The Fire Inside Read Free Page A

the third floor, his temper spiked and he had
to fight to keep from giving it voice. What the hell was her alpha thinking,
letting her live in a rundown human area without protection? If they found out
what she was, a mob would come after her. Their kind tried as best they could
to live in secret, but over the years they had earned several brandings.
Chimera, Lycanthrope, Loup-garou, and in modern times, Wolfman or Werewolf. No
matter the label, all of them lent to human fear and irrational behavior. Hell
no . Stubborn or not, he wasn’t going to allow her to stay here alone.

Chapter Two
     
    Tyra opened the door of her small one-bedroom apartment and
stepped across the threshold onto the dark-brown threadbare carpet. As she
turned to close the door, she heard the couple in the unit above her begin to
shout at each other. Teeth clenched, she shut the door. Really? Could
tonight get any worse? It took a lot of will power not to go upstairs and
kick the living shit out of that man. She knew what he did. She’d seen the
bruises his girlfriend, Sylvia, tried to hide under heavy makeup and behind the
lenses of dark sunglasses. She’d even offered Sylvia her couch if she wanted to
leave him, but the woman professed to be in love with the asshole. Things
quieted above her and she hoped that would be the end of the couple’s
fighting—at least for tonight.
    She turned the locks on the door and walked into the small
space she considered her living room. This was what she wanted. A normal life,
without attachments. She surveyed her meager furnishings with pride. A lot of
people might look down on her brown thrift-store sofa and scarred wooden
garage-sale end-table, but after living in the woods for fourteen years, she
was happy to have a roof over her head and hot water to bathe with. The
secondhand furniture seemed more like a bonus.
    The message light on her answering machine blinked
bright-red. She crossed the room and hit the play button. A loud beep sounded
and then the familiar male voice drifted up from the black machine. “Hey, Tyra.
It’s Steve. I just wanted to make sure we’re still on for Friday night. I’ll
pick you up at six. Bye.” The machine issued another beep before going silent.
    Steve Hanson had come into the bar a few times and flirted
with her in the past, but last week he’d finally asked her out on a date. Tall
with dirty-blond hair, he reminded her more of a guy you would see near the
coast. She could definitely picture him in a wet suit, top pulled down,
carrying a surfboard. Best of all, she knew she would never be able to keep
him. When it came time to part ways, she wouldn’t feel loss, because she knew
he would never accept her, or for that matter could ever even know what she
was. His presence would be temporary—no emotional ties. Yes. This is what she
wanted. So why didn’t she feel relieved?
    Her eyelids slid closed as she leaned against the textured
beige wall. Immediately her mind threw up images of a dark and sexy stranger
with amber eyes that had her body heating. No . She opened her eyes and
pushed away from the wall with a frustrated sigh. Konrad wasn’t for her. That
life wasn’t for her. It wasn’t safe. And it sure as hell wasn’t fair that he
could ignite a response from her body that damned easy.
    A loud banging brought her out of her wool-gathering
session. She turned as she heard a deep voice from the other side of the door.
    “Tyra, open the door.”
    Her irritation from earlier resurfaced. Konrad . He
didn’t even ask, he commanded her to open the door. Definitely not a
complication she needed in her life. She’d been taking care of herself for some
time now and didn’t need anyone else, human or were, telling her how to
live her life. And this male would definitely be the type to try to push her
around. He expected to be obeyed as any other alpha expected it. She stomped
across the small space, ready to open the door long enough to give him
directions to hell. She