Live Free or Die Complete Series Boxed Set: Age Of Madness - A Kurtherian Gambit Series Hayley Lawson (ebook reader play store .TXT) 📖

proud cheekbones and long smooth black hair—hair which Ryder would have loved to have. He was as weather-beaten as Clint, if not more, but Koda looked strong. He would be a great addition to the team.

Koda held a wooden spear with a sharp silver blade attached to the end. He relaxed his grip on the spear when he saw who his visitors were “Hello, Leandro, Massimo. What are you two doing here?”

“We’re on a recruiting mission to help Ryder free some people who are being held in an underground bunker,” Leandro informed Koda. “We came to see if you would join us.”

Koda looked at the group, his eyes rested on Ryder’s neck for a long second. His hands gripped his spear firmly. “I was about to go hunting for lunch. You’re welcome to join me.” He closed the door and walked past everyone.

Carter caught up to Koda. “I’m down for hunting.”

I can’t leave Koda alone with Carter, or the answer will be “No” for sure. Ryder pulled Leandro along with her and caught up with Koda and Carter.

“What animals are out here?” Ryder asked.

Koda shrugged. “Rabbits, mostly.”

Ryder snickered. “Massimo, your favorite meal.” She winked at Leandro, who grinned back.

Massimo just shook his head. “One a day is more than enough for me.”

“There’s wolves,” Koda supplied.

Ryder, Carter, and Massimo looked at Leandro and gulped.

Carter nudged Leandro. “Mmm, wolves are a bit too hairy for me. Isn’t that right, Fluffy?”

Leandro narrowed his eyes at Carter. “Keep it up. We can always eat you.”

“No need for that,” Koda told him. “There are bears nearby.”

That would be a blessing, but curing that much meat would take weeks. They didn’t have the time, and they didn’t have a setup for processing anything as large as a bear. They needed to gather the team today.

Koda gazed off into the trees. “There are plenty of deer.”

“Perfect! A deer would be great. It would feed all of us, and doesn’t take too long to skin.”

The gang headed across a field and a stand of trees came into sight. Ryder could see why Koda had decided to live here. It was peaceful, and he could hunt in his backyard.

They headed into the trees and everyone carefully tried not to make a sound, but the number of people in the hunting party made stealth hard. The branches cracked under their boots as Koda led them through the undergrowth.

The trees began to thin after a while.

Ryder was astounded when they opened up into a breathtaking oasis. There was a small lake, and animals were drinking from it.

Massimo drew in a breath. “Koda, it’s so beautiful here! I thought I knew every part of Pinewood, but I’ve never seen this place before.” Massimo winced when the sound of his voice spooked the animals. Their heads shot upward, and they ran into the trees. “Oops. I’m not the best hunter. I preferred it back when your food was brought to you, instead of you having to chase it down. I miss takeout…”

“’Takeout?’” Koda repeated, mystified.

“First one to get lunch doesn’t have to skin it.” Ryder laughed and ran off, getting a head start.

Everyone ran after the animals except Massimo.

Leandro turned back when he noticed his dad hadn’t moved. “Are you coming?”

Massimo smiled. “I’d say that I’ve given up hope of catching anything before any of you, but that would mean I had some in the first place. He took a seat on the grass. “I’ll enjoy the view. I’d hurry if I were you, or Carter will catch something first.”

“Hell, no.” Leandro considered turning into a wolf and catching a stag before Carter. That wouldn’t be a good idea, because the new members of the group might hunt him down and kill him. Also, Leandro was still worried about turning into a wolf full time. He ran as quickly as he could to catch up with the others.

Massimo watched them as they all headed off. It was like Leandro was going off to play with his friends, just as he’d done when he was a kid.

He didn’t want to join them for a few reasons. First, he hated the thought of killing animals and was a vegetarian—when Leandro wasn’t forcing rabbits on him. Second, it wouldn’t be very cool for Leandro to have his old man running with him and his friends. Third, and most important of all, he was tired.

He wondered if he would be strong enough to fight Afana when the time came.

From Ryder’s account, it sounded like Afana was a lot stronger than he had been before the World’s Worst Day Ever. Before the wars had toppled the old world, Massimo could have won a fight with him easily—or he liked to think so, anyway.

However, things were different now. Afana had been tucked away in his bunker for two hundred years with an unlimited supply of blood. He would have been feeding on his prisoners every day, whereas Massimo had taken the gentler route of being a vegetarian and enjoying his old age. He liked the idea of growing old gracefully, or at least he had until the Madness began and Ryder came into his life.

Now the idea of quietly aging bored him. The events over the last few days had renewed his energy for living, and he’d seen a spark in Leandro that hadn’t been there for a long time. He wanted to be around to enjoy it all once they had freed Ryder’s people.

Who knew? Maybe Leandro’s Fluffy problem would vanish, and he and Ryder might provide a few of those grandchildren Massimo had always wanted…

Fantasies aside, he had to be strong enough to fight Afana and win. As much as he reviled it, Massimo knew there was only one option.

He had to drink human blood.

Ryder picked her way through the trees. The others had gone in different directions to hunt down their own animals. She hoped that none of them mistook one another for their kill. She trod lightly, making silent progress through