Free Sons of Angels by Rachel Green Page A

though the short dark fur was unusual in the species and the partial transformation indicated she was newly initiated. Her long limbs would give her an advantage in a fight and those claws could do significant damage.
    She aimed a kick at the prone form. Her steel-tipped leather boots connected with a satin-soft cheek. The flesh tore but began to knit immediately, a bruise flushing purple beneath the surface, fading to yellow and vanishing in the blink of an eye.
    Gillian spat again onto the girl’s face. “You can stand up now. I’m not going to kill you. Not yet, anyway. Who are you, and why are you here? This is my turf, bitch, and I didn’t authorize a dog pack.”
    The girl leaped up and launched into an attack. Gillian sidestepped and caught her with a horizontal kick, felling her once again.
    “I said, stand up. Do you speak English or should I bark?” Gillian crouched, an aggressive stance that could propel her in any of six directions.
    The girl struggled upright. “Enough. I submit, or whatever it is you want.” She reached up and touched the wound on her neck, staring at the amount of blood. “What are you? Some kind of vampire?”
    “You seem so surprised. Didn’t you believe we existed?”
    The girl shrugged. “Well, to be honest, no. I thought it all romantic literature and the latest chic.”
    “ Tch . A werewolf that doesn’t believe in vampires. I didn’t think I’d die to see the day.”
    “What makes you think I’m a werewolf?”
    “I can smell it.”
    “I don’t understand.” The girl sat on the pavement, her legs curled beneath her. “How can I be a werewolf? I’ve never met one.”
    “You must have. You’re one of the Changed, a denizen of the night. I can hurt you and you can hurt me.” Gillian shrugged. “Well, you could if you were quick enough.”
    “It would explain a lot of what’s been happening to me.” She looked away. “If anyone had asked me if I believed in werewolves and vampires a week ago I would have laughed in their face.”
    “Are there others of your kind? Where do they hang out? The last thing I need is a dog pack running about.”
    “There aren’t any others. Not that I know about, anyway. Only my sister, and she’s different. She sees dead people. Why did this happen to me? Last Friday I was normal.”
    “Why should I care?” Gillian pursed her lips. Whatever this dog was, she wasn’t dangerous. “Very well. I could try to find out. Give me your address and I’ll meet you tonight.”
    “Why not now?” The dog’s fists clenched, but Gillian laughed. “Not now. It’s nearly dawn.”
    “Oh, right. Sorry.” The girl reeled off her address. “What time?”
    “Sundown is at nine-twenty. Call it ten. I’m Gillian, by the way.”
    “Felicia. How will you...”
    Gillian left her.
     

 
    Chapter 10
     
    Felicia started walking.
    Even without shoes the few miles back to her flat was easy, though she tried to keep to the paved areas and grass verges rather than the gritty tarmac. She soon fell into an easy lope and from there it was all the more natural to run. Besides, running barefoot was becoming popular these days and she was less likely to draw attention to herself.
    Where had the hours gone?
    She thought about her lost time. She had no recollection between the hospital and the club, or between the club and meeting the vampire. It had never occurred to her such things really existed. Was she really a werewolf? Was she going to rip off her blouse and kill people in tight trousers every full moon?
    She couldn’t bear to think about it. Why couldn’t she just go back to her normal life? Would that be so hard?
    It was for Julie. She’d been driven mad by her gift. Felicia gave a bark of laughter, startling a woman waiting for an early bus, who looked with disgust at the bare-footed runner. What of her supposed grandfather, Taliel? An earth-bound angel was even harder to believe in than a vampire.
    In order to understand any of this, she