Alabaster Nights (The Josie Hawk Chronicles) by Elle J Rossi Read Free Book Online

So fierce. So stubborn. Instead, he settled for lazily strumming his fingers through her silky hair while listening to the soft sound of her breathing.
    He’d rest for no more than a couple of minutes before resuming his post. If his instincts were right, more than a blizzard had blown into Nashville. If nothing else, Keller trusted his gut, and his gut was telling him he wasn’t the only one who’d heard about the powerful blood in Nashville. A town that had more than its fair share of occult beings. A town that required a Huntress to patrol the streets.
    From the moment he’d stepped foot in Nashville, he’d known something big would happen. The more he thought about it, the more he realized everything seemed to center around the woman who’d thawed his frozen heart.
    He brought a wavy red lock to his nose and breathed deeply before letting it slide from his fingers. His nerves tingled with awareness the moment her hair landed on his arm. Keller fisted his hands and fought for control. Gods how he wanted her. Everything about Josie was intoxicating. Even her temper. Keller smiled to himself. She’d be spitting mad when she woke and found him stretched out next to her, taking up more than half the bed. If he were smart he’d make himself ghost before she stirred.
    Not gonna happen. He wouldn’t leave until he knew Josie was back to her old self. A thought trickled in before he could prevent that particular train from derailing. He stopped himself just short of growling. Only one thing—one being—could force him to leave. If his sire summoned him now, Keller would fight the call as long as he could. Being here was more important than any task his sire could conjure simply to punish him. Always to punish. The lack of a crime didn’t matter in the least to the elder vampire. When the sire called, which he often did, the family listened…and acted.
    No. He had to stay here. What if someone came in while Josie slept? The lone lock on her door was shoddy at best, her weapon stash too far out of reach to do any good. Keller should know. He’d combed every inch of the place while the Huntress counted sheep. If she were as lethal as she claimed to be, why did she keep her knives on the other side of the room? Even with the apartment being no bigger than a double jail cell, she probably couldn’t cover ground fast enough. Not fast enough for his peace of mind. Knowing the tantalizing woman was half-human confirmed his thoughts. Humans were fragile. Josephine Hawk needed him in her life. Keller would watch over her, protect her… He thought back to the demons in the alley. Aye, he would kill for her too. So much emotion and he had yet to taste one drop of her blood. Still…
    He knew.
    Felt it with every fiber of his being.
    The Huntress was the one.
    Outside, the wind wailed, its song a lonesome and haunting melody that had Keller inching closer to the warmth of his mate.
    The lights blinked out, shrouding Josie’s room in total darkness. Keller looked toward the window, to the soft light shining through the haphazard slats of the blinds. The streetlamps outside flickered once and then, they too, illuminated no more. His vision adjusted slower than usual. The clock was ticking and time wasn’t on his side.
    Perhaps the lack of light was the jolt of caffeine Josie needed. Or maybe the shrill sound of the wind and the rattling of the window. Whatever the trigger, she jackknifed halfway off the bed and sucked in air as if she’d been under water for the last forty-eight hours rather than passed out like a hibernating bear.
    Keller didn’t move, didn’t speak, didn’t breathe. He simply watched as she slid the rest of the way out of bed and stumbled around the room flicking light switches up and down as if she could will the power to come back. She moved to the kitchen, swear words flying out of her mouth with the ease of a truck driver as she rustled through the drawers. A moment later, a flame danced on the end of