Crusader (Battle Born Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

stubbornly searched the brown for any hint of blue.
    With a warm chuckle, he eased back without releasing her entirely. “You sound disappointed.”
    She didn’t know what she was—disappointed, relieved, confused, even a little angry. She’d been so sure Bandar was one of them. “But you’ve seen them, haven’t you. They’re real and they aren’t human.” She held her breath, afraid he’d brush her off like so many had before.
    “What’s your name?” His voice was soft now, caressing.
    “Ashley,” she answered automatically.
    “Ashley Kane? As in Daniel’s only offspring?”
    She didn’t see the benefit of lying. Maybe if she answered some of his questions, he’d answer some of hers. “Yes. Daniel Kane was my father.”
    A slow smile curved his lips and his dark eyes shimmered. Still no hint of blue, but other realizations rolled through her. He wasn’t just handsome. His features, what little she could see of them, were undeniably masculine, yet striking. He had the sort of face photographers loved, all sharp angles and graceful hollows.
    “Bandar really is my name,” he told her, “but you’re right. I don’t work for the FBI.”
    “Can we go sit down in the living room? I’m still feeling sort of woozy.”
    “Of course.” After making sure she was steady enough to stand on her own, he grabbed the bag of candy off the bed then followed her from the bedroom.
    He was being polite and mostly nonthreatening, but she couldn’t let herself forget all the strange things that had happened already. He didn’t appear overtly alien, but he emanated power, a sort of controlled intensity. Maybe he was some sort of hybrid. Or he could have been altered so he’d blend in more easily with humans. Bandar? What kind of name was that? Female names were getting sort of wacky, while male names remained mostly traditional. At least on Earth. The stipulation made her smile. Suddenly all the thoughts she’d been suppressing for years didn’t seem so outrageous.
    “Do you work with the aliens or are you trying to stop whatever they’re doing on Earth?”
    “It’s my job to apprehend the one who attacked you.”
    That seemed plausible, yet it was still frustratingly vague. “You’re a cop or a bounty hunter?”
    He tossed her the bag of candy then sat in a chair facing hers. “Eat or your wooziness will get worse.”
    He was clearly comfortable giving orders, but she didn’t feel strong enough to object. She sat down then reached into the bag and grabbed a handful of the chocolate teardrops. “What are they called?”
    “Hershey Kisses.”
    She rolled her eyes, not in the mood for any form of humor. As she struggled to organize her thoughts into succinct questions, her gaze drifted to the spot across the room where she’d been stabbed. She’d collapsed on the carpet and blood had been everywhere, yet no sign of the struggle remained. “What happened to the mess?”
    “I took care of it.” His dark brows arched. “Would you rather I left it for you?”
    At least he hadn’t tried to convince her she’d imagined the entire thing. Rather than fixate on the unimportant detail, she returned to her original question. “The man you’re attempting to apprehend. Do you know what his race is called? I know there are others like him on Earth. I’ve seen them.”
    “They’re called Rodytes. When did you first see one and how many have you seen?”
    Her heart fluttered, making her feel almost giddy. He’d just confirmed that she hadn’t imagined them, had even given them a name. Rodytes. Her father had been involved with Rodytes.
    And she wasn’t crazy! She wanted to shout it from the rooftops. She’d lived with the stigma of emotional disorders for most of her life and now someone had confirmed her wild stories.
    Emboldened by the validation, she let the story come pouring out. “My mother thought my father was cheating on her, so I tried to prove her wrong. I was so desperate to save their marriage