Hell or High Water (Gemini Book 3) Read Online Free PDF

Graeson.
    “Alpha.” Dell set the tone, her cheerful facade back in place, and the others murmured hesitant greetings. “What do you need?” She crossed to me, wiped tears I hadn’t felt slide down my cheeks, and crushed me against her chest. “Other than a hug, ’cause you had to know that was incoming.”
    “I need you to drive Isaac’s truck and trailer for me.” Tongue thick, I managed to add, “I’ll need help with Theo’s too.”
    Releasing me, she turned thoughtful. “Is Graeson handling Aunt Dot’s?”
    “Yes—” I started.
    “No.” He clamped a hand on my shoulder. “You’re in no shape to drive, and we have a lot to discuss.”
    Things like how, as leaders, we had to actually lead our people to their new home, wherever that was.
    One of the men I recognized from Abbeville, Haden, smirked at the reprimand.
    A pulse of recalled magic danced up my arm, and scythelike claws sprang from my fingertips. My scent changed, and the musky spice of my dominant she-wolf saturated my skin. His nostrils flared, and the nasty grin fell off his face. Unable to hold my gaze, he ducked his head, chin flush with his chest.
    Graeson didn’t speak a word, didn’t have to, but I caught his smug grin out of the corner of my eye.
    Championing me in front of the others would damage my reputation, not bolster it. I didn’t need a knight in shining armor. More likely I had to get my own metaphorical sword bloody to prove the point I had earned my mate, my title.
    Right now emotions ran high. These wargs were about to leave the home they had known their whole lives in search of something new, something better. It was a terrifying prospect, and I respected that. But their instincts had them itching to dominate me except when I smelled more warg than fae and, like with the selection, I would have to back up my claim with teeth and claws when necessary.
    Graeson would let me fight my own battles. As foul as my mood was, I looked forward to it.
    “I’ll ask around and see who’s comfortable driving a truck and trailer.” Dell punched my shoulder. “With all these good ol’ country boys at our disposal, it shouldn’t be hard to find volunteers hoping to score bonus points with the new alpha.”
    “I’ll take one off your hands.”
    At first I wasn’t sure where the offer had originated, but Haden sneaked a peek up at me. I shared a questioning glance with Dell, who nodded approval, but I wasn’t convinced. “These trailers are our homes. They’re precious to us, and I need to know you’ll care for them the way you would your own property. Your attitude toward me since we met hasn’t exactly inspired faith.”
    “You’re fae, and I don’t much trust them.” His chin lifted, his jaw working around a grievance he struggled to phrase politely. “I chose to leave my pack, my home, to follow Cord, and he believes in you.” Lower, almost below my hearing, he grumbled, “My wolf does too.”
    Ribbons of warmth sifted through me along with the first glimmer of hope that our fledgling pack might have a bright future.
    “This is a big adjustment for all of us,” I allowed, Dell leaning against me, happy as a clam. “I’m still learning what it means to be part of a pack, and I’m bound to make mistakes along the way, but I am trying. That’s all I ask of any of you. Try with me. It’s the only way this will work.”
    Several heads bobbed, and low voices murmured in agreement. As a show of good faith, I retrieved the keys to all the trailers and trucks. I dropped Isaac’s keys onto Dell’s palm, and she closed her fist over them with an unreadable expression. Deciding to extend a smidgen of trust, I gave Haden a set of keys too. Theo’s. Just in case. Meaning he got to drive Cord’s truck. That left Graeson and me hauling two trailers pulled by mine, a normal sight for our caravan, unless we scrounged up another volunteer.
    “We’ll take responsibility for the last one. Our pickup’s over there.” A