Feral Magnetism by Lacey Savage Read Free Book Online Page B

pressed her lips together, hoping the sudden wave of arousal didn’t show on her face.
    Fat chance of that .
    Eve fought to lighten her tone, pushing away images of J.C.’s flat abs, his broad shoulders, his dark eyes. “I have no idea what you mean, and I don’t think my personal life is an appropriate topic of conversation.”
    Daniel grinned, showing perfect white teeth. The smile was predatory, reminding her -- like everything else -- of J.C. “Sure it is. At least, it is at four in the morning.”
    Eve glanced at her watch, holding back a groan. When had it gotten so late? She looked over Daniel’s shoulder for Bonnie, but she was nowhere in sight. She must have realized it was way past her bedtime, too.
    “Fine. You want me to go home? I’ll go home.”
    “Not yet. I want to show you something.” He turned and headed for the door, and Eve saw no option but to follow.
    He led her down the hall and ushered her into his office. It was a spacious room with floor-to-ceiling windows that bathed the place in sunlight during the day. At night, they offered a perfect view of the city.
    One end of the office housed the usual furniture: a wide mahogany desk, leather chairs and a matching sofa, bookshelves and a widescreen TV Daniel used for teleconferences. The other end had been turned into a private lab. Stainless steel and flawless white marble floors gave that part of the room a sophisticated, scientific appearance. All of it smelled lightly of disinfectant.
    He paused in front of a large, state-of-the-art microscope. “Have a look.”
    Despite herself, Eve had to admit she was intrigued. Daniel never showed her what he was working on, and she’d learned long ago not to ask. Their scientific methods and approaches were too different, but they worked well together… when they weren’t working on the same project.
    She pressed her eyes to the lens. Red shapes came to life before her, swirling in circular patterns. “What is it?”
    “That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it?” She could hear the pride in his voice, the barely-controlled need to share his breakthrough. She waited for him to continue. “It’s the answer to a legacy.”
    Eve swallowed a sigh. That was just like Daniel. Talking in riddles and not saying much. “I don’t understand.”
    “What would you say if I told you I found a way to cure your friend of his condition? Permanently.”
    She blinked twice, trying to read between the lines and figure out Daniel’s meaning. Her boss loved to play games. The more obscure his scientific references, the happier he was when someone finally figured out why his latest discovery was so important. “You lost me again, Daniel.”
    His brows furrowed, forming a crease just above his nose. “I’m talking about J.C. Hill. He’s a sick man, as you well know.”
    Eve’s heart pounded against her ribcage. How did he know about J.C.? What did he know about J.C.?
    “Lycanthropy,” Daniel continued in a calm voice, as though he was talking about the day’s weather, “is a disease, like cancer, AIDS, or multiple sclerosis. And I can cure it.”
    Eve gripped the edge of the stainless steel table, feeling the metal bite into her palm. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
    “On the contrary. I spent the last twenty years perfecting this formula, and it’s finally ready.”
    His smug, self-satisfied grin made bile rise to the back of Eve’s throat. “Why are you telling me this?”
    “Because you’re in a perfect position to administer the cure.”
    “I am?” She needed to sit down, but there were no chairs in this part of the office, and the leather couch looked so far away. She wasn’t sure her feet would carry her without her knees turning to Jell-O on the way there.
    Daniel picked up a black plastic case and handed it to her. She opened it with trembling fingers. A syringe and a vial of clear liquid sat on red velvet lining, like a morbid offering. She snapped the lid closed.
    “Inject the