Flowers and Fangs (Stake and Dust series, Book II) Read Online Free Page A

vibrated
from the back of his throat. Her gaze landed on her lab with a
frown. Lad usually loved everyone. Who could be at her front door
that had him agitated? She strode over to it and peeked out the
peephole. She half expected Freddy Kruger to be standing
there by the way Lad's fur stood up on end, and the snarl he
produced to go along with his bad fur day . She sighed in
relief when she recognized her visitor. She threw opened the door
with a smile.
    Lad came bounding to the door, snarling in
rapid barks. She'd never seen him act like that— ever . "Lad,
sit. It's only Tim." She didn't understand her dog's weird
behavior.
    Lad backed up, but his stance clearly
indicated he would take out Tim's throat if she only gave the word.
She turned toward Tim who gave her a nonchalant shrug. "Maybe it's
my new aftershave."
    She pursed her lips. "Give me a sec. I'll put
him out back."
    "Sure."
    It took her a few minutes. Lad didn't want to
obey her. She had to drag him outside and sprint for the door,
slamming it shut, just to keep him outside. He continued to bark
and snarl, but she would have to ignore him for now.
    She hurried to the front door. Tim still
stood there, leaning casually against the doorframe. He stood up
straight when he caught sight of her. For a brief second, she could
have sworn his eyes had an eerie glow to them, like a pair of eyes
looking back from a thicket, warning her of danger, but she blinked
and his eyes were the same soft brown color she'd remembered.
    "Are you going to ask me in?" His brows
lifted in question. He must be feeling better. He looked a little
pale, not feverish. It was good to know the flu would only last
twenty-four hours.
    "Sure, but I must warn you I think I caught
what you had a few days ago."
    "I've already been exposed and I doubt I'll
catch it twice," he said.
    She opened the screen and stepped aside. She
frowned when he didn't move. "Well, come in already."
    His lips slid into a grin, but the smile made
her uneasy. Something was off with him, had been for a few
days.
    Before she could shut the door, he pulled her
flush against him. She gasped in surprise and he chuckled. "Don't
be scared."
    Funny, how those words sent a chill down her
spine. "I'm not scared."
    "Your heart is beating fast."
    Her brows drew together. "How do—" She didn't
have a chance to finish her question. He captured her lips and her
words were swallowed into a passionate caress. His tongue swept
inside her mouth and she met his passion, but something pricked her
lip and she drew back in alarm. Her hand flew to her mouth. When
she looked at her fingers, she spotted drops of blood coloring the
tips. "You bit me." Again, she thought the last to
herself.
    "You say it as if it is a bad, thing." He
stalked toward her. This time there was no mistake; his eyes
gleamed with a weird sheen before turning red. Red? What the heck
was going on? When he grinned she caught sight of two pointed
incisors. Vampire came to mine, but that was insane.
Self-consciously, she touched the side of her neck where he had
bitten her the other night and stumbled back a few steps.
    Tim's mouth quirked and a low menacing
chuckle greeted her. "I can see your wheels are turning inside that
pretty little head of yours, but I'll make it simple, unlike how my
brother did for me. I'm a vampire. You know—the kind that drinks
blood and all that."
    The kind that drank blood—was there
another kind? She shook her head. "That's impossible. You've
been ill. You must be…running a fever."
    "I've never felt better." He shook his head
and kept grinning like he'd given her the best news. He took
another step toward her. "I can make you feel good, too."
    "Stay back." She bumped into the wall,
separating the kitchen from the living room and quickly
sidestepped.
    "But I can't stay away from you. You invited
me in and I'm soooo hungry." His gaze roved over her like
she was a delectable treat he'd been anticipating sinking his teeth
into.
    She whirled away