The Becoming Trilogy Box Set (Books 1-3) by Jess Raven, Paula Black Read Free Book Online Page A

rising
off of her body.
    God, why was she thinking of
him now, of all times? Because the heat reminded her what he had felt like?
‘Damn. I’m more wired than you today, Setanta.’ Ash scruffed her newly-named
dog behind his ears. The hustling city crowds had had her herding the pup into
the shade of the General Post Office's giant columns for a breather. The mutt
discovered the bronze statue before she did, slobbering against the glass it
was housed behind. The Irish hero Setanta, who’d become Chú Chulainn, Cullen’s
hound. Seemed apropos and somehow, the name had stuck.
    Far from Cullen’s hound, her
own beast of a dog was shifting restlessly at her side, slavering drool over
her hands. Ash wanted to keep moving and in the same breath, she wanted to
collapse there in the hallway and just lay until the world righted itself. She
couldn’t stay in another night, she couldn’t ... she probably should. With the
way she was vibrating, she’d be snatched up by the police for being drugged-up
or get caught by a guy with a giant butterfly net. As her brain spit up some
half-command to get out of the house, she caught her image in the mirror.
    It was not good.
    She looked like an extra from
The Walking Dead and she reeled back from the image to scold the dog peering up
at her. ‘Why didn’t you tell me I look one groan away from chowing down on your
brains?’ She couldn’t go outside looking like this. She’d be shot on sight.
    Shower. She’d shower. And
then she’d wander. And hunt for food. The kitchen cupboards were bare and she’d
been too busy scarfing her way through everything like a junkie with the
munchies to even notice.
    It was later than she’d
anticipated when Ash finally emerged from her house and set off, back towards
the centre of town. Freshly showered, hair brushed, a little makeup on and she
felt good. She felt ... sexy again. Like she was naked and dancing in the
mirror all over again. But in public.
    I’m pretty sure that’s
illegal, she thought .
    Ash crossed her arms over her
chest, protecting modesty that was already covered by the folds of her coat,
and tried her best not to hooker walk. She didn’t do the hip-swaying seduction,
the straight spine, shoulders back, boobs out strut that women seemed to adopt
when they were out. But she wanted to.
    She didn’t know where she’d
wandered, maybe a mile from the bars, scanning for a place that was serving
something high in fat. She didn’t find any fast-food joints, only office type
buildings ... and a cute little piece of brick face and white-washed walls
called the Brazen Head. It looked like a tiny castle, a medieval tavern tucked
away between all the modern sprawl. The scents from it were more than divine.
She’d found food heaven.
    She’d definitely found food
heaven. Half way through a bowl of onion rings that should have their own cult
worshippers, Ash had set herself up at the bar, a hot, whipped-cream-on-the-top
Bailey’s coffee and a pint of Guinness in front of her. The first, she’d
ordered. The second had been ordered for her. By some guy who still sat with
his buddies by the window, leering at her and revving himself up to approach.
She’d smiled her blushing thanks and quickly turned back to occupying her mouth
so she had some excuse not to talk or encourage his interest. She just wanted
to eat.
    ‘Damn, you’re putting that
away. Has someone been starving you?’ The pretty blonde waitress laughed as she
set another bowl at her side and spun off with Ash’s latest order.
    Ash had never eaten so much
in her entire life but she couldn’t find the will to care about all the
calories. She just enjoyed, bouncing all the while to the music filtering
through the continuous stream of voices, trying to ignore the gaze that crept
over her body like hot fingers. Someone had their eyes on her. Intense,
powerful, heavy. It could be any one of the men in the room. But this one was
different. She tried, she really did try to