Half in Love [Willie Krenshaw] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read Online Free PDF Page A

slow breaths. He was healing.
    “I’m exactly what I smell like. I’m a shifter that was partially turned by one of you.” She watched his still form for some reaction. She wasn’t used to discussing her lineage with a vampire. Adrenaline still moved through her system, forcing her to bounce on her feet to burn off the excess energy.
    “Partially changed? How?” Nick slowly raised his head and frowned at Willie. His green eyes flashed with interest and definitely didn’t hold as much pain as before.
    “Yep. I was drained at the age of thirteen by some asshole. I must’ve bitten him while fighting him off and ended up going through a partial change. My father thinks that I’ve got a natural immunity to the virus. So, as the rhyme goes, all the king’s shifters and all the king’s vamps couldn’t put all the pieces back together again. I live with a foot in each world, and both worlds keep trying to cut my feet off.” Bitterness edged her words with a sharpness she didn’t like to hear in her own voice. She’d spent years trying to accept her plight, but explaining it to one of “them” was just too much even for her.
    Willie shifted restlessly from foot to foot. She didn’t like the intensity of his stare. She hoped the cab would get to them soon so she could bundle this man into it and get home. This is what I get for being a Good Samaritan . I go for a walk and end up chatting with a bloodsucker about my messed up genetics.
    “I have never heard of such a thing happening. I thought the virus was unstoppable once it entered the human body.” He ran a hand through his hair and breathed deeply. He rolled his head around his neck a couple of times and sighed. “I’m finally feeling more like myself.”
    “Well, then I’ll be on my way,” she said as she backed further down the street, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She wanted to run away from him as fast as she could. The urge to do so was so strong that she had a tough time remaining where she was. This was the longest conversation she’d ever had with one of her blood-drinking cousins, and she wanted to get away before it ended badly. She’d learned long ago that hatred could make any being deadly, and she didn’t want to take on this soft-spoken man. “The cab will be here in a few moments, and you’ll be on your merry way.”
    “Wait. What’s your name?” He tried to stand but slumped back to the stoop with a groan.
    “Nope, no names with this savior routine. I don’t need you tracking me down later once you’re all better. I like my head right where it is.” Willie turned and headed off down the street, hoping he would just let it go.
    “But I don’t have any money on me. My wallet isn’t in my pocket. How am I to pay the driver?” His deep voice traveled easily through the quiet. His plea made her turn, sigh, and slowly walk back to him. “Please, if you can pay for the cab ride, I can repay you once we reach my home.”
    “Great. Look, if you live close, I can give you cash to cover the ride. There’s no way I’m getting into a vehicle with you and going to your house. I’ve had a long night, and I just want to go home.” She rubbed the tension from her neck and slid her blade back into its sheath under her coat. Damned if she knew why, but he didn’t seem inclined to kill her, so she might as well relax a little.
    “I live north of the city. From the smell, I’m assuming we’re near the water?” He looked up again and his eyes flashed at her. His vampiric side glowed softly in his eyes. He tilted his head and studied her with a slight frown on his face. “What traits did you inherit from your touch of vampire?”
    “Why?” she asked, suspicious of his sudden interest. She took a step away. Her fingers twitched to pull her blade again just to have its comfortable weight in her hand.
    “Well, I’m just interested in knowing what a half-breed would get from us.” He looked confused as to her reaction, and she