Harbinger Read Online Free PDF Page B

shoved against his chest.
    He didn’t budge, couldn’t bear to deprive himself of her scent. “I haven’t done anything yet.” Denial was pointless. He wasn’t sure why he attempted to conceal how readily his instincts had engaged. He wanted her badly. Pretending otherwise was hypocritical.
    “I had a mate,” she reminded him sharply. “I know what you’re doing, what it means.”
    Rodyte males could identify potential mates by scent. The more compatible a female was with his physiology, the more appealing he’d find her scent. And he found Haven extremely appealing. He slowly raised his head and looked into her eyes. “You ‘had’ a mate? Meaning, you don’t have a mate any longer?” Javin’s death had been revealed to Danvier in a vision. Before this voyage was over, he intended to hear Haven confirm what he’d seen. She was a widow, no longer protected by a mate.
    She ignored the questions and digressed to an earlier statement. “Why aren’t you like most harbingers?”
    He wanted to bury his face in her hair and explore the impulses triggered by her scent, but now was not the time or place for such an exploration. Kissing her, tasting her, would countermine a direct order from his best friend and anchor. So reluctantly he moved his hands back to the armrests of her chair and put a little more space between them. “I escaped Harbinger Academy when I was a child and was raised by my battle born uncles. I never realized how much that upbringing shaped my perspective until I spent time with other harbingers.”
    “You ‘escaped Harbinger Academy’. Were you a captive? Was someone holding you there against your will? People wait years just to be considered for induction. Why would anyone run away from such a place?”
    His nostrils flared and his fingers clutched the armrests of her chair. She wasn’t just being mouthy now, she was being insulting. He’d never met a female more in need of taming. Garin’s order alone held him back. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Besides, her provocation was a transparent attempt to gain information and he wasn’t willing to reward her arrogance.
    “So set me straight. Apparently, we’ve got plenty of time.” Gradually the mockery in her expression was replaced by curiosity. Her thought process was like an agile dance. Anger hadn’t made him talk, so now she’d try cajoling. “Aren’t you Pyre Sterling’s son? Why would you need to escape an institution run by your mother?”
    “Pyre Sterling might have facilitated my birth, but she is not my mother.” Resentment made the statement harsh and cutting.
    “And she likely cost me what was left of my life on Rodymia,” Haven reminded him. “There are no Pyre fans here.”
    Thoughts of Pyre always made him edgy and he was already wound tightly enough. Not trusting himself to speak, he released her chair and turned back to the main viewscreen. Hopefully, she’d change the subject, or better yet, stop talking altogether. Every word out of her mouth challenged his aggressive nature, the part of his soul it had taken years of targeted discipline to subdue.
    No such luck.
    “If you were just a child when you left the academy, who helped you escape?”
    He wanted to tangle his fingers in her hair and pull her head back so he could kiss her sassy mouth. It was ridiculous. He never reacted this strongly to anyone. Without turning his head, he muttered, “If I tell you my secrets, will you tell me yours?”
    “You brought it up. I didn’t ask.” She suddenly stood and her seat swiveled back to its forward-facing position. “I’m just trying to understand how it happened.”
    There was much he needed to explain and Haven would accept the news better if they’d established some level of trust. They had six hours to kill and he’d rather not spend the entire time bickering. So he checked the readouts then stood as well, positioning himself in the space between the two forward-facing seats. If