"Alexis Morgan - Dark Defender" - читать интересную книгу автора (Morgan Alexis)

him. Not at all. She walked to the edge of the porch. тАЬItтАЩs okay, Dad. I thought we had plans for today,
but maybe I had the date wrong.тАЭ
Her fatherтАЩs shoulders slumped. тАЬSorry, honey, I forgot.тАЭ He checked his watch. тАЬIтАЩll try to be
gone for only an hour, two at the most. Maybe we can go when I get back.тАЭ
Despite his offer, she sensed his heart wasnтАЩt really in it. тАЬWeтАЩll just reschedule, Dad.тАЭ
There was no mistaking the flash of relief in his eyes as he climbed into the car. тАЬIf youтАЩre sure you
wouldnтАЩt mind, maybe itтАЩs for the best. I donтАЩt think IтАЩd be very good company right now.тАЭ
He fastened his seat belt and rolled down the window. тАЬIтАЩm sorry about this, Brenna. I love you,
sweetheart.тАЭ
He waved and turned the key in the ignition. The engine sputtered briefly before catching.
Then, with a flash of smoke and lightning, the world exploded. A searing roll of thunder flung
Brenna through the air, and terror mixed with the taste of blood in her mouth as she slammed into the side
of the house. Her last conscious thought was that she forgot to tell her dad that she loved him, too.
Chapter 1
M urmurs and whispers danced just out of reach. Brenna remained in the darkness, content to stay
where she was. The fire of pain waited for her each time she tried to open her eyes; it was far better to
huddle in the black chill than to let the monsters in.
 But then a new voice entered the discussion, a masculine one that wouldnтАЩt be ignored. A woman
answered his demands, sounding defensive and a little afraid.
A few seconds later, heavy footsteps approached and another man started to speak, trying to
placate the newcomer. Though the stranger made the others nervous, the deep resonance of his voice
comforted Brenna somehow.
She tried to concentrate, to make out what they were saying, but waves of agony immediately sent
her diving back down into the darkness. It was enough to know he was there, watching over her. She
floated under the edge of pain, content to let his voice soothe her.

Blake Trahern inched closer, making sure Brenna was still asleep. HeтАЩd arrived too late to do
more than bury her father and say he was sorry forтАжso damn much. His presence would only upset her,
and she had enough on her plate right now without him adding to the mess.
The need to touch her burned along his nerve endings, but he forced his hands to remain at his
side.
He stayed outside the circle of light surrounding her bed, the dim glow coming from the
instruments that monitored her heartbeat, her breathing, her very life force. Bandages covered the worst
of the damage, and after three days, the bruises on her face and arms were fading to a sickly greenish
color. Brenna shifted in her sleep, whimpering with pain at the small movement. He moved farther back
into the shadows.
тАЬSons of bitches,тАЭ Blake whispered. He vowed that whoever had planted the bomb would pay
dearly for their crime. It was the least he could do for her fatherтАФand her. But revenge would have to
wait. For now, he would stand guard.
A shrill alarm shattered the quiet of the hospital room, dragging Blake out of his memories. He scanned
the room for any sign of danger, adrenaline burning through his veins, but relaxed when he realized the
noise came from one of the machines surrounding BrennaтАЩs bed.
He shook his head to clear out the last of the cobwebs and cursed himself for a fool. Her room
was on a private floor in the hospital, but that didnтАЩt mean the security couldnтАЩt be breached. A fat lot of
good he would have been if the footsteps outside the door had belonged to a killer, rather than one of the
nurses who came in and out regularly.
He eased farther into the shadows and pulled his hand away from the knife in his pocket. Luckily,
the nurse paid him little heed as she silenced the machine. After a few failed attempts to engage him in
conversation, the medical staff ignored Blake as they saw to BrennaтАЩs needs. He watched silently as the
nurse hung new bags of life-sustaining liquids on the IV pole and checked her vitals.