Awaking (The Naturals, #1) Read Online Free Page B

red hair. He started at the crown of her head and ran his fingers through to the ends, all the way down her back. Alarmed, she looked at Wen. “Employed to do what?”
    Kellen laughed. “Nothing untoward.” He shrugged, running a long finger down the side of his escort’s face, a smile curling his lips. “Not necessarily, anyway.”
    Morgan allowed herself to take in the entirety of the room. It seemed as if everyone there had a person attending to him or her the way these four people were attending to Morgan and her group. There was one thing conspicuously missing, however.
    “Where’s all the food?”
    Kellen laughed again, and the girl beside him echoed the sound. “The food’s right here,” he said, trailing his fingers down the girl’s arm. “Finest American cuisine.”
    Morgan’s stomach clenched at the implication. Her eyes went to the necks of the common people attending to them, but she saw no signs of trauma there. “You mean—you’re… you’re…”
    Kellen, Tesin, and Wen exchanged glances before laughing. Their attendants laughed too, their voices hollow and devoid of humor.
    Wen shook his head. “No. I mean, the whole vampire mythology probably has Veneret origins, but we don’t suck people’s blood.”
    “See, the common have an energy to them,” Kellen said, picking up the story. “It’s like the energy the Veneret have, but not. They don’t have any abilities, so they can’t use it. And it doesn’t hurt them if it’s taken away.” As if to demonstrate, Kellen placed a hand at the back of his escort’s neck. Morgan didn’t need any sort of special ability to realize that he was siphoning the girl’s energy, as he’d called it: She suddenly went blank, her eyes unfocused, her lips slightly parted. Kellen’s head tipped back and his body writhed slightly, a faint smile gracing his lips.
    Morgan couldn’t watch anymore. She pressed herself to her feet, fighting a twisting sensation in her stomach. “I need to leave.”
    Tesin and Wen were on their feet immediately. When Kellen didn’t move, Wen gave him a gentle kick to the shin.
    Morgan didn’t wait; she jogged to the restaurant’s door and slowed to a walk only when she reached the parking lot.
    Wen was the first to catch up to her. He kept pace with her as she made her way toward the car. “I know it’s a lot to take in.”
    “Understatement.”
    “I told Kellen it was a bad idea to take you here first thing, but…” He sighed, catching her by the elbow and pulling her to a stop. “Morgan, what Kellen did in there—it’s just one way. For you to manifest, taking energy isn’t something you need to worry about doing. Rely on the energy in yourself and—”
    Tesin caught up with them then and Wen’s lips pressed together in a tight line.
    Morgan shook her head. “Just… take me back to the Daily Grind.”
    On the ride back, Morgan stared resolutely out the window, her head swimming with the new world that was being revealed to her. She couldn’t belong to it. They had to be wrong about her.
    But even as she tried to convince herself, she became aware of sensations emanating from her companions. The impressions she received were indistinct, but still stronger than anything she had ever experienced when doing a psychic reading for a client. It was almost like a distinct glow coming off each of them. Kellen’s was the brightest.
    When Tesin pulled in to the Daily Grind’s parking lot, Kellen handed Morgan a phone. “Put your number in.
    “What? Why?”
    He smiled. “So I can call you.” When Morgan made no move to comply, he added, “Please.”
    “Look,” said Tesin turning from the driver’s seat so he could see her, “there’s a group of us getting together tomorrow night—”
    Morgan saved her number and handed the phone back to Kellen. “By ‘us’ you mean—”
    “People like us, yes,” Tesin clarified. “Kellen will call you tomorrow to give you the where and when. I think you should