Burning Darkness Read Online Free PDF

was dead. “I’m heading out to get some fresh air. I’ll have my phone if you need me.” He put it in his pocket. “Amy . . . I won’t take sides. It’s going to be rough. But . . .” He wasn’t good at this kind of thing. “I’ll be there for both of you.”
    She nodded, a faint smile on her face. “Thank you. I won’t tell him you agreed. That was for me.”
    There was nothing he could do now. He left, feeling the pressure in his chest ease as he emerged aboveground and walked to the garage where Lucas’s Barracuda waited. Maybe all he needed was to drive. Fast. Find a remote road and hit the gas. The car kicked ass. If he ended up near the Dew Drop Inn, he could always check it out. What could it hurt?

Chapter 3
    T he Dew Drop Inn way passed Eric’s expectations, which were of a small, quaint building with a piano player doing the standards. No, this place was a two-story, shit-kickin’ country dive, complete with a neon boot sign.
    Country music wasn’t his thing, but he was craving something, and maybe he’d find it here. If a hot chick was wearing boots, well, she wouldn’t be for long.
    Who are you kidding? You’re going to see if you’re crazy. Because she won’t be here and then you’re going to have to take that antidote, too.
    He shoved that thought away. The parking lot was still full even at this late hour, but that wasn’t surprising on a Friday night. A couple was making it in a nearby car, and the woman’s groans were so loud they rivaled the music coming from the building.
    He hated when women faked it, and that chick was definitely putting on a show. Still, the sounds of her dramatic gasps kicked his libido into overdrive, and that didn’t take much on a good day. When he was undersatisfied, overtired, and ramped up from being teased two nights in a row, it rolled over him like a wave of hot water. He adjusted his jeans and started walking toward the entrance. Music and cigarette smoke billowed out when he held the door open for a couple who were leaving. He stepped inside and paid the cover charge.
    Okay, he was looking for his succubus. Several women were dressed in tight jeans and plaid shirts, as were the men. Most folks were too involved in their drinking, talking, and dancing to pay him much notice. A couple of women did, however, their smiles predatory as they took him in. Getting laid should not be a problem.
    Eric walked up to the long bar covered with peanut shells to order a beer, and that’s when he saw her. More like felt her watching him. She shifted her gaze away, a shy smile on her face. She sat at the end of the bar, a full shot glass and lime wedge in front of her, an empty shot glass next to it. Not exactly his succubus, but damned close. Long blond hair, eyelashes so thick they had to be those stick-on type. Bright pink lipstick on lush lips. Her black miniskirt, paired with textured tights and red, high-heeled boots, made her legs look long. She didn’t fit in either. She turned her stool around to watch the dance floor, her gaze sliding across him as she did.
    He ordered a Heineken and wandered over, his body buzzing. She wasn’t looking at him directly, but she was aware of him. Her body straightened, her fingers messed with her hair.
    “You don’t want to go there, buddy,” a man at the bar said. He nodded toward the woman. “She’s cold. Cut you right down.”
    He could have told the guy to mind his own business, but hey, he was only trying to save his dignity. “Thanks, man. But I’ll take my chances.”
    The woman glanced at him as he came to a stop beside her, but looked back at the dance floor. He looked at it, too, taking a sip of his beer and remaining just outside her boundaries. Damn, it had been friggin’ forever since he’d been out on the scene. He suddenly felt old and out of touch, as though he’d just come back from war. In a way, he had. He’d been to the dark side of the physical world, human nature, and himself.
    “Do you