True Nature Read Online Free PDF

heritage,” Fraser added, “and for that, you’ll need to be with me.”
    “But for how long?” Hunter protested. What was this, anyway? An abduction?
    Not answering, Stirling moved around his desk and gestured toward the door. “Go on, the pilot is waiting.”
    It was late evening by the time they arrived at the estate. Isobel was at the door and enveloped Hunter in a breath-stopping hug as soon as he stepped inside. He felt comforted by the scent of fresh roses that surrounded his grandmother. She was the only person in his family who seemed at ease in expressing her affection. His father and mother, even his grandfather, had always felt distant to Hunter.
    “ Ciamar a tha thu? ” Isobel placed her hand on his cheek, as she asked him how he was in Gaelic.
    “I’m fine, Nana,” Hunter muttered.
    Isobel Ferguson MacRae always spoke to her grandchildren in Gaelic, hoping to keep the language alive with the younger generation. Hunter had learned it to please her.
    “I’m so glad you’re here.” Isobel gave him a firm kiss on the cheek. “I’ve missed you.”
    Fraser conferred quietly at the door with Shamus, the aide who was never far from his side. Isobel took Hunter’s hand and led him through the vast foyer to the living room. The glass front of the mansion made it feel like the forest that surrounded the estate was indoors. The landscaping had been carefully designed to present an array of plants and bushes with intricate paths throughout so guests could enjoy walking among the blooms and greenery.
    “I need to call Zoe.” Hunter disengaged himself from his grandmother’s grip. “I need to tell her I’m going to be away for the rest of the summer.”
    Fraser walked in, for once without Shamus, and said quietly, “Tell her you’ll be here about six months.”
    “What the hell will I do for six months?” Hunter shouted. “What about school?”
    Fraser grabbed his grandson’s shoulders and gave them a strong shake. “You watch your language in my home. You tell your friend you’ll be here six months, and you’ll write to her. Your schooling will be taken here. That’s all she needs to know.”
    “Write her? You mean, like a letter?”
    “Of course,” Fraser said.
    “What about email?”
    “There are no computers available,” Fraser said. “You’ll have plenty of paper and postage.” He placed an arm around his wife’s shoulders. “Go ahead, call. Tell her you’ll see her in six months.”
    Realizing that arguments were fruitless at this point, Hunter snatched up the phone and turned his back on his grandparents. Zoe kept asking questions, and he kept repeating himself. When she asked him what he was going to do about school for tenth time, he’d yelled, “I don’t know what’s going on, Zoe. I gotta go. I’ll send you a letter soon.”
    She cried then. He felt a pang of guilt and a growing depression.
    “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do. Tell Brad to stay away from Lindsey. I’ll be back before school is out.”
    She was still crying when she hung up. Hell, he felt like crying himself. With him out of the picture, Brad, his rival for Lindsey, had a perfect opportunity. He had no idea what his father and grandfather had cooked up, but he was pretty sure it wouldn’t be fun for him. He went upstairs to his bedroom without speaking to his grandparents. Shamus brought him dinner, but he didn’t eat.
    The next day he and his grandfather hiked through the forest and up the mountain, pausing long enough to eat sandwiches and drink coffee. For the first time in his life, Hunter knew fear. His grandfather wouldn’t talk to him, and he couldn’t imagine what they were going to do in the woods. He couldn’t have talked much anyway; it took all his strength to keep up with the old man.
    He adjusted the straps on his backpack, and felt its weight grow heavier. He wondered briefly if they would spend the night in the damp woods with no sleeping bags and shuddered at the