Monster (A Cassidy Edwards Novel - Book 1) by Carmen Caine Page B

rolled back in her head—so far back that I could only see the whites of her eyes. In the dig, it was just business as usual.
    Evidently, firedrakes possessed some talent in invisibility.
    “Nah, it’s a dead end,” one of the male archeologists said with a yawn and sat back on his heels. “Nothing’s here.”
    Tabitha was—she stood just three feet away from him.
    “Maybe there are no more,” the woman said, standing up to stretch before gathering a handful of brushes and moving to a different spot of the dig.
    She would have walked right into Tabitha, but somehow, even with her eyes rolled back, Tabitha knew she was about to collide and moved. Just enough. The archaeologist missed her by inches.
    I subjected Tabitha to a closer inspection. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust, but then I spied what looked like heat waves emanating from her. It had to be mana. A ton. It was a good thing I couldn’t smell it. In my ravenous state, I’d have jumped the wall and pounced on her no holds barred. I was tempted to anyway.
    I bit my lip at the thought, but of course, Lucian chose that moment to clamp his strong hand down on my shoulder.
    “Be quick, spell-finder,” he whispered tersely in my ear. “She can’t maintain it for long. She’ll keep you cloaked for only a minute, so don’t waste it.”
    I frowned at him, but I could tell he was on the edge. Whatever was happening here meant the world to him. Not really the best moment for a rejoinder—or to admit I didn’t know what the heck he wanted me to do.
    It was time to wing it.
    Sending an extra little curse Ricky’s way for abandoning me at the most critical second, I climbed over the wall and stepped out into the dig to take a deep whiff.
    It was overwhelming.
    The woman digging next to Tabitha was young, healthy, and vibrant.
    Crud. I couldn’t concentrate with her mana swirling around the place. I couldn’t stop myself. Before I knew it, I’d used my semi-vampire speed to rush over and crouch beside her as she brushed a skeleton with a large paintbrush. In a flash, my hand found her heart chakra. Milliseconds. It was just a tad. I didn’t have a choice, really. I didn’t care what Lucian or the others thought I was doing—if they could even see me. I had to eat. Besides, I was quick.
    An appetizer only—well a large appetizer.
    Tasty.
    The woman shifted and stood up a little unsteadily. Her face looked a little green.
    I felt the usual guilt and sent her a mental apology.
    “ Non è possible! ” she called out to the men. “I think I’m getting sick.”
    They looked up, concerned.
    I stepped back as one of them joined her. He passed right by me. Middle-aged. Educated. Cultured. As he reached over to offer her a steady arm, I took advantage of Tabitha’s invisibility cloak—who wouldn’t if they were starving?—and brushed my hand against his chest, carefully positioning myself in a way that Lucian and Heath couldn’t see me.
    The cultured archeologist tasted like a fine wine—or what I imagined a fine wine to taste like—rich and thriving with bold flavor. It was all I could do to keep from tapping more.
    The man heaved a sudden sigh. “You know, I’m feeling a bit drained myself,” he admitted with a dry laugh. “Maybe we should call it a day. Must be the heat.”
    Fanning themselves, they headed to one of the white tents as the third archeologist gamely tossed his tools into a crate and followed. They didn’t take much convincing. In moments, they’d all decided to go. We watched as they left the dig, exchanging friendly banter over where to eat.
    They’d scarcely left before I was keenly aware of Lucian’s breath on my neck. I suppressed a shiver.
    “How did you make them leave?” he whispered in my ear.
    His lips were close. So close. Had they brushed my skin? Was he playing cat-and-mouse again? As hungry as I still was, I almost purred at the thought. I turned, but just at a right enough angle to brush my shoulder against