Unstoppable Force (Force of Nature Series) by Kathi S. Barton Page A

him.
“How did you know she was going to need you?”
    “My blood. She called for me the second
that Karl came in the room. She said you would try to stop her and she needed
to help this family. As I’m part of this family, I thought I’d come to her
aide.”
    Connor nodded again. He watched her
reach again for the paper and when she touched it, he knew that whatever had
put it there wasn’t Herman. The stiffness of her body made him also think it
was meant for her.
    “He’s decided to help him. The man who
wrote this has decided that it’s worth his time to help my foster father out. He
feels that Dean will fuck it up, but that he’ll be there to pick up the pieces
when he’s done. Namely me. He thinks that once he gets me away from this family,
he’ll…” She turned to him. “He is going to stop at nothing to get me from here
and thinks that he’ll be rich beyond his wildest dreams.”
    “Over my dead body.”
    She nodded and stepped back.
    “Do you know who it is? Anything about
him?”
    “He doesn’t know you’re wolf. He thinks
you’re simply an occult that takes people’s money in exchange for letting them
live in squander. He plans to call the FTA to have them come out and raid the
place if what Dean has in mind doesn’t work.”
    “Think maybe someone can take this blade
out of me? I’m also needing a nice stiff drink.” She smiled at Karl then knelt
in front of him. “You’re a pretty lass, aren’t you? I bet once you start to
feed well, you’re gonna be as pretty as a pup under a little red wagon.”
    Lou reached up, put her hand around the
pommel of the knife, and pulled it free of Karl’s shoulder. Connor started to reach
for her, but she pressed her hand over the wound and closed her eyes. Within
seconds, her hand started to glow and Connor could see the blood begin to stop
flowing.
    Mother fuck, she was healing him.
    Karl didn’t move and neither did she. Once
she sat back on her heels again, she looked back at him. He could see the pain
in her eyes, as well as exhaustion. Whatever she’d done for the man, it had
taken a great deal out of her.
    “I’ve never shown this to anyone
before.” She took the rest of the tumble to the floor so that her ass was now
sitting on it. “You may change your mind about selling me off now, but you
should know I won’t live through it if they take me again. I won’t. If you give
me to them, it will be my death sentence. I won’t go back.”
    “No one will take you. No one will get
to you unless through me.” Connor reached down and pulled her into his arms. “I
will kill for you. You’re mine.”
    “And mine now.” They looked at Karl who
handed her the note. “The man who did this to me, you should know that he’s got
a bit of the black in him. Seen it afore. Black magic is staining his skin like
it’s his birthright. Never known anyone to come out on the better side of that
poison.”
    “You know who he is?”
    Karl shook his head at the question from
Austin.
    “Then how do we find him?”
    Lou closed her eyes and Connor thought
she was asleep. He should have known better. She handed him the folded paper
and then stood up. She began pacing as he read over the note.
    “It says that he wants to meet with us. With
all of us, and we’re to bring his protégé with us.” He looked up at Lou. “He
means you, doesn’t he?”
    “I think so. He doesn’t hate me like the
others I’ve seen. He wants to show me what I can do with what he thinks I am.” She
turned to look at them all before she continued. “He will come for me and won’t
stop with hurting an old man. He’ll kill to get to me. I would suggest that
you—”
    “You finish with that with anything
other than you suggest that we join forces and take him out and I will bend you
over my knee and bust that lovely ass of yours.” Connor stood and stretched. “You
belong to me. Now and forever. There will be no one, not anything, that will
take you from me. Understand