Shadows (Black Raven Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

two. There was a hiss as the left front tire hit a culvert.
    “What happened?” Ragno asked. “Camera views didn’t reveal why evasive moves were necessary.”
    Sebastian opened the door and jumped out. “Near miss with a dog. We’re fine,” he said as he ran for the animal. “Not so sure about the dog.”
    The golden blob ran to the opposite side of the street from where the Range Rover was perched, half on the sidewalk, half in the street. The dog tucked itself under a bench, in front of an art gallery. Big brown eyes followed Sebastian as the dog trembled from tail to snout. It looked like a young golden retriever, somewhere less than full grown, a much-purer-bred version of the pound-variety, yellow lab-ish dog Sebastian had as a child. As he paused a few feet from the scared animal, he heard a distant, feminine yell.
    Pete, at his side, said, “She’s their dog. Name’s Candy.”
    “Great,” Sebastian said.
    “Candy, Caannnndddyyyy.”
    “Fucking great,” Sebastian muttered. “Killing their dog is one way to earn cooperation.”
    “I didn’t hit her. I’m certain of it. And that’s Spring, running in our direction, screaming for her.”
    “I’ve got this. Park the car. Change the tire.”
    Sebastian crouched to the ground, held out his hand, and, with the dog’s large eyes focused on him, said, “Hey, Candy. Sweet girl. Let me see if you’re hurt. Come on, baby. Come to me.” She pointed her snout in his direction and sniffed. “Come to me, Candy,” he said, using a nice, play-with-dog voice. The dog crawled towards him, tentatively at first. When she was out from under the bench, she stood. After a fluff-inducing shake, she took one step on a big paw, and two more steps, both of which looked normal. After three steps she paused, gave a slow tail wag, and walked another step in his direction.
    “Candy,” Sebastian said, prompting a faster tail wag. As the dog inched closer, he picked her up. “Are you a bit of a drama queen?” She was solid, with strong muscles and thick fur. He probed at her legs and ribs. No yelps, no squirming, no pain, he thought, as her moist tongue bathed his left cheek with swipe-kisses and an over-sized paw batted his right cheek. He chuckled as he dodged her licks. “You sure are cute, you know that?”
    “She’s okay?” Ragno asked.
    “Seems to be,” he said, as he turned towards the coffee shop and realized why the owner hadn’t made it to the dog’s rescue. She’d fallen, facedown on the lawn.
    As he crossed the street, he watched Spring attempt to stand. She sat instead, gripped her ankle, and yelled, “Candy. Cannndddyyyyy.”
    Skye was running from the porch, towards Spring, and an older man and a woman were coming out of the coffee shop, moving slower. The dog squirmed in his arms, but Sebastian kept a tight grip on her, not wanting to release her until he was sure Spring wasn’t hurt and could handle what he guessed would be a lively reunion with thirty pounds of dog. Sebastian and Skye reached Spring at the same time.
    Skye was prettier in person than in photographs. Black, free-flowing waves of hair added an exotic touch to high cheekbones and almond-shaped eyes that were the color of flagstone. The photographs hadn’t captured the restlessness he saw in her gray-green eyes, as Skye’s gaze travelled over the dog, Sebastian, and her sister. Nor had the pictures captured the deep, inner light of her eyes, as subtle as the warm glow of a gas lantern on a dark, foggy night. His mind flashed to the pictures of her almost naked body as she readied for the dive, and his gaze dipped to her bosom. He dragged his eyes up, mentally shaking off thoughts of her full, round breasts.
    She narrowed her eyes as she looked at him, and he didn’t blame her for looking at him as though he was odd, because he was staring, and son of a bitch , he couldn’t stop.
    What in the fucking hell is wrong with me?
    Thankfully, Skye’s attention turned to Spring, and