Dark Seduction Read Online Free PDF Page A

and leave ’em?”
    “Who, me?” It wasn’t hard to picture his innocent expression.
    “Yeah, you.”
    “No one special, if that’s what you mean,” Jake said.
    “Just checking,” she said. “One day the right girl will come along.”
    “Dunno about that.”
    “Oh, she will.” Tori nodded to herself. “And she’ll knock you on your ass.”
    He snorted. “Ha.”
    With a laugh, Tori said, “Where on Friday?”
    Jake named their dad’s favorite restaurant and Tori said, “Should have known better than to ask. At least they have alcohol. I could use a beer or six.”
    He laughed. “I’ll still drink you under the table, sis.”
    “Try it.”
    “You’re on.”
    Jake told her good-bye and Tori said, “See you,” and then they disconnected the call.
    After she hung up with her brother, Tori sat in one of the window seats in Carla’s townhouse, her back against one side, her feet against the other, and her knees almost up to her chest. The rain continued to roll down the pane and it drummed on the rooftop in a steady rhythm.
    Her older twin brothers had always been there for her. The times she’d let her abilities slip and the other kids had called her a freak; working with her to control them; making sure she got to her special class with Mr. Carver every day by walking with her and ensuring no one hurt her along the way.
    Kids could be so cruel, that’s all there was to it. When she was young and she had slipped, it wasn’t as simple as becoming someone else.
    Instead, once just her arms had shifted and grew so long that they dragged the floor. Another time her nose expanded until she looked like a clown. Then there was the time her hair went from short, dark, and curly to long, bright red, and frizzy. Nor could she forget when her feet became as big as boats. Her elementary school years were not her favorite memories by a long shot.
    While she was still young, and had learned how to hold on to a form, sometimes she’d play pranks on her brothers and her mom by shifting into one of her brothers. At that time she couldn’t hold the forms for long, but it was usually long enough. It was always strange being in their bodies, but fun playing the jokes on them. Of course she’d get into trouble, but it was usually worth it.
    She climbed out of the window seat and began doing her morning exercises, her thoughts turning and turning as she stretched.
    Junior high was a little better thanks to Mr. Carver teaching her for years how to control and use her ability. She was like any other girl when in public then could practice shifting when she was alone.
    Her dad, being a tough cop and a strict father, was less than amused with her antics at times so she avoided doing anything mischievous most of the time when he was around.
    Of course her brothers had their own abilities to deal with. She wouldn’t have traded them if she could have, although their genuine telepathic link could come in handy.
    But they each had different abilities that thankfully no one had ever found out about. Oh, there’d been close calls and a little psychic persuasion involved to erase memories, but they’d managed to keep it under control.
    Mark’s telekinesis talent could be fun—usually—but Jake’s pyrokinetic ability had not been so good before he learned to control it and his temper. Too many stories could be told about things bursting into flames.
    Tori’s arms burned as she did as many guy pushups as her body could take, until muscle failure.
    In high school, kids all but forgot her elementary school years and the freakish things that happened to her. She played sports, including running track, was on the debate club, and took tae kwon do lessons.
    When she was eighteen, right after graduating from high school, Mr. Carver taught her more than she ever knew existed about the paranormal world. She went from thinking that she and her brothers were freaks in a way, to finding out there were countless people with many