Read Secrets of the Jaguar (Crimson Romance) for Free Online Page B

shouldn’t have been out like that anyway. To get to the beach from where you live you must have to walk through the neighborhood avenues, and there’s not much cover. You could have been spotted and then what?”
    “How do you know where I live?” Michelle demanded. Curiosity sent goose bumps up her arm.
    He shrugged. “I followed you home a couple of nights.”
    “You what?”
    The cheerful waitress returned with two steaming cups of coffee, but Duncan didn’t reach for his. “Enjoy, the waffles should be up shortly.”
    “Thank you.” Duncan smiled, probably not even realizing how gorgeous he looked.
Or probably he does.
    “The first time I encountered you, I thought I sensed evil. I was afraid someone intended to harm you. I’ve not encountered many other vampires, but I didn’t want to risk it.”
    “Evil? You think I’m evil?” Her heart broke. “I’ve heard that so many times, please don’t tell me you believe it, too.”
    Duncan quickly got up from his chair, knelt on the floor next to her, and brought his face intimately close, looking deeply into her eyes. She was immediately distracted from her despair. “I thought it was evil, but it was not. It’s animalistic, mischievous, dark even, but not evil.”
    “Dark?” The diner around her fell away and she looked only into his eyes.
    “Do you know why you are the way you are?” Duncan seated himself as the waitress made her way toward the table. Perhaps sensing the tension in the air, she laid the delectable mountain of waffles on the table and was off.
    “My parents adopted me when I was just a baby. They had decided to adopt from Mexico — that’s where I was born I guess, in Oaxaca. I don’t have any information about my birth mother.” She sighed and then shoved a big forkful of banana and strawberry topped waffle into her mouth. “That’s why I decided to major in archaeology. Thought maybe I’d discover some clues to a shape shifter blood line.”
    Duncan watched her intently. “Why don’t you just ask your parents how to find your birth family?”
    After savoring the whipped cream topped bite, she swallowed and continued. “Before coming here, I lived in Modesto. My family are very traditional Christians. Well, I guess I don’t call them family anymore. They thought by adopting me from Mexico, which they viewed as a third world country, they would be doing a good deed. But when they discovered my ability to change, they branded me as the spawn of Satan.” She looked down at her waffles, her appetite suddenly gone.
    “They were convinced I was the consequence of a very evil deed. They took me to many different people hoping I could be exorcized or cured. They lost any love they might have had for me as a child, and I overheard them talking about turning me over to the government. Sometimes I still wonder if they’ve sent feds after me. They threatened me often, so as soon as I had enough money saved to leave, I left. I lived in fear for a month until I transferred to California State University in Merced without them knowing. After I got my bachelor’s degree there, I applied to San Francisco State University for my master’s to get even farther away. They have no idea where I am, and they are happier that way.” She looked up at him. “I don’t feel evil.” Michelle’s eyes flooded and her composure shattered into a million tiny pieces.
    Duncan looked at her solemnly. “I’ve encountered a lot of people in my time, and you are certainly the most angelic creature I have ever known.” His eyes bore into hers, and suddenly, her eyes dried, her heart reassured. “C’mon.”
    Michelle looked back at him, her vision cleared and her body lighter. “Where are we going?”
    Duncan signaled the waitress. “I think we’re going to get these to go. Thanks, you’ve been delightful.” He returned his gaze back to her after the waitress’s departure. “I thought we could go to your place. Have a more private