Steam Read Free Page B

new magic pushing at them didn’t dissipate, but his body gradually grew used to the sensation.
    Raven rushed around, talking about adding a fire pit to the training fields. “Anna, Sloan, be prepared to train her.”
    Great. The last thing Sloan needed was to train a new handler in how to control her magic. Especially one who affected him like this.

Chapter 3
    “I’m leaving for the day,” Sunny said to three of her co-workers. The women were all gathered around a computer screen, ogling a half-naked male model.
    “God, I love my job,” one of them said with a sigh. “Every morning I wake up dreading coming to work and having to deal with the fashion editor from hell. Then I remember I get to ogle men like that every day, and I remember why I haven’t quit yet.” She pointed to the model, clad only in a pair of boxer briefs and a smile, and sighed.
    Sunny giggled. She liked her job for more than the male models, but she had to admit they did make things a little more interesting. “They do break up the day,” she replied.
    Another one of her co-workers sighed dramatically and turned off the screen. “Why can’t my boyfriend look like that?”
    Shaking her head, Sunny pointed at the woman and smiled. “Don’t complain. I’ve seen the flowers he sends you every Friday.”
    “Yeah. He’s pretty great. He’s out for the night though. Are you sure you don’t want to join us for drinks tonight? I’ll even treat you, since it’s your birthday.”
    It was tempting. It wasn’t like she had anything else waiting for her at home. But Sunny shook her head again. No matter how long she’d held this job, she still couldn’t get past the idea that if she got close to someone, she would have to leave them behind. It was how she’d lived her entire life. “Maybe next time,” she said instead.
    “We’re going to hold you to that.” Sunny giggled again as the women reached behind the screen and extracted a box. She recognized it as a pastry box from the local bakery. “Anyway, we wanted to give this to you. Happy Birthday. Enjoy it with a glass of wine and a bubble bath. You only turn twenty-five once, you know.”
    Touched, Sunny accepted the box. “Thanks. I will.” She looked around, a little embarrassed. She didn’t quite know how to act around people these days. “You guys have a good time tonight. I’ll see you on Monday.”
    All three women nodded. “Thank goodness for weekends,” one of them said. “It gives me two entire days to recover from Friday night. You promise you’ll join us soon?”
    “Maybe next week,” Sunny replied, a little cornered. She wasn’t certain how she felt. She wanted so badly to throw away all of her reservations and foster some real friendships.
    Maybe the fact that she’d been at the magazine for more than a year meant she could actually make some friends. She’d never been anywhere longer than a year before. Even the foster families she’d grown up with had usually given up on her after about eight months and she was shunted to another family.
    With her brain racing, she waved good-bye and headed out to her car. Unlocking the door, she slid into the driver’s seat and carefully placed the pastry box on the passenger seat.
    She stroked the steering wheel affectionately. The car was more than just a car to her. It was the first thing she’d ever purchased. It was the only thing she’d had for longer than five years. Hell, it was the only thing she’d had for longer than two years; although, this job was approaching the eighteen month mark. Regardless, the car was almost like a child to her.
    She drove the twenty minutes to her apartment building and hopped out, making sure to lock the doors behind her. She lived in a fairly safe neighborhood and there were lights in the parking lot, but one could never be too careful.
    Letting herself into the building, Sunny bypassed the elevators and burst through the stairwell door. The past few weeks had been strange. She