OmegaMine Read Free Page A

facing the darkness. Dark
she could handle. Deranged wildebeests with fangs the size of tusks were
another thing altogether.
    Heavy claws bore down on the other side of the door,
scraping viciously. Growls became heavy brays, so loud the door vibrated with
each deep bellow. Scooting on her palms and heels, she tried to place as much
space between her and the hound from hell as possible, kicking away from the
crack of light against the hardwood floor. Something brushed against the top of
her head and she lashed out, squealing in terror while slapping at the flimsy
thing with her hands. Objects fell on top of her, some light, some thick and
heavy. The harder she thrashed and fought the more she became entangled in the
mess.
    The loud howls came to an abrupt stop when she heard a man order
in a deep husky baritone, “Quiet, Oscar! Sit.”
    The handle jiggled and the door opened. Sunlight poured in
and she slapped at what she was mortified to discover were sheets and blankets.
A large form appeared in the doorway and she froze. Memories from the night
before rushed back, sending her into a panic. Vampires had attacked and the
entire world had gone black. But she wasn’t dead and the sun was shining.
    What the hell happened between then and now ?
    Desperate for answers, she reached out with her mind, homed
in on her captor’s thoughts and listened. A big wall of nothing greeted her. It
was daytime, so he wasn’t a vampire. She eyed the enormous shape before her.
She couldn’t make out his face but he was big, big and big…
    Oh crap.
    Shifter .
    “It’s all right, Pinkie,” the form said softly and crouched.
“Don’t be afraid.”
    “D-dog,” she stammered dumbly and hated herself for sounding
like a complete ninny and idiot. Of course he knew a rabid canine was present.
He’d called the damn thing off. Unfortunately she couldn’t think of anything
intelligent to say.
    “Let me guess.” His shadowed head tilted to the side and she
detected laughter in his voice. “You called him ugly.”
    “What?” She swatted at a sheet dangling next to her face and
scowled at his corresponding throaty chuckle.
    “Oscar.” He lifted a hand and flicked his thumb over his
shoulder. “You told him he wasn’t much to look at. Didn’t you?”
    Her face flamed in embarrassment. What if the dog wasn’t
really a dog at all? She hadn’t been around a shifter in animal form before but
the hideous thing was terrifying—and large—enough to pass for one.
    “Yes.”
    Clucking his tongue, he stood and flicked a switch on the
wall. “I would suggest you keep those kinds of thoughts to yourself from here
on in. Oscar is as docile as a lamb until you remind him he’s got a face only a
momma could love. You might find this hard to believe but he was quite a
heartbreaker as a pup.”
    His words didn’t process, not when she got her first look at
the owner of that deep, commanding baritone. Working in a dance club meant she
saw her fair share of preternatural creatures—vampires, shifters and demons
were common patrons of the establishment—and through it all, she’d learned one
valuable lesson. Steer clear of them. They were as dangerous as they were sexy,
able to tear people apart before they felt that first, telling bite of pain.
She knew better than anyone not to take the stranger in, not to view him as a
man or to allow herself to fantasize about what could never be between them.
But god help her, shifter had never looked so good.
    He was barefoot, dressed in a snug pair of faded blue jeans
and a thick brown sweater with a Cleveland Browns logo in the center. Rich
black hair fell in thick strands to his shoulders, framing a face with full, sensual
lips, a straight nose and a squared jaw shadowed with a slathering of equally
dark stubble that made her heart skip a beat. His beautiful mouth curved in
amusement when she did a double take and she quickly averted her eyes, knowing
he’d caught her staring.
    Busted.
    “What