The Coveted (The Unearthly) by Laura Thalassa Read Free Book Online Page B

tell us anything more than what we already knew.
    I turned over the last page in Harrison’s file. Catherine’s sat closed next to it. “Well, it looks like that’s it.”
    I closed his file and slipped them both back in my bag. Once I did so, I faced Andre. “You really have no idea who’s responsible for this?”
    He ran a hand through his hair. “Gabrielle, not all of my subjects are particularly fond of me right now. Not after what I did on my birthday.”
    I swallowed and felt a twinge of remorse. That had to rank as one of his shittiest birthdays. Watching your house burn, parting ways with your soulmate, killing one of your oldest friends and all the vampires he sired.
    “It could be any one of my subjects. I just don’t know.”
    “How do you know I didn’t commit those crimes?” I asked, my voice hoarse.
    He searched my eyes. “You didn’t. I know that for a fact. You still smell.”
    “I smell ?”
    A shadow of a smile crossed his face. “It’s a compliment, siren. I’d imagine all supernaturals with great olfactory senses have trouble around you. It’s not just your looks that draw others in.”
    His eyes flicked to my lips, and my breath quickened at the thought of kissing him. I brought us back on topic. “So I smell — what of it?”
    “Your scent would’ve been all over the crime scene. It wasn’t. Vampires, on the other hand, don’t have scents. They can only release pheromones when they’re turned on and when they captivate prey.”
    “But you smell.”
    He just looked at me.
    And then it clicked. “I was smelling your pheromones. You were turned on.” As soon as I said it, I felt my cheeks heat. Why did I always have to put my foot in my mouth? “So, did you smell any pheromones on the bodies?” I asked, trying to move past my comment as quickly as possible.
    He shook his head. “There were no pheromones on these victims, either because they diffused before I arrived, or — more likely — they never were secreted to begin with.”
    “You know,” I said conversationally, “this is all kind of gross.”
    He gave me a meaningful look. “I bet I could change your mind about that.”
    My face flushed yet again. “Why didn’t you call me?” I asked. I wasn’t referring to the murders, and he knew it. I wanted to know why he’d never called to see if I was okay after the fire, why he’d never insisted that we restart my training.
    He ran a hand through his hair, a sign that he was agitated. “I wanted you to come back to me on your own terms.”
    “Why would that even matter?” I asked hotly.
    “Do you want an honest answer?” he replied.
    “Yes.”
    “Fine — just remember you wanted to hear this.” I knew by his tone that he didn’t think I was going to believe him. He was probably right. “You run from things that scare you.”
    “Thanks for the psychoanalysis Andre.” My voice was only a wee bit sarcastic.
    He raised an eyebrow. “You wanted to hear the truth. You ran from Cinque Terre. You ran from me that night at Bishopcourt. Believe it or not, I’m a fairly quick learner.”
    He looked at his hands. “I couldn’t keep chasing you. You needed your distance.”
    “Andre, I didn’t need that much distance,” I said, my voice wavering.
    He met my eyes. His were red. “That night at my party you looked at me like I was a monster. And that is what I am — a monster.” He came up to me and cupped my face. “You deserved — you still deserve — better than me, yet we are fated to be together. Soulmates.”
    With him this close, none of it seemed important. So I did the only illogical thing there was to do: I wound my arms around his neck and kissed him.

Chapter 6
    At first his body froze beneath mine. He probably had no idea what hit him. Then his hands wrapped themselves around my back, and he lifted me so I wouldn’t have to stand on my tiptoes.
    I locked my legs around him and he moved his hand to cup my butt. His lips parted my own, and I