Living Nightmare Read Online Free PDF Page A

sudden movement, and she had to grab onto his shirt to steady herself. “What are you doing?”
    “Putting you in my truck. Taking you home where you belong—where you’re damn well going to stay.”
    His pace was steady over the cold ground; each heavy tread of his booted feet pressed his shoulder into her stomach. “You’re making me sick.”
    “Better than dead.”
    “Put me down.” She wanted to pound at his back, but knew it would do nothing but wear her out even more.
    “Nope.” With a powerful movement, he hefted them both over the low metal fence surrounding the cemetery.
    Nika could hear an engine running nearby. She was almost out of time. “Will you at least listen to me?”
    “Talk all you want. It won’t change anything.”
    Madoc shifted her weight and set her on the bench seat of the truck. Another moment of dizziness distracted her, but she’d fought through worse. “I need those bones. I need proof that Tori is alive.”
    “Not my problem.”
    “If you take me back, I’m just going to leave again.”
    “Maybe by then it’ll be warmer.” He climbed up into the truck, crowding her so she had to move over to make room for him.
    “You really don’t care, do you? You don’t care that Tori is out there suffering.”
    “All I care about is getting you home and getting back to the nest I’d planned on clearing out before I was so rudely interrupted.” He reached past her, under the seat, pulled out a first-aid kit, and flung it open.
    He tore open a small antiseptic wipe with his teeth, spitting the top of the foil envelope onto the floorboard. “Give me your hand.”
    At least he was willing to touch her now. Not like she wanted. Not like she’d dreamed about, but it was something. A start, at least. She could work with that.
    Nika put her hand out and the sleeve of his black jacket flopped over her fingers. He pushed it up and dabbed at the scrape on her hand. The ugly, matte black ring he wore brushed her thumb, making it go cold, but she refused to complain.
    “See. It’s not bad,” she said.
    “Blood is still blood. I’ll call Tynan and see if he can meet us.”
    “No. I don’t want him anywhere near me. I’m sick of doctors.”
    “That leech is hardly a doctor, and you should have thought of that before you left Dabyr.”
    “Just cover it up. It’s not even really bleeding anymore.”
    Madoc ignored her, pulled out his cell phone, and dialed. “Where are you?” he demanded.
    Tinny words she couldn’t make out came through the phone.
    “Nika’s hurt,” said Madoc. “Can you meet us?”
    Nika grabbed for the phone, but Madoc leaned away, evading her grasp.
    “Of course it’s serious. She’s fucking bleeding.”
    “It’s not serious,” yelled Nika, hoping she’d be heard.
    Madoc shot her a warning glare. “Yeah. I know the place. We’ll be there.” He slid the phone back onto his belt, put the truck in gear, and pulled out of the small parking area.
    “Buckle up,” he told her. “And don’t even think about trying anything stupid. I’ve got a roll of duct tape in back, and I swear to God that if you make me use it, we’ll both regret it.”
    Nika pulled the lap belt around her hips, refusing to move over to the far side of the cab. It was warm next to Madoc, and despite his jacket, she was still shivering from her exposure to the cold.
    “Why do you have to act like such a jerk?” she asked.
    He turned the heat up full blast and pointed the vents toward her. “It’s not an act. If you don’t like it, stay the hell away.”
    The heat began to sink into her, but it only made the shivering worse. Muscles not used to so much physical effort clenched up, rebelling at their abuse. “Where are we going?”
    “Tynan is too far away. He’s sending Connal to meet us.”
    “No. I don’t know him. I don’t want him to touch me.”
    Madoc shifted in his seat, inching away from her. “Damn it, Nika! You went and hurt yourself. I don’t know shit about