Wicked Wind (Solsti Prophecy #1) by Sharon Kay Read Free Book Online

hair was pulled partially off her face. Bare feet with red painted toenails and another pair of tight jeans completed her look.
    “Hi,” she said. “I didn’t hear the buzzer. Oh, wait, did you get in here with some special demon B & E skill?”
    He scowled again. “No, I just walked in, and so could anyone else. This building isn’t secure enough. Pack a bag so you can stay at my place tonight.”
    “Oh.” She raised her perfectly arched brows. “Um, yeah. Not sure about that. I’m totally safe here, but I get the feeling that nothing will convince you. Come on in.” Then she spotted the purchases he carried, and a huge grin lit her face. “Ooohh, you brought me coffee. Thanks!”
    He handed her the cup and she took a slow sip, testing the temperature, before smiling again. She closed her eyes briefly, tilted her head back a little, and savored the bitter drink as if he had given her liquid gold. “Mmm, that’s good.” Emerald eyes met his. “The first sip is always the best.”
    Good gods, how was he going to survive the day with her, when she made a tiny act like drinking coffee look so erotic? “Glad I picked something you like.” He dragged his eyes away. He needed to look anywhere but at her sweet body right now, so he glanced around her sunny condo.
    “You know, this building has a nighttime security guy and cameras everywhere.”
    “That’s not good enough.”
    “We’ve lived here for two years and there haven’t been any problems.”
    Why did she have to be so stubborn? “I picked up the trail of a Skell demon not two blocks from here.”
    “Is that bad?”
    “Hell yes, it’s bad.”
    A tiny frown knit her brows together. “How did you know what it was?”
    “Most species have a unique scent, and Lash demons can detect them all. The one that was here smells like burning leaves.” He cursed softly. “It’s gone now, and it’s not the worst demon around. But the fact that it was in such a populated area isn’t a good sign.”
    She narrowed her eyes. “Fine, I’ll throw some things together. But I’m doing it to humor you. My sister and I have been practicing mixed martial arts for years.”
    He remembered that she didn’t live alone. “Is your sister here? She should come with us.”
    “Oh, that idea will go over even better with her,” Nicole drawled, rolling her eyes. “She was out the door early today. I haven’t even gotten to talk to her yet.” She disappeared into her bedroom.
    Gunnar resisted the urge to follow her. He really did not need to see her bedroom. He did not need a visual of where she slept, cozy with bedding and pillows, all loose and soft and warm...He wrenched his thoughts into a different direction. He was anxious for her to meet the Elder.
    No one knew exactly how old Rilan was. Gunnar guessed him to be well over a thousand years old. The old demon knew several languages and although not a sorcerer, he could cast many intermediate-level spells. His title came not just with his age, but also with the depth of knowledge that he possessed when it came to supernatural creatures. There were very few he hadn’t encountered, and he was a walking encyclopedia of both fact and legend. If anyone could identify Nicole’s species, Rilan was one of their best bets.
    Gunnar looked around Nicole’s living room as he waited. Vivid yellow paint decorated two of the walls, and the other two were a warm chocolate brown. Bright morning sun spilled through a window next to a bookshelf. All the shelves except one held dozens of books. He spotted fiction, biographies, and art books, crammed to the shelf’s capacity.
    The last shelf held roughly a dozen framed photographs. A smiling couple who looked to be a generation older than Nicole looked out from a silver frame, and most of the rest were snapshots of Nicole and two other women. The other two had brown hair and stood a bit shorter than her, but the family resemblance shone through. A smaller frame held a faded photo