Luna Junction 1 Feasts with Wolves (W) Read Online Free PDF Page B

you.”
    He looked away. Was
enduring my presence really that painful? I was starting to get
annoyed. After all, with one phone call Matthew Landon had torn me
out of my comfortable cocoon where I’d been content to wallow in my
own jingle bell rock misery and get privately drunk off of Julia
From New York’s secret stash of Everclear. Okay, maybe ‘content’
was the wrong word, but at least I was resigned to a dreary holiday
season.
    Matthew gazed at me with sudden
intensity. He spoke in a very low voice. “Not everything is what it
appears to be.”
    But I’d had enough. “Okay, what’s with
you people? Your mysterious comments and veiled suggestions. Your
affection for nearly raw meat and apparent immunity to winter.
Seriously Matt, what the hell?” I hadn’t realized I’d begun
shouting until I stopped and saw the uneasy faces of Claire, Benji
and Zane all trained on me. Matt closed his eyes. He opened his
mouth to speak and then closed it quickly, shaking his head and
looking at the ground.
    This time I hadn’t felt his approach
but the resonance of his voice sent tremors through my body.
“What’s with us people, Tatum, is that we’re not
people.”
    Cade’s shirt was off and the sight of
his magnificent bare chest lived up to every fantasy of our very
brief acquaintance. So focused was I on the sight of his skin that
it took a moment for his words to register. “Come
again?”
    Cade Landon nodded to his oldest son.
“Show her, Matt.”
    Matthew’s eyes flashed angrily but he
gritted his teeth and didn’t argue. He looked down at the ground
and a low rumble issued from his chest. Even before he raised his
changed face I realized I was looking at the creature which had
growled at my unexpected approach earlier. Matthew’s eyes had the
yellow glow of animal sight. His face had elongated and fur
sprouted from every pore. This was no rabid demon flickering on a
television screen. This was real. I screamed. Instinct ordered me
to run, run, run but my booted feet tripped over themselves and I
sprawled on the cold ground, whimpering.
    Then Cade’s broad arms were cradling
me, pinning my arms. His voice was calm. “Tatum. Hush now. You’re
not in any danger.”
    Matthew knelt beside us, suddenly no
more an animal. I began to doubt my sanity. Had someone slipped
hallucinogens into those Eggs Florentine? Matthew’s face was
pitying as I hyperventilated in his father’s embrace. “Don’t eat
me,” I sniveled and shrunk into Cade’s chest.
    The Landons laughed. Claire hunkered
down and touched my arm. “Don’t be ridiculous, Tatum. We don’t eat
people we like.” She winked and they all laughed again. Out of the
corner of my eye I saw Benji and Zane doubled over with mirth as if
I were the subject in a comedy club skit. Well, that sort of pissed
me off. If we were plucking a page from Grimm’s Fairy Tales I stood
little chance against a whole pack of them anyway.
    I shoved Cade aside and rolled onto
the ground, trying to muster some small dignity as I rose to my
full and imposing five feet three inches (in boot heels). I tried
to keep my voice level. “I’d appreciate a ride back to Phoenix now,
please.” I was grasping at a sudden, brilliant idea. Perhaps I
could fool them into thinking I hadn’t seen anything or even better
that I thought it was all a big joke. “That was an awesome trick
Matt. And thanks for inviting me. But I’m really not liking this
freezing weather. So if it’s really no trouble-”
    Cade was shaking his head.
He stood up straight and took a step closer to where I shivered
from cold and terror. In spite of the fact that they were all some
sort of legendary creature things ( werewolves , my mind furtively
whispered) he still looked damn fine standing there half naked as
the first flakes of snow dropped onto his bare shoulders. “I’m
afraid the storm will make the roads out of Luna Junction
difficult, Tatum. You’ll be staying here until I say otherwise.”