Behind the Veil: 3 (Temptation Unveiled) Read Free Page A

Or, knowing now how much Raj
appreciated his privacy, it could simply be that they had no interest. For
all she knew dragons could be the hermits of the supernatural world.
    But that wasn’t the mystery that was making her antsy. “So
what are you doing here? And did you know Meru was coming?”
    “Yep. She called me. And then your mother called me. And
then Meru called me again just to follow up. You know how they are.” His breath
puffed out of him, leaving small white clouds trailing behind him like a
freight train as he struggled to keep up. “You look amazing, by the way. Better
than ever. All this fresh, frozen air must be good for you.”
    He let out a shivery chuckle and glanced sideways in her
direction. “And here we were all thinking you couldn’t survive without us.”
    She heard that heartbreaking note beneath the charm and bit
her lip. “Kyle…”
    “No, it’s okay,” he assured her. “ I knew in high
school that I wouldn’t have you around forever. Figured I’d lose you one day to
some brilliant chiseled-jaw type with a taste for adventure and travel. I had
no idea I was competing with supermen. Or your destiny. You were always
special, Sher. I just didn’t know special meant this . Or that it would
take you so far away.”
    Sheridan made a face. “I’m not that special, trust me. And
for your information, there’s no competition, babe. Let’s go. You and me. We’ll
hitch a ride on that dragon as soon as we get to the lodge. I’m ready to spend
the rest of my life in your broken-down, smelly old car staking out normal bad
guys.”
    “Really ? ”
    Her smile felt too wobbly. “Are you kidding? At this point
Harold ‘the Nose’ Delaney’s desk job sounds like a dream to me. Nothing would
make me happier than boring human crime. I’ve had enough danger and magical
creatures for three lifetimes.”
    Kyle forced her to stop and stared at her in silence for one
long moment. Then another. “Bullshit.”
    The words felt as though they had force. “What?”
    He rubbed his hands together briskly, blowing warm air on
his fingers through the gloves, his astute, serious gaze never straying from
hers. “You heard me.” He shrugged. “I wish I could believe you, Sheridan.
Houston sucks without you, especially on the job. My new partner’s wife
just left him and he keeps driving by her house and playing the same damn
country song over and over again while he leans on my shoulder and cries. Talk
about hell.”
    His new partner. Sheridan tried to ignore the twinge of hurt
as another piece of her old life disappeared. Kyle didn’t seem to notice.
    He shook his head. “You may miss me, but you don’t miss
that. You always wanted more. Craved more. And now? Now there’s something
burning inside you that would never be satisfied with boring or ordinary again.
That would never be satisfied with staying out of the fight. Which is why I don’t
understand why you’ve been here so long. It’s obvious you aren’t being held
against your will and you still have all your limbs intact, which can only mean
one thing.” His brown eyes were piercing. “You’ve been hiding as much as
training on this mountain and everyone knows it.”
    She glared at him, feeling the sting of betrayal. “Is that
what you think? What they think?”
    “I don’t give a damn what they think, Sher. It’s what I know.” His expression told her he didn’t like what he was saying, but that didn’t
make it any easier to hear. “You could have trained with the Fianna .
With Damon and Finn. You could have stayed with your family and worked with
Meru and Myrddin to understand what your part of the prophecy in the Book of
Veils meant. Could have. But you chose not to. For the first time in
your life, you ran away. As if you’re actually afraid you won’t be able to do
what you need to do. And the overachieving ass-kicker I used to know? She
wouldn’t be able to stand that.”
    He knows you too well. He can see your fear.