Raven (Kindred #1) Read Online Free Page A

threat. Keep your secrets. Reveal nothing.”
    “Does that include you?” she asked, bothered by his nonchalance.
    “Especially me.”
    Disbelieving any altruistic motive, Zara hoped to get a straight answer as to the motivation for this intrusion. The stranger had broken into her bedroom for a reason and she didn’t like the idea that he, or someone else, might choose to invade her privacy again.
    “So you came here to warn me out of the goodness of your heart?” she asked. By being indirect she hoped to provoke him into giving details beyond what she’d get with a closed question.
    “No,” he said. “I’m a player in the war and I want your trust. You’re vital and that makes you vulnerable. I’ve been watching you and I’m not the only one.”
    If he wanted to hurt her, he could have done it before she knew he was present. Taking him at his word that he was here to protect her, she softened because if what happened to Tim was anything to go by, she might need an ally. And the truth was, she was too tired to think of a cunning way out of this situation. Asking for help, might encourage him into helping her form a plan. “What do I do? Should I go to the cops or—”
    “You do nothing. You carry on with your life as you normally do. Keep note of anything strange or suspicious. If there’s any danger, don’t play the hero. Stay away from it and don’t answer questions.”
    That was the sum total of his advice? Do nothing. Zara had never been great at sitting on her hands when a task had to be accomplished and after what had happened to Tim, she felt like a sitting duck.
    “Why is this so important to you?” she asked. “You said that you want my trust, but why?”
    “I’m not the only one. Tim wanted your trust too. He thought fucking you was the way to get it.”
    He swore with the same ease as he spoke every other word. Kraft’s assertion that Tim had been killed by a professional seemed certain now. Embarrassed by her willingness to believe Tim had been genuinely interested in her, she couldn’t believe how quickly she’d been drawn in by the man who seemed too good to be true.
    All she’d done was go to a bar for a drink, she hadn’t asked for any of this. “Tim was involved, how?”
    The stranger was great at staying completely still and at ignoring the obvious emotion in her words. He didn’t attempt to soothe her, he was aloof, here for a reason, and not interested in deviating from his mission. She might not be concerned for her life at this exact moment, but he would have a hard time winning her trust if he kept up the mysterious veil and refused to answer direct questions.
    “You’ll figure it all out,” he said. “I had to show myself tonight to give you a piece of advice. Don’t tell Grant about what happened tonight. He’ll be out of town until Monday night and Kraft won’t be back in touch. You can keep this quiet if you keep your mouth shut.”
    She didn’t know what she would do about this, but she wasn’t wild about him crossing off options from her list. “Why would I do that?”
    “It’s the only way you’ll live through this.” It was an answer, a useful one, but she didn’t like it.
    “How do you know Grant?” she asked.
    “That one I can answer,” he said, rising to his feet and switching off the lamp. In the darkness, she could make out movement, but the ink of night concealed his features. The musky scent of intoxicating cologne came to her side and the heat of wet breath ruffled her hair. “I’m an old friend of the family.”
    His form carried on out of the bedroom and she remained perfectly still. Listening to the silence that followed his departure from the bedroom, she strained to hear if he was still in her apartment. It was only when the front door closed that Zara exhaled her tension and ran through the apartment to pounce onto the window seat on her knees.
    With her face and palms pressed to the glass, she sought the stranger out. But she