Heart of a Hunter Read Free Page A

toward the opening door of the coffee house. “There’s your babe, Ellie.” She gave Elle a knowing grin.
    Elle looked up to lock eyes with one of the finest guys she had ever known or, she was sure, would ever know. Brandon McGovern was a teenage god, a tall, fair-skinned, dark-haired senior who turned female heads every day of his life. He approached them with a broad smile, his jeans fitting his powerful legs like a rock star’s leather pants. Elle smiled back, nervously casting a glance down at her blue top and blue jeans.
    He snagged a chair from an empty table and sat down next to Elle. “Hey, ladies. Missed you at last class period today. But…oh wait…coffee is always more important than a class lecture.” He winked at Elle.
    Elle’s heart soared in an instant, and she smiled at him. “I was fading by fifth period, so here we are. Did we miss anything important?”
    Brandon shook his head. “Not a damn thing.”
    K.D. grabbed her tiny crocheted purse and sprang from her chair. “I’m needed elsewhere right about now, so I’m going to take off. You two entertain each other, okay?” She gave Elle a crafty smile and mouthed, “You got this,” at her above Brandon’s head. She gave them both a wave and headed away from the table and out the front door.
    “So, Elle, are we going to talk about date number two? Or was our first date so unimpressive that you’re pretty much writing me off?”
    Elle blinked a few times in astonishment. “Why would you think that? I haven’t given you the freeze off, have I?”
    “We used to talk a lot during the summer then…well, you just kind of vanished.” Brandon lowered his eyes for a moment. “Yeah, I kind of took it as a ‘screw off, jerk.’ After our first date, we never went out again.”
    Elle smiled shyly and took his hand in hers for a moment. “Things in my life just got kind of…um, crazy but I never, ever, wanted you to screw off. I would love a second date with you, Brandon.”
    He grinned, his dark brown eyes shining. She felt her legs begin to tremble just a bit. Good lord, she had imagined this moment so many times. He pointed at her empty cup. “I’m going to get us some drinks. Pumpkin spice is still your favorite, right?” She nodded. He stood, looking down at her. “We’ll talk more about this second date while we’re here.”
    Elle could feel her lips twisting in a dopey grin and tried to fix her face. Nope, the grin kept coming back, and suddenly she didn’t even give a damn as she watched Brandon at the front counter. She recalled their first kiss, his gentle but skilled mouth coaxing sensations from her body that she hadn’t experienced before, even though he wasn’t her first kiss. He didn’t automatically go for a handful of boob, as the few others hand, respectfully stopping short at a few caresses of her generous breasts encased in a lacy black bra and crocheted summer top.
    Her breasts tingled. She would happily kill three demons to have his lips on hers again.
    ****
    Pyro stood in the alley behind the coffee house, watching the demon approach. She had altered her appearance, now striding confidently toward him in her snug jeans with waves of long red hair and a body any mortal man or even demon would kill to possess. But she was his alone—his to fondle, his to command.
    The demon stopped in front of him, hands on her hips. She bowed her head in respect. “My dark lord,” she murmured, keeping her eyes on him. They shone with a wicked glint.
    Pyro felt himself immediately harden, but easing that particular need had to wait. “Cascadia.” He nodded. “You have been out of touch with me for many weeks. I was becoming concerned.” His expression darkened. “Do I have a reason to be concerned?”
    Cascadia shook her head. “No reason at all.” Her voice was flat with barely concealed annoyance. “I have become so much a part of your young demon hunter’s life that there’s no way anything happens that I don’t