Read A View to a Kill: (A Bird Shifter Novella) (King of Prey Book 2) for Free Online Page A

jean-clad thighs and tipped his head, offering a sheepish smile. It was a smile that used to make her melt, but his appearing and disappearing act had long since worn on her. The last time had been the final straw. He’d had the nerve to run out on her the minute he’d finished having sex with her. She’d even gone so far as to hunt for him, but it was as if he never existed. There had been no paper trail, no record of any kind of him.
    “What the hell are you doing here?”
    The smile slid from his face. “Ah, I see you are upset with me.”
    “And why shouldn’t I be?”
    He had no response. Not that she really expected him to be able to make a legitimate case. He did what so many men did, he ran after he’d gotten what he’d wanted.
    Was he back in hopes of more?
    Paige glanced away, needing a moment to soak in the knowledge he was indeed before her in the flesh. There were many things she’d wanted to say to him for so long. So many things she should tell him, but none of them fell from her lips. A silent curse was all she could muster before collecting her thoughts once more. She set her sights on the horse. “This isn’t the same Firecracker you remember. He passed away.”
    “Really?” Sachin asked, as his gaze swept over the horse. “He looks almost identical.”
    “I know.” A half smile tugged at her lips and she fought it. “It’s why I named him Firecracker Redux. He’s a pistol who survived horrible abuse. You should have seen the conditions they had him living in, Sachin. Rusted, barbed-wire fencing, a metal shelter with a broken door and his food was moldy and infested with worms. Don’t even get me started on the physical abuse.”
    Why was she talking to him so calmly when all she really wanted to do was kick, scream, throw a fit at how he’d abandoned her, and the secrets he’d obviously kept from her. She’d practiced what she’d say or do if she were to ever come face-to-face with Sachin again. All of it went out the window the moment she stared into his silver gaze. Something deep inside her chest tugged, feeling as if invisible strings connected them.
    “Like his predecessor,” Sachin offered, his voice thick.
    She nodded, her heart in her throat and an array of emotions washing over her. She tried to convince herself it was because of his concern for an animal she’d loved, but she knew that was only part of the reason she was close to crying. He was back, and deep down Paige knew that was all she’d ever really wanted. But she couldn’t take him toying with her feelings again. There was no way she could let him beneath the shield she’d built, the one that had finally allowed her to stop crying herself to sleep at night—the one that would let her start to live again.
    “Then it’s a fitting name for a fine horse,” he offered evenly.
    Firecracker nudged her, urging her to move towards Sachin. The first Firecracker, an equally black stallion with a similar wild streak, had always seemed to take to the mysterious rogue, no matter how many times Sachin vanished for months on end, chipping away at her hardened heart in the process. Its namesake seemed just as enamored with Sachin.
    Sachin hopped down from the fence and dusted off his backside. Oh God, how she wanted to be the one touching him, but it wasn’t to be. Paige had once thought Sachin might have feelings for her that extended beyond a roll in the hay. He couldn’t care about her and vanish like he did.
    “Paige.” He put his hand out and stroked the top of Firecracker’s head. “Are you going to talk to me or are you planning on giving me menacing stares the entire time I’m here?”
    “And how long is it that you’re here for, Sachin? I’d like to know since I’m planning on the latter of the two.” Annoyed with her behavior, Paige took hold of Firecracker’s reins and tried to lead him from the exercise area. Sachin blocked her path and the horse seemed bound and determined to stand his ground as