Read Online Kingmakers, The (Vampire Empire Book 3) by Susan Griffith Clay Griffith - Free Book Online
Authors: Susan Griffith Clay Griffith
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home.”
He nodded and then commanded, “Come with me.” With a turn of his heel, he strode toward the gangplank to nearby Edinburgh . Adele followed, her heartbeat building. They marched up onto the deck, and withthe crews’ heads pivoting to follow the pair, they disappeared down the companionway. There was a lone glow from a chemical lamp in a recess of the wall. Greyfriar held the door to their old cabin and she entered.
The moment the door closed, he grabbed her arm and pulled her to him in a deep embrace. She crushed against him, her mind filled only with the desire of him. His leather glove held the nape of her neck and tilted her head up as she pulled the cloth from his sharp-featured face so he could kiss her. His long dark hair brushed her cheek. She thought only of the long days and nights without him, filled with worry and want. His rough, desperate touch spoke the same.
Then she realized smoke was rising between them. She tried to pull back. “No, it’s too soon. I’m hurting you.”
“Hardly,” he whispered hoarsely, refusing to let her go. He drew her back to him and captured her lips.
She couldn’t refuse him. The need in both of them filled the room, though Gareth never demanded or forced more. She often thought about pushing their relationship, particularly when they were about to rush headlong to their possible deaths. Which seemed frequent.
The rise and fall of Gareth’s chest against her felt as steady as the tides of the earth. As always, they lived in the space of a moment, forgetting their fears and the bittersweet taste of reality. Soon they would be in peril again. These fleeting moments together were all that was allowed them.
Medieval spires rose above Grenoble, grey shapes in the milky sky. The city was frozen in time, still and serene, but not for much longer. Adele glanced at the man beside her, a man who always liked the shadows, and now stood in a world that had turned stark white.
Adele’s breath formed in front of her in misty clouds. Snow was falling and she couldn’t help watching it. Despite the fact that she was shivering in the deep drift, the gentle flutter of the snowflakes coming down around her was mesmerizing. Having spent her entire life in the tropics, Adele had always dreamed of seeing a driving northern snow.This, however, was not the circumstance she had conjured for her wintry fantasy. Her outfit was white and grey, made of heavy wool, but she still felt the chill in her extremities. Her clothes were rough and tattered, similar to what the humans wore inside the city. She had to look the part of a bedraggled human to avoid raising an alarm.
Gareth stood in just a shirt and coal grey pants and boots. He was bare to the elements, and completely unaffected by the bitter cold. Once they had left camp, he had shed his Greyfriar persona. His pack of clothes and weapons was gone now, buried under the piling snow.
“Another outfit lost,” she lamented, her teeth chattering until she clamped them shut.
“I’ll find it,” he said simply. “How close is your dragon spine?”
“It’s close.” She was much better at sensing them now, whereas before she tended to stumble across them. This was a relief given the possibility that her power could be triggered unexpectedly, a constant fear with Gareth around. She couldn’t bear to hurt him again.
Adele wrapped a tattered scarf tighter around her nearly frozen face with fingers that were already well past that state. Her attention tracked to the west, waiting for the sounds of the battle that she knew was set to commence. Still, she jumped when the first boom sounded and black smoke billowed into the ashen sky.
The March of the Galahads had begun.
Mobs of vampires inside the city walls veered toward the attack, black spots rising framed against the white flakes falling.
“This is it,” Adele said, her zeal growing, the chill in her bones forgotten. She rose, shaking the snow from her legs.
“Patience.
He nodded and then commanded, “Come with me.” With a turn of his heel, he strode toward the gangplank to nearby Edinburgh . Adele followed, her heartbeat building. They marched up onto the deck, and withthe crews’ heads pivoting to follow the pair, they disappeared down the companionway. There was a lone glow from a chemical lamp in a recess of the wall. Greyfriar held the door to their old cabin and she entered.
The moment the door closed, he grabbed her arm and pulled her to him in a deep embrace. She crushed against him, her mind filled only with the desire of him. His leather glove held the nape of her neck and tilted her head up as she pulled the cloth from his sharp-featured face so he could kiss her. His long dark hair brushed her cheek. She thought only of the long days and nights without him, filled with worry and want. His rough, desperate touch spoke the same.
Then she realized smoke was rising between them. She tried to pull back. “No, it’s too soon. I’m hurting you.”
“Hardly,” he whispered hoarsely, refusing to let her go. He drew her back to him and captured her lips.
She couldn’t refuse him. The need in both of them filled the room, though Gareth never demanded or forced more. She often thought about pushing their relationship, particularly when they were about to rush headlong to their possible deaths. Which seemed frequent.
The rise and fall of Gareth’s chest against her felt as steady as the tides of the earth. As always, they lived in the space of a moment, forgetting their fears and the bittersweet taste of reality. Soon they would be in peril again. These fleeting moments together were all that was allowed them.
Medieval spires rose above Grenoble, grey shapes in the milky sky. The city was frozen in time, still and serene, but not for much longer. Adele glanced at the man beside her, a man who always liked the shadows, and now stood in a world that had turned stark white.
Adele’s breath formed in front of her in misty clouds. Snow was falling and she couldn’t help watching it. Despite the fact that she was shivering in the deep drift, the gentle flutter of the snowflakes coming down around her was mesmerizing. Having spent her entire life in the tropics, Adele had always dreamed of seeing a driving northern snow.This, however, was not the circumstance she had conjured for her wintry fantasy. Her outfit was white and grey, made of heavy wool, but she still felt the chill in her extremities. Her clothes were rough and tattered, similar to what the humans wore inside the city. She had to look the part of a bedraggled human to avoid raising an alarm.
Gareth stood in just a shirt and coal grey pants and boots. He was bare to the elements, and completely unaffected by the bitter cold. Once they had left camp, he had shed his Greyfriar persona. His pack of clothes and weapons was gone now, buried under the piling snow.
“Another outfit lost,” she lamented, her teeth chattering until she clamped them shut.
“I’ll find it,” he said simply. “How close is your dragon spine?”
“It’s close.” She was much better at sensing them now, whereas before she tended to stumble across them. This was a relief given the possibility that her power could be triggered unexpectedly, a constant fear with Gareth around. She couldn’t bear to hurt him again.
Adele wrapped a tattered scarf tighter around her nearly frozen face with fingers that were already well past that state. Her attention tracked to the west, waiting for the sounds of the battle that she knew was set to commence. Still, she jumped when the first boom sounded and black smoke billowed into the ashen sky.
The March of the Galahads had begun.
Mobs of vampires inside the city walls veered toward the attack, black spots rising framed against the white flakes falling.
“This is it,” Adele said, her zeal growing, the chill in her bones forgotten. She rose, shaking the snow from her legs.
“Patience.
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