Dark Possession - Aja James Page 0,26
nearest door.
“That’s—”
The bathroom.
Right.
She whirled to the left and smacked directly into a tall console table.
Who put a stupid table in the middle of the room!
“Little sprite…”
She had to leave! He was coming closer!
If she looked at him again, she didn’t trust herself not to…
Do something.
Something uncharacteristic. Something regrettable.
She couldn’t. She wouldn’t.
They only shared a Blood Contract. Nothing more.
As luck would have it, the next door she struggled to open was the correct one.
Without a backward glance, she shot through it, into the empty hallway, and fled down the corridor like her hair was on fire.
It might as well have been.
Damn those burning, fiery passions she never knew she possessed!
*** *** *** ***
“I did as directed, Mistress.”
“And?”
“He accepted the gift.”
“Have you seen with your own eyes that he’s made her his Blood Slave?”
“I am due for a visit tomorrow night. I will take note of his choice then.”
The staccato clicking of sharp nails against the armrest of a deep-seated chair was the only sound in the lightless chamber.
A pregnant silence carried on for some time.
Until the rattling, distorted voice said, “And if his choice doesn’t help our cause?”
“I will think of something else. The Dark King has many allies, but no friends. He is always surrounded by the Chosen, but no one is close to him. No matter how powerful, he is ever alone. No one individual can withstand the combined force of legions.”
“So you say,” the hissing voice murmured, skepticism clear in its reptilian tone.
“Don’t underestimate Alend Ramses. He is much more than meets the eye.”
“Duly noted. I will not make the same mistake I made with his predecessor. When I find his weakness, I will not hesitate to wield it against him.”
“Report to me first before acting,” the hissing voice cautioned. “We cannot afford to be careless. The Pure Ones’ Consul should have been captured that night. We lost our only chance.”
“Katerina took matters into her own hands and paid the price. She thought she was smarter, stronger, a better fighter. She was mistaken.”
“And you know better?”
“I do.”
Out of the darkness appeared the pale, indescribably beautiful visage of a dark-haired, amber-eyed female with full, blood-red lips. Which curled menacingly at the corners and pulled slightly apart to reveal two long, sharp fangs, dripping with venom.
“Do not disappoint me, my child. Or Katerina’s fate will be too good for you.”
The object of the hypnotic, slitted, amber stare surreptitiously swallowed their fear.
Message received.
*** *** *** ***
After Eveline spent an inordinate amount of time dousing the confounded flames of desire coursing through her treacherous body in an ice-cold shower, she cooked herself a hearty meal to last for the entire day.
Or night, rather.
After a few days staying at the Cove, her biological clock was adjusting to a vampire’s schedule. Sleeping during the day (if one counted being passed out over a table full of books) and being active at night.
The floor-to-ceiling windows that lined one side of her kitchen and living space showed that New York City was bustling with excitement this particular night. And, really, every night. It truly was the city that never slept.
While Eveline ate a feast for one at her dazzling white quartz counter facing the spectacular skyline view, she thought about the millions of people who lived here. All those humans who went about their lives ignorant of the existence of supernatural beings. All those Immortals who lived amongst them, trying to blend in. And those who purposely didn’t.
Like warrior hornets among honey bees.
Could they all live together in harmony? Or was the world due for another “reset”?
Sometimes, it was depressing being the Scribe and the Seer, the one who harkened potential Apocalypses, who saw the unavoidable patterns of the past. The one who always knew too much. Sometimes, ignorance was bliss.
Too bad Eveline was excessively fond of knowledge.
She cleaned her plate of food and got up to do the dishes.
No, there were no sausages and milk on the menu tonight. She’d never look at a chorizo the same way again.
She made chili, walnut, apple and arugula salad, toasted some cheese bread and baked a flaky apple tart. She drank cranberry juice. Nothing white and creamy coming anywhere near her mouth.
She groaned inwardly at the unintended pun in her thoughts.
The sight of an aroused Dark King was forever branded into her mind. All those muscles, tendons, and smooth, satiny skin covered with a light sprinkling of dark hair had completely short-circuited her brain.
No doubt about it: Her dreams were going to get a lot more interesting from