Read Lost Library: An Urban Fantasy Romance for Free Online Page A

She waited. Still blinking those great big blue eyes at him. 
    Unfortunately, her question hit close to the heart of some Lycan cultural taboos. Taboos that he thought more and more about breaking, as time marched on and left the Texas Pack stuck in the past. So—no, he couldn’t just ask another pack.
    In this respect, Lycan were much more like wolves than people. They had a strong sense of “us” and “them.” Wolves belonging to another pack were most certainly “them.” Information sharing was difficult at the best of times, and with another pack... He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.
    When he looked back up, he just said, “Not an option.”
    Lizzie response was puzzled. “Okay…”
    John leaned forward in his chair, dipped his head down a little to catch her gaze, and said, “I have to run, but we have a lot to talk about. Can I call you?”
    After holding his gaze for a moment, s he blushed faintly and nodded.
    Mission accomplished. Lizzie Smith was officially fear-free. Now, how to break the news that her newfound magical friend turned furry…
***
    Lizzie wasn’t sure why, but every time John mentioned his family she got a weird Mafia vibe, rather than a warm and fuzzy pic of him sitting at the table with Grandma. She shook her head. She was being silly. Speaking of silly—here she was, driving home, thinking about her meeting with John like it had been a date. It was an appointment, not a date. Not much different from meeting with a client.
    But there had been a marked difference in his attitude. He’d been friendly, helpful. And when he said he wanted to meet again, she’d been excited. Not worried at all. He was nothing like the abrasive, overly assertive jerk who’d shoved his foot into her doorway and threatened her when she’d mentioned calling the police. Either there was a nice person lurking under John’s scrumptious exterior, or he was trying really hard to make a positive impression. She thought about that for a minute. Probably both. And contrary to the impression she gave some people, she knew she was quite good at reading people.
    As she lay in bed, waiting to fall asleep, she remembered that she’d left the bo ok out on her kitchen table. Speaking with John had rekindled her enthusiasm, and she’d stayed up late trying, once again, to crack the book. As she got up, the dogs didn’t even move. Sacked out next to the bed, Lizzie looked at them and wondered what mischief they got into every day, to be so tired and sleep so deeply every night.
    She made her way quietly into the kitchen, and without flipping any lights on, gathered up the book. She’d have left it until morning, but she felt a little guilty about the book’s outing earlier. She felt like she’d been a little careless, taking it with her to the café. The least she could do was make sure her puny desk drawer lock protected the book.
    On the way to her converted study, she passed by the large windows in her living room. She kept the curtains open because it entertained the dogs to watch the squirrels and liz ards. Kind of like nature TV for dogs. It also happened to be a full-ish moon out. So when a large dog-like creature passed by the window, the movement caught her eye. What the flip?
    She stopped in her tracks. Something, some internal voice, told her to be very still. She knew it wasn’t Spencer. This time, the creature was in her front yard, not the half-wild land behind her house. And seeing him this close, his size was more apparent. Easily half again as big as Spencer. Likely more. Too big to be a wolf, more the size of a giant malamute, but taller and rangier. Maybe a hybrid? Mr. Cook had said wolf-hybrid.
    She watched him as he systematically crossed her lawn, zigzagging back and forth. Then he moved along the edge where grass and concrete met. It was bizarre. It looked like he was searching for something. As she continued to stand unmoving in her living room, he ran his nose along the