all. It could take months for the final applicants to be fully considered, so if you’re in this for the quick pledge, fuck off.”
    A few muttering shifters in the back spun and made their way back up the road.
    Kane didn’t seem to care at all because he continued. “Also, my territory is small, just a few mountains, so if I accept a crew, it will also be small. And I’m not going to be floating you. While you are going through the interview process, you will find your own job and lodging—”
    “That’s not how a crew works!” one of the shifters called out.
    “It’s how my crew works.” Kane pointed to the gravel road. “If you don’t like it, I trust you’re smart enough to remember where you parked your car.” He slammed his hands down onto the railing and locked his arms against it. “Moving on! If you get through this grueling interview process, and if I decide to pick up a couple members, and if you make the final cut, I still won’t be floating you. There’s a level stretch of land up the road I will make available for trailers, built to my specifications, which you will be paying for. And if you ever decide to leave my crew for any reason, you will forfeit said trailer, no matter how much of an investment you put into it. Is that understood?”
    “Fuck this,” another muttered, and several more turned and left.
    None of this scared Winter off, though. It all sounded fair, and she liked the way Kane said it like it was. He reminded her of Ben, just way more terrifying.
    Winter stood in the doorway, stunned to be on this side of the speech, eyes trolling for Logan, hoping he wasn’t one of the leavers. He wasn’t. He stood front and center, arms crossed, lips pursed thoughtfully as he nodded his head as though he thought the same thing she did. Sounded reasonable enough.
    And for