The Mating Game Read Online Free PDF Page A

“Nice to see you again young man. You’re well?”
    Edward nodded, his black curls bobbing.
    “Yes, Dom. Mom and Dad have moved into a house just on the other side of town. They said we needed to be close to Grampa Zach.”
    Dominic smiled at the solemn little boy. Crouching down, he grinned at the young face. When Christiana started pulling at his arm, he turned his attention to his niece.
    “Come on, Uncle Dom! We need to get Mom and Dad and everyone else. I wanna start eating that cake!”
    “Sure thing, sweetheart. What’s say we go and say hello to Grandpa first? Make him comfortable. We can put the twins’ presents on the table with everyone else’s gifts.”
    Taking a hand of each twin, he calmly led the children from the study and herded them towards the main living room. Greeting his grandfather, who looked remarkably handsome and healthy for his advanced years, he braced himself for a long, energetic afternoon.
    With luck it would help him forget that damned redhead animated woman, though deep inside the pit of his chest, he knew nothing much would help. Silently, he counted the hours until the nearly full moon would rise.
    * * * * *
    As dusk arrives
    Dominic stood on the very edge of his piece of land. Deep inside the forest, he could sense he was all alone.
    At last.
    Strangely, neither Art nor William had teased him over his pensive mood. Dominic didn’t want to dwell on whether they could read mystical signs of what ailed him, or whether they were simply too embedded in their own marital bliss to realize he had been so silent over the course of the birthday dinner.
    Only Samuel had teased and jeered at him as he excused himself early to go for a run. The kids had all been too bloated on party pies, junk food and birthday cake to want to come with him.
    And so here he stood, surrounded by the dark, towering trees, letting the peace and scents of the forest he had loved all his life seep into his soul, sooth his aching pride and emotions.
    Closing his eyes, he felt his form shimmer, felt the change begin to overtake him as the almost full moon rose above the horizon.
    Even though he could change at will, with or without his mistress the moon, something tonight compelled him to pay homage to her once more. Maybe it was because he knew he would have to pay homage on Sunday, when she was truly full, or maybe it was simply trying to not think of Mary, or the hacker. Whatever, he knew with a strange sense of innate intuition—he needed this run and needed to clear his head.
    Or maybe he just wanted to turn to his animal side for a moment, to clear his thoughts and change his perspective.
    In that moment between being a man and a wolf, Dominic smiled, a large, completely masculine, toothy grin.
    In the blink of an eye, he felt himself change to his wolf form.
    He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, as he always did in that first moment of being a wolf and gathering his bearings.
    He could smell the dampness of the earth, the rich scent and tone of the soil and life beneath his paws.
    He could hear the moon shimmering and calling to him, heating his blood and filling his soul with music only She could create.
    He heard each insect and pad of animal footfalls on the soil. He heard the crickets chirping and the birds humming.
    The earth spoke volumes to him, and he could read it all in the manner the human side of his mind could not comprehend.
    Even so, he could detect the faint scent of the humans, and a small part of his mind mulled still over the conundrum of his female hacker.
    His ears pricked at the sound of a rabbit crossing his path. His interest diverted, he pounced after the animal, determined to play and maybe forget his problems for a while. The earth soothed him and the moon urged him on.
    Life didn’t get much better than this.

Chapter Three
    Saturday evening
     
    Mary sat on the edge of the bar’s dance floor, playing with her light beer.
    For what felt like the millionth time, she forced her