Read Broken Prince (The Broken Ones) for Free Online Page A

of his fury into her.
    He surprised her by pulling her hands away and sitting
up. "I can do it," he whispered.
    She nodded but smiled a little when he wrapped his
arms around her and rested his forehead against hers. His deadly claws rested
gently across her back. She wasn’t afraid. Kei was someone she’d never fear
again.
    Quickly he began to calm himself. She felt the wild
power within him recede.
    Garen whined, startling her.
    Please move away, Aro.
    Kei leaned back and scowled at her. His eyes had gone
down to a light orange, his teeth had returned to normal and she could feel the
claws against her back retracting. "You didn't mention him."
    She sighed and sifted position to rub her ankle. Kei
arms fell to his sides. Garen paced around them.
    "I'm sorry, boys. Kei this is Garen, he helped me
earlier today. Garen, this is my friend Kei." She glanced back at her Fey.
"As you can see, he's not wild."
    Your scent is a mix of fey and human, the Were muttered in her mind. No wonder you
smelled strange.
    She laughed and Kei looked at her strangely. Can
you speak to Kei?
    Garen stopped pacing to look at her. Not easily. It
is difficult for Were to speak to others not of our kind. Without the power of
a pack it is nearly impossible.
    She opened her mouth and then closed it again. Had he
just implied he didn't have a pack?
    "Aro..." Kei began.
    She shushed him, mind racing, trying to decide if she
should ask or not. Why not? "Do you not have a pack, Garen?"
    He looked away, ears flattening. No.
    She bit her lip and looked back at Kei. "He said
no."
    "And this is important?"
    She felt it was. She had one more question to ask, "Are
you in trouble with them?"
    No, he said
again. They leave me alone. I am...solitary.
    Their meeting had been chance, however she felt like
something important was about to happen. She liked Garen, he had saved her,
helped her. "Do you want to stay with us," she asked impulsively. "We
can be your pack?"
    "Aro," Kei hissed.
    She turned and grimaced at him. "Garen helped me.
He saved my life." She looked back to the Were.
    "He can’t replace Cain," Kei whispered
harshly.
    She snapped her head around to glare at him. "I
know that!" She stared him down until he only pursed his lips and looked
away, shaking his head.
    Aro?
    She turned back to Garen.
    He was staring at her, ears twitching back and forth. Do
you mean this?
    Of course. Obviously we aren't a normal bunch, but we
stick together. We're family.
    Family. His
voice echoed in her head, amazed, surprised, afraid.
    She had no idea what he was thinking, how he felt. She
couldn't understand what his posture or actions meant.
    Uncertainty overcame her. Perhaps she’d been too
impulsive. She did have a problem with that sometimes. However, for some reason
a feeling of rightness filled her. She didn’t understand, but it was better
than the overwhelming darkness threatening to claim her again.
    She reached out and took Kei’s hand, giving it a tight
squeeze.
    After a moment he sighed and squeezed back. "We
need to go." Kei stood and helped her up.
    Garen still hadn't answered her. Perhaps his silence was
answer enough. However he hadn't left either.
    "We're going to look for our other friends,"
she told him. "Both are men; one human, one an Elf."
    Elf? His
incredulous laughter filled her head. You are a strange pack indeed. He
paused. I think I will join you. It will be...interesting.
    She related this to Kei who sighed and shook his head
again. He seemed resigned to the situation. At least he wasn’t fighting with
her.
    Reaching for her pack, Garen's voice stopped her
again.
    Wait. I found the horse. I will bring it now. He darted off into the darkness.
    "What is he doing now?" Kei growled in
exasperation.
    "He got me a horse," she said with a grin. She
laughed out loud at the look on Kei's face.
    Garen returned, the horse’s reins in his mouth.
Strangely, the steed did not seem afraid of the giant wolf leading it. She
loaded her pack and Kei's behind