Otherworld 02 - Stolen Read Online Free PDF

make sense."
    "What does anymore?" Ruth said with a tiny smile. "Once upon a time all we had to worry about was bonfires and Grand Inquisitors. Now we have evil computer magnates. I won't go into detail, partly because I suspect you won't stick around long enough to listen and partly because I'm hoping a little curiosity might bring your pack to our meeting."
    "I really-"
    "They know about the werewolves and they're looking for them, just as they're looking for the rest of us."
    I leaned back in my chair and looked from Ruth to Paige. Ruth watched me, green eyes bright and sharp. Paige pretended to be watching me, but those same green eyes on her were hooded and distant, looking at me but not seeing me.
    "You know how this sounds, don't you?" I said. "Pretend I
am
a werewolf. You two lure me here with some bullshit story and tell me you're witches. Not only are you witches but you're part of some supernatural United Nations. As delegates of this UN, you've decided to contact me with this story about demonic computer geeks-"
    "They're not demonic," Ruth said. "As I said, they're human."
    "You guys really take this stuff seriously, don't you?"
    "It is serious," Paige said, cool stare freezing. "Maybe we made a mistake choosing you-"
    "And about that. Why choose me? Or did you put that story on the Internet and assume only a werewolf would reply? Let's say this conspiracy exists and there are guys out there looking for werewolves. What's to stop them from responding to your ad?"
    "We did get a lot of inquiries," Ruth said. "But we were waiting for yours."
    "Mine?"
    "A few years ago, our council had a run-in with a werewolf. Not one of your pack. An outsider. We've kept tabs on him, in case we ever needed to contact the werewolves. When this trouble began, we found him and… persuaded him to share some information with us. He knew about your pack, who led it, who was in it, where they lived. Moreover, he knew all about you and your background. Being the only female werewolf, it seems you've achieved quite legendary status among your race."
    She smiled. I returned a blank stare.
    Ruth continued, "He knew you followed up on realistic werewolf sightings, watching for misbehavior. Quite interesting. We do the same, monitoring witches who've left the Coven. So we decided to try getting in touch with you that way before attempting direct contact."
    "Why me?"
    "You're part of the pack. As well, being the only female, you seemed a… better choice of contact. Perhaps easier to talk to than your male counterparts."
    In other words, more gullible? Less likely to counter threat with violence? If they wanted the latter, they should have gone straight to the top. Jeremy was the most levelheaded among us. He was also the most open-minded. He'd have been the best choice for this meeting. Wouldn't it have made more sense to take their concerns directly to the Alpha anyway? Unless, for some reason, they didn't want to do that.
    "You still realize how this sounds," I said. "Forget how and why you chose me. You bring me here, issuing B-movie lines like 'We know who you are.' Sorry, but I'm looking for the hidden camera. Let's say I believe all this hocus-pocus. Why, if this UN doesn't include werewolves, would you suddenly want to contact them now? If you are witches, you must have run into bad guys before."
    "We risk exposure as often as you do," Ruth said. "But it's always been one race at a time. This is different. This involves all of us, which is why we must band together."
    "One for all and all for one," I muttered.
    "This isn't a joke," Paige said.
    "You still don't believe us, do you?" Ruth asked. "Even about the witch part, despite our little demonstration."
    "We could do a bigger one," Paige said. "Say, zip your mouth shut. Permanently."
    "Paige," Ruth warned. "Forgive my niece's youthful exuberance. If you'd like, though, I could certainly give you a better demonstration. Nothing as uncivilized as a binding spell, of course."
    "No