Read Online Blood and Loss (Cassandra Myles Witch Series) by Electa Graham - Free Book Online

make a greenhouse jealous. When you had a view of the ocean and the mountains, you didn’t want a pesky thing like walls to ruin the view. The flowers, water features, and lighting were designed to look just as good at night as in the daytime.
    Quintus was one of the few vampires old enough to enjoy the day. It was not an easy milestone to achieve, which was why the myth still persisted that all vampires had to avoid the sun. He did all his business out of his home, so he had state-of-the-art blinds that came down over every window when he had other vampires in his home during the day.
    I walked up to the l arge oak door and let myself in, expecting to be greeted with a flurry of activity. No one was in the foyer, which was odd. The house after dark was regular business hours for vampires. Seattle/Vancouver territory was one of the largest in the country. The frequent fog and cloudy skies let vampires who weren’t quite old enough for full sun still to enjoy an early morning or evening outside. To find myself alone in a quiet house was eerie.
    “We are all waiting for you in the study.”
    My heart leapt in my throat and I jumped around to find Lucius hulking over me. I hadn’t heard him walk in. Lucius was second in command and definitely the brawn of the organization. He didn’t have the long lean muscles like most vampires. He was big, bulky, and intimidating. “Lucius, you scared the crap out of me.”
    His cold blue eyes studied me. I thought he would at least smile at my discomfort . Lucius was the most daunting creature I had ever met. He was tall enough that I had to crane my neck to look up at him. His military buzz cut made him look like a drill sergeant from Hell. He used that to his advantage whenever he could. I avoided him whenever possible and that wasn’t an easy task since he was Quintus’ second in command. He was the only vampire that Quintus truly trusted. He had sired Lucius. He had made only one vampire in his very long life. I didn’t know the how or why, but they had a very strong bond.
    On the occasions we did have to interact , he was curt, but professional. He never once did anything to make me so scared of him. It was his vibe. Despite my fear, I had tried to joke around and get to know him, but he made it clear we were not friends. So we remained distant work acquaintances. It seemed to work for us.
    “Quintus is having a meeting with some of his most trusted associates. Two of them are not human-friendly. You are to sit in the back with me and not say a peep.” He turned and walked away without waiting for a reply.
    I didn’t so much feel like he hated me, but that he didn’t care if I existed or not. I stuck my tongue out at his back. Showing defiance without letting him know I did it was within my comfort zone. I was too busy mocking his back to notice when he stopped short. I slammed right into him. It felt like hitting a brick wall. “Sorry,” I mumbled. I don’t think he even noticed.
    There were three vampires sitting in front of Quintus’ desk. I knew one of the vampires. His name was Killian. He looked like pale version of a California surfer dude. If Lucius was Quintus’ second in command then Killian was a close third. The Seattle/Vancouver territory was a large and populated area. Quintus relied on Killian to help when he needed to be in two places at once. Vampires were very territorial and it seemed like someone was always encroaching on another’s territory. I had never seen the other two. That was strange because I thought I knew all the vampires in the area.
    Lucius pulled me down beside him. He too k up far too much space on the loveseat we were sharing. Did he really have to spread his legs that far? Jeez. I crossed my legs and tried to mold myself into the arm. I didn’t know what “not human-friendly” meant, but I was determined not to find out.
    Quintus gave his second in command a nod and cleared his throat. “I want to thank you for coming on such