The Covert Wolf Read Online Free PDF

not even be permitted to remember a lost one…
    “His name was Chief Petty Officer Adam Barstow.” A statement, not a question.
    “You weren’t supposed to hear that.”
    Fear skidded along her spine as she saw Parker’s cold expression. This Draicon wasn’t only a deadly wolf who ripped prey apart, but a trained navy SEAL as dangerous as the weapons he wielded. More than six feet of muscle and deadly force regarded her with cold blue eyes. She eyed the pistol holstered to his hip.
    The lieutenant’s jaw tightened. “His name isn’t to be mentioned outside his team.”
    She kept her voice low and gentle. “Are you going to shoot me? At least grant me the courtesy of saying his name. He was a man who died for his country. Everyone deserves to be remembered after they die. What makes him so different that his name is top secret?”
    “Because it is,” Parker said, but she caught the flash of deep grief shadowing his face.
    Both the lieutenant commander and Shaymore stood. “Thank you, Miss McClare, for your condolences.” Curtis gave Parker a meaningful look. “Matt, I’ll leave this to your discretion. Knock on the door when you’re finished.”
    The connecting door closed behind the men. Do what? Kiss her? Or kill her? Wild thoughts surged through her. Sienna studied Matthew Parker’s full, firm mouth, set now in a grim line. “What’s going on?”
    The lieutenant ran a hand through his thick, dark hair. “I’m going to wipe your memory of what you overheard. It’s easier if there’s no one else in the room.”
    Her jaw unhinged. “What? Why?”
    Grief shadowed his expression. “It’s a condition of being a SEAL on ST21. If we die, any memories of us as SEALs are erased. Our families are allowed to remember us, but there’s no recollection of us being SEALs. You weren’t supposed to know about Adam.”
    As he reached into his pocket and withdrew what looked like a cell phone, panic surged.
    “You can’t!”
    Sienna’s stomach pitched and rolled. Pushing back from his chair, Parker approached her, power shimmering in the air. His broad shoulders blocked out the overhead light. She tensed and held out a hand.
    “You’re not going to let me remember anything about your unit after we’re done?” She tried to keep her voice from trembling.
    “It’s all right. It won’t hurt. The NeuroBlaster targets specific memory centers. You won’t feel a thing.” Parker’s voice was low and soothing.
    Deep inside, a door was locked and she’d tried pushing it open for a long, long time. Sienna suspected it was a long-buried memory.
    “Please don’t do this,” she whispered.
    “I must.”
    But it could wipe out the memory she desperately longed to surface. Sienna shrank back as he approached. Magick shimmered around him, pushing at the air. He looked regretful as he pressed buttons on the NeuroBlaster.
    “If you’re going to erase my memories when this is over, why now erase the memory of the SEAL who died? When knowing what the demons did to him may help us pinpoint who stole the Orb? I need all the information I can get. This doesn’t concern only him, Lieutenant. You’re gambling with the lives of countless innocent civilians.”
    It was a long shot, but she had to gamble. Sienna clasped her hands together. Parker lowered his hand.
    He seemed to struggle with a decision. Finally he pocketed the device. “I’m not letting you out of my sight, though. Get it? That’s the condition. We stick together.”
    She released a quivering breath. “Thank you.”
    “Don’t thank me. After this is over, I must take your memories. Deal?”
    She’d deal with after much later. For now, she had a respite. Her mouth wobbled in a tremulous smile. “Deal.”
    She held out her hand in a formal gesture of thanks. Parker took it, his palm swallowing hers. A shiver raced through her as he stroked her hand with a thumb. Current sizzled between them, a flare of something deep and significant. The scent of pine