White Raven by J.L. Weil Read Free Book Online Page A

sound of his voice did funny things to my belly.
    “You failed to mention that you two met,” Zoe added, giving me an inquisitive glance, the kind that said “we are so going to talk about that later.”
    Keep cool. I angled my head, meeting Zane’s cool gaze head on. “Right. The country club. I was warned about you.” I couldn’t believe I sounded so calm and flirtatious, especially, since I was quivering inside.
    “For good reason.” A chill settled over his words, hardening those eyes to chips of ice.
    Zoe thumped him on the chest in warning. “Ignore him. He’s always an ass.”
    “But I’m not,” said an amused voice to the right of Zane.
    Zoe’s smile widened. “How could I forget about my big brother? Oh wait, I can’t. He always makes his presence known. This, Piper, is Zander.”
    What the heck was with all the Zs, and how many were there?
    And good grief, did they all have to look like dark Celtic gods? The accents…Irish? Welsh? I was no scholar. It was faint, but enough to make most girl’s hearts wobble. Zoe had a trio of troublesome brothers. I didn’t know whether to envy or pity her. So of course, instantly, I liked them, well, except for Zane. My feelings for him were undetermined. “Please tell me there aren’t more of you.”
    Zoe handed me a drink. “That is a loaded question.”
    I gave her a puzzled glance.
    Zach chuckled. “Zoe is just sore that I’m older by five minutes. She hates being the baby, but uses it to her advantage at every single chance.”
    “Hey,” she protested. “That is not entirely true.” But her tone wasn’t very convincing.
    “So what do think of Raven Hallow?” asked Zach.
    I swirled the yellowish liquid in my cup, which I figured was lemonade and probably vodka. Parties were my thing, but drinking, not so much. I hated the fuzziness and tripping over my feet. Add in the puking my guts out and the killer hangovers, and one time was enough for me. Poor Parker. I didn’t know what I would have done without him watching out for me and taking care of me.
    The memory made me miss him that much more. “It’s not home.”
    Zach pulled a swig from his cup. “I’m going out on a hunch here, but you don’t seem like the typical summer girl.”
    “Summer girl?” I echoed.
    He waved his drink in the air with his movements. “Yeah, you know. The rich girls who come here for the summer, looking for a righteous tan and a hook up with a local.” The smile on Zach’s lips said he had been one of those local hookups more than once.
    “I am definitely not one of those,” I assured him.
    “Gross.” Zoe wrinkled her nose. “Are you hitting on my new friend?”
    Zach wiggled his brows.
    I laughed, pegging him for a harmless flirt. Anyway, I was more interested in another Hunter. There was a strange pull inside me, confusing and unnerving. I didn’t understand why my body was on high alert when it came to Zane. We’d barely met, and yet I was ready to go under the dock with him for some intense, reckless lip-locking. What I wouldn’t give to get my hands on his totally touchable abs. Perfection.
    I’d never even had a boyfriend before, and then, overnight I became a hussy. Not likely. I had standards, and it was time I took control of my raging hormones. Taking a sip from my cup, I hoped it would clear my head.
    “Ignore him,” said a husky voice. It belonged to Zander, the eldest Hunter. “He hits on everything with a skirt.” It took me a moment to realize he was talking about Zach, not Zane.
    “Good thing I left all my skirts in Chicago.” Needing to steady my legs, I took a seat in one of the empty lawn chairs beside Zoe.
    She laughed. “I knew I was going to like you.”
    Me too. Zoe was very easy to talk to, and normally girls and I didn’t mix, too much jealousy and drama. I didn’t need either in my life. Thank goodness for Parker, but having a guy for a best friend had complications in itself.
    Zander took the seat on the other side