Read Online Dominion (Book 1 of The Dominion Series) by S. E. Lund - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: S. E. Lund
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me."
"I'm honest. I won't lie to you, Eve. But I won't always tell you things. It's not my place."
"Whose place is it?"
"Michel's, of course, if he's going to claim you. Although by all rights, you should be mine…"
" Claim me?"
"Yes," he says and takes another sip, all the while staring at me, amusement clear in his bright blue eyes. "You know. Stake his claim. Take possession."
"I'm not a gold mine."
"Oh, yes you are . The mother lode."
"I'm not a possession."
He turns away and finishes his espresso. "Like I say, you better catch up on your reading. There's a lot you don't know about how things are done with us."
"With who?"
"Between vampires and humans."
"I've read about the Treaty of Clairveaux. I know you can't kill us anymore."
He nods. "Yes, but there's a lot more we can do than just kill you and the treaty says nothing about that. In fact, it gives us license to do everything but . Eve, I hate to be the one to tell you…" And then he hesitates, looking at me, frowning a bit.
"Yes?" I say, impatient to hear what he has to tell me.
"I shouldn’t. Michel should be the one."
"Can you at least tell me what an Adept is?"
He sighs. "An Adept is a human who shares a vampire's ability to enter into another's mind and body, sense their emotions, their sensations, their thoughts. It's very rare and so it's very coveted. Your mother was Adept. Usually, it doesn't pass from one generation to another but in your case, it was given a bit of help. There's a lot about you that is unique."
"If she was Adept, who claimed her?"
"Like I said, that's not for me to say. Ask Michel. Read the files at the SCU when you get a chance. For example," he says and eyes from under a frown. "You can't be compelled."
He takes my hand and turns to me abruptly, staring in my eyes, moving closer, so close that his mouth is just a few inches from mine. " Kiss me, Eve."
I frown and try to pull away. "Not on your life. " I try to jerk my hand out of his grasp, but he's too strong. "You can't compel me so don't even try."
"No, I can't, but I can do this ." He must release a brain hormone that makes me unable to resist him and he leans in closer, his head tilting, his lips almost touching mine. A little jolt of something goes through me. Fear? Or attraction?
" Don't ." I'm, barely able to speak above the pounding of blood in my ears.
He pauses there for a moment, and I can hear his breathing, feel it on my lips, and it's fast. Almost as fast as my own.
Then he pulls back and lets go of my hand. "Nope," he says, his voice all matter of fact. "Can't compel you. I thought that Michel was just fooling me." He shrugs. "There's more than one way to skin a cat."
"What do you mean?" I say, confused. "And by the way, that's a terrible metaphor."
He grins. "Sorry. I forgot you're one of those cat people."
"How do you know…"
Then I remember that he's touched me quite a bit. He's probably sensed I have two cats.
He rubs his fingers over my hand, which is resting on the tabletop. "I just have to touch you to know anything I want to about you, Eve. Keep that in mind."
I pull my hand away. "Do you like making me feel uncomfortable?"
He turns and moves a bit closer. "Do I make you uncomfortable?" he says, all faux innocent. "I apologize, Eve. My intent is not to make you feel … uncomfortable ."
What does he mean by that loaded statement?
God, being with him is like being with a naughty trickster. I can imagine him as the evil man with the curling moustache who's trying to take advantage of the innocent young woman in those old silent films, tying the damsel in distress on the train tracks…
"Look," he says and now his face is serious. Contemplative. Almost regretful. "I just feel bad, that's all. You were off the radar. Safe. Blissfully unaware. Now, here you are, right smack in the middle of things that are so much more dangerous than you can possibly imagine." He stares at me, the grin gone, the blue eyes now serious. "I'm sorry,
"I'm honest. I won't lie to you, Eve. But I won't always tell you things. It's not my place."
"Whose place is it?"
"Michel's, of course, if he's going to claim you. Although by all rights, you should be mine…"
" Claim me?"
"Yes," he says and takes another sip, all the while staring at me, amusement clear in his bright blue eyes. "You know. Stake his claim. Take possession."
"I'm not a gold mine."
"Oh, yes you are . The mother lode."
"I'm not a possession."
He turns away and finishes his espresso. "Like I say, you better catch up on your reading. There's a lot you don't know about how things are done with us."
"With who?"
"Between vampires and humans."
"I've read about the Treaty of Clairveaux. I know you can't kill us anymore."
He nods. "Yes, but there's a lot more we can do than just kill you and the treaty says nothing about that. In fact, it gives us license to do everything but . Eve, I hate to be the one to tell you…" And then he hesitates, looking at me, frowning a bit.
"Yes?" I say, impatient to hear what he has to tell me.
"I shouldn’t. Michel should be the one."
"Can you at least tell me what an Adept is?"
He sighs. "An Adept is a human who shares a vampire's ability to enter into another's mind and body, sense their emotions, their sensations, their thoughts. It's very rare and so it's very coveted. Your mother was Adept. Usually, it doesn't pass from one generation to another but in your case, it was given a bit of help. There's a lot about you that is unique."
"If she was Adept, who claimed her?"
"Like I said, that's not for me to say. Ask Michel. Read the files at the SCU when you get a chance. For example," he says and eyes from under a frown. "You can't be compelled."
He takes my hand and turns to me abruptly, staring in my eyes, moving closer, so close that his mouth is just a few inches from mine. " Kiss me, Eve."
I frown and try to pull away. "Not on your life. " I try to jerk my hand out of his grasp, but he's too strong. "You can't compel me so don't even try."
"No, I can't, but I can do this ." He must release a brain hormone that makes me unable to resist him and he leans in closer, his head tilting, his lips almost touching mine. A little jolt of something goes through me. Fear? Or attraction?
" Don't ." I'm, barely able to speak above the pounding of blood in my ears.
He pauses there for a moment, and I can hear his breathing, feel it on my lips, and it's fast. Almost as fast as my own.
Then he pulls back and lets go of my hand. "Nope," he says, his voice all matter of fact. "Can't compel you. I thought that Michel was just fooling me." He shrugs. "There's more than one way to skin a cat."
"What do you mean?" I say, confused. "And by the way, that's a terrible metaphor."
He grins. "Sorry. I forgot you're one of those cat people."
"How do you know…"
Then I remember that he's touched me quite a bit. He's probably sensed I have two cats.
He rubs his fingers over my hand, which is resting on the tabletop. "I just have to touch you to know anything I want to about you, Eve. Keep that in mind."
I pull my hand away. "Do you like making me feel uncomfortable?"
He turns and moves a bit closer. "Do I make you uncomfortable?" he says, all faux innocent. "I apologize, Eve. My intent is not to make you feel … uncomfortable ."
What does he mean by that loaded statement?
God, being with him is like being with a naughty trickster. I can imagine him as the evil man with the curling moustache who's trying to take advantage of the innocent young woman in those old silent films, tying the damsel in distress on the train tracks…
"Look," he says and now his face is serious. Contemplative. Almost regretful. "I just feel bad, that's all. You were off the radar. Safe. Blissfully unaware. Now, here you are, right smack in the middle of things that are so much more dangerous than you can possibly imagine." He stares at me, the grin gone, the blue eyes now serious. "I'm sorry,
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