Free Chameleon (Supernaturals) by Kelly Oram Page A

her a choice to be a part of our world. By the time she knew it existed she was already tied to it. She was already married to my dad. She already had a son who wasn’t human. I couldn’t do that to you. I wasn’t going to get into a relationship if I couldn’t be myself with you.”
    The moment felt completely surreal because even though I’d never really thought about there being an “us” before, it still felt like I’d waited my whole life to hear him say all these things. I felt a warmth inside me that was different from the energy I’d been feeling lately, and I relaxed.
    “What made you finally decide to tell me?”
    “I always thought it was better to have you as a friend than tell you the truth and risk losing you, but I can’t be just your friend anymore. It’s killing me.” Russ dropped his voice to a whisper and it shook slightly. “Dani you have to know that I’m as drawn to you as you are to me. I may have settled down since coming into my power, but I still crave you.”
    “This….” Russ put his fingertips on my cheek and dragged them down my neck, then brushed them back and forth along the length of my collarbone. It was too much to handle. My breath caught in my lungs and I started to tremble.
    “The chance to touch you like this,” Russ said, “in a way that could never be mistaken for friendship, it’s all I ever think about anymore.”
    A loud, slow clap startled both Russ and me from the trance we’d fallen into.
    Standing twenty feet away on the edge of the lake was a tall man with sun-kissed skin and shaggy brown hair that fell in his eyes and curled out behind his ears. He looked about twenty-five and had arms that bulged out from the sleeves of his t-shirt. I had no doubt he could bench-press like five of me.
    He was good-looking, but he was a stranger. Which, in our quiet little town that was so far off the beaten path people only came here when they had a really good reason to, was highly unusual.
    “Now that was a line,” he said with amusement. “Seriously, I’m going to have to use that sometime.”
    “Yeah, and until you showed up the line was working,” Russ called out in a voice full of false friendliness. “So, uh, show a little decency and find somewhere else to be.”
    The stranger laughed. “I like you. You remind me of myself. If I were you I’d give the girl a kiss while you have the chance.”
    I saw Russ’s muscles tighten and I put my hand on his arm. “Be careful,” I whispered. “There’s something about him. I can feel him like I feel you and your dad.”
    Russ glanced at me. “He’s a supernatural? Are you sure?”
    “As sure as I can be.”
    I looked back at the stranger. It didn’t look like he was in a hurry to follow Russ’s advice to get lost. He walked over to the pile of clothes Russ and I had left behind and picked up my shirt. “This is a nice color for you, Danielle. I like it when girls aren’t afraid to wear a little color. Why don’t you come out of there and let me see how it looks on. I assume you’ll want to be dressed for our journey.”
    Russ pushed me behind him. “And just what journey are you talking about?” he asked while I had another question.
    “How do you know my name?”
    “You’d better get used to that, Dani . Pretty soon every supernatural in the world will know your name. News travels fast, and the rumors about you…well, let’s just say you’re a bit of a celebrity. That’s why I’m here. I’ve come to fetch you for my boss. He’s very interested in meeting the one who’s supposed to fulfill the prophecy.”
    To my surprise Russ let out a gasp and then looked at me with wide eyes.
    “That’s right,” the stranger said to Russ. “The Seer has predicted it. No doubt the council is already on their way to steal and corrupt her for their own purpose. My job was to get here before they did.”
    Prophecy? Seer? Council? This entire conversation was over my head.
    “What’s he talking