Coveted Read Online Free PDF

down the
tunnel, conscious of time ticking away. When he turned back, she was gone.
    Profound loss carved
his chest out, the force of it enough to break the last hold he had on his
sanity.
    He shuddered at the
thought that he’d imagined the whole thing.
    Then he heard her
voice.
    “If you want to keep
me a secret, I suggest you turn off my phone and hide it. I’ll need it to get
out of here.”
    He stared stupidly at
the piece of pink plastic he still clutched, then swore. He just managed to
shove the phone into the waistband of his pants when the lights from his
visitors bounced off the walls.
    Conflicting signals muddled
his mind. The warrior in him wanted to strut in front of her. The ancient practice
of attracting a mate by showing his prowess might have been lost through the
years, but the customs had been ingrained in him since his birth over two
hundred years ago. Conversely, the human side of him wanted to hide his
abilities for fear she might run.
    Both sides were
desperate to do whatever it took to keep her close. The reactions were so
strong, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep himself from following her around like
a lost puppy.
    His limbs trembled
with fatigue, and he gritted his teeth against the need to rest. He couldn’t
crash now, not when more than his life hung in the balance.
    “I don’t see why we
have to come down here tonight. The full moon will be here in two days. He
won’t be able to hold out then.”
    The nasally whine
annoyed the piss out of Aiden, and his claws punched through the tips of his
fingers, eager to rip into the man’s throat. He ignored the truth in the taunts,
pitifully pleased that they were vague enough not to frighten his little
goddess out of her hiding place.
    The one they called
Hugh tossed scraps of some animal they’d scavenged from road kill just outside
his cell. Aiden locked his knees to stop himself from dropping to his knees and
gorging on the rotten food. The swirling current quickly swept it away, and the
big one laughed, his pot belly jiggling.
    Whiskey fumes exploded
from him in waves strong enough to intoxicate the person standing next to him
as well.
    Hugh might be stupid,
but one didn’t tug on the tail of the lion without consequences. He liked to
feel important. Beating up kids and women had fulfilled that need until Jacob
hired him. 
    “Come on, Jacob,
let’s get out of this shit hole.”
    Aiden didn’t dare
allow himself to relax. Jacob took pleasure in the torture, studying how long
he could push and still keep his prey alive. He wouldn’t forgo it on a whim.
    “Fine, leave. I’ll
follow in a bit.” Jacob was the taller of the two, his lean frame tightly
controlled, his cold eyes calculating.
    Neither of them saw Aiden
as human, not that it would have stopped them. To get what they wanted, they
would’ve killed him just the same.  
    “Sure, but I gotta
take a piss first.” Hugh turned and fumbled with his pants.
    A moue of distaste
curled Jacob’s mouth. He turned his back and ignored the other man. “You don’t
have to die. The offer is still on the table. Just give us what we want.”
    The key to Aiden’s cell
dangled from a cord around the man’s neck.
    Taunting him.
    The bastard knew and
did it on purpose.
    “No.” It was the same
question every night. Their offer was a lie. If he gave consent, he would wind
up chained in his wolf form and bled dry for the rest of his very short,
miserable life. 
    Tonight was
different. His eyes skimmed the key, but his obsession had broken, and he
quickly turned his attention to Hugh.
    Tension held Aiden
stiff as impotent rage consumed him. For the first time since he’d been
captured, Aiden prayed.
    Don’t move, baby.
    “What the—”
    A piece of wood swung
out of the darkness, cracking Hugh across the temple. The rotten wood exploded
in a spray of splinters. Hugh, overweight by a good thirty pounds, his pants
still open, staggered backwards, but didn’t go down.
    “What the hell