Animal Attraction Read Online Free PDF Page B

plain to see. His broad
shoulders slumped. He capitulated in an instant. “You’re right. I’m
sorry, sweetheart. It was a stupid move for me to make and unfair
to you.”
    We looked at each other, two people in love.
Why then did we act sometimes like we were bent on tearing each
other’s hearts out? Because our situation teetered on hopelessness
... and who better to take the grief out on than the one closest to
you?
    I was tired of being mad. I wanted to love
Dan without bounds. I wanted the carefree relationship I thought we
both deserved. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see it happening, not
until I got this undead body’s urges under control.
    I did the paltry bit I was capable of.
“Forgiven, as always. I love you.”
    Dan smiled, his expression relieved. He came
to me behind the desk. His embrace and kiss on my forehead were the
barest whisper of a touch against my skin. “I love you too. I look
forward to making it up to you properly.”
    Naughty man. He knew all the ways to smooth
things over, all right. My cold insides found a little curl of
warmth at the things Dan might do to put us right again. I checked
the clock and uttered a little groan that made him chuckle
knowingly. Dawn wouldn’t arrive for hours yet. I’d have to find
patience.
    Since being in corporeal form kept me from
banging his ghostly brains out, I turned to business. With a
grudging tone I asked, “What’s your take on these missing
shifters?”
    Dan went back around the desk and settled in
a chair. His brown eyes moved from mischief to serious business. “A
couple of Tristan’s employees are on Levi’s list of the missing. I
didn’t make much of it until he told me there were several more who
match up to the same profile. I made a quick check over at the
Sheriff’s Office, and they are working the case.”
    “I haven’t heard anything on the news.”
    “They’re shifters. Mainstream media could
care less about them.”
    I sighed. I should have figured on that. “Who
were ours?”
    “A gator named Scott and a bear named
Tyra.”
    I thought but couldn’t come up with faces. I
thought I recalled a vampire named Scott, but not a weregator. “I
don’t remember them.”
    Dan waved his hand. “You wouldn’t. Tyra is
part of Tristan’s accounting team and Scott works for the real
estate arm of his investments.”
    “Not part of our core group.” That didn’t
mean they weren’t worth worrying about. Why wasn’t Tristan having
us beat the bushes to find them? Was the election for state senate
taking up that much of his time?
    Dan filled me in on the particulars. “They
each left home on separate nights and never came back. Tyra was
divorced with kids, though her ex won custody because she was a
shifter. She had visitation rights however. Scott’s wife didn’t
leave him when he survived his bout of Zoo Flu. They have a
two-year-old.”
    “Family,” I mused. “Good jobs. Not homeless
like so many others. Anything else in common?”
    “Tyra’s accounting is being called into
question. The head of that department launched an investigation to
see if embezzling was happening. Scott’s name came up with some
botched property inspections related to the company he worked with
before joining Tristan’s team. It could have gotten him into
trouble.”
    “Are those supposed activities related to
each other in any way?”
    “Not to my knowledge.” Dan sighed. “I guess
we should bite the bullet and talk to Tristan. He’s got too many
shifters in his employ to not take an interest in these
disappearances.”
    “He can’t be too worried if he wouldn’t talk
to Levi,” I pointed out.
    “He’s probably ignoring Agent Ward for
personal reasons,” Dan said gently.
    I made a face and glanced at my cabinet full
of BP9. Guilt made me angry and anger had to be drowned in blood or
bad things might happen.
    I didn’t like to be reminded that I got up
close and personal with Levi once. He’d been undercover and I’d
been in