Monster (A Cassidy Edwards Novel - Book 1) Read Online Free

she’s not one of them,” a voice growled in my ear. “She’s something else. Something … I’ve never encountered. She’s alive.”
    I whirled to see a massive, musclebound brute of a gray wolf crouched behind me. His eyes were glowing. Yellow.
    “Cripes!” I swore, gripping the handle of my knives harder.
    I’d never seen such a beast.
    “Cripes?” the wolf repeated, tilting his head a little just like a dog does when it appears it’s trying to lip-read. “Are you British?”
    It was a little unnerving. “No,” I replied shortly. I’d heard the word  cripes  in a few movies and had just liked the way it sounded.
    “Ah, so you just prefer to use pseudo British curses?” the wolf asked in open curiosity.
    My “cussing” repertoire consisted of three expressions: “Cripes!”, “Hex it!” and “Crud!” I was picky. But it was hardly the first topic I’d have thought to discuss with a werewolf. “I like to swear but with class," I said, not entirely certain I was really having this conversation.
    “I get that. Maybe it’s an old soul thing,” the wolf said, hunkering down on the couch and crossing his paws as if preparing for a long philosophical conversation. “Do you meditate, too? I’ve discovered—”
    I figured then that the wolf had to be the surfer dude.
    “Enough, Heath,” Lucian smoothly interrupted, confirming my guess.
    Heath obligingly wagged the tip of his tail and as I watched, his fur melted into skin and the body lengthened to stand upright, morphing back into the blond-haired surfer dude. Strangely, the first thought occupying my mind was the question of where he’d kept the Hawaiian shirt while in wolf form.
    But then a second thought came to me. If werewolves existed … then what else?
    I raised a curious brow at the ex-lizard woman still standing there rubbing her hands up and down Lucian’s chest. I don’t think he even noticed, but he did pick up on my unspoken question.
    Nodding, he supplied the introduction. “This is Tabitha. Tabitha is a firedrake.”
    I’d never heard of firedrakes. I’d have to google them later.
    Cocking a brow, I turned my attention to Lucian himself and repeated my query from before, “And you? What are you?”
    He gave a half laugh and with a low, sweeping bow, replied in a deep baritone, “Allow me to properly introduce myself, my dear. Lord Lucian Rowle, Warlock and Cursemaster of the Highest Order.”
    A warlock.
    Evidently, the world was a bit more complex than I’d given it credit for.
    They were watching me expectantly. I didn’t want to admit that I didn’t know a name for what I was, so instead, I shoved my knives back into my boots and announced brazenly, “Cassidy. Cassidy Edwards. I’m one of the Damned … a monster.”

A Contract with a Handsome Devil

    Lucian’s devilishly handsome brow arced up a fraction of an inch. “A monster?” he probed. “You look quite human; it must be a masterful spell, then.”
    Walking up to me, he brushed a finger across my forehead, but my attention was riveted on just how close he was standing—so very close. And no matter how deeply I breathed in, I couldn’t catch even the slightest whiff of his delicious scent.
    And then it happened.
    For the first time in my life, I lost interest in a potentially tasty morsel to become more interested in the man.
    He towered over me and out of pure habit, I cataloged his attributes. Muscles. He had a great set. He was incredibly fit. Apparently, weaving spells was an athletic business. His skin was tan. His Adam’s apple was even more distracting closer up. His jawline fell into the same category. And his lips. I was tempted to kiss him, just to see what it would be like to lock lips with a sexy man without thinking of him as a Thanksgiving Turkey.
    “Distracted, are we?” he breathed in my ear.
    I squarely met his shrewd gaze. I could see mirth in his pale blue eyes. And for a moment, something else. Something sizzling. Something