Read Hunted Wolf: Moonbound Series, Book Eight for Free Online

Don’t worry. They’ll loosen back up now that we’re on a road.”
    He grabbed her hand and placed it against the strap of his vest. “You need to be able to run at a moment’s notice.”
    “I can run as fast as you need me to run.” She wrapped her fingers around one of the straps securing his vest. Even though she could see better now, out of the trees, she wasn’t about to admit it and let go of him.
    He’d never volunteered to let her touch him before.
    Viper grunted, probably not believing her. But that was okay. Getting through this mission safe and sound was priority number one, not convincing her angry mate she was a marathon runner.
    The group turned a bend in the road, and Rossi’s enormous villa came into view, sprawled in front of them like a tropical resort. White stucco walls gleamed softly in the slight moonlight. Palm trees swayed in a gentle breeze and a light floral scent from the gardens filtered toward them in the air.
    Hannah took a deep breath. It would’ve been a gorgeous place to stay for a vacation if it wasn’t the evil fortress of a psychopathic monster. The creepy factor was through the roof, and she held back a shiver.
    Not a single soul could be seen…or heard. Not yet. They weren’t close enough to hear heartbeats from inside the house. The Rangers ahead didn’t appear tense, so they hadn’t seen or heard anything either. The only thing helping her personal tension was being as close as she was to Viper.
    The small group crept through the dark, picking their way through the fancy gardens and edging closer and closer to the large front door of the villa.
    The only sound she could hear was the crunch of their feet on the loose gravel of the garden area and the pounding heartbeats of their group. The Rangers’ pulses were slow and steady, as if they were doing nothing more than strolling down a grocery store aisle.
    “It’s too quiet,” Dani said from a few yards ahead. “Feels like the moment in a horror flick right before the psycho stabs someone with a butcher knife.”
    “I won’t let anyone stab you,” Niko replied, letting the slightest bit of a chuckle slip out.
    It was totally something
    “Keep quiet. We’re going in,” growled the Ranger at the head of the group.
    Hannah released her grip on Viper’s vest, and he turned to face her. “Stay behind me, do you understand?”
    “Yes.” She nodded, pressing her lips together.
    The house was windowless, and they were once again navigating in almost pitch black. The Rangers moved forward confidently with their night-vision goggles, but Hannah and the other enforcers had to rely on their heightened senses to keep from running into the walls or artwork.
    She froze as her hand touched the curved edge of what felt like an enormous vase. Hannah moved around the ceramic piece and focused harder on following exactly where Viper’s footsteps echoed up from the floor.
    “I don’t hear anything, Duke,” Viper whispered.
    “I know. It’s uncanny,” the leader replied.
    “Maggie said they were in a basement last time,” Hannah murmured.
    “Roger that, keep moving forward,” Duke answered. “We’ll do a thorough sweep to be sure. It’s very possible we just can’t sense them yet. This place is massive.” He gave a brief verbal command, and everyone started moving forward again.
    They entered an open walkway and stepped cautiously out from under the ceiling, into an open-to-the-sky courtyard.
    Moonlight floated down, giving Hannah a better view of her surroundings. Three levels of balconies stretched up as she tilted her head and looked up at the blue velvet sky. Stars twinkled merrily, completely unaware of the horrors below them.
    “Stay behind me,” Viper hissed. He back-stepped and grabbed her wrist, yanking her out of the lighted courtyard and back under the lower level ceiling.
    The radio on Duke’s belt crackled to life, sending a stab of tension through Viper’s body and directly into