Twelfth Moon Read Online Free PDF

until I can hunt down something better.”
    Cadence yearned for a chance to shift into the Pantera, so she could run free and hunt once again. She always felt so wild and alive when she was in her transformed state, so in tune with the universe, like she belonged to something larger. She didn’t feel in tune with anything as a human, except for when she could sense another’s inner secrets, and that wasn’t always a treat.
    Instead, she rolled her blankets as she’d seen Jonah do, set them aside, and poured coffee into the tin cup he’d used to give her water.
    It was the first time she noticed there was no rope around her ankle.
    She could run.
    She could turn into the panther and escape. But Cadence knew he would follow, knew with the same certainty that she knew her own name he would pursue her relentlessly until he caught her again. Wasn’t that what he’d been doing these past weeks? Now that he had her, he wouldn’t let her go. Besides, she was too tired and sore to attempt it.
    The coffee tasted burnt and the jerky was hard enough to crack a few teeth, but it was better than nothing, she supposed. Her neck still felt as though someone had twisted her head around in a three hundred and sixty degree circle. Her throat ached, as did most of her muscles, but other than that, she was alive. For now, that was good enough.
    Jonah packed everything in the saddlebags, and then walked up to her carrying a length of rope. “Hold out your hands.”
    Her gaze lifted to his face. “You don’t have to tie me,” she said low, not wanting to be bound again. “I won’t run.” The skin on her wrists was still painful and raw.
    “I can’t take the chance, kid.” He brought out an extra bandana. “Come on, then, hold ’em out.”
    Cadence complied, realizing he meant to wrap the bandana around her wrists first. Even in his anger, he showed mercy.
    A flash of gold caught her eye. He was wearing a ring identical to Robert’s, on his last finger, just as Robert had. Cadence gasped, fighting the impulse to reach for the chain tucked beneath her shirt, where Robert’s ring had joined her locket.
    “I won’t hurt you.” His words seemed grudgingly spoken, as though he was unwilling to reveal any kind of weakness. He’d obviously mistaken her gasp for an anticipation of pain.
    Cadence wasn’t sure how to respond. She cleared her throat. “Just do it and get it over with.”
    He gave a clipped nod and proceeded with tight-lipped efficiency.
    As she watched him work, Cadence recalled what Jaelene had said about her vision. At the time, it had all been so confusing. Jaelene had said the man in her vision wasn’t the same one who’d hurt her that night…which would have been Robert.
    It must have been Jonah Jaelene had seen.
    Jonah was her destiny.
    Good Lord! It couldn’t be. Cadence sure didn’t want it to be. They were on their way back to New Orleans so he could see that she hanged for the murder of his brother. As far as she could see, that was Jonah’s only part in her destiny.
    Should she give him the ring? It seemed only right. But in a strange way, Cadence felt that she’d earned it, like a token a warrior might keep from a battle fought and won. It also served as a reminder to be wary, ever vigilant against those who would cause her harm. She wasn’t ready to give it up just yet.
    He finished and pulled her forward, tying the other end of the rope to the pommel of his saddle.
    “Get on the horse.” Jonah nodded toward the spare mount he’d brought with them from town. He was glad he’d thought of it, as he didn’t much feel like riding double with his brother’s murderer breathing down the back of his neck. “If you try to run away, you’ll find yourself on your ass, in the dust.”
    He watched as the kid stepped up to the horse, reaching for the saddle horn. Grabbing hold, he stuck his foot high up in the stirrup and tried to pull himself up. The horse skittered sideways, making the kid skip along