Howling Legion (Skinners, Book 2) Read Online Free

Nymar or anything else that’s out there, you can’t be suckered by such simple bullshit. We’re headed into some rough times, Cole. I need to make sure you’re with me.”
    “If I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t be here.” Rubbing his shoulder, Cole added, “Believe me, it’s too late to turn back now.”
    “That’s right. A few shapeshifters have already tracked you down, and every Nymar in Chicago knows who you are. We can’t kill them all, but we need to keep them in line.They’ve got enough supernatural tricks up their sleeves, so don’t make things easier for them.”
    “This is different.”
    “Is it?”
    “Yeah,” Cole fumbled. “You’re…well…you. I’ve handled myself pretty well in spots where someone tried to distract me.”
    “Like when we raided that club where the Nymar were feeding on college kids over on Lawrence Avenue?”
    “You’re never going to let that go,” he grumbled. “Some blonde made me look away for a second, and I still managed to back you up when you shot your mouth off.”
    “Barely. And that blonde wasn’t even very hot. All she had to do was flash you some fake boobs to get you to do exactly what she wanted.”
    “All right, you caught me. I’m a guy who looks at women when they expose themselves. I also happen to blink before hitting them in the face. And, every now and then, I may pause for a second when a very hot blonde opens her robe and touches herself in some very interesting ways. File a lawsuit.”
    “You’re not just some guy, Cole. And we’re not just some people who carry sticks. We’re doing a dangerous job and can’t afford to act like everyone else.”
    “No nookie for Skinners, huh? If I’d known that, I might not have signed on.”
    Even though Paige was nearly a foot shorter than him, she carried herself as if she was merely keeping her head down before making her big move. Stepping up to him, she said, “It’s got nothing to do with nookie and everything to do with expectations. Have you seen any other Skinners around here checking out the hot Nymar babes?”
    “Ever since Prophet left, I haven’t seen any Skinners at all.”
    “Prophet doesn’t count. At least, not completely.”
    “Then I guess I haven’t seen anyone but you.”
    “Exactly,” Paige said. “As far as I know, we’re the only ones within four states who think of vampires and werewolves as something other than characters in one of those games youdesign. The only thing keeping all Skinners alive is the fact that nothing out there knows the whole story about us.
    “If the Nymar knew how few of us there are, they’d pull themselves together and take us out. If they knew they could get one of us into bed or hooked on God knows what they’ve cooked up in their drug labs, we wouldn’t stand a chance in hell of keeping them in their place. We’re a threat and a mystery to them. The second we become something less than that, we lose our fight. Understand?”
    He let some of his pride go along with the breath he’d been holding and said, “Yeah. In my defense, though, I’ve been taking a lot of bumps to the head. That could explain some dumb behavior.”
    “And maybe you’d get hit less often if you didn’t tap away on that computer when you should be practicing.”
    “That computer brings in the money, lady. In case you haven’t noticed, Hammer Strike has been doing well enough for me to pay some bills around here.”
    The weapons in Paige’s hands shrank back down into normal batons like melting candles. “We’ve been down here for three hours,” she announced as she picked up the shirt she’d discarded.
    Cole looked around and saw nothing but gray block walls and greasy stains around him. “Did you finally put a clock up down here?”
    “No.”
    “Oh, great. Am I going to have to hone my awareness of time as some goofy part of my training?”
    “You could.” Lifting the little item that had been on the floor beneath the shirt, she