Read Online ANDREA'S OVERLORD by Michelle Marquis - Free Book Online

never been happier to see someone leave. She waited about half an hour then went out too.
    The air was cool and crisp with a faint hint of coffee in the air from the pastry shop nearby. Because she didn’t own anything and had no money of her own, she took money from a wad of cash in his dresser. She felt really bad about doing that but if she’d asked him he would have known she was up to something.
    She quickened her steps. How wonderful it felt to be out of that sterile apartment! She wanted to run, jump and scream her happiness. She reached a busy road with several nightclub and shops. Not surprisingly in a vampire world they all had signs boasting they were open twenty-four hours. Andrea went into one that specialized in books and novelty gifts. She browsed the aisles happier than she’d been in a long while. A saleswoman came over and smiled. To Andrea’s relief she was human too.
    “Out with your master, ma’am?” the woman asked.
    “No, he sent me to register at the nearest Red League clinic. Do you know where the closest one might be?”
    The woman had dyed red hair that didn’t flatter her reddish-pink cheeks. She gave Andrea a strange look then seemed to shrug off her suspicion. “There’s a clinic just down the road at Crown Point but I think they’ll require your master to be with you.”
    Andrea shrugged and walked out. Are all humans under a vampire’s rule so subservient? Surely there must be some who fight their confinement. For the first time that night Andrea felt a sense of panic and loss. Was she doomed to end up like these other drones or be killed for trying to be independent? There was no choice for her. She would be who she was even if it meant death. She didn’t fear what that truth might mean. The only thing that did terrify her was the thought that she was alone in her defiance. Where were the other humans like her?
    She found the Red League clinic just where the woman said it would be. The glass doors opened to a moderately furnished office space with a frail-looking woman at the front desk. Andrea walked up and smiled. The woman just stared up at her with muddy brown eyes. The marks on her neck showed she’d been used badly in the past few days.
    “What are you doing here alone? Have you lost track of your master?” the woman asked.
    “Um…no. I was trained for the Red League in the camps. When I was acquired by my new master, he sent me here to register.”
    “Usually humans come in with their masters,” the woman said in a strained tone.
    “Yeah? Well I guess mine thought I could handle this on my own.”
    The woman sat very still. Then she unexpectedly stood up. “Excuse me for just a second, will you?”
    Uh-oh.
    Andrea knew she was in trouble. Unfortunately trying to leave now would only call more attention to her being here alone. Instead of turning tail and running, she settled for a stiff nod. The woman walked into a nearby office but kept the door open. Andrea could hear her talking to someone in hushed tones but she couldn’t make out exactly what they were saying. A tall, commanding vampire stepped out and came over. He was dressed in a dark suit with a black shirt and tie. His hair was dark brown, bordering on black and his eyes were such a light brown they could have passed for yellow. Andrea stared at his tie so he couldn’t work his vampire voodoo on her.
    “Won’t you step into my office?”
    A small tremor unsettled her stomach but she stood her ground. “Why?”
    She expected him to be angry but he only smiled. He had to be an older vampire like Mikel. New vampires lost their tempers a lot because they weren’t secure in their power, but older ones knew they could kill a human in seconds so defiance only amused them.
    “I’d like to talk to you for a few minutes. I assume you don’t have any pressing engagements.”
    “My master is waiting for me. He told me to register and come straight home.”
    His eyes danced with evil amusement. “He was so