Read Online Things That Go Hump In The Night by Lily Marie, Terra Wolf, Artemis Wolffe, Mercy May, Amanda Jones, Bliss Devlin, Steffanie Holmes, Christy Rivers, Lily Thorn, Lucy Auburn - Free Book Online
Authors: Lily Marie, Terra Wolf, Artemis Wolffe, Mercy May, Amanda Jones, Bliss Devlin, Steffanie Holmes, Christy Rivers, Lily Thorn, Lucy Auburn
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bill, please,' are always good places to start," said Gabriel. "When I'm learning a new language, I usually try to start by memorizing the phases for 'Where's the bathroom?' and 'Does your hotel have WiFi?'"
It was the weirdest thing, but touching him made the beast inside her settle down. Suddenly, Nicole didn't feel like she was in imminent danger of losing control.
"How many languages do you speak?" she asked as they headed towards the elevators.
"I can order beers in six languages and ask direction to the nearest bathroom in seven," Gabriel said. "Does that count?"
Chapter 2 – Caged Will
"...of course, my German wasn't good enough to realize that Einbahnstrasse wasn't actually the name of the street where my hotel was located...it just means 'one-way street,'" Gabriel was saying as he escorted Nicole to where her old Honda Civic was parked in one corner of the dimly lit parking garage.
Everyone else had already gone home, and the place did indeed resemble the set of a horror movie.
"You should have seen the look that the taxi driver gave me!" he finished as they walked through the deserted structure.
Nicole laughed, looking more at ease now than she had earlier, when he had first stopped by.
Gabriel hadn't intended more than a quick chat, maybe a bit of light flirtation when he stopped by her cube, just to see if she might be interested in him as more than just a client.
She was beautiful and brilliant and her software engineering credentials impressive…but more than that, her aura blazed with the rare gold tint of a born philtata …laced with the even rarer cobalt-blue of a shape-shifter.
But what he had seen tonight had worried him.
The blue veins in Nicole's aura were dangerously swollen and pulsing with magic. She appeared on the verge of involuntary transformation, her control stretched to the breaking point.
Gabriel had only met two other shape-shifters in the course of his long life. But then again, he was still young for a Child of Lilith.
Both of the shape-shifters had been bound as philtatoi to Children of Lilith, and thus their shape-shifter magic was always kept to manageable levels.
But Nicole's magic was rapidly approaching uncontrollable levels. Where was she going? What would she do when she lost control of the beast inside of her, as must happen shortly?
Worried by what he had seen, Gabriel had been able to siphon off a tiny bit of her overflowing magic when he touched her. He had hoped that an impromptu dinner date might give him the chance to drain off the worst of it, but she had thwarted his plan.
Why had Nicole let her magic build up to such dangerous levels? Why hadn't a Child of Lilith found her already?
A terrible thought occurred to Gabriel. Was this Nicole's first transformation? Would the beast-magic take her by surprise tonight?
A newly turned shape-shifter had no self-control while in beast form. If Nicole transformed in the middle of a densely populated city, it would be more than dangerous. It would be a slaughter .
"Mademoiselle, your carriage," Gabriel declared with a bow and a flourish as they came to a halt next to the little red Civic.
His own vehicle, a sleek Tesla coupe he had chosen as his "office car," was parked some distance away.
Making a quick decision, Gabriel deliberately dropped his key fob. When he bent to retrieve it, he deftly slipped a tiny GPS tracking device onto the undercarriage of her car.
Normally, he would never have done such a thing without permission, but he was worried about Nicole...and any innocents she might encounter if she did not actually have control over her transformation into beast-shape.
"Drive safely," said Gabriel, smiling at her.
She smiled back before unlocking her car, and he was encouraged by the interest he saw.
He also noticed the glitter of perspiration along her brow and temples as she fought to control the magic that was slowly overwhelming her.
"Maybe we could try Shalimar another time," she said shyly
It was the weirdest thing, but touching him made the beast inside her settle down. Suddenly, Nicole didn't feel like she was in imminent danger of losing control.
"How many languages do you speak?" she asked as they headed towards the elevators.
"I can order beers in six languages and ask direction to the nearest bathroom in seven," Gabriel said. "Does that count?"
Chapter 2 – Caged Will
"...of course, my German wasn't good enough to realize that Einbahnstrasse wasn't actually the name of the street where my hotel was located...it just means 'one-way street,'" Gabriel was saying as he escorted Nicole to where her old Honda Civic was parked in one corner of the dimly lit parking garage.
Everyone else had already gone home, and the place did indeed resemble the set of a horror movie.
"You should have seen the look that the taxi driver gave me!" he finished as they walked through the deserted structure.
Nicole laughed, looking more at ease now than she had earlier, when he had first stopped by.
Gabriel hadn't intended more than a quick chat, maybe a bit of light flirtation when he stopped by her cube, just to see if she might be interested in him as more than just a client.
She was beautiful and brilliant and her software engineering credentials impressive…but more than that, her aura blazed with the rare gold tint of a born philtata …laced with the even rarer cobalt-blue of a shape-shifter.
But what he had seen tonight had worried him.
The blue veins in Nicole's aura were dangerously swollen and pulsing with magic. She appeared on the verge of involuntary transformation, her control stretched to the breaking point.
Gabriel had only met two other shape-shifters in the course of his long life. But then again, he was still young for a Child of Lilith.
Both of the shape-shifters had been bound as philtatoi to Children of Lilith, and thus their shape-shifter magic was always kept to manageable levels.
But Nicole's magic was rapidly approaching uncontrollable levels. Where was she going? What would she do when she lost control of the beast inside of her, as must happen shortly?
Worried by what he had seen, Gabriel had been able to siphon off a tiny bit of her overflowing magic when he touched her. He had hoped that an impromptu dinner date might give him the chance to drain off the worst of it, but she had thwarted his plan.
Why had Nicole let her magic build up to such dangerous levels? Why hadn't a Child of Lilith found her already?
A terrible thought occurred to Gabriel. Was this Nicole's first transformation? Would the beast-magic take her by surprise tonight?
A newly turned shape-shifter had no self-control while in beast form. If Nicole transformed in the middle of a densely populated city, it would be more than dangerous. It would be a slaughter .
"Mademoiselle, your carriage," Gabriel declared with a bow and a flourish as they came to a halt next to the little red Civic.
His own vehicle, a sleek Tesla coupe he had chosen as his "office car," was parked some distance away.
Making a quick decision, Gabriel deliberately dropped his key fob. When he bent to retrieve it, he deftly slipped a tiny GPS tracking device onto the undercarriage of her car.
Normally, he would never have done such a thing without permission, but he was worried about Nicole...and any innocents she might encounter if she did not actually have control over her transformation into beast-shape.
"Drive safely," said Gabriel, smiling at her.
She smiled back before unlocking her car, and he was encouraged by the interest he saw.
He also noticed the glitter of perspiration along her brow and temples as she fought to control the magic that was slowly overwhelming her.
"Maybe we could try Shalimar another time," she said shyly
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