Awakening Kiss (Watcher's Kiss Book 4) Read Online Free PDF Page A

safe. I get that tonight was scary or freaky or whatever. Going into a portal for the first time can be terrifying.”
    She grimaced. “That’s an understatement.”
    “So, all things considered, you did fine. No injuries from the alley or the landing here. We’ll get you home and…” He tilted his head like he had more to say. Lots more. “And be careful at night. You don’t know what’s out there.”
    “Got it.” She tugged at a blade of grass and studied him. He wasn’t acting like he planned to harm her. God knew he could have already. With his physique and close-cropped hair, he was good-looking in a military sort of way. Maybe he was in the armed forces. His attitude radiated protection—different from how he was at first, when he’d been almost accusatory. It wasn’t a stretch to believe he led the kind of lifestyle that required him to beat the crap out of people.
    Or out of elves and vampires?
    The things he said sounded outlandish. But if she were honest, she’d always held a secret curiousity about that stuff. Not to the point of fully believing it was real, but enough to entertain the thought that maybe, just maybe, there was a valid reason behind myths and the things science couldn’t explain.
    She rubbed her temple. Shit, maybe this was all a dream and she’d wake up in her own bed, in her tiny apartment, with Meena calling her early in the morning to tell her the chocolate croissants were kick-ass. A girl could hope. Though she’d lost her phone. Maybe that was a dream too.
    The roar of an engine cut into the calm air. Headlights pierced the night like lasers, illuminating the path for a huge black SUV. It pulled up on an access road and stopped close to where they sat.
    “That’s our ride.” Rhys stood and offered her a hand up.
    She eyed it, but took it. His hand was surprisingly smooth and warm. Standing next to him, she realized just how tall he was, towering over her height of five foot five.
    “You okay?” he asked, genuine concern in his voice.
    No. She nodded and released his hand, feeling silly. She was definitely not okay. But she didn’t want to talk about it.
    The driver’s door opened and Enza’s jaw dropped. She knew she was staring but couldn’t look away from the man who emerged, looking like a carbon copy of a Hollywood actor who’d recently portrayed Thor and graced gossip magazine covers. She fought to close her mouth. “You…you’re friends with…”
    “This is Brenin,” Rhys said. “Sometimes he gets mistaken for some other dude, but we ignore that shit.”
    “Hi,” Brenin said. Just as tall as Rhys, his long blond hair skimmed bulging biceps and his eyes twinkled in the light from the headlights.
    “Hi. I’m Enza,” she said, trying not to sound breathless and wondering if all his friends were this big.
    “Arboretum, huh?” Brenin bounced an amused glance to the tree tops. “Ready to go back home?”
    “Yes. Are you sure it’s not out of the way?” She moved around the front of the car toward the passenger door. Even though she said earlier that she wouldn’t get in the car with two strange men, she would take her chances. Rhys was right, this place was huge, and she had no idea how to get out of it. She didn’t want to be here alone all night.
    And something about Rhys put her at ease. She couldn’t explain it. She opened the door and stepped onto the running board, grateful some engineer had thought to include them on those big vehicles.
    Rhys slid into the driver’s seat. “Not out of the way at all. We live downtown.”
    “You guys live together?” she asked, unable to resist touching the buttery black leather of her seat. The dashboard lit up with all kinds of buttons and displays. Onboard navigation glowed softly, and the screen for the sound system looked like a sleek tablet.
    “Yeah. I’m the best roommate.” Brenin snickered.
    Rhys shot a glare to the rearview.
    “Where?” Enza asked.
    “East Elm. Between State and Lake