Read Online Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole - Free Book Online Page A

right now.”
    “ What ?” Annika shrieked. Aneurism in five, four, three, two…
    Regin offered, “She met some hottie over there—”
    Annika held up her hand. “Got to get out of here.”
    Where was the cataclysmic freakout over Emma? Lucia frowned. “I don’t understand ‘got to.’ Sounds like you want us to leave?” Or even to flee? Valkyrie simply didn’t flee—from anything. Monsters flee from us. Just as it’d always been.
    You ran from that Lykae.
    Shut up.
    “There’s a plane about to crash, isn’t there?” Regin sighed. “That is so gonna hurt.”
    Lucia agreed. “I might run from a crashing plane—”
    “Go… something’s coming,” Annika said. “ Now…”
    “We’re safest here,” Regin said, wriggling her toes and turning her attention back to her painting. “The inscription will keep anyone out.”
    The Valkyrie had bought protection from the House of Witches—their allies. The spell kept most nuisances out of Val Hall.
    Regin quickly glanced up. “But, I, uh, I might not have renewed the inscription spell with the witches.”
    Lucia said, “I thought we were on auto-renewal. They charge our credit—”
    “By Freya,” Annika yelled, “I—mean—now !”
    At that, Regin shot to her feet, lunging for her sword. Lucia was right behind her, scrambling for her bow. She’d just strapped on her quiver when the front door burst in.

EIGHT

As Garreth ran for Val Hall, he began to grow uneasy, his hackles rising. Though Lykae loved to run—they’d traded tearing across the Highland hills and crags for tearing through the swamps and bayous— he took no comfort from the exertion.
    He sensed something wasn’t right but couldn’t pinpoint his disquiet. He frowned when his sat-phone rang in his jeans pocket, then slowed to answer. “What?”
    Munro said, “Can you come back to the compound? There’s some news… possibly.”
    “Have you told anyone about Lousha?”
    “No, I have no’! Where are you?”
    “On my way to Val Hall. Concerned about my mate.”
    “Aye, Garreth, you need to know. Vampires are here, crawling all over the city.”
    Bluidy hell. “Which faction? Horde or Forbearer?” While the Horde was the Lykae’s oldest and most hated enemy, the Forbearers were relatively new players in the Accession game. They were rumored to forbear from taking the flesh, refusing to drink blood directly from others.
    Some in the Lore considered them noble vampires— as much an oxymoron for Garreth as cuddly snakes .
    “It’s the Horde,” Munro said. “Ivo and Lothaire, specifically.”
    Ivo was cowardly—Garreth had never considered him a threat. Lothaire, the Enemy of Old, was a different story altogether. “What the fuck are they doing here?”
    “The Horde might be… hunting Valkyrie.”
    Lucia. This was what he’d sensed. Just as Garreth was about to hang up, Munro said, “Wait! There’s something else—”
    “No’ now!” Garreth yelled as he sprinted, slamming the phone closed so hard, it lay crushed in his palm.
    Hunting Valkyrie. Lucia was in danger from the Horde, a filthy species responsible for the deaths of Garreth’s entire family. If he lost his mate to them as well…
    Never. Already turning.
    Only a dozen miles away. Letting the beast out of the cage. Never wanted her to see me like this…
An immense horned vampire filled the doorway of Val Hall, peering keenly at Regin and Lucia with eyes the color of blood.
    “What is that , Annika?” Regin drew one of her swords. “A vampire turned demon ?”
    “Not possible,” Lucia said. “That’s supposed to be a true myth.” Whatever it was, it had made Annika run like hell, and she was a notorious vampire killer.
    “Has to be.” Annika panted. “Never seen one so powerful.”
    “Is he one of Ivo’s minions?”
    “Yes. Saw him giving orders to this one. They’re still searching for someone.”
    Lucia nocked her arrows just as two more vampires traced behind the demon.
    “Just go,”