Read Online Poisonous Desires by Selena Illyria - Free Book Online

could go to sleep. She had no time, and she couldn’t be late. With a grumble, she got up and stomped over to the bathroom, where she turned the shower to cold, hoping it would wake up her sleeping brain cells and make her more alert. She stripped out of her clothes and stepped into the stall. The ice water hit her, and she sucked in a breath. She forced herself to stand under the downpour, grabbed the soap, and lathered up. Once she’d gotten used to the cold, she turned off the downpour and dried off.
    It didn’t help. After drying off, she decided to go straight to the coffee. Nadia poured herself a cup of scalding hot liquid and swore when she took a sip, which burned her tongue and throat. With tears in her eyes and anger stirring in her gut, she downed the rest of the hot brew and got ready to go. She tucked her house key into a boot, hid her ID in her bra, and slipped her mobile into her jacket pocket. After she had worked with a pickpocket for a year, she’d stopped using a purse and had begun carrying only the minimum amount. She never used a credit card, debit or otherwise, unless it was an emergency; keys were stored in her shoes or in a place that could be secured to her body.
    Any money she needed was tucked away in an inner pocket or in her bra, but never in a pants pocket. She put a few random denomination bills into her secret jacket pocket, set the alarm, and left. The door would auto-lock behind her. Her nerves were raw, but she was nonetheless aware of all the people out and about so early in the morning. She kept watch for anyone who shouldn’t be there. Her neighborhood wasn’t exactly well-to-do, but it wasn’t known for crime or break-ins. There was a good mix of shifters in this piece of Draven’s Crossing, mostly felines. So far, she didn’t feel as if she were being watched or followed. She decided walking would help her wake up; driving a car would be irresponsible in her state, and the café wasn’t too far away. As she walked, her mind became less muddled, and her throat and tongue didn’t feel too hot but roughened and achy. Hopefully, I’ll be able to eat something. Her last meal had been well over eight hours ago. She was thankful she hadn’t drunk anything when she’d met Isy at Mab’s . If she had, she’d be feeling crappier than usual.
    Her stomach grumbled as the scent of freshly baked scones, pancakes, and buns wafted through the air. She picked up the pace, only to start running to the door. She had to wait as a little old lady beat her to it, slowly opened it, and shuffled inside. Nadia tried not to growl. Get a move on, Granny! Instead, she stared through the window at the glass cases being filled and the darting of waiters and waitresses pouring cups of coffee and delivering ice-cold glasses of milk. When the old woman was through the entryway she turned and gave Nadia her sweetest smile before saying, “Next time, you should get up earlier.”
    Nadia stared after her, trying to fight down a surge of anger. “Well, fuck you very much too,” she grumbled and ducked into the restaurant. She marched over to an empty table and slumped into a chair. A check of her watch told her she was early, thankfully, and another grumble of her tummy told her it was time to eat—but what? She picked up a menu and looked over the food items: vanilla-bean scones, chocolate-chip muffins, oatmeal with various fruit toppings, and various pancakes with syrups and fillings. The menu declared that everything was made on-site and organic. At that moment everything could’ve been made with spam, so long as she got fed. She flagged down a waiter and ordered some milk chocolate-chip pancakes with macadamia nuts covered in a dark chocolate syrup and some milk. For now she would avoid coffee unless she needed it, even if that mocha topped with whipped cream being delivered to the table next to her looked too good to be true. She slouched further into her seat and stared out the window, praying