of his hand.
He"d been so distracted he hadn"t even felt her enter the room.
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Her power pulsed through him, and the touch of it soothed him. His barriers slammed back into place, isolating him from the swirl of emotions. Brand concentrated on the calm Dagny created in him whenever she was near. He projected that feeling, filling the room with a sense of ease. The grumbles around him stopped.
Erik turned to face him. His eyes no longer bore the wolfish glow. “What in Loki"s name was that?” Brand"s hand tightened around Dagny"s. She"d saved him again. “I don"t want you to do something in a haze of rage that you"ll regret later.”
“There will be no regret. He killed one of ours. He owes us blood.”
Rivera sat with his head down. He didn"t deny anything, didn"t bargain for his life. “I"m sorry. I truly am,” he said in a halting whisper. Regret more powerful than Brand had ever felt poured from the man.
Erik leveled a disapproving glare at Rivera. “We can"t leave him alive. He knows too much.”
“Killing him isn"t going to solve our problem or make you feel any better.” Brand stood and stared down at Rivera.
“We"re not human. That doesn"t mean we don"t feel as keenly as you. I"m sorry your son died. I"m not sorry you didn"t find the secret to saving him inside of us.” At that, Rivera"s head snapped up, and his lips drew into a scowl.
“I"m not sorry, because if we could somehow heal your sick, how long do you think it would be before you hunted every one of us into the ground? Would you kill us at once or let us linger on as you did Lucas? Do you have any idea the agony he felt? I do, Mr. Rivera. I felt it. You can"t drug what"s inside of us. The wolf feels everything. You tortured him for weeks.” Anger made his voice shake.
“I"m a monster.” Rivera sobbed.
Brand appraised the grieving man. “You"re a father.” He said to Erik, “And soon enough, you will be too. Tell me 212
you wouldn"t kill for your offspring if you thought doing so might save them, and I"ll call you a liar.” Erik folded his arms moodily and turned away without replying.
Brand raised his voice. “Outside, everyone but Erik.” The room cleared in the space of an indrawn breath. Dagny exited last and pulled the door closed behind her.
“Mr. Rivera, I came here to watch you die. I don"t want that anymore. I won"t say I understand what you did, but I understand why. I would ask that you destroy anything that might confirm we exist. Convince the people in your employ who know about us that it was a hoax. Pay them off, threaten them, I don"t care. Just make this go away.” Brand stepped closer. “Promise me you can do that, and we walk away.” Tears still streaming down his face, Rivera gazed up at Brand. “I promise. No one will ever find out about you from me.”
Brand turned to Erik. “Are we good here?” Erik gave a hesitant nod. Brand pulled a knife from his belt and cut Rivera loose.
As Rivera got to his feet, Erik closed the distance between them. “If anyone goes missing, I"m coming to your door first, and I"d best not find anything to make me wonder if your word is good.”
“Understood,” Rivera said, not meeting his eyes. “I hope someday you can forgive me.”
Erik stomped out of the room without offering an answer. Rivera stared after him. “Tell him again how sorry I am.” “He"s quick to anger and slow to forgive, but he"s my oldest friend,” Brand said with a tight smile. “If you hurt him again, I"ll tear you apart.” Brand walked out of the room and into Dagny"s waiting embrace.
THE END
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About the Author
Coral Moore has always been the kind of girl who makes up stories. Fortunately, she never quite grew out of that.
She writes because she loves to invent characters and the desire to find out what happens to her creations drives the tales she tells.
Prompted by a general interest in how life works, her undergraduate schooling was in biology. She follows science news and enjoys conversations about genetics and microbiology as much as those about vampires and werewolves. Coral writes speculative fiction and is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in Writing at Albertus Magnus College.
She currently lives in Connecticut with the love of her life who offers both encouragement and kicks in the tail when necessary. Also in residence are two mammals of the families Canidae and Felidae.
Connect with Coral Online
Website: http://www.chaosandinsanity.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/coralm
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Acknowledgements
Thank you to my wonderful husband Ryan, who believed in me when it mattered most. I love you.
* * *
Cover Art by Amanda Kelsey at Razzle Dazzle Design
Editing by Lynn O'Dell at Red Adept Reviews
http://redadeptreviews.com/editing-services/
Formatting by Alan Schneider at Indie Book Lounge
http://www.indiebooklounge.com/ebook-formatting-service/
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My deepest thanks go out to the members of Critique Circle who helped this book along its way, when I wasn't even sure it was worth writing. I encourage you to check out their websites because if you liked this book, I'm sure you'll like their stories too!
Katie Salidas -http://www.katiesalidas.com/
Emily Ward -http://www.emilyannward.com/
CD Meetens -http://www.onelittlespark.net/
Shannon O'farrell -http://shannonofarrell.blogspot.com/
Kirstenb -http://ascenicroute.wordpress.com/
S.C. Wade -http://scwade.wordpress.com/
Rhindra Vekrah -http://rhindra.livejournal.com/
* * *
Thank you also to my awesome beta reader Mindy, who helped me so much more than by just reading.
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Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21