Predator Girl (A Paranormal Romance) Read Free

computers.”
    “Ah, Pete.” I rolled my eyes. He was so thick sometimes. “Ms. Roric knows those websites by heart. To come across even a paragraph that she hasn’t seen before would be a miracle.”
    “What do you want me to say?” He cocked an eyebrow as he pushed open the front doors. “Copy off mine? I don’t want to take that fall for you, bro, especially when I actually wrote the essay this time.”
    “All of it?” I scrutinized. Peter usually made one of his girlfriends do his homework. He’d flash a smile at some poor geek girl in Theories class and bam! Twenty-four hours later he had a typed paper that passed.
    “Well, most of it.” Peter tucked his hands in his jeans pockets, a sly smile on his lips. “Anyway, new subject. What are you doing tonight?”
    “Tonight?” I hesitated, staring at the hallway. The walls were a terrible shade of yellow, the floor tiles brown and cracked. “Um. I don’t know. Why?”
    “Two words for you.” He hopped in front of me, walking backward as we went by the office windows. Holding up two fingers, he said, “Siren. Lake.”
    I stopped walking. Quickly, I glanced over my shoulder. “Siren Lake?”
    “Yeah, baby.” His smile morphed into a Cheshire cat grin. “Nine-thirty. Leo and Will are in, and Harney and Eli are coming. You’d better be there, too.”
    I swallowed, considering. Siren Lake, labeled as private property, was one of few forbidden territories in Loralin. We knew why, of course. Nestled near the center of the woods, a series of tagged water nymphs occupied its waters. Trespassing humans have drowned there, with no evidence left behind. But the nymphs liked Finders. Peter, the twins, Harney, and I had all stumbled upon the lake earlier in the summer. We were hesitant at first, since we could hear them below the water, but they hadn’t harmed us.
    If anything, they loved us . . . in more explicit ways than I wish to explain.
    Peter shifted his feet, getting impatient. I pursed my lips, debating whether I should listen to the demon on my shoulder taunting me with, “Go, go! You want a pretty girl that isn’t looking for commitment.”
    The saint on my other shoulder whispered warnings. It was always a risk being around an Otherworlder, especially when it could change its mind at any moment and suck you down to your death. We couldn’t bring protective gear with us. Creatures like nymphs see weapons as a threat, and they might drown you just for having a pocket knife. We would have to go in weaponless.
    Ah, hell, you only have one life, right? “Come get me, and we’ll go,” I said.
    Peter cheered. “Yeah, that’s my boy! Supernatural love fest, here we come!”

Chapter Three
    T he moon hovered over the woods, pale and half covered by clouds. The back roads were misty, yet the Elantra zipped along without caution. Sitting near the end of Clearwater was a red and blue mini-mart, dark and deserted, now closed for the evening. Peter pulled into the lot and cut the engine. Echoes of rap music met my ears. We were only a block from Whirlwind, the night club we’d been at last night.
    “Where are the others?” I asked, seeing Peter rapidly texting someone.
    “Parking at the club.” Sliding his phone shut, he tugged the keys out of the ignition. “Hoods up. Let’s go.”
    “Right.” I pulled the hood of my black jacket over my head. We started across the street, keeping an ear out for cars—especially cop cars—as we slid under the pine trees. Using his flashlight, Peter found the dust path. People used to go jogging here, but the trails were closed after the nymphs had been transferred to the lake.
    We met up about halfway down the trail. The moon had just come out of the clouds, highlighting another set of black hoods. Cigarette smoke burned my nostrils. A tiny, orange ember burned between someone’s fingers.
    “Harney, you dumbass, put it out,” Peter scolded. “You’re either going to attract unwanted attention, or light