Read Online Hold Their Peace (Vampire Assassin League) by Jackie Ivie - Free Book Online
Authors: Jackie Ivie
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going insane. I really should get dressed now. And find a way out of this maze. Contact Lizbeth. She’s probably frantic with worry at my disappearance. People might even be looking for me. Where are my clothes? I mean...drapes?”
She sat up without one bit of effort and started looking, but everywhere seemed to contain naked guy. Really nice naked guy. Prime. Muscled. She’d been right, too. He had a very nice ass.
“You doubt me?”
His words were low-voiced, sending a tremor of something along her spine. What lights the room contained flared and then dimmed. Thanos added unnecessary atmosphere to everything by growling at the end of that. Or something that sounded just as threatening.
“Uh...yeah.”
It was better to keep searching. Somehow find the material she’d been wearing. Or maybe pull some more of the bedding off this mattress and fashion another toga. That might work.
“Why?”
The lights flared again, as if driven by his voice. Darcy swallowed.
“Why? Oh...lots of reasons. We can start with the major ones and move on from there, if you want. Screw it. Let’s just start with the main one. Vampires do not exist.”
“They do. They have for millennia.”
“Right. And everyone knows this but me,” she replied.
“Very few know, because we want it that way. We’re hidden. It’s best.”
“The only place you’ll find a vampire is in folktales written to scare readers. Lascivious stories meant to terrify. Fiction designed to titillate and entertain.” And when the hell did she pick up such a vocabulary? She was starting to sound like one of her professors. Or Lizbeth.
“All of it based on sightings, I wager.”
“Right. There you go, adding ballast to the delusional diagnosis. And here I was having such a nice time.” Ugh . She was spouting more big words. What the hell was wrong with her?
“Oh. The nice time’s just starting love.”
Oh, hell. Her hands were trembling now. Good thing she had them hidden in folds of bedding. “Give it a rest, already, Thanos. You are not a vampire. You don’t even have fangs.”
The lights went really bright before shuttering. The resultant dimness should be even more difficult to pierce. It wasn’t. She could see everything almost like she had night vision or something.
“Darcy.”
He drew out her name in bass tones that reverberated around the room. Then it surrendered to an echo that lingered on the air. Vibrating almost through her. In waves.
“Yes?” The word was whispered through a dry throat.
“Look at me.”
Oh, no way. He was starting to scare the hell out of her. She shook her head.
“How can I prove it if you won’t look for yourself?”
“You won’t...force me?”
Darcy’s voice squeaked. More embarrassment. When had she picked up such a little girl voice, anyway? She was a confident sort. Fit. Smart. Able to take on truckers’ comments all day with a bite of sarcasm and a huge dose of wit. And right now, she sounded lost and excruciatingly young. About six. Maybe seven.
“I will never force you. Or harm you. Or do anything other than serve. Protect. Love. I vow it. You are my mate. And I am yours. I have been waiting for you for centuries. Just you. Don’t you understand yet?”
Every word hit her heart, making it thump in a beat that hadn’t much rhythm to it. Dare she turn? Because if he really had fangs, she’d have to face it. She was dealing with a real vampire. They existed. No more dream sequence nonsense.
Well. Somebody had to break this impasse.
Darcy straightened her back, looked toward the ceiling for no particular reason except to stall, and finally swiveled. Thanos was propped on an arm, twisting to display massive pecs and perfect frame. She moved her gaze higher. His upper lip was lifted in a snarl in order to show off impressive, white, sharp-looking fangs.
“You have fangs,” she told him.
His mouth changed to a wide grin, keeping his canines on display. Despite everything, Darcy leaned
She sat up without one bit of effort and started looking, but everywhere seemed to contain naked guy. Really nice naked guy. Prime. Muscled. She’d been right, too. He had a very nice ass.
“You doubt me?”
His words were low-voiced, sending a tremor of something along her spine. What lights the room contained flared and then dimmed. Thanos added unnecessary atmosphere to everything by growling at the end of that. Or something that sounded just as threatening.
“Uh...yeah.”
It was better to keep searching. Somehow find the material she’d been wearing. Or maybe pull some more of the bedding off this mattress and fashion another toga. That might work.
“Why?”
The lights flared again, as if driven by his voice. Darcy swallowed.
“Why? Oh...lots of reasons. We can start with the major ones and move on from there, if you want. Screw it. Let’s just start with the main one. Vampires do not exist.”
“They do. They have for millennia.”
“Right. And everyone knows this but me,” she replied.
“Very few know, because we want it that way. We’re hidden. It’s best.”
“The only place you’ll find a vampire is in folktales written to scare readers. Lascivious stories meant to terrify. Fiction designed to titillate and entertain.” And when the hell did she pick up such a vocabulary? She was starting to sound like one of her professors. Or Lizbeth.
“All of it based on sightings, I wager.”
“Right. There you go, adding ballast to the delusional diagnosis. And here I was having such a nice time.” Ugh . She was spouting more big words. What the hell was wrong with her?
“Oh. The nice time’s just starting love.”
Oh, hell. Her hands were trembling now. Good thing she had them hidden in folds of bedding. “Give it a rest, already, Thanos. You are not a vampire. You don’t even have fangs.”
The lights went really bright before shuttering. The resultant dimness should be even more difficult to pierce. It wasn’t. She could see everything almost like she had night vision or something.
“Darcy.”
He drew out her name in bass tones that reverberated around the room. Then it surrendered to an echo that lingered on the air. Vibrating almost through her. In waves.
“Yes?” The word was whispered through a dry throat.
“Look at me.”
Oh, no way. He was starting to scare the hell out of her. She shook her head.
“How can I prove it if you won’t look for yourself?”
“You won’t...force me?”
Darcy’s voice squeaked. More embarrassment. When had she picked up such a little girl voice, anyway? She was a confident sort. Fit. Smart. Able to take on truckers’ comments all day with a bite of sarcasm and a huge dose of wit. And right now, she sounded lost and excruciatingly young. About six. Maybe seven.
“I will never force you. Or harm you. Or do anything other than serve. Protect. Love. I vow it. You are my mate. And I am yours. I have been waiting for you for centuries. Just you. Don’t you understand yet?”
Every word hit her heart, making it thump in a beat that hadn’t much rhythm to it. Dare she turn? Because if he really had fangs, she’d have to face it. She was dealing with a real vampire. They existed. No more dream sequence nonsense.
Well. Somebody had to break this impasse.
Darcy straightened her back, looked toward the ceiling for no particular reason except to stall, and finally swiveled. Thanos was propped on an arm, twisting to display massive pecs and perfect frame. She moved her gaze higher. His upper lip was lifted in a snarl in order to show off impressive, white, sharp-looking fangs.
“You have fangs,” she told him.
His mouth changed to a wide grin, keeping his canines on display. Despite everything, Darcy leaned
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