Demons are a Ghoul's Best Friend: Afterglow, Book 2 Read Online Free PDF

of any little childhood glitches.” He paused and frowned. “Sadly, there isn’t always a loving parent around.”
    “And that’s where you come in?”
    “Sometimes, yes. These two, for example. Lucy and Rusty.” He glanced through the window into the garden. “Rusty changed very soon after his birth. His mother couldn’t handle it. She was in her late teens, I believe. She left. Rusty was too young to figure out how to relax into his AG talent and stayed a puppy.”
    “And Lucy?”
    “Her mother died giving birth. There was no father present. He was in the wind long before that.”
    “Oh God.” Pandora’s eyes swam with tears for a few seconds before she blinked them away. “And so they ended up with you.”
    “I have a few friends here and there. I foster these kids, if you want to call it that. I just make sure they’re safe, happy and free to develop at their own pace. I help them physically. Once they’re on their own, or with new families, they’ll get counseling.”
    “They get adopted?”
    Cheney chuckled. “One good thing about werewolf AGs. They love big families. Thriving packs. There’s always one out there looking for kids to adopt.”
    “But the others…”
    “I can’t go there.” He straightened his shoulders. “I simply can’t think about it. I do what I can with these kids and pray to God somebody else is helping other kinds of AGs. Focusing on my family is the best way to deal with that lurking knowledge, believe me.”
    “Yeah.” She nodded soberly.
    “I see a lot of shit, Pandora. I’m a detective. It’s my job.” He grimaced. “A lot of it’s unpleasant. Coming home, doing this…” He waved a hand at the window. “Well, it makes life better. Not just for them, but for me too.”
    “I can understand that.”
    “So.” He gazed at her. “About your problem.”
    She lifted her face and met his eyes, her own clear and blue as a tropical ocean. “I know now I need you more than ever. This creature isn’t like Rusty or Lucy. Only you can tell me what it is, what it needs and how to help it. Or him. Or whatever.”
    “You think it’s a werewolf?”
    “At this point, I’m not sure of anything except that my gut churns when I’m around it. And there’s something in its eyes…”
    “Good enough for me.” He stood and drained his glass. “Got time now to go check him out?”
    Pandora glanced at her watch. “I’ll make time.” She reached into her pocket and withdrew her tiny phone. Turning away, she spoke into it and within a few moments was reorganizing her schedule for the day.
    Cheney took their glasses to the sink and rinsed them, noting that the pups were now lazily stretched out in the sunshine. Would he be adding a third? It was possible. She couldn’t help it, but at least she’d been smart enough to come to him for advice.
    And he’d actually let her in to the private side of his life. A woman he’d not met before that morning. That was something indeed. Buck would give him a hard time, Cheney knew. But he’d always been one who followed his instincts.
    And his instincts told him he was doing the right thing about Pandora.
    However, when she turned and smiled at him, it wasn’t exactly his gut instincts that responded. It was about a foot or so lower. “Ready?” He ignored the curl of lust warming his crotch.
    “Let’s go.” Her heels clicked on the floor as she strode from the house.
    A thought drifted through his mind. In his opinion, most lawyers were asses. This was one who had an ass. A really fabulous tight and shapely ass. With a sigh, he shoved away the urge to grab it and followed it as it swayed rhythmically out the door.

Chapter Four
    “Why so reticent about your talent?” Pandora spoke from the passenger seat as they drove back toward the city. “You seem to go to great lengths to keep it quiet.”
    Cheney pondered the question for a few moments. “Probably because it’s not common. Or of much use.” He shrugged.