Read Online The Twilight Before Christmas by Christine Feehan - Free Book Online Page A

but his eyes were ice-cold. “Of course I’m stalking Kate. Do you think I’ve lost my mind? That woman belongs with me.” He grinned to relieve the tension gathering between them. “I just have to figure out how to convince her of that. What are you doing here? And why didn’t I see the headlights of your car?” He glanced in the rearview mirror and noted Jonas had cruised silently up behind him.
    “I ran without headlights, didn’t want to scare you away. What happened tonight? Why are they all upset?” There was no obvious accusation in the voice, but Matt had been around Jonas his entire life, and he recognized the underlying note of suspicion.
    “What the hell are you trying to say, Jonas? Spit it out and quit beating around the bush.” Temper was beginning to flare. “I’ve had a hell of an evening, and you aren’t helping.”
    Jonas shrugged. “I did just spit it out. They’re upset. I can feel it. All of them, every single sister. Does it have something to do with you and Kate?”
    “What kind of question is that? Hell, yes, I want Kate. And yes, I’d do just about anything to get her, but I sure wouldn’t lay a finger on her if she didn’t want me to, and I wouldn’t ever hurt her. Is that what you want to know?”
    Jonas nodded. “That’s about what I was looking for. I’d hate to have to kick your ass, but if you hurt that girl, I’d have to do it.”
    “As if you could.” Matt tapped his finger against the steering wheel, frowning while his temper settled. “What do you mean, you can feel they’re all upset?”
    “I’ve always been able to feel when something’s wrong with the Drakes. And right now, something’s very wrong.” Jonas continued to look at him with cool, assessing eyes.
    Matt shook his head. “It wasn’t me, Jonas. Something weird happened at the old mill, and Kate was very distressed. She asked me to take her home, and I did.” He raked his fingers through his hair, not once, but twice. “I didn’t even have a chance to ask her out again. I was just sitting here, trying to figure out whether I should go up to the house and ask her what happened, or go back to the mill and try to figure it out.”
    “There they are!” Jonas muttered an ugly word beneath his breath. “What the hell do they think they’re doing going out in the middle of the night with the fog rolling in?”
    Matt could just make out the three Drake sisters swirling dark, hooded cloaks around them as they hurried down the steps. The fog was heavy and thick, an invasion of white mist that hid the women effectively as they rushed down the worn pathway that wound down the hill toward the road. Matt leaped out of his car, losing sight of them in the curtain of fog. He was aware of Jonas swearing under his breath, keeping pace as they angled to cut off the Drakes before they could reach the highway.
    Jonas beat him to the women, catching Hannah’s arm and yanking her around to face him. “Are you out of your mind?”
    Kate’s expression went from startled to troubled when she caught sight of them. “Matthew, I thought you went home.” She looked uneasily around her at the fog. “You shouldn’t be out here. I don’t think it’s safe. And neither should you, Jonas.”
    Hannah glared at the sheriff. “Has anyone ever told you you have bad manners?”
    “Has anyone ever turned you over their knee?” Jonas countered. “If you don’t think it’s safe out here, what are you doing running around in the dark?”
    Kate indicated the heavy wall of fog. “It isn’t like we’re going to get very far in this stuff. We have an errand, Jonas, an important one.”
    “Then you should have called me,” Jonas snapped impatiently. Hannah stirred as if to say something but Jonas’s fingers tightened around her arm. “I’m really, really angry right now, Hannah. Don’t make it worse.”
    “Jonas,” Kate’s voice was placating. “You don’t understand.”
    “Then make me understand, Kate,”