Running From the Night by R. J. Terrell Read Free Book Online Page B

hint of eyeliner that angled up at the corners.
    “I mean, you’re obviously Indian.” He tilted his head. “North Indian, if I place the stud in your nose correctly?”
    She smiled, and this looked more a genuine smile of surprise instead of a cat smiling at a particularly amusing mouse. “How would you know that?”
    “I have a fascination with world cultures. I’ll not pretend to be an anthropologist or anything, but I learn things here and there. Oh, and my name’s Jelani.”
    “Jelani,” she said, and there was recognition in her voice. “And are you great, or powerful?”
    Now was Jelani’s turn to be surprised. “You know the meaning?”
    “Swahili origin, naming the child great, or powerful. I see it in you. For a human, at least.”
    Absurd as that statement should have sounded, he wasn’t surprised. Right then, this small, gorgeous, delicate-looking woman seemed more like a hunting cat, capable of doing things to him he didn’t want to imagine. It was a feeling, an instinct that hit him in the stomach so hard rational thought couldn’t penetrate. He stared at her for a few moments, and she patiently endured his scrutiny. She had said what she did on purpose to gauge his reaction, he knew. But why?
    “And I’m to guess that you aren’t human, then?”
    “What do you think? Don’t I look human to you?”
    “Aside from the fact that I’ve never known there to be anything other than humans in the world, suspending my sense of reality for a moment, yes, you do look human. But things aren’t always what they seem.”
    He saw approval in her eyes. Damn, but this girl was making him nervous. “You are a survivor, Jelani. I can see it in your eyes, in the way you move. I can see it in the way you hold yourself ready, even though you’re standing in front of a girl who is much smaller and lighter than yourself. It is a shame you came to such luck last night.”
    “Yeah well, I know how to keep a low profile.”
    “The only way to elude the Hunters is to move very far away. And if the wrong person has taken an interest in you, there is no place on earth you could hide.”
    Jelani took a deep breath to settle his nerves. “You seem to know a lot about these people. Think you could help me? Maybe your big friend?”
    Her smile crinkled. “Why would I do that, Jelani?”
    His mouth fell open, and he frowned in disbelief. “You stalk me and catch me on this street, tell me all this stuff about Hunters and how I can’t elude them, and you have no intention of helping me?”
    “I must admit the thought hadn’t occurred to me.”
    Jelani looked at her, blinking. “Then why are you here? And why did big brotha-man help me last night? Having some fun playing mind games with me?”
    She laughed. “Oh, little child, Jelani. Watch your step and keep your wits. I’m beginning to think you may just survive this. It will be interesting to see if you do.”
    “Man get the hell outta here with that!”
    She crossed her arms over her chest and arched an eyebrow. Half the smile still remained but he couldn’t tell if there was any amusement behind it.
    “Hey, I didn’t mean it like that, okay? Try to cut me some slack. Someone shows up out of nowhere and tells me someone who I’m guessing isn’t human is hunting me and I can’t give them the slip. It messes with your head a little bit, okay? At least it’s messing with mine.”
    “I see,” she said, and in the blink of an eye, she had closed the distance between them and was right in front of him. Jelani couldn’t remember the last time he’d been caught so hopelessly off guard. No one should be able to move that fast. She stared up at him with those brown eyes and he found himself transfixed. Slowly she reached a smooth brown hand up to stroke his cheek, and if he had been able to, he would have shrugged away. Maybe.
    “You really are a handsome one.” She tilted her head just a bit, and for a moment he thought she meant to kiss him. She raised