Read Online The Blood Bride (Blood Secrets) by Imogene Nix - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Imogene Nix
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“Xavier, you shouldn’t do that. You’re a Master and it is not appropriate that you should attend to that. Let me arrange it.” Amusement warred with understanding, as he watched her move off the stage and arrange a goblet of wine for herself and the heavily blooded wine for him.
The amusement faded. Xavier sighed and followed her slowly. Sometimes he forgot, being a Master, that people expected to do things for him, which seemed rather odd even after the months of practice in the role.
He would need to be patient in learning to be a Master, he reminded himself. As she handed him the goblet, he smiled his thanks.
* * * *
The music and the movements of the dancers built as the night wore on. Hope, unused to so much noise and movement, threaded her way through the crowds of dancers, their jewelled plumage glittering under the chandeliers. She headed deliberately towards the open door and the blessed coolness of the garden beyond. Her head whirled as wine played its tricks on her senses and her stomach rumbled slightly with hunger. The small nibbles served had done little to satisfy her and she hadn’t eaten much all day. Right about now, a hamburger and chips would have been most welcome, but she knew it wasn’t in the least bit likely that any would be found in the manor.
Shaking off Xavier had been difficult. He had been an attentive escort, but his presence overwhelmed her, left her feeling off centre. The longer she was in his arms during the obligatory dance, the harder she found not to give into the sensuality he exuded, something she knew was completely forbidden to her.
Finally, she had exited the room on the pretext of powdering her nose, and he had obligingly let her go. Once she’d returned, it had been clear he was caught in a deep discussion with others so she had skirted the room, seeking the blessed relief in the garden.
The scents of perfume dissipated, replaced by the fragrant rose scents, while a small breeze swept across the overheated bared skin on her arms. For a minute she shivered as goose bumps rose on her flesh. She took a deep, cleansing breath, then another, letting it wash away the tension that wound through her.
Hope headed towards the far end of the terrace, seeking a quietly secluded seat where she could remove the torturous shoes for a short while, when she heard a noise. Or was it the absence of sound? The crickets that had been chirping earlier were now silent, and even the rustle of leaves had ceased. She cocked her head, noticing it for the first time.
Behind her, she sensed a rush of movement before strong, warm arms enveloped her. A soothing sound filled her ear, totally at odds with the hard body that pressed against her, causing all sorts of reactions to begin.
“Hope, you need to return inside now.” Xavier.
“Why? What’s going on?” She turned her head slightly so she could see his eyes, golden and intense. She shivered again, this time from a frisson of fear that skittered up and down her spine. “Xavier?”
“Go inside now, child.”
Cressida is here as well? That didn’t bode well at all. She whipped her head around in surprise, searching for something, and felt the subtle pressure as Xavier pushed her towards the door, his movements a whirl of speed that disoriented her slightly, before shutting the glass doors firmly behind her.
She noted with shock that guards, both vampire and human, now stood within the doorways. A silent wall of sentinels stood before the doors, as hands pulled her away from the sight.
But she had already seen enough to frighten her. Each guard held a UV gun in their hands. Vampires who did not belong here were afoot, and something bad was about to happen. A fleeting thought battered at her senses, while visions streaked through her mind. Each moving faster than the last and she couldn’t hold one long enough to settle on it.
She swallowed past a lump, and nodded jerkily before moving further into the room.
Those
“Xavier, you shouldn’t do that. You’re a Master and it is not appropriate that you should attend to that. Let me arrange it.” Amusement warred with understanding, as he watched her move off the stage and arrange a goblet of wine for herself and the heavily blooded wine for him.
The amusement faded. Xavier sighed and followed her slowly. Sometimes he forgot, being a Master, that people expected to do things for him, which seemed rather odd even after the months of practice in the role.
He would need to be patient in learning to be a Master, he reminded himself. As she handed him the goblet, he smiled his thanks.
* * * *
The music and the movements of the dancers built as the night wore on. Hope, unused to so much noise and movement, threaded her way through the crowds of dancers, their jewelled plumage glittering under the chandeliers. She headed deliberately towards the open door and the blessed coolness of the garden beyond. Her head whirled as wine played its tricks on her senses and her stomach rumbled slightly with hunger. The small nibbles served had done little to satisfy her and she hadn’t eaten much all day. Right about now, a hamburger and chips would have been most welcome, but she knew it wasn’t in the least bit likely that any would be found in the manor.
Shaking off Xavier had been difficult. He had been an attentive escort, but his presence overwhelmed her, left her feeling off centre. The longer she was in his arms during the obligatory dance, the harder she found not to give into the sensuality he exuded, something she knew was completely forbidden to her.
Finally, she had exited the room on the pretext of powdering her nose, and he had obligingly let her go. Once she’d returned, it had been clear he was caught in a deep discussion with others so she had skirted the room, seeking the blessed relief in the garden.
The scents of perfume dissipated, replaced by the fragrant rose scents, while a small breeze swept across the overheated bared skin on her arms. For a minute she shivered as goose bumps rose on her flesh. She took a deep, cleansing breath, then another, letting it wash away the tension that wound through her.
Hope headed towards the far end of the terrace, seeking a quietly secluded seat where she could remove the torturous shoes for a short while, when she heard a noise. Or was it the absence of sound? The crickets that had been chirping earlier were now silent, and even the rustle of leaves had ceased. She cocked her head, noticing it for the first time.
Behind her, she sensed a rush of movement before strong, warm arms enveloped her. A soothing sound filled her ear, totally at odds with the hard body that pressed against her, causing all sorts of reactions to begin.
“Hope, you need to return inside now.” Xavier.
“Why? What’s going on?” She turned her head slightly so she could see his eyes, golden and intense. She shivered again, this time from a frisson of fear that skittered up and down her spine. “Xavier?”
“Go inside now, child.”
Cressida is here as well? That didn’t bode well at all. She whipped her head around in surprise, searching for something, and felt the subtle pressure as Xavier pushed her towards the door, his movements a whirl of speed that disoriented her slightly, before shutting the glass doors firmly behind her.
She noted with shock that guards, both vampire and human, now stood within the doorways. A silent wall of sentinels stood before the doors, as hands pulled her away from the sight.
But she had already seen enough to frighten her. Each guard held a UV gun in their hands. Vampires who did not belong here were afoot, and something bad was about to happen. A fleeting thought battered at her senses, while visions streaked through her mind. Each moving faster than the last and she couldn’t hold one long enough to settle on it.
She swallowed past a lump, and nodded jerkily before moving further into the room.
Those
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