Stolen Desire (Outlawed Realm) Read Online Free Page A

on? Why? Paige wasn’t foolish enough to believe she meant anything to him, expect as another human being he didn’t want to see harmed or killed.
    That was enough. Rarely had she been important to anyone, especially a stranger. Gratitude washed through her so quickly, Paige found it difficult to breathe. Her chin trembled with emotion. No matter what came down, she wouldn’t let on how scared she was or make things any more difficult than they already were.
    She murmured, “Thanks for getting me out of there.”
    He nodded, then released her, taking her hand once more to lead her to the colony.
    Before he could turn away, Paige touched his chest lightly and promised, “I won’t let anything happen to you either.”
    He lifted his brows in what appeared to be surprise, then worked his mouth to hide his smile, which he seemed determined to stop. Just as a soldier would. He’d been dressed like one in his camouflage gear. He behaved as one would. Resolute. Fearless. An unemotional rock.
    He was still a man, though, not a machine, with warmth flaring in his dark eyes. Nice. Paige smiled at the unexpected connection between them. Sure, it was small. But it didn’t feel like they were strangers any longer, nothing more than rescuer and rescued.
    The precious moment between them didn’t last. Zekin regarded her as though he didn’t know what to say or do. At last, he mumbled, “We need to hurry.”
    They’d stopped for no more than a minute. Still, Paige wasn’t about to argue with him. “Whatever you say… We can run if you want. I might even beat you to the colony. I’m really stoked to get out of here, so you better keep up.”
    He laughed, then appeared surprised he had. After a quick glimpse of their surroundings, he continued in the same direction they’d taken before the sea creature had crashed through the ice.
    A light dusting of snow now covered the lake’s surface, the worst of the storm heading in their direction. Within minutes, it reached them, offering no chance to outrun it. Flakes as huge as a man’s fist hit them at an angle, with some adhering to Paige’s facemask.
    She brushed them away. More fell. Her hand stalled in midair. What she’d thought were snowflakes didn’t melt on contact. The intricate designs began to move on their own. The spokes were actually legs that protruded from translucent white bodies. A faint blue pulse throbbed within, signaling a heartbeat.
    Holy crap, these were freaking bugs. Big, creepy, cruddy bugs .They slithered over the transparent covering on her face and down her body.
    Paige forgot her promise to run or move at all. Her migraine drained away, replaced by stark terror. Bouncing in place, she flapped her free hand.
    Zekin turned to her. The things were crawling over him too.
    “I’m not scared,” she blubbered, then clenched her jaw as one of the insects skittered across her mouth. She shuddered at the feel of it moving on her lips, taking its time before reaching her cheek. She held back a gag and swallowed hard. “It’s okay. Everything’s great. I’m not scared.”
    Quickly, Zekin brushed the gross things from her even as others scrambled over him.
    Paige slapped them from his shoulders and arms. “Are you all right? Are they biting you?”
    “They can’t get through the barrier we wear.” He grabbed her wrist, stopping Paige before she knocked them off his chest.
    The cloud passed as quickly as it had arrived, raining the things on one of the monstrous drifts.
    Thousands of them roamed the ground, in no hurry to get out of the way. After all, this was their gruesome territory. Paige bit her bottom lip at the crunching sounds they made, their brittleness as she and Zekin walked over them. Trying not to retch, she moved faster than she would have believed possible, her full attention on Zekin’s broad back, narrow hips, long muscular legs, rather than the surrounding area. She didn’t want to see anything but him.
    At last, she didn’t want