Free Eternal Pleasure by Nina Bangs Page B

what she was thinking. They’d be gratified to know that no rational thinking was going on inside her head at all.
    When she pulled up in front of Al’s apartment, he offered her a grin before getting out. “Great meeting you, Kelly.”
    “Same here, Al. Thanks for saving my behind from…” From what? The whole scene back at the club seemed surreal, something she could’ve dreamed. Except the air blowing in the broken window was real, her clenching stomach was real, and there wouldn’t be any waking up from this.
    Kelly watched until he went inside and then pulled away. Q and Ty didn’t say anything on the drive back to their apartment building. Good. She wasn’t in the mood for small talk. A million questions jockeyed for position in her mind, but she needed to get her head straight before asking them.
    The silence lasted all the way to her door. Q murmured a good night, then went into his apartment. No explanations, no apologies, no “this was all an elaborate hoax—ha ha.”
    Ty waited while she unlocked her door. Then he put his hand over hers. “We need to talk.”
    Shimmers of that first erotic burst she’d felt from him shivered over her. She tried to push them away. “So talk.”
    He glanced past her.
    “No, I’m not inviting you in. Just answer a few questions.”
    His gaze grew wary. “Ask.”
    “I’m the only human witness. Will you have to kill me?” She didn’t believe he would, but the question had to be checked off her list.
    The corners of his luscious mouth tipped up. “Not necessary. No one would believe your story.”
    “Were those guys really vampires?”
    Ty shrugged. “I guess so. They weren’t human. And I recognized the scent of the one who broke the car window. He killed the man we found last night.”
    She fought to keep her face expressionless. But her Chicken Little mind was running in circles screaming, “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!”
    “Next question. What’re you ?”
    “I’m otherkin.”
    “Explain.”
    “Otherkin are nonhuman souls trapped in human bodies.”
    “I’d say you have one assertive soul.”
    His scowl said he didn’t think that was funny. “Fin and the rest of us are a little different from the normal otherkin.”
    “Normal?”
    His sudden smile softened the hard lines of his face. “Right. Normal wasn’t a good word. Most otherkin have no choice. Steve’s soul is a horse. He was born that way. I bet if I knew him better, I’d find out he runs in marathons. Most otherkin learn to adapt or go crazy.”
    “How’re you different?” She thought about the T. rex. “Other than the obvious.”
    Ty stared at the ceiling for a moment before answering. “Maybe we need to let it go for now. I’ve told you too much already. But after what you saw, you deserved some explanation.” He met her gaze. “You’re quitting, aren’t you?”
    “Yes.” Surprised, she realized the thought of walking away from him forever didn’t bring the relief she’d thought it would. “I study music and used to work at the zoo part-time. Neither of which qualifies me to be a part of whatever’s going down on the dark side.”
    He nodded. “I don’t blame you.” He moved closer. “Then I guess I’d better do this now.”
    Before she could react, he wrapped his arms around her and lowered his head.
    His mouth on hers was a hot branding. No tentative first touching of lips. It was sexual hunger in its most primal form. If there was a woman alive who could resist the burn of his need, she must be packed in ice.
    Kelly wasn’t a hypocrite. She’d been wondering what he’d feel like, taste like, so now she gave herself over to the experience—the tip of his tongue tracing her lower lip before demanding a deeper commitment, the heated male scent of him, the tactile sensation of firm lips and a tongue talented in so many ways.
    And when he finally lifted his head, she wasn’t ready for it to end.
    “I’d like to see you tomorrow before you