A Fall of Silver Read Online Free PDF Page B

glanced past them, her body stiffening.
    Kethan touch ed her briefly on the forearm to distract her. Her head whipped around. Thrumming with nervous energy, she eyed him, ready for a fight despite his efforts to ratchet down the tension. He gave her an easy grin and then nearly tripped on a broken section of sidewalk when an inexplicable and unwanted flicker of attraction surprised him.
    All leggy slenderness, s he looked more like one of the undergrads he used to teach at the local community college than an adult. Light blond hair fluttered around her shoulders in soft, silky streaks as she strode at a brisk pace, her heels clicking against the uneven walkway.
    She moved impatiently, like a woman with a busy schedule and intolerant of delays. Difficult and fussy. Definitely not the type he was usually attracted to.
    He tended toward the teasing sensuality of dark, voluptuous older women like the lusty centerfolds adorning the walls of the garage where he’d waited this morning for his car to be repaired. Again.
    Perhaps that explained his uncomfortable itch. He was suffering from too frequent visits to a mechanic who had an unfortunate proclivity for calendars featuring exceptionally well-endowed women holding tools in suggestive ways.
    Kethan glanced at Quicksilver again and swiftly looked away when another sizzling zing of excitement rippled through him. His mind blanked for a moment. He tripped over another crack in the sidewalk.
    What the hell?
    She studiously ignored him, although by the rigid set of her jaw, he had the distinct impression she was aware of his assessing glance. She simply chose to pretend he didn’t exist.
    M aybe he ought to consider buying a new car that would require fewer visits to the mechanic so he could get his mind off the physical world.
    As they approached the House of Waffles, Quicksilver did not slow her stride.
    “Here we are.” He stepped in front of her and blocked the sidewalk.
    Her scowl deepened. Before she could find an excuse to slip away, he leaned around her and pushed open the door. The action effectively forced her either to back up so she could edge around him or enter the restaurant.
    Her lips thinned and compressed into a straight line, but she entered.
    The restaurant was nearly empty . Kethan’s eyes flashed to the old fashioned, black-rimmed clock above the kitchen door. Quarter after eleven. The night was still young.
    He sighed, regretting the evening’s unexpected events. Despite their apparent interest in the talks, vampires were not easy to bring to any negotiation. They were too paranoid and didn’t want to agree to a specific time and place for fear of a trap.
    And h e could certainly understand their position. Especially since he used to be one of them.
    A spurt of irritation heated the back of his neck. Why hadn’t Sutton controlled that youngster, Jason? To let him loose so close to the hotel proved just how destabilized the clan was. That fact made their talks even more critical unless he wanted humans to figure out vampires really did exist and start a full-scale war against the undead.
    Both sides would lose so many it was destined to be a tragedy for all involved.
    Kethan automatically surveyed the restaurant as they paused just inside the door. Three thick-necked men sat on stools, hunched over the counter. Several more occupied the booths closest to the kitchen, leaving the drafty tables near the doorway unoccupied.
    Sipping steaming coffee from thick white mugs held between their hands, the men shot casual glances at the trio hesitating near the entrance. Truckers taking on caffeine before easing back out onto the nighttime highway. Their eyes stared out from identical dark circles of exhaustion.
    It didn’t take long before the y focused on Quicksilver. Men couldn’t help staring at her. She drew their gazes and the males responded like wolves unable to resist howling at the moon. He felt a little wolfish, himself, trying not to notice the way her