King of Prey: (A Bird Shifter Novel) Read Online Free PDF Page A

pleasure in our pain on that day. My arse still recalls as much.” Sachin shook his head before going into the house, taking the chicken dish with him, though he held it out far from his body the entire way. He yelled something about wooing but Rayna didn’t catch it all.
    Kabril grunted and then put his arm out to her, smiling. There was a warmth in his eyes, one that told her there was more to the man than he presented. “Rayna, I would very much like to see to Henry’s condition. I can do so now if it pleases you.”  
    She grinned. “Not until you tell me about this village of yours and you wanting to see bathing ladies.”  
    Kabril blushed. “That was a long, long time ago.”  
    “Not that long ago. You’re what? Thirty at best?”  
    He flashed a white, wide smile. “Where is this Henry of yours?”  
    A man who didn’t want to talk about his age or himself much, for that matter, was oddly refreshing. Though, she wasn’t sure why he seemed reluctant to speak about his age. He looked incredibly fit and young.  
    She touched his arm. “He’s on the other side of the property, near my home.”  
    “You live close?” he asked.
    “I do,” she said. “My property line butts up against yours. I’d wanted to be close to my grandmother.”  
    “You were close in terms of family, yes?” he asked.  
    “Very. She was the only family I had left.” She didn’t want to dwell on the bad. “What about you? Do you have a big or small family?”  
    “Large,” he said. “Very large.” He motioned with his arm, clearly unwilling to take no for an answer. “Lead me to your Henry.”  
    She slid her arm into his. The action was very unlike her but she couldn’t deny how good touching him felt. There was certainly something about the man that made her trust him. Her instincts were good, having never led her astray before, so Rayna didn’t hesitate to go with them. “Thank you.”
    “The pleasure is all mine, I assure you.” The confident smile Kabril cast in her direction warmed her through to her toes. The man had to be aware of just how good looking he was. “Tell me more of your Henry.”
    “My Henry?” she mused. “I like the sound of that. Although, I don’t own him. He’s a free spirit. A wild, beautiful creature I want nothing more than to see back in good health.”
    “I sense the truth in your words,” he said. “You are not like many here. They seek to try to tame all that is wild by nature and they wish to posses it for themselves.”  
    The comment was odd, but from the small bit she knew of him, so was he. “You mean people who have pets?”  
    He said nothing.
    “I had a dog once. It was a rescue. Someone had shot out his eye and he only had three legs. I found him on the side of the road and my grandmother and I took him and cared for him until he passed some ten years later.”
    “This dog was born to be cared for by humans. Some creatures are not.”  
    She thought more about what he was saying. She’d always hated the collectors who kept exotic animals. “I agree. I bet you see a lot of that in your profession.”  
    “I see more of it here than I wish,” he said, his jaw tightening.  
    “You mean the US?”  
    He took a moment before speaking, seeming to thinking hard upon his words. “It is a problem that plagues this world. Very few of your kind take to heart that they are merely visitors upon this earth, that they should care for it and leave it clean and well cared for, along with its animals.”
    “You’re an environmentalist. I have a lot of respect for those who dedicate their lives to trying to make a difference. I photographed the extreme effects the depletion of the rainforests is having on wildlife there. It’s gut-wrenching.”  
    He nodded, his other hand moving to hers as they walked arm in arm as if they had known one another for a lifetime. He didn’t feel like a stranger. There was a connection with him she couldn’t quite