Read Online IM01 - Carpe Noctem by Katie Salidas - Free Book Online Page A

wander by myself.”
    “That’s very smart of you. Even with its popularity, that is not a place one should be walking alone. Be warned, we won’t be the only ones hunting in this area. Plenty of immortals are attracted to populated spots like this.”
    “Other immortals?” I hadn’t given thought to more vampires out there. Certainly if there was one, there would have to be more. “How many vampires are out there?”
    “More than I care to count, Alyssa,” he sighed. “The immortal world is as varied as the human world. There are many different covens and families; each group has its own form of government or rules to live by. Most of the time, rule number one is keep a low profile. That will be the rule here with me as well. We don’t need anyone knowing who and what we are.”
    “Oh,” I said, feeling a little disappointed. “So, I guess we are loners, then?” I wasn’t ready to meet another immortal yet; but I wasn’t happy with the idea of being a hermit, either.
     “On occasion, you might befriend someone new, but don’t make that an expectation. For now, just stick to who you already know and don’t try attracting extra attention.”
    “I see.” I sighed and stared out the window. Streetlights flew past in blurry streaks as we drove on. I prayed for a red light to pause us on our trip, but it seemed the traffic lights were against me. They all remained green. We would soon be at our hunting ground.
    The tall, white Stratosphere tower came into view. It was an unmistakable—and phallic—landmark, long and slender with a huge glass observation deck that was accented with red neon lighting at the top. It dwarfed all of the other bulky, wide hotel casinos of downtown and looked as if it might topple over in a strong gust of wind.
    My heart thumped erratically as we approached. Hunting was inevitable now.
    How am I going to do this? Does Lysander ever struggle with this?
     I looked over at Lysander. His face remained calm, an implacable mask, giving no clue in his expression to tell me what he could be thinking.
    I thought about others, vampires, being out there in the world and what it might be like to meet them.
    “Tell me about covens,” I said, breaking the silence in the car.
    Lysander spoke without taking his eyes off the road. “Covens are like large families: vampires living together, ruled by some form of leader. I wouldn’t get any ideas on joining them. They tend to be very fanatical and look down on those who are not born into their house, so to speak. For now, if you wish, you can consider me your family.”
    He turned to look at me. A sincere smile crossed his face. His voice softened. “Of course, once you are comfortable with yourself and ready to face the world alone, the choice will be yours. You will be welcome in my house or free to go your own way.”
    I turned away, and stared out the window, thinking about what a large family of vampires would be like. Would it be nice to have lots of people like me to interact with, or would I rather be stuck as a loner with only Lysander as a companion?
    “Back to hunting,” Lysander said, sounding a bit more serious. “We’re almost there, so listen closely. We won’t be the only ones hunting. You will need to watch out for others of our kind. Pay attention to those around you. If you think a person is marked, do not try to go after him or her. We may not know one another, but as a rule, we leave one another’s marks alone.”
    “How will I know who is marked?” Did we physically mark our victims?
    “Keep an eye out for people being followed or a vampire showing interest in one particular person. Pay attention to your intuition. You should be able to sense when one of our kind is around. If you see or sense one of us close by, go hunt somewhere else.”
    Sense? I wasn’t exactly sure what he meant by that, but I nodded anyway, pretending I under-stood. I was more worried about the act of hunting than the consequences of