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

T-shirt and jeans, but she wondered if he had weapons concealed somewhere. Would he even need any? He has demonfire. And she was letting him drive her to his house. Oddly, no warning bells rang out in her mind. She somehow knew, deep down, that he wouldn’t harm her.
    He lived with four other Lash demons, one of whom was the Elder. Will the other three demons be around? Will we all talk to the Elder together? She wasn’t sure how many others would be with them once they reached his house, so she used the time in the car to pepper him with questions. “Have you been in this area long?”
    “A few months. We move around the country as needed. Monitor the larger cities, keep our ears open for signs of trouble.”
    “Where were you before Chicago?” She studied his profile, surprised that she’d missed how long and dark his eyelashes were. They framed his azure eyes perfectly, making even the most casual glance seem sensual.
    “I was in L.A. for a couple of years.”
    Great, the clubs there are full of petite, tanned, artificially curvy women who probably made a habit of throwing themselves at you . Ridiculous, unbidden jealousy burst like a firework in her mind. Were Gunnar-groupies waiting for him in every city? “Do you have a girlfriend?” she blurted.
    He looked at her, eyes twinkling. “No.”
    “Are you married?”
    This time he chuckled. “Again, no.”
    “Do demons even get married?”
    “Not in the human sense of the word. Supernaturals sometimes find mates.”
    She frowned at the term. “How is a mate different from a spouse?”
    “Mating is more permanent. It can only be broken with the death of one partner.” He grinned. “Any more questions I can answer for you?”
    “About a million, since you shifted my world off its axis last night,” she replied, and then flushed at the twinkle that lit his eyes. “Um…I mean…you know what I mean.”
    His grin turned positively devilish. “Nicole, if last night shifted your world, you haven’t seen anything yet.” It was a good thing they were stopped at a traffic light, because heat rolled off his body as his blue eyes stared deeply into hers. He placed his big hand on her thigh and squeezed gently. “And there’s a lot you need to know about the supernatural world, as well.”
    “Yeah,” was all she could manage, as the warmth from his hand sent fluttering waves zinging through her body. The light turned green and she took a deep breath to clear her mind. “So you’re like, on an assignment here in Chicago?”
    “We’re keeping an eye on something that may or may not be a problem.”
    She raised her eyebrows. “Guess you have to be vague about it. I mean, you wouldn’t want to give away secrets to the new girl.” It came out more sarcastic than she intended.
    He shot her a sideways glance. “If there’s a chance you’re able to help, you’ll know more than you ever wanted to pretty soon.”
    The phrase more than you ever wanted to know had taken on a whole new meaning. Her thoughts bunched in a jumble of conflicts. Was she really putting faith in the tales he told her? Although it was a little late for second thoughts, considering she was in a car with him and on her way to meet his colleagues. And her own life was proof that, if nothing else, some people were just different. Different enough to be supernatural creatures? She had a feeling she was about to get a crash course in all things weird and wild.
    She glanced down to where Gunnar’s hand rested on her thigh. Her instincts told her to trust him. Focusing on the heat flowing from his body into hers, she pushed the jittery thoughts out of her head and looked out her window. Not even a mile to the east of them she caught glimpses of Lake Michigan, sparkling in the morning sun as they drove.
    Soon they pulled into a private, gated lane that crossed a generous yard and led to a large two-story brick house. Tall trees and hedges shielded it from the road. Gunnar pulled around to the