Read Under My Skin for Free Online

Ethan’s body used to be. That was one good thing about the paranormal world. It took care of its own. Even Ethan, a human so recently turned into a werewolf, left no untidy traces behind.
    Alec was the first to move, breaking the hush that had fallen over us. He scooped up my athame and approached me, casually flipping the dagger from hand to hand. His full lips formed an impressed whistle, making his high cheekbones flash into prominence.
    My gaze skimmed over his broad shoulders. I hoped my mental drooling wasn’t obvious.
    “Some heavy-duty sigils carved here.” His thumb traced the magical symbols. “This is old magic. German?” He handed it to me, blade first.
    My fingers brushed his as I grasped the dagger by the hilt. The touch was electric and had nothing to do with the athame’s infused power.
    Alec raised an eyebrow. Had he noticed my reluctance to grasp the silver blade? I pointed to one of the more identifiable hex signs. “Dutch.”
    Alec nodded slowly. “Nice.” He folded his arms across his chest. “How did you get your hands on something that powerful?”
    I shrugged. “My dad collected magical things.”
    “Magical things can come in handy,” Alec said, his expression thoughtful. “So your dad was a hunter?”
    “Yup,” I said shortly. “Yours?”
    Alec observed me, quiet for a long moment, before answering in the same let’s-drop-the-subject, shall-we? tone, “Yup.”
    I turned away, my lips twisting in a quick grin. So we both had daddy issues. How lovely. I walked around the smoldering black outline on the floor, pretending to be fascinated with how deep the burn had etched into the linoleum.
    Brit returned, looking clammy and pale—breakable. She picked her way around the blood puddles, careful not to stare at the marked floor. Matt scooped up her coat, shook it out, and tried to drape it over her shoulders, but she pushed it back at him.
    “Sorry.” Matt grimaced. “We’ll toss it later.” He put his arm around her instead.
    “Give it here,” Alec said. He looped the coat through the rifle strap over his shoulder so it hung at his waist. Seeing Alec and Matt side by side, their resemblance struck me anew. “Are you brothers?”
    “You think?” Matt rolled his eyes.
    Guess he was sick of hearing the you-look-like-your-brother thing. Or maybe he thought it was lame that I’d stated the obvious. Either way, he really didn’t seem to like me much.
    “Mathieu’s the youngest. He’s got attitude enough for the both of us.” Alec shot Matt a glare and adjusted the rifle higher on his shoulder.
    I glanced at the weapon. “Thanks for the silver-bullet rescue.”
    Alec shrugged. “Like I said, magical things come in handy.”
    “Nothing magical about the hours you spend at the shooting range we set up on the ranch.” Matt snorted. “Alec’s a crack shot.”
    “You guys train, you hunt. I get that.” I frowned at the motley crew. “But how come the whole town knows about your little were-chasing hobby, but the Hunter Council has no idea your crew exists?”
    “We don’t function under Council jurisdiction,” Alec said flatly. “We haven’t for a long time. Not since our father died and they did nothing to help us track his paranorm killer.”
    His pain hit me like a blow, mirrored my own. We had more than daddy issues in common. We both had reason to hate the Hunter Council. Except in my case, Sebastian was helping me find information about my parents. At least, I hoped he was. The possibility that my laying low in Redgrave was a huge mistake haunted my days as much as wolven nightmares haunted my sleep.
    Alec shot me a dark look. “And don’t bother quoting hunter regulations to us.” He studied my face. “You’re not exactly following protocol either.”
    “No, I’m not.” I wasn’t supposed to be within striking distance of a paranorm, and here I was standing over a scorch mark. But I didn’t need him to remind me of that. I blew a strand of hair off