Wanted By The Cowboy Tiger (Heroes of Shifter Creek 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

ran off.
                  “Krista will be staying with us for a while,” Derek said with license, leaving little room for Bridget to argue.
                  She did anyway. “No,” she refuted. “Unacceptable.”
                  So much for them just being friends , Krista thought. Derek may not be able to see it, but Bridget was seeping possessiveness.
                  “You don’t have a say,” Derek told her. “This is my ranch.”
                  Bridget threw down the rake, furious. “It’s your ranch but the land belongs to all of us. She is meant to be on her way back to the filth of the city. Our people don’t want her here. This wasn’t part of the plan.”
                  Krista froze. “The plan?”
                  “Don’t,” Derek warned Bridget.
                  “Why not?” the redhead seethed. “You did this to her. You sealed her fate by bringing her here.” Bridget turned to Krista. “Didn’t you wonder why he kept checking in on you, asking questions about your work?”
                  “Bridget, stop,” Derek commanded. He put his hand on Krista’s back to guide her away, but she refused. She wanted to hear what Bridget had to say.
                  “Go on.”
                  Bridget lit up, victorious. “He was infiltrating, trying to uncover what you knew, what you had discovered. He was working for our people. It’s because of him we knew you’d uncovered the bones of our ancestor. Last night was the perfect distraction so we could reclaim them.”
                  Krista grabbed onto the fence to steady herself. She suddenly felt like she couldn’t breathe. So many thoughts circled around in her mind, picking at her heart like a vulture.
                  She was devastated that Derek had betrayed her, but what echoed the loudest from Bridget’s confession was our ancestor .
                  “What happened between us last night was real,” Derek told her, touching her arm.
                  She barely heard him. “You’re tigers,” she said, looking up at him. “You’re a shifter.”
                 
    ***
     
     
     
    Derek
                 
                  It twisted his insides to see Krista look upon him with such distrust. Most of what Bridget said was true. His relationship with Krista had been forged out of deception. He had been chosen to befriend her, keep tabs on her as she dug around the land they roamed. He was meant to protect her from the truth as much as he was to protect his own people. He’d failed.
                  That was the most unforgivable of his actions – that he had failed to protect them all, especially Krista.
                  Bridget had one thing wrong though. Last night had been real. It had meant something. It was not to distract her. He had not known his people would reclaim the bones as they slept together in the tent.
                  He wanted Krista to understand, but it didn’t matter. Not now. There was a more urgent matter to address. Thanks to Bridget, Krista knew they were shifters. It was the one thing he was supposed to keep Krista from discovering – that shifters still existed. They were not confined to the past.
                  By revealing their people, Bridget had handed Krista a death sentence.
                  Torn, Derek spun around towards Bridget. He knew what he had to do to protect Krista, but it was difficult. Bridget may have a red temper, but she was a good friend. Her actions were misled, as was her heart, but deep down all she wanted was the best for their people. They faced extinction. Knowing so could wilt a thorn.
                  But in the end, it had been Bridget who revealed the secret of their people. She may not have realized