Read Online Lycan Unleashed by Tiffany Allee - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Tiffany Allee
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farther out in the burbs. With land or something.” I popped the last bite of hotdog into my mouth and then crumpled the wrapper into a small ball.
“I like commutes even less than a lack of space. Besides, my home is my place.” He gave me a tight smile. “My territory, you could say. I don’t feel as uncomfortable there.”
A snicker escaped me as the image of Mason rubbing all over his furniture to claim it flashed in my mind.
“What?” he asked, amused.
“Nothing.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Really. You don’t want to know.” The idea was ludicrous. Mason wasn’t that much of a beast. Besides, I wasn’t even sure a wolf would mark their scents the same way my cat seemed to. Heck, wolves probably…oh goodness, no. He couldn’t.
Mason watched my expression in fascination as I tried to decide whether a lycan would mark his territory like a domestic dog. Finally I threw an arm over my face dramatically. “Quit looking at me or I’ll have to tell you what I was thinking, and you’ll never think well of me again.”
Mason let out a small noise that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle, but when I dropped my arm to my side, his expression was back to normal.
“When we talk to Isaiah, you’re going to need to try to keep your thoughts off your face, Astrid.”
My smile faltered. “I know.”
“I’m serious. If you show how much you know and he’s our guy, he’ll pick up on it—hell even if he isn’t our guy in this case, I don’t want him to know we’re aware of that.”
I brushed at my nose, which was now almost numb from the cold around us. Cold that I hadn’t even noticed when I had been distracted by Mason’s good humor. But now that professional Mason was back, I felt everything more sharply. I pushed up from the bench. “I get that this is serious, Mason. I’m not a child. And this isn’t my first investigation.”
“All right, then.”
“All right,” I echoed. “Let’s get going. I’m sick of the cold.” How could he switch it on and off like that? Humorous and almost normal one second, and cold and gruff the next? And I was fully aware of the necessity of keeping my feelings hidden around a suspect, especially a vampire with a reputation like Isaiah’s.
I made it a few steps away before the anger pulsing in me had to find an outlet. “I might not have the best poker face in the world, but we’re none of us perfect.”
“No, we aren’t.”
I narrowed my eyes. I wasn’t ready for his platitudes when embarrassment still surged through me. “Speaking of which, you intimidate everyone around you. I want to speak to the wife alone. I think she might be more inclined to confide in me if you’re not there glowering at her.”
“That’s not a good idea.” He crossed his arms.
I poked at his chest, ignoring the rush I got from the simple touch. “The succubus isn’t going to jump me. And if you’re paranoid about it, you can wait in the car. Like a good boy.”
His mouth dropped open and I couldn’t help but notice how not intimidating he looked with an expression of shock on his face. And despite the ridiculousness of my comment, I had a hard time suppressing a laugh. A second later, he snapped his mouth shut. Pushing my chin into the air, I waited for his comeback. Finally, he said, “Fine.”
Not bothering to keep the triumph I felt at the small win off my face, I nodded and continued down the sidewalk.
Mason and I walked to the swanky hotel where the suspected vampire assassin was staying while he was in the Chicago area. It struck me as odd that he wasn’t hiding out in a dank hole somewhere, but I guessed there was no accounting for vampire politics and behavior.
We rode the elevator in silence, but Mason’s posture had straightened, and his fists clenched tighter at his sides the closer we got. I doubted my heart pounding nervously in my chest was good for his nerves, not to mention that I’d suddenly started sweating. Probably not something
“I like commutes even less than a lack of space. Besides, my home is my place.” He gave me a tight smile. “My territory, you could say. I don’t feel as uncomfortable there.”
A snicker escaped me as the image of Mason rubbing all over his furniture to claim it flashed in my mind.
“What?” he asked, amused.
“Nothing.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Really. You don’t want to know.” The idea was ludicrous. Mason wasn’t that much of a beast. Besides, I wasn’t even sure a wolf would mark their scents the same way my cat seemed to. Heck, wolves probably…oh goodness, no. He couldn’t.
Mason watched my expression in fascination as I tried to decide whether a lycan would mark his territory like a domestic dog. Finally I threw an arm over my face dramatically. “Quit looking at me or I’ll have to tell you what I was thinking, and you’ll never think well of me again.”
Mason let out a small noise that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle, but when I dropped my arm to my side, his expression was back to normal.
“When we talk to Isaiah, you’re going to need to try to keep your thoughts off your face, Astrid.”
My smile faltered. “I know.”
“I’m serious. If you show how much you know and he’s our guy, he’ll pick up on it—hell even if he isn’t our guy in this case, I don’t want him to know we’re aware of that.”
I brushed at my nose, which was now almost numb from the cold around us. Cold that I hadn’t even noticed when I had been distracted by Mason’s good humor. But now that professional Mason was back, I felt everything more sharply. I pushed up from the bench. “I get that this is serious, Mason. I’m not a child. And this isn’t my first investigation.”
“All right, then.”
“All right,” I echoed. “Let’s get going. I’m sick of the cold.” How could he switch it on and off like that? Humorous and almost normal one second, and cold and gruff the next? And I was fully aware of the necessity of keeping my feelings hidden around a suspect, especially a vampire with a reputation like Isaiah’s.
I made it a few steps away before the anger pulsing in me had to find an outlet. “I might not have the best poker face in the world, but we’re none of us perfect.”
“No, we aren’t.”
I narrowed my eyes. I wasn’t ready for his platitudes when embarrassment still surged through me. “Speaking of which, you intimidate everyone around you. I want to speak to the wife alone. I think she might be more inclined to confide in me if you’re not there glowering at her.”
“That’s not a good idea.” He crossed his arms.
I poked at his chest, ignoring the rush I got from the simple touch. “The succubus isn’t going to jump me. And if you’re paranoid about it, you can wait in the car. Like a good boy.”
His mouth dropped open and I couldn’t help but notice how not intimidating he looked with an expression of shock on his face. And despite the ridiculousness of my comment, I had a hard time suppressing a laugh. A second later, he snapped his mouth shut. Pushing my chin into the air, I waited for his comeback. Finally, he said, “Fine.”
Not bothering to keep the triumph I felt at the small win off my face, I nodded and continued down the sidewalk.
Mason and I walked to the swanky hotel where the suspected vampire assassin was staying while he was in the Chicago area. It struck me as odd that he wasn’t hiding out in a dank hole somewhere, but I guessed there was no accounting for vampire politics and behavior.
We rode the elevator in silence, but Mason’s posture had straightened, and his fists clenched tighter at his sides the closer we got. I doubted my heart pounding nervously in my chest was good for his nerves, not to mention that I’d suddenly started sweating. Probably not something
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