The Wolf's Pursuit Read Online Free PDF Page A

with
Wilkins.
    Blast, now he was even seeing Gwen in broad
daylight, forget his dreams. The woman was an absolute terror on
his peace of mind, and to think, he had only known her for such a
short period. To spend more time in her company would be inviting
madness right into his life.
    And he'd had enough of madness, thank you
very much.
    With a curse and loud whistle, he thrust his
hands into his pockets and marched up the stairs and into the large
townhouse.
    In the past, he had always let himself in,
and often went into the green salon to pour himself a brandy while
waiting for Wilkins to finish with his current victim.
    If he was lucky, he would barge in on his
boss torturing a poor soul for information. Not one to get his
hands dirty, Hunter was quite good at delivering empty threats, as
well as slicing a man from head to toe without once drawing his
knife.
    The stale smell of the house was the same as
he remembered it.
    Always the same.
    Hunter cursed, irritated that a smell would
cause such melancholy to fall onto his shoulders. He hated when he
let his emotions get the best of him. It made him feel like every
other sorry idiot out there, just sitting in a room, alone,
thinking about the one thing he'd rather die than think about.
    He poured himself a brandy and cursed aloud.
How was it that, in the time it took for him to take a sip from a
glass, everything could change in an instant? How does a person go
from smiling to crying? The only obvious answer was that life was
not fair. It had never been fair to him. It didn't make sense that
within a minute, his smile was replaced with fear, and his joy
replaced with tears.
    No, life was not fair, and if it was, he
certainly wasn't on the receiving end. The brandy sat like a brick
in his stomach. Hunter set the glass on the table and rubbed his
eyes, the turmoil of the morning getting to him. He needed to stop
thinking so much and just get the blasted job done.
    Emotions were of no use to him. He laughed
bitterly in the empty room. As much as he preached to others about
being open and carefree — he was actually quite the opposite of
everything he pretended to be.
    The sad truth of his ability to laugh through
life was based solely on the fact that he didn't care if he lived
or died, and that sickened him more than he could bear, for his
wife wouldn't have wanted him to live his life in such a way.
    But it was the only way he knew to
survive.
    "Ah, Haverstone, always a pleasure." Wilkins
barged into the room, wiping his hands with a cloth.
    So it had been dirty business.
    Immediately Hunter's mind went to Gwen. Had
she been involved? Was she still working for the Crown? Had she
come to her senses and quit?
    "I believe…" Wilkins cleared his throat and
took a seat, "that this particular mission may be something you
will find…" He looked to the ground and grinned before gazing again
at Hunter. "Shall we say, distasteful?"
    Hunter tried to appear amused though his mood
proved quite the opposite. "Oh? Pray tell, will I need to seduce
half of London in the name of the Crown? Perhaps I need only seduce
the dingy half, yes?"
    "No." Wilkins grinned and leaned back. "Would
you care for a brandy?"
    "I see." Hunter nodded. Perhaps if he drank
more, this sick feeling in his stomach would alleviate. "So it is
to be that type of mission."
    "But I have not yet explained what it is you
need to accomplish."
    "You don't need to." Hunter stretched his
arms above his head and sighed. "If you find it necessary to give
me brandy before the assignment, then it must be nasty business
indeed."
    Wilkins merely nodded in agreement. After a
pregnant silence, he rose from his seat and walked over to the
cabinet to pour some brandy. He handed Hunter a glass and threw
back the contents of his own before filling it up again.
    So it truly was that bad.
    "What is it that His Majesty needs me to do?"
Hunter asked plainly as he slowly sipped the amber liquid.
    "Enter into society." Wilkins winced as he
took