In Hawke's Eyes Read Free

compared to him, and firecrackers when it came to fighting for what they believed in. While Stephanie might put on a big show, he saw vulnerability in her as well. She needed his protection, and he didn’t think it was because of her sight. He told himself to keep it casual. Falling for Sienna should have taught him a lesson, but Stephanie called to him. Even when he slept in his bed at night, he felt her, longed to be with her.
    The pull was the reason he found himself yet again in his hawk form outside her window, listening to her breathe while she slept. I’ve become a damn stalker. It was different when Toron asked me to watch over Sienna, but no one asked me to watch Stephanie. If she knew…
    He would not reveal what he was. That would only scare her and the last thing he wanted to do. As yet, Stephanie hadn’t introduced him to her daughter, but he had seen the little girl a few times. She looked like her mother, petite with a narrow face and big pretty brown eyes. Unlike Stephanie’s smooth cocoa skin, Meechi’s complexion was much fairer, as if from mixed blood. The knowledge gave Hawke a bit of hope. Stephanie might be open to an interracial relationship.
    Feeling a nip in the air, Hawke stretched his wings and craned his neck with a squawk. An answering sound came from several streets away, but he recognized the call from a regular bird and not a shifter. On the street below, a shadow shifted positions, not natural. Hawke peered into the darkness. Human, he determined, and was just about to dismiss the man when he stopped in front of Stephanie’s building. Something in the way he hitched his shoulders and peered down at the sheet of paper in his hand put Hawke on alert. Hawke spread his wings and left the branch to fly over the man. He dipped his head and blinked a few times. The writing on the page came into view with no problem, and Stephanie’s name had been etched at the top.
    The human entered the building. Hawke prepared to land and shift to his human form, but the man returned moments later. He strolled around the exterior of the building, his head swinging side to side as if to determine whether anyone watched.
    I see you, and if you think you will hurt her, you are wrong.
    The man came to the spot where Hawke already knew her balcony lay. He’d watched her come out onto it time and again and followed her movements beyond the sliding glass whenever she left the blinds open. Tonight she had left the door open to let in a light breeze. Hawke landed on the rail and looked down at the human. The man started at seeing Hawke.
    Please come up here, so I can take out my frustrations on you.
    The man hesitated. Hawke knew he appeared bigger than the average hawk, and he liked it that way. Having the reasoning ability of a human, he could take down any one of them or even a bigger animal shifter. His talons and curved beak would make short work of any enemy.
    The human stepped back a pace and scratched his head. He took out a cell phone, and Hawke hoped he would use it so he could listen in, but the man tucked it away and turned back the way he came. When Hawke was sure the man had vacated the area, he spread his wings to take off.
    “Oh wow, a hawk. How cool.”
    Hawke froze at hearing Meechi’s voice. What was she doing out of bed, and why wasn’t she afraid of him? He twisted his head left and peered at her. She inched closer, holding her arm out. Bad move.
    “Come here, boy. You want to sit on my arm? Don’t worry. I won’t hurt you.”
    No! I would hurt you, damn it. Go to bed, Meechi. Of course he said none of that out loud, and he had no intention of sitting on her arm. A screech startled them both, and Stephanie darted out onto the balcony and jerked Meechi to her.
    “What is that shape, Meechi? It’s so big. Get your butt in the house, and what are you doing up?” She shoved her daughter behind her. “Shoo, shoo!”
    “It’s a hawk, Mommie. Isn’t it beautiful?”
    “No, it’s not