Deadlands Hunt Read Online Free Page A

is offering it, in order to find her."
     
    He hurried over to attempt guiding her to a chair. "You've been under a great deal of stress, Amy. You're obviously not thinking clearly."
     
    "Would you just," there was a brief struggle before she freed her arm from his grasp. "Let go! Really, Brian."
     
    "Amy, listen..."
     
    "No! You listen. All of you." She liberally spread a narrow-eyed glare around. "The Weren are far better suited to this expedition than we are. We would be lucky to survive a single day out there. Do you know how to find water? Or what signs to watch for to keep from being surprised by an orcish ambush? No, you don't! Nor do I!"
     
    "But Werens do," Peter remarked, still blinking. "I think it's a wonderful idea, Amy."
     
    Calming down, Amethyst smiled at him. "Thank you, Peter."
     
    "But," Sally whimpered. "They're quite scary. And they're very large, don't you think?"
     
    Closing her eyes, Amethyst slowly counted to ten. Reaching it, she re-opened them and smiled gently at her friend. "In the present matter, quite scary and very large are good things to have on our side, dear."
     
    Sally brightened. "Oh, well, that's all right then."
     
    "Excellent. Come on, Sally, let's get you tucked in, shall we?" Amethyst walked to the chair and helped the blond to her feet. Brian was still in place when they began to leave the room, so Amethyst paused to state one more thing. "If you aren't pleased with my arrangements, you're more than welcome to wait here in Adersol, or to return home."
     
    He gaped. "I will do neither. You need Peter and me to protect you from them!"
     
    Unable to restrain herself, Amethyst loosed a most unladylike snort of derision. "I doubt it. They behaved like gentlemen when we spoke downstairs."
     
    With that, she hustled a wobbling Sally out of the drawing room and down the hallway to their shared room.
     
    "Bit headstrong, our Amy," Peter commented. "Some say it's the red hair, you know."
     
    "Well, she'll need us keeping an eye on things," Brian responded, shoulders drooping slightly. "Come on, Peter. We'll need to be alert in the morning."
     
    "Not sure my legs want to work at the moment." Peter yawned. Sighing, Brian went to lever his friend up from the settee.
     
    *
     
    Bran aimed a final smile inside the dimly lit room before closing the door. Pausing, he counted the doors opposite before approaching one and hesitantly tapping on it. "Kyle? You in there? We have to get back."
     
    Faint giggling was the only response. Bran bent to sniff the doorknob. Catching his pack mate's scent on it, he straightened and knocked louder. "Come on, Kyle! I know you're in there."
     
    There was more giggling, followed by a soft gasp. Grinning, Bran pressed his ear to the door to listen. Another gasp, a soft murmur of Kestran and then...a loud, heavy thump on the door, directly opposite where his ear rested. "Ow!"
     
    Jerking the door open, Kyle mimed shooting a pistol. "Gotcha, you little pervert."
     
    "That wasn't nice," Bran complained, rubbing his reddened ear.
     
    "Neither is eavesdropping," was the response. "Though that whimpering you were doing was mighty interesting."
     
    The younger Weren blushed. "You could hear that?"
     
    "Yeah. And the whining." Kyle hooked an arm around Bran's neck to scrub a careless hand over his hair while the younger man twisted in his grip. "Just what exactly was she doing to you?"
     
    Bran decided kissing and telling might not be a wise idea where Kyle was concerned. "Hey, if we hurry, we might get back before Curtis is asleep."
     
    Grinning lazily, Kyle released him. "Keep your damn ol' secrets then. Let's go."
     
    Once outside, they discovered the drizzle had finally let up. The street was completely deserted; not even a stray cat or dog to be seen rummaging around. Walking down the wooden walk, Bran decided now was as good a chance as any to ask a question that had been bothering him. "Hey, Kyle?"
     
    "What, kid?"
     
    "How come Chase never