Sentinel Lost (Mind Sweeper Series Book 5) Read Free Page B

contingent.”
    Marie’s eyes twinkled. “Whatever you say, dear. Where has he been lately, by the way?”
    “In Europe, meeting with international shifter leaders.”
    “Why didn’t you go with him?”
    “Because it would have been boring, and they sure wouldn’t have let me attend the meeting.”
    “Right, we don’t need you causing any international incidents.”
    “Funny.”
    Marie giggled. “I am, aren’t I? Now let me try out some of these jokes.”
    My phone rang— thank God— and I made a grab for it, not even checking to see who it was. Even if it was a telemarketer calling at the butt crack of dawn, I was grateful for the save. “I have to get this, Marie. Hello.”
    “Kyle, are you up?”
    I glared at Marie some more, and she smiled innocently at me.
    “Yes, Misha, I’m awake. What’s up?”
    “Jean Luc and I just checked the museum to see if we could find out anything else about our green-blooded visitor now that the sun is up, but we came up empty. Since we’re close by, why don’t we pick you up?”
    “Sure. I’ll be ready in five.”
    I flung off the comforter and scrambled out of bed. “I’ve got to go, Marie. I can’t talk about Jean Luc anymore. Now go away, so I can get dressed.”
    “Kyle, sweetie, we have the same lady parts.”
    “Marie!”
    She chuckled and faded away. I brushed my teeth and dressed quickly in jeans and a turtleneck. I pulled on thick socks and rummaged in my closet to find my backup work boots. I crammed my foot into the first boot and then hopped on one foot out into my hall while I yanked on the other one. I hopped right through Marie floating in my path. Icy pinpricks skittered over my skin.
    “Holy crap! I thought you left.” I frowned at her. “Are you haunting me? Do I need to burn something of yours to set you free? Maybe a priest could get rid of you.”
    She floated a little higher and glared down as if she wanted to intimidate me. “What in the world are you talking about?”
    “Well, unless you’re tied to me for some strange reason, I can’t figure out why you’d spend your undead days in Cleveland, Ohio.”
    Marie beamed. “It’s not the place that attracts me, dear. It’s the people. Now your teammate, Misha, is a Shamat demon, right?”
    Warning bells rang in my brain. “Yes.”
    “Is he single?”
    “We are so not going there.”
    “Russians are a very passionate people.”
    I shuddered. “It’s official. I’m going to need therapy.”
    Tires squealed outside, and I ran to my window to check the street below. The team van sat in front of my apartment building, smoke still rising from the tire burns on the street. One of these days, my neighbors were going to call the cops on Jean Luc.
    “See you later!”
    I grabbed my coat, locked up, hustled down the stairs, and hopped into the back of the van. Once I snapped my seatbelt on—because you never rode anywhere with Jean Luc without buckling up—I let out a hard breath.
    Jean Luc peeled away from the curb. “Rough morning, ma petite ?”
    “You could say that.”
    Misha stared longingly as we passed the all-night bakery, like a child stared under the tree on Christmas morning. “I would have loved some donuts.”
    “Maybe tomorrow, big guy. So, no luck at the museum, huh?”
    “No,” Misha said. “I also called Nicholas earlier to fill him in on what’s going on.”
    I shrugged, not giving a flying fig if Nicholas knew what was going on or not. Even though he ran the Bureau of Supernatural Relations—or BSR, like all the cool kids called it—I didn’t consider him my boss anymore. Not after he threatened me last year. There would be no Boss of the Year mug forthcoming.
    “Where’s Talia?”
    Jean Luc turned the corner. “She took the blood sample to the lab so Doc can look at it after she has finished her shift at the hospital.”
    Twenty minutes later, we pulled into the empty parking garage and trooped upstairs to the office. Since it was 6:00 am, Dolly