Warrior's Heart: Iron Portal Series (Paranormal Romance) Read Online Free Page B

“Who…who are you?”
    Asher got to his feet and gave Zara a big hug. Then he introduced her to Olivia, his fiancée.
    Her brother, the I’m-never-settling-down guy, was getting married? Could this night be any more bizarre?
    Olivia glanced around quickly to make sure no one else was listening. “Zara, I think you may know my twin brother.”
    “ Your brother?” Doubtful. She didn’t know a lot of people over here, and Olivia didn’t look familiar. “What’s his name?”
    “Vince Crawford.”
    For the second time tonight, her heart nearly stopped.

Chapter Three
    Z ara’s apartment was located above a detached garage in a quiet part of town. Asher had brought his dog, a deerhound named Conry, who—surprise, surprise—was a big hit with Darius. Her son had been wanting a pet forever.
    After setting Darius up with a movie in the other room, she tried to keep her hands from shaking as she returned to the kitchen.
    Asher and Olivia were sitting at the small breakfast nook, which looked even smaller in contrast to her brother’s big, broad physique. One muscular arm was looped around Olivia’s shoulder and they were whispering intimately.
    Zara’s heart swelled. Her brother had had a hard time growing up with their cruel and abusive stepfather. They both missed their real father, but Asher had been particularly close to him. Their stepfather was a poor substitute. It was nice to see that the Fates had finally been good to Asher.
    She slid into the seat across from them.
    “We've got a lot of catching up to do,” Asher said.
    Yes, they sure did. She wanted to jump right in and ask about Vince, but she forced herself not to. “How did you think to look for me over here and not back home?”
    “I’ve been looking for you for months. Both here and over there.” He pointed a thumb at his fiancée. “She was the one who found you.”
    “I am still so sorry for freaking you out like we did,” Olivia said, shaking her head guiltily. “I lived for years with the fear that someone would discover me, so it was stupid of me not to realize that you might have the same concern.” She went on to explain that she was a Healer-Talent and that she’d spent years trying to stay under the army’s radar.
    Zara assured her that everything was fine. She liked the vivacious young woman and didn’t want her to feel guilty. “That basement always makes me a little jumpy anyway, so no worries. The building used to be a hospital, and the basement was the morgue.”
    Olivia looked relieved. “Okay, that makes sense then. Mariah called it the morgue, too.”
    “You know Mariah?” Zara asked, confused. Olivia was from Pacifica, and Mariah was from Cascadia and a member of the Taghta sisterhood.
    “I met her in Cascadia when she…um…helped me out with something.” Olivia’s smirk was subtle yet unmistakable. There had to be a story behind that.
    Asher grinned. “Mariah showed her how to kick my ass. So, yeah, I hate that woman.”
    Zara took a sip of her tea and steeled herself for her next question. As much as she enjoyed catching up on everything, their reunion could wait. “So you’re Vince’s sister. Is that…uh…why you’re here?”
    Olivia took a deep breath, glanced at Asher. “Where do I begin? Well, you know he liked to draw, right?”
    Zara nodded. She’d spent hours with him while he sketched. He was a very talented artist.
    “I had some of his framed artwork in my apartment,” Olivia continued. “Drawings of a girl and a mountain.”
    “The instant I saw them,” her brother said, “I recognized you.”
    Vince had mentioned that he drew pictures of her when he went home, but Zara hadn’t known that he’d framed them. “So you had pictures of me, some random girl, in your apartment? How bizarre.” She laughed, trying to make light of it even though her stomach was twisting into knots. How could she tell Olivia what Vince had done to her? Was there a tactful way to tell his sister—his twin