Read Online The Dark Gifts Birthright by Willow Cross - Free Book Online

small groups. Sometimes just pairs, though generally there
are at least three. We call this a nest. Until now, Michael’s
disassociation with other vampires made him the perfect hand of the
Council.
    “Human stories paint a bleak picture of the
vampire nature. At one point, the cold, heartless, bloodthirsty
beasts your culture embraces were the epitome of vampires. This has
not been the case for many decades now. We do drink human blood,
though some of us prefer animal over human. We do not kill humans
unless in self-defense, or in need of keeping the primary law. This
is the culture the vampire nation has embraced. There are a radical
few who do not accept our law. They long for the old ways. It is
Michael’s job to seek them out and destroy them. Therefore, his
connection with you makes him vulnerable.” He searched Michael’s
face as if reading what he saw there, and then asked, “Could you,
Michael, continue to do your job without prejudice if an outlaw
coven captured Elizabeth?”
    Michael returned his stare. Raw emotion
flooded his voice as he answered, “No. I would destroy every last
member of their coven to get her back.”
    Gregorio sighed sympathetically and turned
his gaze to Liz. “Just your existence has seriously complicated his
ability to live not only by the law, but to in fact be the hand of
the Council. Therefore it is the Council’s decree that you reside
here in the fortress so that we might not only keep you safe, but
continue to utilize Michael’s special abilities.”
     
    ***
     
    The room was empty now except for Michael and
Liz. She’d received information, but not anything she felt she
needed to know. And the question time she’d been promised
disappeared with the council members. Still nestled in the crook of
his arm, and mind reeling, she tried to think.
    Michael sat quietly beside her, waiting for
her to speak. As if of their own volition, his fingers toyed with a
strand of her hair while his thoughts drifted into a previously
unknown realm.
    It was so strange, this knowing a person
inside and out. Caring for someone or something other than war or
battle was foreign to him. It was all new and wonderful, yet the
weight of the responsibility these new emotions carried seemed
terrible at the same time. Michael had never dreamed it could be
like this. He’d always been a loner. That’s why his father picked
him in the first place. He was intelligent and diligent. An amazing
swordsman for such a young man, Michael at twenty-three had all the
makings of a dedicated assassin.
    Gregorio had been one of the emperor’s
closest advisors and a brilliant strategist in his own right. He’d
singled Michael out early in the young man’s career, and helped
guide him through the maze of red tape involved in climbing the
ranks of the Roman army. And of course, provided the training
needed to make him a truly great assassin. Over the centuries,
Michael had perfected his deadly skills. An expert with every
weapon, he preferred hand-to-hand combat. Michael never concerned
himself with love or with nesting; he was born to kill. To uphold
the vampire law had been his prime directive even before the
Council had united.
    He was nearing thirty when Gregorio turned
him. It was his choice, a choice to be the ultimate killing
machine. Not that he killed for malice; to kill because one could
was to be a monster. For him, there was righteousness in it. The
cleansing of wrongs and making things right, to further a higher
purpose was his calling. Turning the tides of wars and bettering
the lives of others his ultimate goal and he was definitely well
suited to it. So any thoughts of love… Love? Yes, it was definitely
more than just the connection now. He loved her. With all his
heart, soul, and being, he loved her. Even the necessity of living
in the fortress and the complete loss of his freedom, seemed a
worthy price for her safety.
    “Love is a four letter word,” she said with a
smile.
    Michael looked down