the younger man, he said, “You know, something tells me this Morgan woman isn’t going to like being offered up as the Watchman whore again.”
Something shifted in Kellan’s odd-colored eyes, like a flash of rage, hinting at a side that he rarely showed. Despite being a kick-ass fighter when the situation called for it, Kellan always played the clown. The easygoing prankster who enjoyed riling everyone around him. But in that moment, it suddenly occurred to Riley that there was more going on with the irreverent Watchman than he’d guessed, and he felt like an idiot for not seeing it earlier.
With a gruff bite to his words that Riley had never heard before, Kellan said, “Don’t talk about Morgan like that. She didn’t have to come down to Colorado to make that offer to your brother, but she did. And she damn well didn’t do it because she’s a whore. Though she’d rather die than admit it, the truth is that she’d do anything that Kierland asked her to do.”
Riley lifted his hand, rubbing at the knotted tension in the back of his neck as he thought over what Kellan had said. “Huh. So is there, like, a history between those two?”
Kellan rolled his shoulder in a frustrated gesture and pressed his lips together, obviously knowing better than to start gossiping about his brother’s private life. He muttered something foul under his breath, then shoved his water bottle beneath his arm and pushed his hands into his pockets. “At any rate, I wasn’t thinking of Morgan. But we could go to one of the other compounds, see if there’s anyone there who you’re interested in. At least a female Watchman will know what to expect from bedding down with a Merrick.”
It soured his stomach to think of it—the idea of finding some stranger and nailing her…taking her blood. But even as he thought about it, Riley knew the problem wouldn’t be the woman. No, he’d spent his life sleeping with women who didn’t touch him any deeper than his skin. The problem was with him, because at the end of the day, there was only one woman he could imagine doing something that intimate with. Only one woman who could truly give both the man and the Merrick what they needed.
Clearing his throat, he said, “What do you think the others are doing?”
Kellan lifted his brows, the surging wind blowing his dark red hair into his face. “What others?”
“The other Merrick,” Riley grunted, not quite meeting the Watchman’s gaze. He felt too open…too exposed, as if his longing for a woman he could never have was plastered all over his face, etched into his hot eyes like a blinding neon sign. “The ones who are awakening and need to feed the hunger.”
“Those who have wives or girlfriends are probably doing okay,” Kellan murmured, “so long as they aren’t partnered up with a bitch. But the single ones, they’re in the same boat you are. Hopefully they’ll be smart about what they’re doing, or we’re going to have a helluva time keeping the stories of bloodsuckers out of the news.”
Riley nodded, thinking that he didn’t envy the Watchmen and the Consortium—the governing body ofofficials the shifters worked for—their jobs. In today’s world, it had to feel like a constantly losing battle, trying to keep the existence of the remaining ancient clans out of the media spotlight. Keeping the tales relegated to superstitious folklore. Though very few of the species actually attacked humans, there were still those who preyed upon innocent victims. If the Collective didn’t get them first, it was sometimes left to the Watchmen to take them out, under special command of the Consortium—but most often there would be a special extermination unit brought in by that specific race. The main objective of the Watchmen was to act as the Consortium’s eyes and ears.
“So, anyway, about finding you a woman,” Kellan rumbled.
“I’m fine.” Riley’s tone was hard…flat, somehow devoid of the emotion twisting him up
Something shifted in Kellan’s odd-colored eyes, like a flash of rage, hinting at a side that he rarely showed. Despite being a kick-ass fighter when the situation called for it, Kellan always played the clown. The easygoing prankster who enjoyed riling everyone around him. But in that moment, it suddenly occurred to Riley that there was more going on with the irreverent Watchman than he’d guessed, and he felt like an idiot for not seeing it earlier.
With a gruff bite to his words that Riley had never heard before, Kellan said, “Don’t talk about Morgan like that. She didn’t have to come down to Colorado to make that offer to your brother, but she did. And she damn well didn’t do it because she’s a whore. Though she’d rather die than admit it, the truth is that she’d do anything that Kierland asked her to do.”
Riley lifted his hand, rubbing at the knotted tension in the back of his neck as he thought over what Kellan had said. “Huh. So is there, like, a history between those two?”
Kellan rolled his shoulder in a frustrated gesture and pressed his lips together, obviously knowing better than to start gossiping about his brother’s private life. He muttered something foul under his breath, then shoved his water bottle beneath his arm and pushed his hands into his pockets. “At any rate, I wasn’t thinking of Morgan. But we could go to one of the other compounds, see if there’s anyone there who you’re interested in. At least a female Watchman will know what to expect from bedding down with a Merrick.”
It soured his stomach to think of it—the idea of finding some stranger and nailing her…taking her blood. But even as he thought about it, Riley knew the problem wouldn’t be the woman. No, he’d spent his life sleeping with women who didn’t touch him any deeper than his skin. The problem was with him, because at the end of the day, there was only one woman he could imagine doing something that intimate with. Only one woman who could truly give both the man and the Merrick what they needed.
Clearing his throat, he said, “What do you think the others are doing?”
Kellan lifted his brows, the surging wind blowing his dark red hair into his face. “What others?”
“The other Merrick,” Riley grunted, not quite meeting the Watchman’s gaze. He felt too open…too exposed, as if his longing for a woman he could never have was plastered all over his face, etched into his hot eyes like a blinding neon sign. “The ones who are awakening and need to feed the hunger.”
“Those who have wives or girlfriends are probably doing okay,” Kellan murmured, “so long as they aren’t partnered up with a bitch. But the single ones, they’re in the same boat you are. Hopefully they’ll be smart about what they’re doing, or we’re going to have a helluva time keeping the stories of bloodsuckers out of the news.”
Riley nodded, thinking that he didn’t envy the Watchmen and the Consortium—the governing body ofofficials the shifters worked for—their jobs. In today’s world, it had to feel like a constantly losing battle, trying to keep the existence of the remaining ancient clans out of the media spotlight. Keeping the tales relegated to superstitious folklore. Though very few of the species actually attacked humans, there were still those who preyed upon innocent victims. If the Collective didn’t get them first, it was sometimes left to the Watchmen to take them out, under special command of the Consortium—but most often there would be a special extermination unit brought in by that specific race. The main objective of the Watchmen was to act as the Consortium’s eyes and ears.
“So, anyway, about finding you a woman,” Kellan rumbled.
“I’m fine.” Riley’s tone was hard…flat, somehow devoid of the emotion twisting him up
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