Beyond the Grave Read Online Free PDF Page A

call Britt and ask him to go with you, dear. Just for tonight. Please. I know you're feeling better, but it was only a few hours ago that you were incapacitated."
    She entered the office and sauntered over to her baby brother. Reaching out, she patted his sagging shoulder. His flesh lay thinly across his bones. Gone were the taut muscles of his youth. His gray-blue eyes had faded while hers remained bright and blue. He stared at her, weariness embedded in his carriage.
    She sighed. “Okay. I'll pick up Britt at his apartment."
    "Thanks, Love. That's all I ask."
    She kissed his forehead. “Get some sleep. You look tired."
    "Be careful. And don't forget to take Britt to go with you.” He smiled at her with a loving twinkle in his eyes.
    "Yeah, yeah."
    She stepped through the window of Regent's office, somersaulted off the roof and landed in the shadows where she wouldn't be seen by anyone passing by. It felt good to have her strength back.
    And it felt even better to move quickly through the city. This was a life she'd grown used to. This method of travel, her enhanced senses and sight, were part of her. A tingle rocketed up her spine when she stopped on the rooftop of the building adjacent to Britt's. From here she looked into his apartment through his patio door. He was eating a TV dinner.
    She sucked in a breath and stepped back instinctively when he turned and looked at the spot where she stood. Almost as if he knew she was there.
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CHAPTER FOUR
    Jess dropped soundlessly onto the tiny balcony and pulled the patio door open just wide enough for her to slip through.
    "Come in. I'm glad to see you're feeling better,” Britt said, smiling at her. Bringing out the big guns. That smile always distracted her. And the fact that he didn't seem surprised to see her didn't go unnoticed either.
    "You know how it is, I'm resilient. Especially when I'm ticked off,” she said, stepping into his apartment.
    Dressed in snug fitting blue jeans and a cream colored T-shirt, he looked dark and sexy tonight, and maybe a little tired. It would be a bonus to feel his warm flesh against hers, his lips on hers. If only things could be different.
    "How'd training go earlier?"
    "Okay, we've got a few worthy fighters in this group.” His intelligent eyes took in every nuance of her. Even though his gaze was assessing and not in the least sexual, she looked away.
    "Working tonight?” he asked in a voice that hinted he suspected what she was up to. He stretched his shoulders and rubbed the back of his neck.
    Fighting vampires had taken its toll on his human physiology, yet he never complained. Of course, he had no idea what those simple stretches could do to her. Thoughts about being able to work those kinks out for him threatened to break her resolve.
    Being a kick-ass vampire hunter gave her no tools against the feelings this tough cop engendered in her without even trying.
    "I'm going back to the club. See if I can figure out what Vaslov's up to.” She pursed her lips and tried to focus on her job. Something she'd never had to work at before. “And maybe find out what caused my episode earlier."
    Upon closer inspection, Britt's shoulders were knotted and tight. Had she ever known a man who embodied tough the way he did? He had a few more scars since their recent battle with a vicious drug lord vampire named Prometheus, but that just made him sexier.
    The urge to trace the new scar across his chin before trailing her fingers to his lips surfaced. She quickly stepped back. She didn't even remember getting that close!
    "You going alone?” he asked, his voice husky.
    She put her hands on her hips and pushed her own shoulders back, reaffirming her willpower against his potent sexuality. It was working too, until his gaze slowly devoured her while he patiently waited for her response.
    In self-preservation mode, she moved farther away from him. “No. That is, not if you'll agree to come with me. I know it's your time