SEDUCTIVE SUPERNATURALS: 12 Tales of Shapeshifters, Vampires & Sexy Spirits by Sheri Whitefeather, Maureen Child, Caridad Piñeiro, Erin Kellison, Erin Quinn, Lisa Kessler, Chris Marie Green, Mary Leo, Cassi Carver, Janet Wellington, Theresa Meyers, Elisabeth Staab
Authors: Sheri Whitefeather, Maureen Child, Caridad Piñeiro, Erin Kellison, Erin Quinn, Lisa Kessler, Chris Marie Green, Mary Leo, Cassi Carver, Janet Wellington, Theresa Meyers, Elisabeth Staab
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overachiever daughter. She’d tried to keep thoughts about him to herself as much as she could. Obviously, she hadn’t done such a great job at it. She remembered how it had felt when Grandma Beck looked down her nose at Reilly, called him white trash . . .forbade Gracie to see him.
She’d driven Gracie and Reilly to plan their escape together. Even though they’d never actually carried it through, they’d come close. She didn’t want to push Analise into the same desperate situation.
When they entered the room, Brendan was dressed and sitting in the stiff plastic chair next to the bed, deep in concentration. A white bandage circled the top of his head, and it looked very bright against his deep tan. Bruising seeped out from beneath it, discoloring the skin around his temple and right eye. One arm was in a sling but without a cast.
He looked up, frowning when he saw Gracie, but his expression brightened when Analise stepped in behind her.
“I’ve been so worried about you,” he said, reaching out for Analise’s hand.
Analise hesitated before she let him pull her forward. It didn’t make sense. Yesterday, Analise had been giddy as she left the house for her clandestine getaway with Brendan. Gracie had noted it but hadn’t thought much of it. Her daughter was sixteen, and a lot of things made her giddy, like sleepovers with her bestie. She’d never even considered that Analise might be lying about where she was going.
Brendan tugged Analise’s fingers until she stood close and then kissed her on the back of the hand. The gesture seemed old-fashioned, out of character for the boy. The bruises and bandages gave his face an unfamiliar contour. He almost looked like a different kid—man. He was at that age that bordered both, and it was hard for Gracie to tell.
“Why did you leave me here last night, babe?” he asked.
“They wouldn’t let me stay,” Analise murmured. “My mom was waiting at my grandma’s. She died last night, Brendan. Did you see her out at the . . . that horrible place?”
Brendan looked stunned. “She died?”
“She was out there, and she fell in that pit.”
“They should have filled the springs a long time ago,” Dr. Graebel said, signing something on the clipboard he held. “Should’ve brought in workers from Phoenix if our own boys were too scared of a damned hole in the ground.”
Gracie remembered hearing that once they had actually imported workers from another town to do the job suspicious Diablo Springs men wouldn’t do. Things had gone wrong on the site, though, confirming the rumors that the place was haunted and cursed. Accidents. Faulty equipment. Two men had been killed and others wounded on the first day. After that, they’d all packed up and gone home. The town had erected a fence around the springs, posted warning signs, and called it good enough. Time had worn the fence down, though. She’d seen from the windows of the Diablo how it sagged all around and lay flat in some places. It certainly hadn’t kept the kids out.
“I don’t even know what happened to us,” Analise went on. “We almost crashed right into that hole, too. We got turned around, and we drove right over the edge, Brendan.”
Brendan shot Gracie an accusing glance, as if somehow she was to blame for it all. Gracie met it with an irritated, incredulous look of her own. Brendan had brought her daughter here, knowing she’d lied to Gracie about her whereabouts. Injured or not, he was on Gracie’s shit list.
His lips curled at the corners. A grin? A sneer? A wince of pain? Gracie couldn’t tell, but it bothered her, Made her tense each time he pulled Analise closer. Was she projecting, or did it seem like Analise didn’t want to be that close?
Too many things didn’t make sense. For the most part, Brendan went out of his way to be polite to Gracie. His behavior now . . . It wasn’t normal .
“Are you hurt?” he asked, turning back to Analise. He stared deeply into her eyes
She’d driven Gracie and Reilly to plan their escape together. Even though they’d never actually carried it through, they’d come close. She didn’t want to push Analise into the same desperate situation.
When they entered the room, Brendan was dressed and sitting in the stiff plastic chair next to the bed, deep in concentration. A white bandage circled the top of his head, and it looked very bright against his deep tan. Bruising seeped out from beneath it, discoloring the skin around his temple and right eye. One arm was in a sling but without a cast.
He looked up, frowning when he saw Gracie, but his expression brightened when Analise stepped in behind her.
“I’ve been so worried about you,” he said, reaching out for Analise’s hand.
Analise hesitated before she let him pull her forward. It didn’t make sense. Yesterday, Analise had been giddy as she left the house for her clandestine getaway with Brendan. Gracie had noted it but hadn’t thought much of it. Her daughter was sixteen, and a lot of things made her giddy, like sleepovers with her bestie. She’d never even considered that Analise might be lying about where she was going.
Brendan tugged Analise’s fingers until she stood close and then kissed her on the back of the hand. The gesture seemed old-fashioned, out of character for the boy. The bruises and bandages gave his face an unfamiliar contour. He almost looked like a different kid—man. He was at that age that bordered both, and it was hard for Gracie to tell.
“Why did you leave me here last night, babe?” he asked.
“They wouldn’t let me stay,” Analise murmured. “My mom was waiting at my grandma’s. She died last night, Brendan. Did you see her out at the . . . that horrible place?”
Brendan looked stunned. “She died?”
“She was out there, and she fell in that pit.”
“They should have filled the springs a long time ago,” Dr. Graebel said, signing something on the clipboard he held. “Should’ve brought in workers from Phoenix if our own boys were too scared of a damned hole in the ground.”
Gracie remembered hearing that once they had actually imported workers from another town to do the job suspicious Diablo Springs men wouldn’t do. Things had gone wrong on the site, though, confirming the rumors that the place was haunted and cursed. Accidents. Faulty equipment. Two men had been killed and others wounded on the first day. After that, they’d all packed up and gone home. The town had erected a fence around the springs, posted warning signs, and called it good enough. Time had worn the fence down, though. She’d seen from the windows of the Diablo how it sagged all around and lay flat in some places. It certainly hadn’t kept the kids out.
“I don’t even know what happened to us,” Analise went on. “We almost crashed right into that hole, too. We got turned around, and we drove right over the edge, Brendan.”
Brendan shot Gracie an accusing glance, as if somehow she was to blame for it all. Gracie met it with an irritated, incredulous look of her own. Brendan had brought her daughter here, knowing she’d lied to Gracie about her whereabouts. Injured or not, he was on Gracie’s shit list.
His lips curled at the corners. A grin? A sneer? A wince of pain? Gracie couldn’t tell, but it bothered her, Made her tense each time he pulled Analise closer. Was she projecting, or did it seem like Analise didn’t want to be that close?
Too many things didn’t make sense. For the most part, Brendan went out of his way to be polite to Gracie. His behavior now . . . It wasn’t normal .
“Are you hurt?” he asked, turning back to Analise. He stared deeply into her eyes
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