Read Online Supernatural Seduction (Book 2 of the Coffin Girls Series) by Aneesa Price - Free Book Online Page B

seems.”
    “Why did you change the dining hall?” Sophie
inquired.
    “I was inspired by how you live at
Papillion,” Sylvain replied candidly. “The table in the plantation
kitchen is the center of the home. It is where you all share, love,
and learn. We had sharing and learning here, but the difference is
that you are more relaxed, less informal, and your love is deeper.
I’d been an absent monarch for centuries and the fae were wary of
me. This is one of my ways of showing them that I’m approachable,
my version of PR, and despite our close connection, fae are formal
when together.” He seemed to consider that statement, then
shrugged, “Well, most times anyway. I thought that it was time for
us to loosen up.”
    “And other times?” Sophie probed, tipping her
chin up to look at him.
    Sylvain’s eyes sparkled, mischievously, “I
hope that is a revelation I can make to you in future.” He reached
out and gently pinched her chin.
    Swatting his hand away, Sophie ignored his
chuckle by paying more than necessary attention to the food she was
determined to eat. She wasn’t hungry for food. She wanted to take a
bite out of his scrumptious derriere.
    xxx

    Sophie and her maman were huddled together
within one of the chateaux’s secret passages. Despite the thickness
of the walls, the battle cries, clink of knives meeting, and the
inevitable yells of death penetrated the barriers that were meant
to keep them safe and hidden. There had been rumors of witch hunts,
but they had occurred far away from their small village. Little did
they know that the so-called ‘Warriors of God’ were stealthily
making their way to them. They’d approached her papa, the Duke,
demanding that he hand over her and Maman, stating that the act
would redeem the souls of her father and brothers. When her father
refused, the battle commenced. It was an unfair battle, as her
father and brothers had been outnumbered, but Sophie prayed that
their exceptional skill would see them win.
    Whilst the battle ensued, Maman had dragged
Sophie to the hidden passages within the chateaux. They sat,
trembling and waiting for their victorious men. Sophie stole a
glance at her maman. She was as white as the Chantilly lace she
wore around her neck, whispering reverently, begging for
deliverance. Sophie decided to join her in prayer and grasped her
maman’s hands, seeking comfort and hoping that the joint requests
to the God above would hold more weight.
    Maman’s sudden cry jerked her out of her
trance-like chanting. Her face was a mask of pain. Her maman had
felt the metaphysical bond that bound her to her husband and sons
being but. So, Sophie’s father and brothers were all dead.
    Asleep in her room at the fae hollow, Sophie
sobbed while some part of her knew it was a dream and begged to be
released from sleep, in order to end the torturous recollections of
the past.
    Then the dream changed shape and Sophie
found herself in a wagon, heading towards the mass grave where the
executed witches would be unceremoniously dumped. Her pretend death
had allowed them to place her body with that of the truly dead,
persecuted witches. She waited for the wagon to be covered, then
crawled out of the middle of the body pile, and sat as far back in
the corner as she could. The covering was meant to mask the smell
of rotting flesh from possible travelers the wagon might pass by.
For the public to know that witches were being persecuted was one
thing but seeing and smelling the results of it was another. The
religious heretics would not risk the public’s sympathy - they were
nothing if not cleverly political. Sophie tried to ascertain where
they were by the sounds outside the wagon. She hoped that she could
identify when it was deep enough within the forest. There, she
planned to jump out of the wagon. She could get lost, hunt, eat
berries, and perhaps wash. She might find a branch to climb up
onto, and get some sleep. Then, she would plan her next steps.
    The sudden