Master of Fire by Angela Knight Read Free Book Online Page B

head spinning. No way a Maja would be able to fake that. Hell, most of ’em don’t even know how to use a computer.”
    “Neither do I.”
    “You don’t have opposable thumbs.”
    Smoke sniffed. “At the moment.”
    Logan ignored that. “I have no idea why the hell one of the big pharma companies didn’t snatch her up. According to her file, she taught chemistry at some little community college for a while, but apparently wanted to get back in the lab. She says she took the forensic chemist job with the Greendale department because she couldn’t find anything else, but she’ll be bored spitless in a week. That woman is a genius.”
    “I wasn’t aware you found your job boring, boy.” The tip of the cat’s tail flicked.
    He shrugged. “Testing drugs gets a bit dry after a while. Which is why I started working arson investigations and joined the bomb squad.”
    “You always were ADD.”
    Logan laughed, and the two fell into a comfortable silence. Stroking the cat slowly, he meditated on the sound of Smoke’s rumbling purr in the darkened room. The last of his nightmare-induced tension drained away.
    It had only been a dream, after all. He wasn’t a vampire, and he had no intention of becoming one anytime soon. Giada was safe from him.
    “What I don’t understand,” the cat said at last, “is why you fear becoming a Magus.”
    Logan stiffened, his peace instantly draining away. Sometimes it was like the damned cat read his mind.
    Apparently oblivious to his sudden tension, Smoke continued. “When you were a boy, following in your father’s footsteps was all you could talk about.” He angled one ear. “Afraid of being lost in Daddy’s shadow?”
    “Dad doesn’t cast a shadow. Dad is a fucking total eclipse. I came to terms with that when I was sixteen.”
    “And? Have you suddenly decided you can’t live without chocolate after all?”
    Logan smiled a little at that. When he was ten, he’d told Smoke the only thing he didn’t like about the idea of becoming a vampire was giving up Tootsie Rolls in favor of chewing on girls. “Not quite. Girls have more appeal than I thought.”
    “So why don’t you have fangs? Morgana predicted you’d be a fine Magus before you could walk, so I know you’ve been cleared.”
    He definitely didn’t want to have this conversation. For one thing, he didn’t want to trigger a rerun of that fucking nightmare. “That’s a long story, and it’s late. I need to hit the sack.”
    “Don’t give me that,” Smoke said roughly. “Something happened to you when you were fourteen. No one will tell me what, including your mother, and she’s never hesitated to tell me anything. Neither did you, once upon a time. All I know is that you suddenly started keeping secrets.”
    “Don’t worry about it, Smoke. It was a long time ago. I’m over it.”
    “Obviously not, or you’d be a Magus.”
    Dammit, when the cat got an idea in his head, he was like a dog with a bone. “I have a satisfying career I’m not ready to give up. That’s all there is to it.”
    “I caught you crying , boy. You never cried. And you wouldn’t tell me why.”
    There was a note of hurt in the cat’s voice he’d never heard before. Guilt needled him, but he couldn’t bring himself to dredge up the whole ugly story. “I’ll tell you later, Smoke. Just . . . not tonight.”
    “Fine.” The cat rose and leaped out of his lap, radiating offended dignity. The door opened, apparently at a wave of magic, and Smoke stalked out. It slammed behind him.
    “Great.” Logan scrubbed both hands through his hair, rose, and went back to bed.
    Maybe if he was lucky, he’d even be able to sleep.
     
     
    The alarm went off way too early. Giada groaned as she rolled out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom to let the shower pound her groggy brain awake.
    As the warm, hot spray rained over her body, the details of the night’s erotic dream replayed in her mind in uncomfortable detail.
    Had it been a