Read Online Man-Eater by Zola Bird - Free Book Online

course, get more and more intense as the day progressed, but for now it was manageable.
    Kendra figured she’d get dressed and go over to Ma n-Eater s for some breakfast. Maybe find out a little more about her mystery tiger, Cyrus. He certainly had left quickly that morning, and she couldn’t help but feel a tiny shard of doubt pierce her overall feeling of well-being. She wondered if his promise to take her out on a real date had been less than sincere—an empty movement of his mouth that would never see the light of day. No. There was no way. She believed Cyrus. She barely knew him, but something about him made her believe in his integrity. Kendra dressed and headed out into the bright sunlight. First stop, Roland’s auto repair shop.
    “Are we good to go?” Roland asked.
    “Yup. I’ll have the money by tomorrow. Go ahead and fix my little chariot up.”
    Roland smiled. A big shit-eating grin. Why was he smiling at her? Or maybe it wasn’t her that he was smiling at. Kendra turned. Cyrus stood behind her in the shade of the building.
    “Hey, pretty lady,” Cyrus said. He was smartly dressed in a lightweight Italian suit, an enormous bouquet in his hand. “For you.”
    “They’re lovely,” she said, bringing the bouquet to her nose. She felt her heart skip a beat. So maybe it wasn’t an empty promise after all. The flowers were wonderful. “I was just going to get some breakfast,” Kendra said.
    “Don’t you mean brunch?”
    “We were up late last night,” she replied with a knowing smile.
    “That’s why I’ve got something a little more relaxing planned,” Cyrus said.

    ∞ ∞ ∞

    Cyrus drove Kendra out to about the most idyllic spot she could imagine. Weeping willow trees shaded the green grass on the banks of a babbling brook. The air was cooler out here. He removed a big picnic basket from the tow truck and pulled out a checkered picnic cloth.
    “How did you know I hadn’t eaten yet?” Kendra asked.
    “I didn’t.”
    “So what were you going to do with all this food if I had?”
    “Tigress like you I figured could always eat.”
    “You know my heat makes me hungry,” Kendra said.
    “I know your heat makes you beautiful.”
    Kendra blushed. She hadn’t had a man speak to her from the heart like that before, and it made her heart soar. It made her feel like she’d been lifted on the wings of angels. Feel like Cyrus really cared. Like she’d slipped the surly bonds of Earth. Like anything was possible.
    “Were both your parents shifters?” Kendra asked.
    “Yup.”
    “A Pure Stripe.”
    Kendra realized that some shifters didn’t like the term “Pure Stripe.” Many in the shifter community considered it snooty. Kind of like calling somebody a blue blood. Kendra hoped she hadn’t offended him, yet she was curious about Cyrus’s background. She wanted to know everything about him.
    “Stop it. I don’t think of myself like that,” Cyrus said.
    “But you knew I wasn’t a Pure Stripe?” Kendra said.
    “Yes, but it doesn’t matter to me. Shifter mother, human father, right?”
    “You guessed it. How did you know I wasn’t a Pure?”
    “Only one reason.”
    “You can read minds?”
    “That first night. I wouldn’t have been able to resist your heat if you were a Pure Stripe.”
    Kendra felt a sudden pang of sadness cut through her heart. She took a moment to catch her breath. Was this what it had come down to? Did he view her differently because she wasn’t a Pure? Would Cyrus not be able to respect her because both her parents weren’t shifters? Kendra looked away. She hoped he couldn’t read the disappointment on her face.
    “Kendra,” Cyrus said, taking her hands in his. “I don’t care who your parents were, half shifter, full shifter or no shifter. You’re special to me.”
    And like that, the sadness Kendra had felt, lifted. She smiled. Was this really happening? Did he really just say exactly the right thing? The pang of pain that had shot through her