Read Online First Drop of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jeaniene Frost
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faded, leaving a hollow fear instead. It’s happening even now. Every day, a little more of me gets replaced with something else. The realization terrified her.
“Maybe tonight will be our lucky night,” she said, forcing an optimism she didn’t feel into her voice.
“Perhaps,” Spade agreed.
He didn’t sound like he believed it, either.
Denise’s knuckles were white as she clenched her fists. The scent of her anxiety filled the cab, covering the stale sweat, perfume, and lingering odor of vomit in the backseat. The cab made another lurching movement into traffic, narrowly missing the car that had been vying for the same lane. Denise paled until her skin almost matched Spade’s in color.
“Could you be a bit gentler on the gas?” Spade said to the driver. Poor girl, this was her first experience with a New York cabbie. From Denise’s expression, she’d like it to be her last.
“What you say?” the driver replied in thickly accented English. Little wonder the man had trouble hearing him, with how loud his radio was.
Spade placed the driver’s accent. “ Possa-o ir devagar guiar, por favor? ” he said, speaking louder.
The driver gave him a wide smile that revealed a lack of recent dental attention. “Oh, fala portuguesa? Nenhum problema ,” he exclaimed, easing off the accelerator.
“What language is that?” Denise asked, distracted enough to unclench her fists.
“Portuguese.”
She looked impressed. “I kept meaning to learn more languages, but all I know is some Spanish left over from high school. When did you learn Portuguese?”
“When I was in Portugal,” he replied, amused to see the surprise on her face.
“Oh,” she said softly. “I’ve never been overseas. I haven’t even been out of America, except for…”
Her voice trailed off and shadows settled over her expression. For Canada , Spade mentally finished. Where your husband was murdered.
“Remember your part tonight,” Spade said, more to take her attention off that than out of concern over her forgetting. “I may have to leave you for a short time, but if I do, stick by Ian.”
“I don’t trust him,” she said at once.
Spade let out a snort. “Nor should you, but he won’t attempt to mesmerize you or feed from you. Since we’re going to a place filled with different types of vampires, that makes him safer than anyone except me.”
He didn’t think there was any real chance of danger to Denise, but he wanted her on her guard nevertheless. Neither one of them brought up the other possibility—that with these circumstances, she might have another panic attack. Their best hope of finding Nathanial was to expose Denise to the largest number of undead persons and their property at a time, but while that was efficient, it was also hazardous to her emotional state.
There was a way around that, however. Spade chose his words carefully. “I know this won’t be easy on you, Denise, but I could help with that. I wouldn’t even need to bite you to do it. A simple suggestion for you to be calmer when you’re around vampires or ghouls would—”
“Absolutely not .” She turned her attention away from the traffic to glare at him. “Don’t you dare mess with my mind. I mean it, Spade.”
Stubborn woman . He shrugged. “If that’s your decision.”
“It is,” she said, still glaring. “Promise me you won’t do it.”
The harsh scent of fear, anger, and mistrust swirled around her. Very slowly, Spade pulled out one of the silver knives from his coat. She went a shade paler when she saw it, but he ignored that, using the knife to slice a line in his palm.
“You know what a blood oath means to my kind, right?” he asked, holding her gaze. “By my blood, Denise, I swear I will never manipulate your mind.”
A sliver of crimson clung to the blade even as the wound closed. Spade kept his hand well below the window that separated the driver’s line of vision from the backseat. Only Denise could see
“Maybe tonight will be our lucky night,” she said, forcing an optimism she didn’t feel into her voice.
“Perhaps,” Spade agreed.
He didn’t sound like he believed it, either.
Denise’s knuckles were white as she clenched her fists. The scent of her anxiety filled the cab, covering the stale sweat, perfume, and lingering odor of vomit in the backseat. The cab made another lurching movement into traffic, narrowly missing the car that had been vying for the same lane. Denise paled until her skin almost matched Spade’s in color.
“Could you be a bit gentler on the gas?” Spade said to the driver. Poor girl, this was her first experience with a New York cabbie. From Denise’s expression, she’d like it to be her last.
“What you say?” the driver replied in thickly accented English. Little wonder the man had trouble hearing him, with how loud his radio was.
Spade placed the driver’s accent. “ Possa-o ir devagar guiar, por favor? ” he said, speaking louder.
The driver gave him a wide smile that revealed a lack of recent dental attention. “Oh, fala portuguesa? Nenhum problema ,” he exclaimed, easing off the accelerator.
“What language is that?” Denise asked, distracted enough to unclench her fists.
“Portuguese.”
She looked impressed. “I kept meaning to learn more languages, but all I know is some Spanish left over from high school. When did you learn Portuguese?”
“When I was in Portugal,” he replied, amused to see the surprise on her face.
“Oh,” she said softly. “I’ve never been overseas. I haven’t even been out of America, except for…”
Her voice trailed off and shadows settled over her expression. For Canada , Spade mentally finished. Where your husband was murdered.
“Remember your part tonight,” Spade said, more to take her attention off that than out of concern over her forgetting. “I may have to leave you for a short time, but if I do, stick by Ian.”
“I don’t trust him,” she said at once.
Spade let out a snort. “Nor should you, but he won’t attempt to mesmerize you or feed from you. Since we’re going to a place filled with different types of vampires, that makes him safer than anyone except me.”
He didn’t think there was any real chance of danger to Denise, but he wanted her on her guard nevertheless. Neither one of them brought up the other possibility—that with these circumstances, she might have another panic attack. Their best hope of finding Nathanial was to expose Denise to the largest number of undead persons and their property at a time, but while that was efficient, it was also hazardous to her emotional state.
There was a way around that, however. Spade chose his words carefully. “I know this won’t be easy on you, Denise, but I could help with that. I wouldn’t even need to bite you to do it. A simple suggestion for you to be calmer when you’re around vampires or ghouls would—”
“Absolutely not .” She turned her attention away from the traffic to glare at him. “Don’t you dare mess with my mind. I mean it, Spade.”
Stubborn woman . He shrugged. “If that’s your decision.”
“It is,” she said, still glaring. “Promise me you won’t do it.”
The harsh scent of fear, anger, and mistrust swirled around her. Very slowly, Spade pulled out one of the silver knives from his coat. She went a shade paler when she saw it, but he ignored that, using the knife to slice a line in his palm.
“You know what a blood oath means to my kind, right?” he asked, holding her gaze. “By my blood, Denise, I swear I will never manipulate your mind.”
A sliver of crimson clung to the blade even as the wound closed. Spade kept his hand well below the window that separated the driver’s line of vision from the backseat. Only Denise could see
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