Tree Of Souls (Transfusion Saga #6) - Stephanie Hudson Page 0,95

rose colour as the shirt and each was edged with white tipped petals.

The dress came to mid-thigh, so showed off a good amount of my legs and I added a belt to pull it tight at the waist, giving me what I hoped was an hourglass shape. The belt was three rows of plaited black leather that matched a pair of black leather ballet flats I slipped on my feet. But it was the pearl buttons that only started in line with my nipples that made it what I hoped was sexy, as it certainly offered an eyeful of cleavage…thank you balcony bra!

Then, once I was ready, I found Lucius sat in the living room waiting for me and he was also on the phone. He saw me the second I entered, and I found myself quietly congratulating myself on the choice of outfit. This was because the heated look in his eyes made them look as if they were burning for me. The way he took his time scanning my body and making a show of letting me know that he liked what he saw. Then, without looking away from me, told whoever was on the phone,

“I want it here by morning… make it happen.” After this he hung up, making me wonder what it was he wanted to ‘make happen’ this time. Huh, maybe it was the shopping list of chloroform, chains, and the coffin I had first been expecting.

“Come here, pretty girl,” he ordered gently, and I soon found the tip of my thumb in my mouth before I realised I was giving in to the habit. Then I ignored the twitch of humour playing at his lips and walked closer to where he sat on what was a warm yellow coloured sofa, one that matched the rest of the room’s sunset tones.

Then he rose from the seat, seeing that my response to his order wasn’t what he wanted as I left space between us. Then, before he could face me, I veered off towards the private terrace, one that was overlooking the wonderful view of the Old City of Jerusalem and what was known as the Mount of Olives. It was a mountain ridge east of and adjacent to Jerusalem's Old City and it was named from the olive groves that once covered its slopes.

The mountain ridge had also been used as a Jewish cemetery for over 3,000 years and held approximately 150,000 graves, making it central as was the tradition of Jewish cemeteries. It was one of the places Yosef had taken me to and explained its history to me. This included several key events in the life of Jesus, as related in the Gospels, events that took place on the Mount of Olives and is described as the place from which Jesus ascended to Heaven. So naturally the mount has been a site of Christian worship since ancient times and seeing it now on the terrace with Lucius at my back was…well, a startling contrast of events, given his own history and the part he played. Which was why I wanted to ask him, how he felt about being back here?

It was why I wanted to hear his own story being told by his own words. I wanted to know everything about him and being here together only ended up fueling that burning desire to know and adding to what I knew was dangerous curiosity.

“Time for us to talk, little ?em?ā,” he said and unfortunately, I knew what this talk would include, and it was nothing about what my mind was currently focused on. Which was why, that after Lucius had said this, I suddenly wasn’t feeling hungry. In fact, one look at the doorway that led into the bedroom and I was tempted to fake a headache, blaming it on a hangover and hoping that I could just go and hide in the bed for the rest of the day.

Of course, the second I felt a hand span the small of my back, then I knew the chances of this were slim at best. Besides, he wasn’t the only one who needed answers. But this was where my problem lay, as I wasn’t sure I was ready to relive that day, no matter what he had to say about it. But I did, however, need to know what his intentions were now. Because if he didn’t intend to take me back to my parents, then what was his plan…why had he come at