Read Online Cursed by Fire (Blood & Magic Book 1) by Danielle Annett - Free Book Online

couldn’t enter homes without being invited. Since the mansion had no permanent residents, vampires were able to come and go as they pleased but they were a bit touchy about uninvited guests. I always assumed since they weren’t able to go in the homes of others, they didn’t want others coming into theirs.
    It made sense in a twisted, jealous sort of way.
    At ten fifty-five p.m. James and I pulled up to the elegant mansion nestled south of Upriver Drive. The mansion lawns were lit by small pockets of light hidden between shrubs and stones, illuminating the rich, lush grasses. Even though it was dark out, every piece of molding and every detail in the stain glass windows could be seen. It was breathtaking.
    I hadn’t realized I was staring until I heard the clank of a door shutting as James exited the car. Clearing my head, I followed suit and exited the vehicle. James came around and stopped beside me as we both gazed ahead. Taking a deep breath I pushed back my shoulders and took measured steps up the stone pathway with James by my side.
    The night was cold and silent, despite the beauty of the mansion before us there was an eerie quality to it that had my nerves on end. I casually brushed my hands along the handles of my daggers, hanging low on my hips in their leather sheaths. Their soft weight added an extra measure of comfort as I headed straight into unknown territory. I told myself I was walking into a lion’s den but really, this was worse.
    When we reached the front door, I admired the woodwork once more before administering three solid knocks, knock, knock, knock.
    James and I waited in silence as we heard the distinct sound of high heels on wood flooring grow progressively louder as our host made their way towards the front door. The door opened on silent hinges and before us stood the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She towered over me by a good five inches with a figure most women would die for. She was thin but not too thin and had curves in all of the right places. Dressed in a floor-length navy dress, she looked like a movie star, if such things still existed after the Awakening.
    “Follow me,” she said in a cultured voice.
    James and I stepped over the threshold and followed the woman dressed in blue. I watched as her long red hair brushed her lower waist. The color was striking but most likely came from a box. It was too vivid to be natural. Her heels clicked on the hardwood floors as we made our way to the main sitting room in the home. Taking my gaze away from her back I looked around admiring the beauty that was the Cove. The entryway still had its original floors and woodworking. The craftsmanship was beautiful and the rich beams on the ceiling were hard not to appreciate.
    All of the light fixtures looked original as well. It didn’t appear that Rebecka had made any modifications upon acquiring the mansion. The beautiful cream and gold wallpapers dotted with accents of red were rather remarkable next to all of the deep rich wood workings and plush draperies. The draperies though, I assumed were either new or had been relined to block out the sun during daylight hours. Vampires were not impervious to the sun but neither did they particularly care for it. It had something to do with their chemical makeup and the reaction sunlight caused. There was a reason that legend said vampires couldn’t go out in the sun and they were almost right on that point.
    The truth of the matter though is that if exposed to the sun for a long enough length of time, their bodies experienced something like an allergic reaction. The effects varied based on a vampire’s age, the newer vampires were able to withstand the sun’s harsh rays for a longer length of time since their bodies contained more moisture. If they were less than five undead years old, they could typically withstand sun exposure for anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour as long as it wasn’t direct. Any older and a vampire’s skin would