Winter's Warrior: Mark of the Monarch (Winter's Saga 4) Read Online Free PDF Page A

in the dim light.
    “Me?  They hurt you a lot more than me, little brother.”   Meg cringed at the partially dried blood clumped in his hair and staining his shadowed face before pulling her brother into a hug, being careful not to squeeze too hard in case there were other injuries.  
    The scuffling beside them stopped.  They looked over at Maze and the soldier he was finishing off.  The coyote was still breathing hard, and his muzzle was dark with what was undoubtedly blood, but he stood stock still and stared at Meg and Alik as though awaiting further orders. 
    His usually soft, clever yellow-eyes looked bright, wild and haunted.  Generations of canine predators and fighters pulsed through his veins.  In that moment, Meg understood what a sacrifice her coyote had made when he chose to stay with her and her humans instead of running wild and free. 
    “Come here, boy,” Meg cooed softly.
    Maze looked back at the body he’d taken down and licked his muzzle as though realizing he needed to clean up a little before he went to his Meg.
    He walked slowly toward her outstretched arms, holding his head down just enough to show submissiveness.
    He stepped right into her hands and licked them before nuzzling his furry, muscular body into her embrace and huffing as though to say, “ The things I do for you!”
    “Thank you, Maze,” Meg whispered into his fur, finding comfort in the familiar musky scent of her best friend.
    Alik was gathering weapons from the metasoldiers’ bodies. “I’m glad you’re here, too, buddy.  But if you’re here, where’s Mom?”
    Maze whined in response. 
    Alik and Meg exchanged worried looks.
    “I’m going to guess Evan’s responsible for the blackout,” Meg scowled.
    “You didn’t really think he was going to leave us, did you?” Alik asked even as he yanked off what was left of his T-shirt so he had easy access to his pockets where he was shoving weapons and clips taken from the metasoldiers.
    “I wish to God he had obeyed,” Meg frowned as she peeked out the darkened window looking for movement.
    “I’m hoping Mom stayed on the outside of the gates and just sent Maze in to give us backup.”
    Meg looked over at her brother, one brow raised skeptically.
    Alik caught her look and frowned.  “I know, but a guy can hope, right?”
    The siblings peeked out the one small window of the room, trying to see something, anything that would give them an idea of what was going on outside.
    “Where is everyone else?  Did they accomplish their part of the mission?” Alik posed.
    “Give me a sec, and I’ll see what I can find out.”  Meg rolled her head, trying to work out the extreme tension that had taken up residence in every muscle in her shoulders.  She leaned her sweat-soaked forehead against the cool of the sickly green wall beside the window trying to ground herself as she sent out her empath feelers across the European night searching for the others. 
    “Slider turned traitor and Gavil was killed,” Meg blurted from reading Creed, her strongest connection.
    Alik’s face paled, but he held his tongue, giving his sister quiet so she could concentrate.
    “Williams escaped with Slider.”  Meg scowled as though she were editing the venom she read from the evil doctor.
    “Evan is with Creed and Farrow downstairs.  They’re trying to find us.”
    “And Mom—oh no, Alik.  Mom’s in the compound.”
    Maze, who had been sitting silently at Meg’s feet, pressing his strong back against her legs, whined painfully at hearing the word Mom .
    “We have to go to her.”  Alik turned, walking quickly toward the door.
    “Alik…we also have to go back to the basement.”  Meg looked torn.
    Alik’s eyes seethed with determination. “Damn right! Let’s get the hell out of here!”
    Meg ran in front of her weakened brother, shielding him with her body before looking back over her shoulder offering a gentle nod.  “Me first, little brother.” 
    Then to Maze she