Free ShiftingHeat by Lynne Connolly

broad
shoulders propped against it, at ease.
    Andros grinned. “Hey. Are you here for a reason?”
    “You hear what went down last night?”
    Andros shrugged. “Some fuss, but nobody asked me so I came
here to register.” His heart sank. The game was up and the fuss at STORM did
involve his missing ankle bracelet, after all. At least he had it back in his
possession now.
    “Right.” Johann ran his hand through his hair, ruffling the
dark curls. It didn’t make him any less dangerous-looking. “They might want you
on board. Someone broke in and freed the professor.”
    “That a street name or something?”
    “Nope. He really is a professor. Professor Harken Nordheim,
to be precise. He’s been causing big trouble.”
    Johann raised a brow and Andros understood. He didn’t want
to talk here. But vampires had telepathy during the day, the only power to
survive the onset of the sun. You want to talk like this?
    He felt a stirring in his mind. Faye was dressing. She
wouldn’t be long. He checked his watch. “No time, bro. I’m going to the
Fairness Society meeting with Faye.”
    Johann didn’t ask him who Faye was, which probably meant he
knew already.
    “Okay.” But be warned. Whatever he says, we’re taking him
in. There could be trouble so stay clear. Look after Faye and get her back to
STORM. That’s your job, and kid, if you were wondering, you are now definitely
part of this operation.
    Shit, so it was all about this Nordheim man. “Okay. I’ll see
you back there.”
    If he knows we’re coming he’ll be out of that place, so
don’t rile him . Did you know Nordheim from before?
    What does he teach?
    American history.
    Andros laughed. Do I look like a history student?
    Johann had the grace to grin. Do I look like a World War
One soldier?
    Andros saluted him and Johann saluted back, his much better
than Andros’ amateur gesture. Point. No, computer science. I thought I’d
revive my studies now I’ve got a handle on the whole dragon thing and if I
leave it much later to enroll, I’ll pass the deadline .
    Sounds like a good idea.
    And Ann, is she angry?
    Let me see. Somebody steals an ankle bracelet, enters the
building, frees a prisoner and they both get the hell out. Angry is an
understatement, bro. Livid is closer. Incandescent, maybe.
    Oh fuck. He should have known better, to think nobody had
worked out whose security bracelet Faye had used. Because it had to be her.
She’d wanted that bracelet to get Nordheim out and she’d done it. Which meant
one of two things. Either Faye was much more formidable than he’d imagined,
or…no, it couldn’t be that. Either way, when he got back there’d be hell to
pay.
    She must be furious, to get a vampire out in the daytime.
    Johann raised a brow. Trained agent here. I can look
after myself.
    Looking at Johann’s brawny frame, Andros didn’t doubt that
for a minute. He’d seen the vampire in action and he was formidable enough in
the daytime. Some vampires kept to night shifts since most of their powers only
emerged at sundown, and melted away with the dawn. Johann didn’t give a shit.
He had other talents to make up for his lack of Talent during the day.
    Andros felt her approach. Faye’s coming. Do you want to
meet her?
    Not yet. “See you.”
    “Yeah.”
    I’ve got your back, kid.
    Andros wasn’t sure if that was entirely a good thing in the
circumstances. But if this was a mission, he’d better do what he was told. Look
after Faye and get her back to STORM after the meeting. She was complicit in
Nordheim’s escape. He still wasn’t sure what STORM wanted the professor for,
but that they wanted him was enough for now.
    When she exited the showers, he was alone. He flashed a
grin. “Thanks. I didn’t want to have to come after you.”
    She shrugged. “I’m just glad you’ve decided to come to the
meeting.”
    Andros avoided her gaze, pulled his watch out of his pocket
and strapped it on, glancing at the time as he did so. “We’d better