Read Online Created Darkly by Gena D. Lutz - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Gena D. Lutz
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Moonlight weaved through the wilted leaves of the canopy above us, bringing out a glint of Rush’s true eye color, the sexy gun-metal grey refusing to be hidden.
“I’m sorry.” I pushed past him, my shoulder grazing his arm.
It took a second for my eyes to adjust to the darkness as I entered the Center’s private sanctuary. I blinked a few times, my surroundings coming into focus.
Jude’s eyes were wide as he took in the room. “This place is kind of spooky, you guys.”
That was an odd thing to hear coming from a ghost, but he was right. The place was a special kind of creepy.
The spacious room was constructed of stone. The floor was made of dirt, hard and compact. There were compartments built into the walls, the front of each of them square, all labeled with names and dates. I quickly surmised that I was standing smack dab in the middle of a catacomb or mausoleum.
“We call this the Holding Room.” Rush’s voice trailed off as he strolled across the space, making his way from one black iron sconce to another. The large and ornate light fixtures hung in a macabre manner on the walls, inside shallow alcoves that sectioned off some of the tombs. Rush lit the candles that were cradled inside them.
“Holding Room?” I asked as I took in all the tombs and eerie lighting. I couldn’t help wondering how a place like that, all drab and dreary, could ever be considered anything other than what it was—a crypt.
“Yeah, these tombs,” he began waving his arm in a wide arc to encompass the entire room, “are all filled with human corpses, waiting for their awakenings.”
I gasped. “All these humans paid to become vampires?” I skimmed my eyes across the tombs; there were hundreds of them. “You guys will overrun the earth with blood-suckers.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing or seeing.
Rush lit the final candle. The soft glow of natural light emphasized the hard lines of his face, casting half of it in shadow.
“We have very strict rules in place to assure that doesn’t happen, Kris. Come here, and let me show you something.”
I stomped the distance between us, furious. Rush pointed to a name plate. Kenneth Parker was engraved in the polished marble, along with a date.
Reaching out, I traced the cool stone with the tip of my finger, lingering over the grooves that made up the date. “This is dated ten years from now.”
Rush nodded and reached for my hand. The tips of his fingers traced over my knuckles as he dragged his hand, pointing to the tomb next to Kenneth’s.
“This lady won’t be reanimated until this date.” The date on Mary Ellen Jones’ tomb read, May 1999 to May 2099 . One hundred years. “The Center is very strict about how many awakenings are allowed to be performed each year.”
“How many vamps do you make in a year?” I prayed it wasn’t many, but I wished the answer was ‘none.’ My stomach tumbled at the thought of how many vampires could be living alongside humans. Most of them, perversely killing at will. All that unnecessary agony caused by a corporation built on selfish acts with an unquenchable thirst for power and money. “I’m sure it’s enough to keep all of you extremely wealthy. After all, what is life without mansions and Prada?”
“Kris, you judge us too harshly. You have no idea what actually goes on here.”
My whole body pivoted in his direction, my eyes locking on him like slashing daggers. Anger poured from me.
“Do I? How many humans do you think have died as the result of lining the pockets of you and the Council with blood-laced gold?”
Rush rubbed the back of his neck, and after releasing a long breath, he said, “You’re right; there have been casualties. Like any other race or species, there are the rare ones that are born evil, but what I’m trying explain is this. Just like humans, not all vampires are predisposed to kill. It’s the luck of the draw. Should human women stop giving birth because
Moonlight weaved through the wilted leaves of the canopy above us, bringing out a glint of Rush’s true eye color, the sexy gun-metal grey refusing to be hidden.
“I’m sorry.” I pushed past him, my shoulder grazing his arm.
It took a second for my eyes to adjust to the darkness as I entered the Center’s private sanctuary. I blinked a few times, my surroundings coming into focus.
Jude’s eyes were wide as he took in the room. “This place is kind of spooky, you guys.”
That was an odd thing to hear coming from a ghost, but he was right. The place was a special kind of creepy.
The spacious room was constructed of stone. The floor was made of dirt, hard and compact. There were compartments built into the walls, the front of each of them square, all labeled with names and dates. I quickly surmised that I was standing smack dab in the middle of a catacomb or mausoleum.
“We call this the Holding Room.” Rush’s voice trailed off as he strolled across the space, making his way from one black iron sconce to another. The large and ornate light fixtures hung in a macabre manner on the walls, inside shallow alcoves that sectioned off some of the tombs. Rush lit the candles that were cradled inside them.
“Holding Room?” I asked as I took in all the tombs and eerie lighting. I couldn’t help wondering how a place like that, all drab and dreary, could ever be considered anything other than what it was—a crypt.
“Yeah, these tombs,” he began waving his arm in a wide arc to encompass the entire room, “are all filled with human corpses, waiting for their awakenings.”
I gasped. “All these humans paid to become vampires?” I skimmed my eyes across the tombs; there were hundreds of them. “You guys will overrun the earth with blood-suckers.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing or seeing.
Rush lit the final candle. The soft glow of natural light emphasized the hard lines of his face, casting half of it in shadow.
“We have very strict rules in place to assure that doesn’t happen, Kris. Come here, and let me show you something.”
I stomped the distance between us, furious. Rush pointed to a name plate. Kenneth Parker was engraved in the polished marble, along with a date.
Reaching out, I traced the cool stone with the tip of my finger, lingering over the grooves that made up the date. “This is dated ten years from now.”
Rush nodded and reached for my hand. The tips of his fingers traced over my knuckles as he dragged his hand, pointing to the tomb next to Kenneth’s.
“This lady won’t be reanimated until this date.” The date on Mary Ellen Jones’ tomb read, May 1999 to May 2099 . One hundred years. “The Center is very strict about how many awakenings are allowed to be performed each year.”
“How many vamps do you make in a year?” I prayed it wasn’t many, but I wished the answer was ‘none.’ My stomach tumbled at the thought of how many vampires could be living alongside humans. Most of them, perversely killing at will. All that unnecessary agony caused by a corporation built on selfish acts with an unquenchable thirst for power and money. “I’m sure it’s enough to keep all of you extremely wealthy. After all, what is life without mansions and Prada?”
“Kris, you judge us too harshly. You have no idea what actually goes on here.”
My whole body pivoted in his direction, my eyes locking on him like slashing daggers. Anger poured from me.
“Do I? How many humans do you think have died as the result of lining the pockets of you and the Council with blood-laced gold?”
Rush rubbed the back of his neck, and after releasing a long breath, he said, “You’re right; there have been casualties. Like any other race or species, there are the rare ones that are born evil, but what I’m trying explain is this. Just like humans, not all vampires are predisposed to kill. It’s the luck of the draw. Should human women stop giving birth because
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