Fireblood: A Cassidy Edwards Short Story - Book 4.5 by Carmen Caine

Author:Carmen Caine [Caine, Carmen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-08-05T23:00:00+00:00

* * *

I awoke with the warm afternoon sun streaming over my face. I stretched, and sat up, bewildered by my surroundings for a few seconds until memory returned with a rush. Right. I’d stepped out onto the street—against Edna’s wishes—and Strix had brought me to the Poconos, claiming the Fallen Ones had suddenly developed a healthy interest in my existence. I glanced over to see the blond Nether Reach Keeper still sound asleep on the couch but already looking much better with a little color in his face.

Rubbing the back of my neck, I arose and moved to the window. A heavy film of condensation had formed on the glass. Odd. Wiping it away with my sleeve, I peered out. The cabin stood on the side of the mountain, surrounded by an expanse of dry winter grass ringed with majestic pines that waved in the afternoon breeze. I grimaced. It probably didn’t matter that I’d lost my cell phone. There wouldn’t be service this far out in the boonies anyway.

My stomach growled. Some of those Guatemalan coffee beans and toast sounded good right about now. Hopefully, Lord Rowle wouldn’t mind if I raided his kitchen. With one last stretch, I headed towards the kitchen, passing the bookcase along the way. The writing on the book spines caught my eye, mysterious, ancient glyphs. I paused and ran my fingers over the letters. They looked so…familiar? I frowned a little. How could that be? I didn’t know any other languages. I laughed at myself and almost turned away, but then, the unintelligible scribbles suddenly shifted and I heard myself murmuring the title aloud, “The Hidden Mysteries and Secrets of the Reaches”. Fascinated, I picked up the book and opened it to the first page.

The next instant, Strix’s hand reached over my shoulder to pluck it right out of my hand.

I whirled.

“How did you read that?” he asked, astonished, slamming the book shut. “How can you?”

I stared up at him, surprised and somewhat flustered.

“Only masters of sorcery can read this tongue,” he continued, reaching over my head to place the book on the highest shelf.

“Well, apparently not only,” I said, trying to make light of it.

He was close. Too close. But he didn’t move away. He just stood there, radiating a fierce sensual intensity, the expression in his gray eyes making me forget the book entirely. Attraction crackled between us.

He spoke first. “So, what manner of creature do you shift into?”

The words felt like a slap in the face, knocking me straight out of the pleasurable haze that had fallen over me. Who had told him that I came from a family of shifters? The imps? Scowling, I stepped back. “I don’t shift,” I replied shortly.

“Pardon?” he asked, lifting a disbelieving brow.

Really? He wasn’t just going to let this go? “Nope,” I answered, and just to make things crystal clear, added, “It’s a bit of a sore subject, so let’s not talk about it, ok?”

His gray eyes narrowed and ignoring my request entirely, continued, “The Fallen Ones were hot on my trail…until they saw you.

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