Night Angel Read Online Free PDF Page A

behind to mourn for eternity, but he wasn’t meeting her to fall in love or forge a relationship.
    Somehow Juliana had survived a huge loss. And as far as he could tell, she’d banished any bitterness about it. He wanted her secret, needed it to keep going on. Since the Night Demon had left him a shell of his former self, he’d become a stranger in the mirror. He was not the same Night Walker that enjoyed his immortal life, quick to laugh, and carried smile lines in his ageless skin.
    He didn’t recognize this new incarnation, the one who kept his weakness hidden under heavy coats and had to force himself to interact with the world. The allure of drowning in resentment and fading away from this world was growing.
    But Juliana held a secret in her heart. Somehow she’d resisted succumbing to the anger, and once he discovered how, he would step back from her life before either of them formed any attachment.
    He climbed the stairs and entered through the back of the stately house.
    “Good evenin’, Colin,” Claire chirped from the kitchen. “Bartley tells me yer meetin’ a lady friend tonight.”
    Colin rolled his eyes, reaching for his coat. “Word travels fast in this town.”
    “Harmless talk.” She came around the corner, drying her hands on a dishtowel. “Just happy to see ya gettin’ out there. About time ya started socializin’.”
    “I’ve got nothing to be social about.” He moved to the door but not quickly enough to avoid seeing the hurt in Claire’s eyes. Sighing, he turned back. She had a willowy figure with a dreamy smile, more like a watercolor painting than a person, and he hated disappointing her. She had worked for him since she was a teenager and was like a sister to him.
    “Sorry,” he said. “Not feelin’ much like myself these days.”
    “Wish there was somethin’ we could do to help.”
    “Me, too.” He raised his hand in a quick goodbye and slipped out into the night.
    Colin hunted at the docks, feeding quickly without killing either of the men he found. Neither of them was a criminal—he’d entered their minds first to find out—so he fed without stopping their hearts and mesmerized each one. They wouldn’t remember seeing him, only feel the pounding headache and a hunger for red meat.
    His skin warmed from the influx of fresh blood. With his hands in his pockets, he walked toward Juliana’s flower shop, ignoring the desire to rush. He needed information and did his best to banish memories of her smile and the way her dark eyes sparked with energy before she jotted notes on her pad.
    How would she react if he told her they didn’t need her notepad to communicate? He ground his teeth. There was no future in these thoughts. She would never know about his abilities. And unlike the previous evening, tonight he wouldn’t hesitate to trespass into her mind, no reason to prolong contact with the mortal woman when he could easily learn her secret.
    He approached her shop and stopped outside. She stood behind the counter, engrossed in a project. Beside her sat a cup with filled with roses and tulips. She lifted her hands, her fingers deftly making folds while she inspected the bloom. Satisfied, she placed it in the cup with the others and retrieved another sheet of paper.
    Paper flowers.
    Why would a florist, surrounded by fresh cut flowers, make paper flowers? Shaking his head, he reminded himself he had a goal tonight, a purpose. The challenge would be to keep that goal in mind when this woman distracted him.
    He walked up the flower-lined path and pulled open the door. She lifted gaze, and the joy in her grin disarmed him. She held up her notepad. Is it 6:30 already?
    The coquettish glint in her eyes coaxed an unexpected laugh from his throat.
    He tipped his head. “I thought it would never get here.”
    Color crept up her neck, and he reached for her thoughts. I hope I’m not blushing. He has no business knowing how long it’s been since I had a date.
    Instead of probing