Read Online Force of Nature by Kathi S. Barton - Free Book Online

all the items she was now hugging to her body would appear.
    “CJ, are you going to freak out or are you going to listen to me?” His voice was calm, exaggeratedly so. “I’m able to move quickly because of what I am. I can get to—”

    She lifted her hand and he shut up. CJ let the items fall to the floor and walked away. It was either that or have a nervous breakdown. Walking toward the front of the store, she concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other and not looking around. Suddenly, she was sure if anyone were to stop her to have a conversation with her, she’d go over the deep end.
    She didn’t know how she got home. She was just suddenly sitting in the chair at her kitchen table and there was a cup of tea in front of her. Looking around, like something was going to hop out and…well, she wasn’t going there just yet. The water on the stove made her feel marginally better. Knowing that she made the cup of tea herself was somewhat comforting.
    If what had happened in the store was correct, and she wasn’t ready to believe anything just yet, but just for the sake of argument, if Phil had gotten those things from something nearby, how did he get there and back without her seeing him? And, if he did go to the other parts of the store to get them then…then what? Then she was either insane, and that was a good possibility, or…or Phil was a vampire. And if Phil was a vampire then—
    The knock at her door startled ten years off her life she was sure. She nearly walked away when she saw who it was. She didn’t need any more “almost” revelations tonight. Especially from Austin.
    “Can I come in?” he asked when she opened the door. She wanted to say hell no, but decided to ask him some questions first.
    “Tell me why you think I’m your mate and what happens.”

    ~Chapter Seven~

    Austin was sitting in the kitchen when his mom came down. He wasn’t in the best of humor and had he known she would catch him there, he would have gone to his room. The nerve of CJ
    putting restrictions on things between them and then expecting him to live with it.
    “You look ready to take on the world. Want to talk about it?” She leaned into the refrigerator as she asked. “I’m always a good listener.”
    Austin got up and took the turkey from her. “No, I don’t. Where do you want this? And don’t try any of your tricks to get me to talk either.”
    She pulled out the larger roaster while he began cutting the string away from the wrapper.
    They’d been having fresh turkey at his house on Thanksgiving since he could remember. He pulled the bird out of the wrappings and threw out the paper. She started getting out the ingredients to make corn bread for stuffing while he washed up.
    “Have you heard from your brother yet? I thought he’d be here by now. I wonder what’s keeping him.”
    He glanced over at his mom when she asked. “He arrived last night. She wants to put restrictions on me. No biting and no…and no other things.” He nearly told his mom that CJ said they could have sex, but he was to wear a condom or no go. “She asked me what it meant to have a mate.”
    “Here, get out the larger baking pan for me. I need to pour the batter and it’s easier in that large pan. Please turn on the oven while you’re over there. What did you tell her?” She was mixing the herbs when he turned to answer her.
    “I told her about mating. Not that she’s going to be my mate, but since she asked, I told her.
    I told her about the marking and other males and that she would smell like me after we…after sex. She said she wasn’t going to have that. How on earth could she not want that?” Austin started to make coffee as he continued. “I don’t think she believes me anyway. She thinks the whole thing is barbaric. It’s just sex and I thought it could be a little fun, but I don’t want her as a mate.”
    When his mom didn’t say anything, he looked over at her. She was looking at him as though