His Captive Mortal Read Online Free PDF Page B

what I see?”
    “Yes, please.”
    “Mmm, so polite. I see a layer of yellow, then turquoise blue, then green.”
    She blinked at her hand, trying to see what he saw.
    “Focus past your hand at the wall, but still look at your hand.”
    “That makes no…” She twisted around, her breasts brushing against Charlie’s firm chest. “...sense.”
    He smirked down at her. Did he know she found him attractive? She feared he did. He turned her back around and smacked her ass. “Try again.”
     
     
     
    She picked up a burrito on her way to work from one of the food trucks, eating it as she walked. Even though she’d left, she couldn’t stop thinking of the vampire. She wondered about all the things he’d seen since 1825. And how much of the pulp fiction about paranormals was true? Are vampires incapable of telling lies? Would eating garlic keep him away? Where would he get his blood, if not from her? Did he kill people often?
    She entered work, happy for the distraction of the kids.
    “Sashaaaa!” several shouted when she came in. Willie zipped over in his wheelchair to greet her and Shelly and Matt ran over and hugged her.
    She greeted the kids and fell into her routine of supervising their free time, dinner and recreation.
    “What are we doing tonight?” Shelly asked after dinner.
    Sasha always led them in one last recreation activity before bedtime, a chance to get their last wiggles out before they wound down.
    “We’re playing charades,” she informed them.
    “Yay!” a cheer went up.
    “Who’s ready?”
    “I am, I am,” several responded in a chorus.
    Those who wanted to play gathered up and she began the game, splitting the group into teams and taking the first card for her team. She stood on the stage, trying to get her team to say Mission Impossible, which seemed to be a mission impossible in itself. She pantomimed Tom Cruise while the kids giggled. Noah, the other counselor was laughing at her. He shouted out things like Karate Kid? and she scowled at him.
    And then she froze.
    Charlie stood in the doorway, his arms folded across his muscled chest, a bemused expression on his face.
    With effort, she returned to the game before the timer went off and she lost the round. She moved toward the back of her group, not looking toward Charlie, but sensing him saunter over.
    Noah craned his neck around to look at him curiously, then his expression turned blank and he looked away.
    Her belly clenched. Charlie had probably just hypnotized her co-worker. What other havoc would he wreak here?
    “What are you doing here?” she hissed when he reached her.
    He shrugged. “I told you. You won’t be rid of me until you’ve lifted the curse.”
    “But I’m working. You need to leave—right now.”
    He folded his arms. “Who’s going to make me?”
    Her face grew warm as she realized she had absolutely no way to make him do anything. Putting up with his presence at home was one thing, but to think she endangered these innocent children by exposing them to a vampire made her turn cold. She leaned forward, her teeth clenched, angry tears burning her eyes. “If you so much as touch—”
    “I’m not here to harm the children,” he interrupted, appearing offended.
    “Why are you here?”
    “We have work to do. After sundown is my best time of day. Hence, I will be working here with you.”
    Her shoulders sagged. “No way.”
    “Change your schedule to work days,” he suggested.
    She frowned. “I would love to, but it’s not up to me. I’m low woman on the totem pole around here.”
    He cocked his head. “Is the person in charge of that decision here tonight?”
    Her belly twisted again. What would he do? 
    “Yes,” she said warily. “Why? What are you going to do, hypnotize her?”
    “Why not?”
    “Well, it may not be so simple. Like perhaps she doesn’t have anyone to switch me with, or management has a rule against…”
    “Where is she?” he cut in.
    She stared at him, her mind tumbling.