Read Online Knight Predator by Jordan Falconer - Free Book Online Page A

though the child she had been lay in my bed.
    The only thing that belied it was her sensual, woman’s body.

    She called
me
beautiful? I thought as I descended the stairs toward my basement hideaway. God, she was so beautiful she made my teeth ache.
    The next evening when I ascended the stairs, I found her sitting in the living room waiting for me.
    “Good evening, sunshine,” I said cheerfully.
    She gave me a sour look. “If you say so.”
    “Really?” I asked as I settled onto the sofa beside her. “Why is it not a good evening?”
    “It’s the tail end of a bad day.” She sighed and gazed at me.
    “Don’t make me drag it out of you,” I said. “What happened?”
    She sighed again. “Well, for starters I got to school late. How come you don’t have any clocks in here?”
    “I tend not to need them. We’ll get one.”
    Her smile lit up her eyes. “Thanks.” She looked away. “I had a splitting headache and not enough sleep.”
    I shook my head. “That’s my fault. I’ll wear that one. I shouldn’t have taken you out on a school night.”
    “I’m just tired.”
    “You want a quiet night in?” I asked.
    She nibbled her lip and nodded.
    I smiled. “You want a burger to eat or something?”
    “I guess so.”
    “All right, then,” I said. I stood and pulled her to her feet. She sank into my arms.
    “Thanks,” she said.
    “For what?”
    “For not being mad at me.”
    “Why would I be mad at you for something stupid
I
did?” I asked, gazing at her in confusion.
    “There’s something else I have to tell you about that,” she said.
    “All right,” I replied as I led her out to the car. “What else do you have to tell me?”
    She got in and fastened her seatbelt. She was blushing. “I’m not eighteen yet.”
    “By how much?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

    “By about four days,” she whispered.
    I sighed. “Look at me.”
    She stared straight ahead, nibbling her lip, with unshed tears in her eyes.
    “C’mon, Bronnie, look at me,” I said softly, willing her to look in my direction.
    Her eyes stuttered to my face.
    I cupped her chin. “Stop nibbling, will you? Better. Look, don’t worry about it. We went out; we didn’t get caught; we came back; we were stupid enough to do all three on a school night. We won’t be doing that again in a hurry, now will we?”
    She nodded, her eyes showing relief, but there was still something lurking in their green depths.
    “What else?”
    “I asked a couple of my friends today about moving in. No go.”
    I sighed again, and closed my eyes. I ignored the swift feeling of relief that shot through me. “I know what you’re going to ask.”
    “Please, Crowley? Please?”
    I flinched at her begging. She sounded so raw.
    I opened my eyes and met her pained gaze. She opened her mouth to speak, but I silenced her with a gentle finger to her lips.
    “No more begging,” I said. “Please. All right. You can stay with me for a while.”
    She threw her arms around me and sobbed against my chest. I put my chin on her head and stroked her hair.
    “I’m so sorry,” she said after a while. “It just hurts, that’s all.”
    “Your parents?” I asked, tightening my arms.
    Her breath hitched. “Yeah.”
    “If your parents love you half as much as mine loved me, you can fix it.”
    “Not while I’m with you,” she said, pulling back and gazing into my eyes. “They can’t handle the fact that you’re a woman for starters.
    They also can’t handle . . . look, never mind.”
    I sighed. “It’s all right. I’ll take you back to them whenever you want me to.”
    Her arms tightened around me. “I don’t want to. I want you. The choice just hurts, that’s all.”
    “Shh . . . easy. It’s not a choice you need to make now, if ever. Just relax and try to get your bearings back for a few days and then decide how you feel about it all.”
    She nodded and then pulled back. “Thanks.”
    “You’re welcome.” I smiled. “Still