Reclaiming Angelica Read Online Free PDF Page B

stroked
soothingly.
    She said more in soft tones meant to calm him. Unfortunately
Raul couldn’t hear her through the roaring in his ears. He had to get out of
here. He wheezed audibly now. He shook his head sharply, forcing himself to get
a grip, and a portion of his hearing returned.
    “Oh God, you’re hyperventilating,” she said in dawning
realization. “Let me run to the kitchen and grab a bag. Breathing into one is
supposed to help.”
    As soon as Angel disappeared down the stairs, Raul shoved
weakly to his feet, staggered dizzily against the wall, and pulled up his
pants. Mustering all his strength, he managed to make it down the stairs and to
the door.
    “Raul?”
    He glanced over his shoulder, hand on the doorknob. “I’m
sorry,” he managed to choke out, then softly closed the door behind him.
    Once away from Angel’s too-observant eyes, Raul tapped into
the strength of his wolf. His breathing instantly evened out. The rest of the
damn panic attack took longer to fade. With hands that visibly trembled, Raul
managed to enter his vehicle and shove the keys in the ignition. As the motor
purred to life, he speed dialed Mercer.
    “Yo!” Mercer answered.
    “I need you or one of the guys on babysitting detail,” he
said, forcing himself to sound calm and in control.
    “Boss, you all right? You don’t sound so good.”
    “I will be. I gotta go for a run. Clear my head. I don’t
want to leave Angel alone but I…we… Just watch her for me, will you?”
    “Sure thing. I gotcha back.” There was a brief pause. “So,
you two worked things out?” he asked, his concern coming through loud and
clear. His men hadn’t agreed with his decision not to tell Angel what he—what
they—were. She was his mate. As far as they were concerned, that settled any
issues or concerns they might have had regarding Angel keeping their
confidence. Raul could only imagine what they’d say if they knew the reason
she’d left him. That is, if they didn’t already suspect.
    “We will,” Raul assured him. “As soon as I get a handle on
my wolf.”
    “I’ll be there in fifteen,” Mercer promised and disconnected.
    Raul left the driveway and parked farther down the block
within sight of the house, remaining there until Mercer arrived to relieve him.
    * * * *
    Angelica stood in the foyer, the bag dangling limply from
her fingers, listening to Raul’s SUV back out of the driveway. When the roar of
the engine faded, she crossed over to the couch, sat, and put her face in her
hands.
    “Way to go, Angelica. You pushed the man right into a panic
attack.”
    She sat like that for another few minutes. Then rubbing her face
wearily, she rose to her feet and straightened the mess they’d made during the
chase, before trudging upstairs. Needing to talk, she grabbed her cell and
dialed the number of her cousin and best friend since grade school, Sophie.
    Sophie answered on the second ring. “Hiya, chica! Thought
you’d be busy having big monkey makeup sex. Wasn’t Raul due home today?”
    “He’s home,” Angelica said flatly.
    “Uh-oh. Someone doesn’t sound happy. Come, tell Momma Sophie
all about it.”
    Angelica flopped onto the California king-size four-poster
bed she’d purchased specifically with Raul in mind, the thickly padded
blue-and-gray geometric-patterned comforter cushioning her body. “I had
everything planned. It should have worked perfectly.”
    “I take it Wolf-boy didn’t share his deep, dark secret?”
    “He showed up at the house in a rage because I’d left him.”
    Sophie snorted. “Yeah, did you expect differently? He’s a
wolf. He thinks you’re his mate. You knew he’d go bat-shit crazy when he got
the news of your leaving.”
    “I know, I know. That was part of the plan. I wanted to
catch him off guard, make him lose control. I thought maybe, if he got angry
enough, he wouldn’t be able to control his wolf. That he’d, you know, mate me
or shift. Then he’d have to tell me what he