Vengeance Borne Read Online Free PDF

quick-melts, they worked fast. Finally relaxed, Micah’s body took the lead and his mind followed, drifting into a state of non-awareness. He floated for a brief and wonderful moment. The anxiety was gone, the worry—gone. The emotions that settled in his chest without reason or rhyme fled like leaves blown by the wind. Peace held him in a warm embrace and he let out a sigh that turned into a soft and pleasant groan. The transition from wakefulness to sleep felt like slipping into a warm, deep pool of water. If he had a single dream the rest of the night, it wouldn’t matter, because thanks to the Ativan, he wouldn’t remember.

    “I’m glad I dropped your ass,” Jacquelyn muttered to no one. “Couldn’t even give me a ride? Asshole.”
    She had to rely on weak, shaky legs to get her home. Though she was better than fit, a three-mile walk in the middle of the night when she was already ass tired, not to mention still a little buzzed, seemed too much.
    The sound of breaking branches drew her attention, and Jacquelyn stopped dead to allow her ears to fully absorb the sound. An uneasy feeling crept over her, like fingernails massaging her scalp. Or invisible eyes watching her.
    She reached for the gun under her left arm and paused, her hand hovering just above the grip. Her heart skipped a beat as the brush rustled violently, and a doe jumped from the brambles, skittering off into the dark.
    Jacquelyn sighed and turned around, then let out a frightened shriek as she made contact with a solid form. Very warriorish. “Shit! Finn, what in the hell are you doing here?”
    Amusement flickered across his features for a brief moment before he tucked it away, replacing it with detachment. “I wanted to make sure you made it back all right.”
    She looked over his broad shoulder toward her porch, lit up and welcoming. A hot shower and soft mattress waited. “I told you, I don’t need a babysitter. And if you were really concerned, you would have given me a ride home. Though I appreciate the effort it must have taken you to drag yourself over here, I’m fine.”
    Finn’s indifferent façade fell away and he reached up a hand, placing a warm palm against her uninjured cheek. “Not quite fine.” His rich, soft voice touched every nerve on her body, providing a comfort that she missed. “But you will be.”
    She tried to pull away but he held her fast. He was a Bearer after all, and besides being able to aid in her healing, he knew how she felt, sometimes without even touching her. Jacquelyn had had her fill of empaths. That was the real reason she’d broken it off with him. She couldn’t stand him using her own emotions against her every chance he got. Nothing was secret to a Bearer. They could climb right into your heart and mind—with or without your permission. And in her opinion, that was totally unfair. Dirty pool, Finn, you big fat cheater .
    “I know dealing with Changelings is hard on you,” he said. “Just relax.”
    Finn used his free hand to brush a few errant strands of hair from her forehead and closed his eyes. This was the only good thing, if any, about a Bearer. He could make all of her troubles go away if he wanted. Like a weight lifted from her shoulders, the pain of the innocent girl’s death at the hands of the Changeling and destruction of her left-over body lifted from her, absorbed by Finn. Just part of his job description: bearing her pain. And he’d done it often enough to know how much she truly appreciated it.
    This was the side of Finn she’d fallen in love with. Compassionate. Tender. Understanding. Those personality traits were common in all Bearers, but their abilities often made them high-handed, judgmental, and erratic. Bearers experienced emotion with an intensity that Jacquelyn would never truly understand. That still didn’t give Finn the right to mess with hers and for that reason, she had to put distance between them no matter how painful.
    Finn opened his eyes and stared down