Read Online Dark Heirloom (An Ema Marx Novel Book 1) by J.D. Brown - Free Book Online Page A

in orgasmic tremors, and I groaned with delight, wanting more, wanting to glut myself with it. I tackled the bag again, shredded it, and licked the insides.
    Jesu whistled. My head jerked up and I glared at him as I hunched over the frayed bits of plastic. He waved a fresh bag of blood in the air. My eyes narrowed. I wanted it now . He tossed it at me and I caught it in my mouth again. I wanted to shred it open, but something made me hesitate. The way he whistled at me, a fast, sharp, three-toned whistle used to call a dog, sobered me out of my frenzy
    What am I doing?
    I was licking blood off the floor. I dropped the bag from my jaws and caught it in my hands, while choking back vomit. Scarlet stained my fingers and clothes. Forcing myself up, I approached the kitchen island and placed the bag on the counter, then pushed it as far away as possible.
    Jesu cocked an eyebrow and flashed his sideways smile. “Done?”
    I kept my voice steady despite the tremble of left-over adrenaline. “That was a dirty trick.”
    “It was not a trick,” he whispered. “You are what you are.”
    “I am not an animal.” As I slammed my fists on the counter, the steel cracked. A tiny fleck broke off and lodged into the flesh of my palm without so much as a prickle of feeling.
    Maria startled me as she morphed into the kitchen. “You’re right, darling. You are not an animal, but you are a predator.”
    “I’ve had enough.” I wanted to cry. My chest heaved, but no tears surfaced.
    Maria took a step toward me, but Jesu stopped her, placing both hands on her shoulders. He whispered to her in Finnish. She hesitated, then nodded and went about her way, disappearing in the direction of the dining room.
    I looked Jesu in the eyes. “No more touring, I’ve seen enough. I want to go to my room.”
    He nodded once. Gently, he took my small hand between his larger blue ones and pulled the fleck out with one careful pinch. He dropped the metal shard on the counter and cupped my hand in his, allowing his thumbs to glide across my palm. The blue and white color scheme of our skin mixing together was surreal.
    “Thanks,” I mumbled and slipped my hand out of his.
    “This way,” he whispered.
     
     

 
     
     
    Chapter 7
     
     
    We walked in silence as he led me down a passageway made of stone. It wound and turned, veering left, right, and left again. As we progressed, the castle aged before my eyes. The walls went from pale gray to navy blue-black, and the width shrank until Jesu and I were forced to walk in single file.
    I removed the sunglasses he gave me so I could see. The walls gleamed and smelled of mildew. Water dripped from the ceiling, causing a deafening echo as it hit the ground. The air thickened and stood still. No light made its way in, and we stood surrounded by actual darkness, not just the kind my brain told me was supposed to be present.
    I stopped in my tracks, wondering if we’d gone into a basement or cave. Maybe Jesu changed his mind and was now leading me out of the castle via the secret underground passageway.
    “Everything all right?” he whispered.
    “I can’t see,” I whispered back so my voice wouldn’t echo.
    “Then do not use your eyes.”
    Is this another trick?
    Jesu continued walking. Hesitantly, I followed him, but it wasn’t easy. His scent blended with the mold in the air, and the sound of his footsteps bounced off the walls, coming from all directions at once. When he turned, I felt around with numb hands for the space where the walls gave way to a new direction. My face hit rock.
    “It would be nice if you held my hand or something.” I mumbled.
    “I did not think you liked being touched,” he snickered.
    “I like running into wet walls even less.”
    His hand found mine and I was glad I couldn’t feel more than light pressure as his thick, masculine fingers caressed mine.
    “I will go easy on you for now, but you will have to learn to take care of yourself.”
    “What’s that supposed