Blackwolf's Redemption Read Online Free Page A

loose. He’d thought it was brown, but it wasn’t. It was gold. Beige. Brown. And what in hell did the color of her hair matter? Quickly, he got to his feet.
    “Good,” he said briskly. “Because you’re going to have to listen closely. And cooperate, if we’re going to get down safely.”
    She looked up at him. “What happened to me?”
    Her voice was soft, still shocked. He couldn’t afford that; she’d be too much a liability unless she got a grip on reality.
    “Lightning.”
    She nodded. “I remember. It was green. How could lightning be green?”
    It was an excellent question. Lightning, especially here, came in lots of colors. Red. White. A kind of electric blue. But green?
    “Save the questions for later,” he said brusquely. “Right now, what matters is getting off this ledge.”
    She swallowed. Ran the tip of her tongue over her dry lips.
    “I’m, uh, I’m not much for heights.”
    That explained why she hadn’t tried to look into the canyon again. It sure as hell didn’t explain how she’d gotten herself up here—and then a thought came to him.
    “Do you have an accomplice?”
    She stared up at him. “A what?”
    “Is there anyone with you?” There had to be. Jesse moved to the edge of their stony platform and peered down, scanning the canyon floor as he’d once scanned for the ’Cong. Nobody. Nothing. Only Cloud, swishing his plume of a tail and munching on the leaves of a shrub.
    “Yes,” the woman said slowly. “Of course!” She stood up, keeping her eyes on the mountain, but she wobbled a little. Instinctively, Jesse moved quickly to her and gathered her against him. “Jack. Jack and the others.”
    “They abandoned you.”
    “No. They’re at the foot of the mountain.”
    “They’re gone,” Jesse said harshly. “They let you risk your life for nothing. There’s nothing here to steal. The guardian stones, the sacred stone itself, are too big. And there’s nothing else.” His mouth twisted. “Your people made off with whatever was up here fifty years ago.”
    “My people?” She glared up at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    What, indeed? She was white. So what? He was, too. Half white, anyway, and what did it matter? He’d never given a damn about anyone’s color. It was just that there was something about this woman that was disturbing.
    “Okay,” he said gruffly. “Here’s the plan.” An overstatement, but she didn’t have to know that. “I’m going to link our belts together. I’ll fasten one end around your wrist, the other around me. I’ll go down first and you’ll watch every move I make. You got that? Every single move, because one misstep and… Damn it, what now?”
    Sienna Cummings was shaking her head. “I’m not climbing down this mountain.”
    “What will you do, then?” Jesse’s voice dripped sarcasm. “Wish yourself down?”
    The look she gave him was hot with defiance.
    “I’m going to wake up.”
    Jesse raised his eyebrows. “Excuse me?”
    “You heard me. I’m dreaming. This is a dream. It has to be. I am definitely not standing on a ledge halfway up a mountain, talking to a man who—who looks as if he stepped out of Central Casting for a movie starring John Wayne.” A curl of golden brown hair blew over her lip; she shoved it behind her ear and her chin rose a little higher. “John Wayne is dead, and I am dreaming. End of story.”
    Jesse almost laughed. She was a tough piece of work. Whatever else she was, he had to admire her for that.
    “I’ve got news for you, baby. John Wayne’s alive. And this is no dream.”
    “Wrong on both counts,” she said. If her chin went up any higher, she’d tumble over backward. “John Wayne is history.And I am sound asleep in my tent. There’s not a way in the world you can make me think otherwise.” Her eyes—more violet than ever—narrowed. “This is not real.”
    “You’re wasting valuable time. The sun’s beating straight down. The descent’s going to be tough