Forsaken By Shadow Read Online Free PDF Page A

What is this, Embry wondered, a meet the family kind of date? It wasn’t at all what she’d had in mind. She’d never be able to slip him the antidote beneath their watchful eyes.
    Embry forced her lips to curve and held her hand out to Jeanette. “Nice to meet you.”
    The other woman took her hand, her eyes glazing over a moment, her smile frozen in place. Then Jeannette blinked, releasing her hand. “You are different.”
    Though her senses jangled with alarm, she forced her voice to be light. “He’s not usually into red-heads?”
    Jeanette made a non-committal noise, then patted Cade’s shoulder and headed back to the kitchen.
    Cade missed the exchange, as he was busy replying to the assorted wave of thank yous being tossed out from the rest of the de facto fan club who were likewise digging into their wings. He didn’t notice her sudden tension. Mick noticed. From the other end of the bar, he lifted a brow and looked back at the kitchen.
    Embry’s mind raced, analyzing the exchange in an attempt to catalogue the threat. W itch? One with the power of Sight? She’d made no subtle warning or challenge as Mick had, so maybe this Jeannette wasn’t an immediate threat.
    Embry shifted to study the crowd, as much from habit as to settle herself again. Among the patrons she counted a vampire, two other Wylk, and a male witch who was illegally working a charm on the woman he was with. Embry could have busted him, but she wasn’t on duty, and she sure as hell wasn’t about to blow her shot at this mission.
    “ You okay?” asked Cade. “Wings not your thing? I’m sorry, I should’ve asked. Would you like something else?”
    Embry dialed the smile back up and focused on him. “No, I’m fine. Just a little overwhelmed. I’ve been in a lot of crowds tonight.”
    “ Not into big presses of people, huh?”
    “ Not really.”
    “ Me neither,” he admitted.
    “ Really? But the crowds love you.”
    “ They love whoever the winner of the minute is. Tomorrow that may not be me.”
    “ Then what?” she asked. “What will you do when you can’t fight anymore?”
    “ Damned if I know.” He made short work of the rest of his wings. “What about you? What do you do?”
    She slanted a glance down the bar to where Mick was chatting with a couple of other patrons. He didn’t move, didn’t glance her way, but Embry knew he was listening. “I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.”
    Cade’s lips curved in a killer smile she felt straight down to her gut. “A woman of mystery. Okay, I can respect that. So you won’t tell me what you do, tell me something else about yourself.”
    Time to get the show on the road, she thought placing a hand on his forearm and leaning in close. “I secretly hate high heels,” she whispered. “But you can’t tell anyone. They’ll take away my woman card.”
    His eyes raked over her in appreciation. “Sugar, nobody could ever take your woman card away.”
    She leaned back, crossing her legs so the hemline rode high, drawing his eyes again. “Yeah, well, it has its uses.”
    “ Like making guys drool?”
    “ Well, we sure don’t do it for us .”
    He threw back his head and laughed. God, how she’d missed that sound.
    “ Well on behalf of my side of the species, thank God for it.” He raised his glass.
    She tapped her martini glass against the lip with a cheerful clink , then drained the last of her spoiled drink.
    “ Want another?” he asked, starting to signal for Mick.
    Embry shook her head and bent toward him. “Let’s get out of here,” she whispered, letting her lips brush against the lobe of his ear.
    His big body tensed in a shiver before he tipped his eyes back to hers. “Yes ma’am.”

    * * *

    Men are pigs, thought Embry, struggling to keep the flirty smile from turning into a scowl as the elevator climbed slowly to the ninth floor. Cade stood beside her, thumbs hooked in the front pockets of his jeans.
    He didn’t have to agree so damned