Justus Read Online Free

was having trouble with the problem, hence them
facilitating Vanessa’s efforts.
    He stumbled through the
trees. Darkness had set in around him, and it was only luck he was
able to see anything. His vision, normally sharp and crisp even on
the darkest of nights, was starting to blur. When he reached the
edge of the woods, Justus looked out across the tall field. Not the
normal cover he would want, but it would work. Not like he had time
to shop around for other options.
    Patches of snow lay scattered
around the hard earth, and he tried his best to avoid the white
snow with his dripping blood. Most times he could get around
virtually unnoticed by even the animals in the forest, but today he
was going to be lucky if he didn’t alert the whole area to his
presence.
    A distant light reached out
across the frost-bitten field. A little farm house stood in the
distance, the source of the light and the familiar smell. His nose
wrinkled as another, less-pleasant smell greeted him: the scent of
that bastard Titus. It was faint but still there.
    Justus looked around him.
He’d assumed the Horatius Group would be the ones using false
scents, but perhaps Luna Lodge had picked up a few tricks. Maybe it
was all a trap, after all.
    A quiet groan escaped his
lips from the pain. He stumbled forward, not able to stand in one
spot for too long. Something was wrong. He was strong. He’d been
wounded before just as badly, if not worse, and he’d never bled as
much.
    Focusing on the farmhouse, he
pushed forward. It didn’t matter at this point. If it was a lodge
trap, he could escape again.
    He sagged as he left the
field and stepped onto the grass near the house. Nothing had jumped
out yet, but they might not have noticed him. The closer he
approached the house, the more at home he felt. His mind couldn’t
rationalize why it felt so comforting, but it was all he needed to
keep going and risk his freedom.
    He set one foot in front of
the other until he reached the porch steps and fumbled. There was
no staying quiet now. His feet barely hit the steps as he worked
his way up.
    Close to the door, he
fell.
    Justus landed hard, and the
world blacked around him.
    The sounds around him blended
as he tried to open his eyes. It wasn’t until he heard her Justus
was able to force them open.
    “Son of a bitch,” someone
said. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
    He blinked several times
before her concerned face focused in front of him.
    “Paige?”

Chapter Five
     
     
    Paige stared down at the
huge bleeding man before her.
    Where had Justus come from?
What happened? If he’d been shot by the men from Luna Lodge, she
doubted Rachel would have been so cavalier, or even Titus for that
matter. Perhaps the Horatius Group had wounded him. There were just
too many possibilities.
    Her questions would have to
remain unanswered for now. Getting him inside and cleaned up would
give her a better understanding of the situation. Whatever was
going on, she wasn’t going to let this man die on her front
porch.
    She placed the shotgun she’d
gotten out just inside the door next to the wall. She stared at
Justus for a moment. It wasn’t often she’d had to deal with the
quiet hybrid, and with everything that had happened, she was far
less trusting. She’d been so determined to stay out of Luna Lodge’s
chaos, and now here it was, literally at her doorstep.
    She muttered to herself as
she grabbed a blanket from the hall closet and laid it on the porch
next to him. There was no way she’d be able to carry the heavy
hybrid in, and as much as she didn’t want to do it, pulling him on
the blanket was the best option.
    She needed to stabilize his
condition in a warm environment. From the looks of things, he
wouldn’t be able to survive the cold night, no matter how tough he
normally was.
    An idea niggled in the back
of her mind that she ought to call Titus or Rachel. Still, she’d
have to treat him either way, and there would always be time for
that later.