NOCB 008 - Scions 02.5 - Patrice Michelle - Perception Read Online Free
Author: Silhouette Nocturne
up?”
“I’m cal ing because there’s been a bit of a mix-up. Landon just told me he said you could stay at my house, but I told my friend Abby she could stay there this weekend. Is Abby there yet?”
Gabriel gripped the phone tight. He might have an al -weather SUV sitting in the garage, but he wasn’t leaving. Hel no. Not now. “She’s here. We had an interesting introduction, considering we each thought the other was a burglar.”
“You didn’t hurt her, did you?” Kaitlyn voice rose with worry. Gabriel grunted. “She’s quite capable of taking care of herself, but no, I didn’t hurt her. Other than her pride. I get the impression she’s used to winning.”
Kaitlyn let out a relieved laugh. “I see you’ve learned a bit about my friend already. Since Abby needs a place to get away for the weekend, maybe you could head back here.”
What does Abby need to get away from? “Neither one of us is going anywhere. We’re in the middle of a bad ice storm.”
“Oh. Can you put Abby on the phone?”
Crackling came across the line as he answered, “She’s taking a shower at the moment.”
Kaitlyn sighed. “Wel , at least I can speak freely since she’s not around. Abby has no idea about my father’s past connection to the Lupreda. Like al the other humans living in New York City, she’s blissful y unaware of the wolf pack’s existence.”
“You don’t think she can handle the truth?” Gabriel asked, his throat suddenly dry.
“Abby’s obviously aware of the Sanguinas vampires’ vicious treatment of the human population before the vampires withdrew from society twenty-five years ago, so I’m sure her practical side wouldn’t al ow her to discount the possibly that werewolves could exist, too. Stil , I didn’t want to run the risk of exposing the pack by tel ing my friend about it. I wasn’t sure how she’d react.”
“I see,” he said, wondering how he was going to convince the stubborn, sexy, tough little human upstairs to trust a wolf. She didn’t seem to trust human men very much. Or maybe it was because they’d just met. Learning more about her could help him determine what he was up against. “Something Abby said made me wonder…did she have it pretty hard growing up?”
“She hasn’t shared much about her childhood with me, but let’s just say Abby’s a definite success story for Handleburg Hal ’s troubled-teen program.” The line began to crackle more, cutting in and out. “Listen, Gabriel, I know how you are—and I know I joked with you—Abby a while back, but she real y doesn’t need—fling right now.”
A fling was the last thing on his mind. Kaitlyn’s half-human and half-Lupreda status made it easier for him to accept her as his alpha’s mate. But Abby was al human, and even though his body howled for her, Gabriel’s brain had a hard time grasping the idea of a human mate. Stil , he couldn’t stop thinking about her. “The line’s dying out, Kaitlyn. The storm’s getting worse. Abby’s in good hands.”
“In—hands? What does—mean? Gabriel? Gabriel Hawthor—”
Steady loud static sounded, making him wince and yank the handset away from his ear. The line was completely dead. Gabriel hung up the phone and stared at the ceiling above him. “I never thought a human would chal enge me the way you have, Abby Brooks.”
Abby didn’t realize just how cold she was until she unzipped her damp jacket in the bathroom. Of course, the moment she swept off her jacket and shirt, and chil bumps spread across her skin, that’s when she realized she’d been so distracted by Gabriel that she’d forgotten to bring her bag upstairs. There’s no way I’m I going back down there now. He’l know he flustered me into forgetting my stuff . Then again, it’d serve the guy right if I sashayed past him to get my bag wearing nothing but a towel around my clean body . Abby closed the shower curtain with a smirk and stepped under the pounding hot water,
“I’m cal ing because there’s been a bit of a mix-up. Landon just told me he said you could stay at my house, but I told my friend Abby she could stay there this weekend. Is Abby there yet?”
Gabriel gripped the phone tight. He might have an al -weather SUV sitting in the garage, but he wasn’t leaving. Hel no. Not now. “She’s here. We had an interesting introduction, considering we each thought the other was a burglar.”
“You didn’t hurt her, did you?” Kaitlyn voice rose with worry. Gabriel grunted. “She’s quite capable of taking care of herself, but no, I didn’t hurt her. Other than her pride. I get the impression she’s used to winning.”
Kaitlyn let out a relieved laugh. “I see you’ve learned a bit about my friend already. Since Abby needs a place to get away for the weekend, maybe you could head back here.”
What does Abby need to get away from? “Neither one of us is going anywhere. We’re in the middle of a bad ice storm.”
“Oh. Can you put Abby on the phone?”
Crackling came across the line as he answered, “She’s taking a shower at the moment.”
Kaitlyn sighed. “Wel , at least I can speak freely since she’s not around. Abby has no idea about my father’s past connection to the Lupreda. Like al the other humans living in New York City, she’s blissful y unaware of the wolf pack’s existence.”
“You don’t think she can handle the truth?” Gabriel asked, his throat suddenly dry.
“Abby’s obviously aware of the Sanguinas vampires’ vicious treatment of the human population before the vampires withdrew from society twenty-five years ago, so I’m sure her practical side wouldn’t al ow her to discount the possibly that werewolves could exist, too. Stil , I didn’t want to run the risk of exposing the pack by tel ing my friend about it. I wasn’t sure how she’d react.”
“I see,” he said, wondering how he was going to convince the stubborn, sexy, tough little human upstairs to trust a wolf. She didn’t seem to trust human men very much. Or maybe it was because they’d just met. Learning more about her could help him determine what he was up against. “Something Abby said made me wonder…did she have it pretty hard growing up?”
“She hasn’t shared much about her childhood with me, but let’s just say Abby’s a definite success story for Handleburg Hal ’s troubled-teen program.” The line began to crackle more, cutting in and out. “Listen, Gabriel, I know how you are—and I know I joked with you—Abby a while back, but she real y doesn’t need—fling right now.”
A fling was the last thing on his mind. Kaitlyn’s half-human and half-Lupreda status made it easier for him to accept her as his alpha’s mate. But Abby was al human, and even though his body howled for her, Gabriel’s brain had a hard time grasping the idea of a human mate. Stil , he couldn’t stop thinking about her. “The line’s dying out, Kaitlyn. The storm’s getting worse. Abby’s in good hands.”
“In—hands? What does—mean? Gabriel? Gabriel Hawthor—”
Steady loud static sounded, making him wince and yank the handset away from his ear. The line was completely dead. Gabriel hung up the phone and stared at the ceiling above him. “I never thought a human would chal enge me the way you have, Abby Brooks.”
Abby didn’t realize just how cold she was until she unzipped her damp jacket in the bathroom. Of course, the moment she swept off her jacket and shirt, and chil bumps spread across her skin, that’s when she realized she’d been so distracted by Gabriel that she’d forgotten to bring her bag upstairs. There’s no way I’m I going back down there now. He’l know he flustered me into forgetting my stuff . Then again, it’d serve the guy right if I sashayed past him to get my bag wearing nothing but a towel around my clean body . Abby closed the shower curtain with a smirk and stepped under the pounding hot water,
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