Cravings (Fierce Hearts) Read Online Free Page A

with Aegar investigators, sisters Sterling and Lacey, and they’d all learned more about The Nexus Group.
    His eyes on the screen, Asher sipped his coffee, remembering the night the colony had freed the cats that had been kidnapped by Carter’s employees and subjected to illegal drug testing. Sadly, not all the cats had made it. He would probably never forget watching Adrian, a were-lynx subject the colony had rescued, lie on the ground and slowly die. That night they’d found Kennedy in captivity, also, and brought her with them.
    The sounds of reporters chatting and copy editors conferring mingling with the click-clicking of keyboarding and the brisk scent of coffee was like white noise for Asher. He’d been a reporter here at the
Gazette
since he’d graduated from college a year ago. As was his way with any human group, he kept his distance. The colony’s rules forbade revealing the presence of were-lynxes among a human population. That rule had always been upheld, until, that is, Casey was elected leader about a year ago. Casey wanted the colony to evolve in ways that not only kept every member safe, but also allowed them all to form meaningful relationships and attachments with each other as well as any human who could be trusted.
    At first, Casey’s leadership style had ruffled some members of the colony, even though he’d been voted in. He was a moggie, a were-cat born from parents who were not pure. Pures were born from two, full-blooded were-cats. Historically, pures had always run the colony. Casey’s father was pure, but his mother was human. Casey’s leadership drew criticism easily. It was hard to legislate change of ancient traditions. But the colony was learning to think more than blindly follow outdated rules.
    But beyond those species rules, Asher kept himself detached for his own personal reasons. Those reasons were based on the real experiences with his family, and they were ever present in his mind.
    He rolled his head to relax his muscles and allowed the sounds of the sports department to embrace him. The easy camaraderie among the reporters gave him a tiny sense of belonging, while at the same time they reminded him that hope for any strong emotional bond had been shattered the day he’d nudged his brother too far. He’d been eighteen at the time and wild. What he’d done was wrong; he knew that now. But it had hurt like hell when they’d rejected him and cut him out of their lives. And every day since, the cut went deeper. But he never showed that pain, never let it occupy his mind for very long. Exposing weakness was not his way.
    The colony knew him as an audacious, easygoing were-bobcat. What they didn’t know was that he was more than just those things and he longed for more, too. He truly cared about others, and deep inside, cravings for acceptance and acknowledgement of him as a worthy individual ate him up.
    Drawn from his introspection by what he saw on the screen, Asher stopped scrolling. He read a small piece about a privately owned research company making a major contribution to a politician’s election campaign. A quick search of the company, Phoenix Biosciences, came up with a description of its areas of research. Asher swallowed hard. According to the company’s website, it specialized in exploring genomic and nanotechnological approaches to curing major diseases. That bothered him. Suspicion immediately raised the small hairs on the back of his neck. The politician was known to run in the same circles William Carter had. Asher made a mental note to check into the company and the politician, Daren Sage.
    “Hey, Asher, you look serious.” A coworker, Doug Henry, slapped him on the shoulder. The atmosphere in the sports department was typically jovial and laid back—except when the local sports teams weren’t playing well. “You got media day at the basketball stadium on campus? I know how you love all that craziness.” The man’s voice was heavy with sarcasm.
    “Ah,