The Gathering Read Online Free Page B

as Bryce hated being anywhere
near the girl, a stab of pity hit him when he looked at her.
Regardless of what she was, being treated like this was inhumane,
even for a vampire.
    He’d met many vampires in his life he would
rather see dead but this was torture. He couldn’t abide by
that.
    A glance back at her throat and he winced.
The front of the wire couldn’t even be seen it was imbedded so
deeply into her flesh. “How the hell do we get that wire off?”
    Dillon made a sound before moving a step
closer. “Do we want to do that?”
    Bryce didn’t look behind him but answered him
anyway. “If this was you, would you want someone to help you out of
some lunatic’s trap?”
    Dillon was quite for a long moment before
saying, “Yes. Guess I would.”
    “Thought so.” Bryce studied the wire around
her neck again and shook his head. “Anyone have any ideas on how to
remove that wire?”
    “Wire cutters?”
    Bryce turned his head. “Anyone have any?”
    Henry, one of the oldest wolves in the pack,
stepped forward. “I have a pair in my pick-up. I’ll go get
them.”
    He nodded and looked back at the girl who
hadn’t taken her eyes off of him.
    Garrett moved closer and bent down beside of
her. “Can you talk?” She flicked a quick glance at him before
staring back at Bryce but a quick shake of the head gave them their
answer. She couldn’t talk. “The wire must have cut too deeply.”
Garrett sighed and scratched his chin. “It’s going to be hard as
hell to get any answers out of her if she can’t talk.”
    “Hard but not impossible.” Bryce snapped his
fingers at her to get her attention. She looked at him through a
veil of hair. “Did Caleb bring you here or did you wander up here
by yourself?” She opened her mouth again and shut it, her eyes
clearly showing her frustration. He edged closer to her. “Did Caleb
bring you?” A quick nod of her head that time. “Well at least we
know how she got here.”
    “Yes, but you’re not going to be able to find
out why if she can’t talk.”
    Henry ran back into the tunnel a few minutes
later and Bryce reached for the wire cutters. “I’m going to cut the
wire holding you to the wall but if you try to bite me again, I’m
going to knock you out, got it?”
    She glanced away from him but nodded her head
moments later. He stood and edged closer, keeping a watchful eye on
her. When he reached her, he fell to one knee and hesitated,
half-expecting her to jump him again. When she just sat there, he
relaxed. “Someone hold the wire so it doesn’t come back on me.”
    He lifted his hand, moving her mass of hair
away and clamped the wire cutters across the wire under her ear. It
snapped with a loud pop. “Turn your head.” He waited until she’d
done so before cutting the other side.
    When she was loose, he waited. Waited for her
to jump him again. She didn’t move.
    Standing, he backed away from her and stopped
beside of Garrett. “So, what now?”
    Garrett stared at her before crossing his
arms over his chest. “Hell if I know. We can’t leave her up here,
though. We need to find out why Caleb had her and where the wolves
he made have gone.”
    “Take her back to the house then?”
    “We have to put her somewhere and see to that
wire still in her neck.”
    Dillon cleared his throat. “Aren’t you guys
forgetting something?”
    “Like what?”
    “It’s noon.”
    Bryce lifted an eyebrow. “So?”
    Dillon grinned. “So….sunlight? Vampires?
Makes them go all ‘balls of fire?’ Does that ring any bells?”
    “Oh.”
    Bryce glanced at Garrett. “So what now?”
    “Well, someone can wait with her until
nightfall or we can cover her and take her back with us.”
    “I have a tarp in the back of the truck.”
Henry said. “That should work.”
    Bryce looked back at the girl. She was still
crouched in the corner staring at the floor. He noticed for the
first time that her hands were shaking. Whether that was from
hunger or fear he wasn’t sure