Read Online To Honor: Vampire Assassin League #22 by Jackie Ivie - Free Book Online Page A

violence and punishment. The ability to feel anything had been beaten out of them. Emotion was driven out of existence. The goal was self-control. And Takeshi had excelled. But then he’d met Christine, been reanimated, and these lessons were lost. Forgotten. The ability to feel emotion had returned with a vengeance. Well. He was halting it.
    An Aka-sourah clan member never cried. They’d die first.
    His eyes cleared. His sinuses followed. The shivering ceased next. His mate was an exact match. She must have a wealth of inner strength to draw from. He watched her tear trail start to dry. Heard and felt her sniff. And then she moved her gaze back to his. The look she gave him hadn’t a hint of sorrow to it. It didn’t have emotion to it, at all. Her eyes resembled glass.
    It was just like looking into his jade headboard.
    “You need to let me up,” she said.
    “Oh. Hai. ”
    His answer was in the exact same calm, level tone she used only his was an octave deeper. But granting her request was much more difficult that it sounded. Even his skin tried to cling to hers. Takeshi sat, the move separating them. The elastic band of his trousers started inching up from where it hugged his thighs. The black silk tented around his head. The sprinklers may have shut off. There was a sense of dampness in this makeshift enclosure with her, but it was dry. Tomb dark. If he hadn’t vampiric senses, he wouldn’t have seen how she covered her breasts with one arm.
    Like a shield.
    Against him.
    He looked aside, and worked at ignoring the flush that crept beneath his skin, warming and tinting him. Even with his newly restored physiological reactions, he’d never dealt with this so many times. Since meeting her, he’d had several incidents where he’d blushed. Gotten embarrassed. Showed anxiety. Clumsiness. He didn’t know how to control any of it. And thus far, his ninja training was useless. He was probably in luck that she couldn’t see much.
    Her yakuta lay in a heap beside him. Takeshi lifted the robe, shook it slightly, and held it out to her. He’d been off on her ability to see. She took it without hesitation with her free hand and unerringly donned it, hiding her nakedness. And then he remembered. They’d shared blood. Her vision might be the match to his.
    He hooked a thumb in the waist of his pants and hitched them up. The elastic had been stretched. They wouldn’t stay up easily. But he was covered. He didn’t know what to say. Do. Try. He’d never felt so awkward. And he felt the flush from that realization clear to his lower belly.
    “Well. That’s...one thing down. Ready for the next objective?”
    “Next objective?” Did making love have such things?
    “We need to get up. Dressed. Find a place. Someplace...dry.”
    “Ah. Yes. Dry.”
    The robe clung to her body, outlining everything. She’d worked the silk into place beneath the obi sash about her waist. She had the most amazing body. Hand-sized breasts. Small, dart-like nipples. The tiniest waist. And – oh – her scent! She had the most tantalizing scent. A blend of fire-smoke and spice-filled marketplace. He blended his own incense. He couldn’t place what he’d need for her. And then he factored in her eyes. The impact of being near her was beyond extraordinary. He could barely think, let alone form words.
    “You do have someplace like that?”
    “Like what?”
    “Look. Takeshi. Um. We really need to talk. I need to get the air cleared. And...I can’t do it with my hormones on overdrive. Okay?”
    “Hormones on overdrive?” What did that mean?
    “Okay. You want it plain? You got it. I’m the manager of commercial development for a really large company. I handle global interests. I’ve got my own staff, a windowed office in Manhattan, a really nice income. I have all that because I’m worth it. I’m known for hard-nosed dealings, tough negotiation, and straight talk. Got it?”
    He shook his head. She was becoming more animated the longer