Winter Eve Read Online Free Page A

tired and not concentrating on the road.”
    “But, your car.”
    He chuckled. “It’s a rental, and I bought insurance.”
    She laughed at his poor excuse of a joke and reach out to touch his cheek. Her pale green eyes brightened and seemed to dance. His gaze lowered to her lower lip she held between her teeth. Suddenly, he had the urge to kiss her. Keegan’s husky tone calling them to the dining room broke them from whatever trance they’d fallen under. Much too quickly, she stood and rushed away. All he could do was watch her follow her family into the other room.
    Get a grip, Nev .
    ***
    Back at the cabin, alone with Nevan, Danica thought she’d be more relaxed now that he knew what she was, but she’d been wrong. Her cat was hyper-aware of every movement and the heat of his stare. The more time she spent with him, the more intrigued she became.
    To try to shake off some of the rising need, she turned toward the fireplace. Nevan stepped in her path and touched her lightly on the hand. Sparks of desire rippled on her skin, and startled her.
    “What is it?”
    She peered into his gray-blue eyes and smiled. “I felt that.”
    “My touch?”
    She laughed at the confusion that passed over his face. “My right hand…I usually don’t feel the light weight of others’ fingers. It must be working.” She turned toward the kitchen.
    “What’s working?”
    She lifted her head to peer at him across the island countertop. “Shay. She has…” She sucked her lip between her teeth, unsure of how much to tell him. However, he did have mountain lion shifters as his mother and four stepbrothers. He was already aware of their world. “She has a small amount of magick in her blood.”
    He didn’t flinch or seemed a bit surprised at the news. She relaxed, but only a tiny bit.
    “Is she part witch?”
    She shook her head. “I don’t think so. It isn’t uncommon for shifters to possess magickal abilities. Blaine can teleport. Keegan is telepathic.”
    “Oh, great. I’ll have to remember that. Sarah and my brothers don’t have any special gifts.”
    “Not all weres have them. Some theories are that certain blood lines carry magick from the early ancestors.” She withdrew two stemless wine glasses from the cupboard. “Do you like red wine?”
    His smile reached his eyes for the first time since he’d been there, and she had to press her hands on the counter to stay upright. “Yes.”
    It took her several seconds before she found her voice. “Can you start the fire?”
    With a short nod, he moved to do as she requested. “So, what does Shay have to do with the feeling in your hand?”
    “Oh. For the last couple of weeks, I’ve agreed to let her stimulate the nerves in my right hand and arm.” After pouring the wine and returning the bottle to the mini-fridge, she carried both glasses to the living room.
    “That’s what she was doing earlier? Before lunch.”
    “She can send light currents of energy to my nerves by massaging my fingers and palm.”
    He ignited the oak, and when satisfied with the flame, he returned the screen and faced her. “And, it’s helping?”
    She smiled, handing him a glass. “It appears so.” She sat down on the sofa with one leg tucked under her.
    He sat next to her. “How much can you tell me about Ashwood Falls? Sarah said to ask Keegan. I gathered from her tone it’s a Pack secret or something.”
    “The lions had a treaty with our pack centuries ago. They are bound from speaking about the town or who lives here. Although, I’m not sure why she wouldn’t tell you since you’re her family.”
    He looked out the glass door that overlooked the backyard. “She broke from her pack a couple of years before mating with my father. None of us kids know why. Or, if the others do, they’ve been forbidden to talk about it.”
    “Oh. Some packs are more secretive than others. I don’t know much about the lions.”
    He chuckled. “That makes two of us.”
    She took a sip of her