Read Online Dark Seeker by Taryn Browning - Free Book Online Page B

three scars were visible along Kai’s forearm as he braced Matt’s body with his hand, balancing the wrestler over one shoulder.
    Albania ’s apartment, located within the upscale yuppie area of Federal Hill, looked out over Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. The expansive, multilayered skyscrapers were backlit by an orange moon. Its reflection cast rippling highlights across the water. Red, white and yellow lights roped the masts of a pirate ship, stretching out along the water below a triangular, iridescent peek of the aquarium. From Albania’s apartment, the city nightlife flickered like multicolored fireworks on the Fourth of July. Janie shuddered, thinking about the evil plotting within the city’s limits.
    Janie peeled herself away from the panoramic view of the harbor and returned to the couch to wait for Matt to regain consciousness. His body stretched the length of the couch, so she sat on the floor by the cushion’s edge. She didn’t know him well, but she felt obligated to stay by his side. She nodded off a few times throughout the night, catching herself when her head slid from her palm to the cushion. Kai had tried to convince her to rest in Albania’s room, but she’d refused. The sun would soon be rising. She wished she could relish in the security of knowing the undead would go to bed and leave the unsuspecting public alone. But they had evolved. No one was safe, anytime.
    “Albania made coffee. Do you want some?” Kai entered the living room and took a seat in the chair next to her on the floor, holding a steamy mug in his hand. “Cream and sugar,” he enticed.
    “Thanks.” She accepted the mug. The hot liquid coated her sore throat. During the ride to Albania’s apartment, she had fought through a wheezing spell. She was grateful it was mild, since she’d lost her inhaler in the woods. “I didn’t know witches and Daychildren drank coffee,” she said.
    “I don’t. It’ll turn your teeth yellow. I tend to like my smile white.” He flashed his braces-perfect teeth. “Albania keeps it around for her human clients.” Janie’s brow dipped. “You know. . .gypsy stuff, like fortune telling and palm reading,” he said.
    “Oh.” Janie set her mug on a small coffee table. Kai slid a coaster over to her. “Thanks.” They waited in silence. It had been that way for much of the night, uncomfortable silence, and waiting.
    “Where’s Albania?” Janie asked.
    “I think she’s taking a nap. She’s tired after healing Matt.”
    Janie fidgeted with the mug. “Are you two—?”
    He smirked. “What, a thing?”
    “You just seem—close.” She let her dark hair fall into her face to hide her embarrassment.
    “We’re close. We’ve been through a lot together.” A reminiscent gaze tainted with a twinge of pain crossed his eyes.
    Janie rose from the area rug and moved back over to the window. The sun had started to rise, casting a fiery glow over the city. “She’s very pretty.”
    “Yes, she is.” He joined her at the window, causing her pulse to quicken. It was different than her Seeker sense, a feeling she didn’t quite understand. She focused on a large yacht leaving the dock and wondered who had enough money to afford such an elegant boat.
    Kai placed both hands in his jeans pockets and stared out into the city. “It looks like your boyfriend’s going to pull through.”
    “He’s not my boyfriend,” Janie insisted, feeling as if she might start wheezing again.
    “Could’ve fooled me. You’re with him every day.” She felt his stare on her cheek.
    “Every day. As in three days?” Janie drew in a rough breath and exhaled. “He doesn’t like me that way. He just feels indebted to me since I saved his life.”
    “I see the way he looks at you. It’s more than that.” Kai’s voice deepened. He seemed almost nervous. He cleared his throat. “Not that I care.”
    The energy between them had become frenetic, crazy and mixed with discordant emotions. She realized that just