Familiar Desires: 5 (Protective Affairs) Read Online Free PDF Page B

tell you
that wherever you are, expect to find us somewhere nearby. You’re not going to
find it easy to ignore the attraction between us.” Kane stepped forward and his
fingers trailed over her neck. “We’ve lost years with you. We’re not wasting
any more time. We’ll have plenty of time to work out the details.”
    She shivered and stiffened, resisting the urge to lean into
him. “Have fun trying.”
    “Oh, we’ll do better than try.” Michael stepped in close and
his voice lowered a husky, rumbling octave. “We’ll be there when you begin your
hunt in the morning and if it’s necessary, we’ll even tuck you into bed at
night. Although we might be tempted to crawl in with you if that happens.”
    “You know it’s probably better that we had the time apart.
You two annoy the hell out of me. I definitely needed the time away from you
and this place to realize that the Familiar bond isn’t the center of the
universe and from what I remember that’s what you guys expect. There’s no
reason to accept that from any man.” She glared, turned on her heel and hurried
down the stairs.

Chapter Three
     
    Excitement bubbled through Alana. A strange, disconnected
feeling and the location gave her the first clues that, although the emotions
were intense, she was dreaming. The Gathering dance, the place where she’d met
Michael and Kane.
    It was her first time at one of the Gathering dances. Energy
and anticipation buzzed through her and she was almost squirming in her seat. Now
that she was eighteen, attendance was mandatory once a year until she found her
mate. Every Familiar and wizard or witch had the same obligation.
    The dance itself didn’t excite her that much. Two specific
people she’d spotted did. She’d seen Kane and Michael Sullivan walk into the
large hall. They were a few years older than her, but she’d been interested in
them for a while.
    Alana wasn’t brave enough to go after both of the men, even
if the idea sent a thrill through her. She intended to ask Kane for a dance and
see if she could entice him into a little more. While the twin brothers were physically
identical except for hairstyle and clothing, she felt she could relate a little
more to Kane.
    “Going to stare at them and drool all night, pussy cat?”
Clara Dane asked with laughter in her voice. “Or are you going to prove you’re
all grown up and go talk to them?”
    Her friend had a point, but the pussy cat insult was totally
unnecessary. Time to stop watching and go see if they were even a little
interested.
    She raised her hand and showed Clara her middle finger. “Before
you get up the nerve to stroll over to that stranger I see you eyeing, puppy.”
    Alana rose from her seat. The worst Kane could say was no
and that was something she’d heard before. There were plenty of young men at
the dance, even if she didn’t feel as drawn to them as she did Kane and
Michael.
    She made her way through the tables to the seats Michael and
Kane had chosen near a corner. When she passed a group of women, she walked
through a cloud of perfume so strong that her eyes stung. She tried to turn
down that sense. The higher senses could be a bit of a curse and shifters had
to learn to tune out or ignore them on occasion. Usually, the overuse of perfume
only happened with humans, but occasionally a witch who didn’t like shifters
would do it deliberately to keep them at a distance.
    She let her eyes run over the two men. Kane wore a blue
t-shirt and jeans. His straight black hair fell past his shoulders. Michael’s
white dress shirt and dark-gray pants indicated he’d come straight from work. He
looked a little tired and his short black hair spiked on top a little, as if he’d
run his fingers through it.
    Taking a deep breath, she smoothed her hands over her jeans
before she closed the last few steps between them. She could do this. It was
only a dance.
    “Hello, I’m Alana.” She hoped she looked more confident than
she felt.
    “Hi,