Rebel Pax (Shifters of the Primus Book 2) Read Online Free

ear, I’m speaking English. To his, I’m speaking Prime.
    “My sister is Queen Liandra of the Umani. Her husband, King Kato, gave me this. Your eyes are gold like Kato’s skin. Not like any other Primus I have ever seen. Does that mean you are a king or prince?”
    He nods, eyes distant. “Once. Yes. I was king of the Toltek clan. But I cast off my rule and with it, my golden skin.”
    I sense a danger in that moment, as if asking him why he was no longer king would not be wise. I’ve had enough danger for one day.“You live here? I thought no one could survive in The Dead Sea.”
    “Live? No. I would not call what I do living. But. . . The reason I came here is. . . It will wait. You—” He trails off and then clears his throat. “I must take you away from here or even I will not be able to save you.”
    “After what you did out there, I think you could protect me from anything.” My words send a chill through me. Is that what I want? To be some damsel in distress who needs a guy to fight my battles? Can I claim to be strong if I have Pax creating a protective shield around me?
    Part of me still feels like the answer is no, but when I think of my sister, Liandra, and her binding with Kato. . . I can also see that it takes a strong woman to tie herself to a strong man. Maybe that is where my strength is needed—to tame him, if such a thing is possible. But one thing does seem clear: whether I like it or not, I need him to make it out of here alive.
    “The cold of night brings strong winds. The winds bring the leaves from the West. They will rise. And when the leaves rise, the beasts come.”
    “It seemed like they came anyway, before. How much worse could it get?”
    “There will be more. Many more. Larger beasts and smarter too. They will use you to defeat me.”
    Use me to defeat him? Does he mean that he would die trying to protect me? My heart flutters, making me feel suddenly too warm. When I look at him sitting across from me, firelight catching his blue skin, I can’t even believe that I’m alone with someone so perfect . Yes, maybe he’s on the dangerous side. Well, a lot on the dangerous side. But I can’t help feeling as though he is some vicious beast with a thorn in his heart. If I can survive his touch long enough to pull it free, then. . . What? Then he will love me? I doubt it. I don’t know if someone like Pax is capable of love, but maybe he could claim me. Do I even want that?
    I nearly clutch my head in frustration as the whirlwind of thoughts refuses to cease. Stop thinking about possibilities and maybe’s and should’s, Mira. Just focus on what is . For right now, I just need to survive. And if I’m going to survive, step one is making sure this Primus male does not decide to leave me behind. Step two is surviving him .
    “How long do we have?” I ask.
    “We should have begun moving several minutes ago.”
    I nod slowly. “I’m strong enough now. Let’s go.”
    He looks uncertain. “The venom is very strong. If I move you now. . .”
    “I’m fine,” I snap. Then I blush, lowering my voice. “I just, um. I might need you to carry me again.”
    He nods, the shadow of a smirk touching his face. With great effort, he slides the boulder away from the opening of the tree, revealing a orange sky tinged with purple. The sun is setting. The thought fills me with dread. I try to imagine something that even Pax couldn’t protect me from. Whatever it is, it wouldn’t be good. I’m certain of that.
    He carries me outside. Carefully, he adjusts me so that my chest is against his and my head rests on his shoulder. His powerful forearm and hand holds my calves while his bicep pushes my thighs to his body. Though I have a lingering achiness from the venom, I still try to kick him for handling me like luggage, even if his smooth skin does feel nice against me…
    He uses a series of gently sloping roots to climb us out of immediate danger and into the relative safety provided by the