Read Online The Vampyre Legal Chronicles - James by CC MacKenzie - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: CC MacKenzie
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either.
'Anais has courage, too.'
'Just as well,' came the response. 'She will need every ounce of it.'
"I'm a little bit worried about next week," said Anais, unwittingly plucking the thought from her husband's head. Next week, after dusk fell, she'd attend her first vampyre enclave. She was vampyre made. A human with vampyre DNA. Apparently she was an empath, too. A rarity. An oddity. A thing , she'd been told by Saira, that pureblood vampyres would find... interesting. She wasn't worried about humans, not yet, since they didn't know vampyres existed. How that state of affairs had lasted in the day and age of cell phones and social media, she'd no idea. It couldn't last, she told herself for the tenth time.
"You have nothing to worry about. You are bonded to me. You wear my bloodstone, my ring on your finger. You are under the close protection of my family, my clan and my Centuri. Nothing will harm you."
Easy for you to say, she wanted to say, but remained silent.
Someone, Eleanor Pattullo, had already tried to kill her once.
What was to stop her trying again?
"They still haven't found Eleanor?"
His blue eyes went dark as he shook his head.
Jaw tight, her husband rose and began to dress.
As he pulled on soft blue jeans, a cashmere sweater as black as his hair, Anais had the feeling she'd spoilt a very special moment between them, and could have kicked herself for it. She watched him slide on a pair of soft suede Mocs.
He turned to her, held out his hand.
"Wanna go flying with me?"
Two nights ago, he'd taken her flying.
Actually, he'd scooped her up in his arms and jumped off the penthouse balcony.
The scream had lodged in her throat along with her heart, before she realized he was able to glide through the air. She'd never for a single moment imagined such a thing. Then the reality had hit her that in her mind she'd somehow managed to humanize him, when he wasn't human in any way shape or form at all. He was a creature of the night. A creature of the supernatural. And what did that make her?
Now her husband's blue eyes glittered preternaturally into hers.
Daring her, because he knew she'd hated flying.
They didn't even have wings for God's sake.
How was it possible?
"I can hear your deep thoughts from here. Sex or flying. Your choice."
Cheeky bastard.
Her dark mood lifted as her mouth curved.
She read a sharp intelligence as he studied her carefully.
He saw way too much.
"My deep thoughts are my own."
"Not when they place dark shadows in your beautiful eyes, and in your heart. At times you tremble when I touch you. Will you ever be able to forgive me? Truly? For what I have done to you?"
Would she?
"Maybe. One day."
He gave a weary and heartfelt sigh.
Now his eyes went soft with something like regret and a hurt that speared her heart.
"Every single day we worked together for all those months, I had to stamp down hard on my need for you, my wee darlin’. Every. Single. Day. It was the only way to contain my vampyre. More importantly, I wanted you to finish the longest trial period in our company's history to make a junior partner I've ever experienced. I knew your career was important to you. I didn't want to take that away from you, too."
"Are you saying I should be grateful to you for permitting me to have a career?" The edge to her voice was keen and cutting.
He shook his head and now those brilliant blue eyes went sharp and a little cool.
"No. I am not a raving misogynist, darlin’. I believe in equality between us. In most things. But as a vampyre I will always be superior to you in strength and endurance. Our culture is strictly patriarchal. There is nothing I can do to change that. It is what it is."
"So, I'd just better get used to you ruling the roost?"
"Do I rule our home? Do I?" he responded, the tone telling her very clearly that his temper was fraying around the edges.
She had to be nothing but truthful with herself, and with him.
"No. You've let me organize our home
'Anais has courage, too.'
'Just as well,' came the response. 'She will need every ounce of it.'
"I'm a little bit worried about next week," said Anais, unwittingly plucking the thought from her husband's head. Next week, after dusk fell, she'd attend her first vampyre enclave. She was vampyre made. A human with vampyre DNA. Apparently she was an empath, too. A rarity. An oddity. A thing , she'd been told by Saira, that pureblood vampyres would find... interesting. She wasn't worried about humans, not yet, since they didn't know vampyres existed. How that state of affairs had lasted in the day and age of cell phones and social media, she'd no idea. It couldn't last, she told herself for the tenth time.
"You have nothing to worry about. You are bonded to me. You wear my bloodstone, my ring on your finger. You are under the close protection of my family, my clan and my Centuri. Nothing will harm you."
Easy for you to say, she wanted to say, but remained silent.
Someone, Eleanor Pattullo, had already tried to kill her once.
What was to stop her trying again?
"They still haven't found Eleanor?"
His blue eyes went dark as he shook his head.
Jaw tight, her husband rose and began to dress.
As he pulled on soft blue jeans, a cashmere sweater as black as his hair, Anais had the feeling she'd spoilt a very special moment between them, and could have kicked herself for it. She watched him slide on a pair of soft suede Mocs.
He turned to her, held out his hand.
"Wanna go flying with me?"
Two nights ago, he'd taken her flying.
Actually, he'd scooped her up in his arms and jumped off the penthouse balcony.
The scream had lodged in her throat along with her heart, before she realized he was able to glide through the air. She'd never for a single moment imagined such a thing. Then the reality had hit her that in her mind she'd somehow managed to humanize him, when he wasn't human in any way shape or form at all. He was a creature of the night. A creature of the supernatural. And what did that make her?
Now her husband's blue eyes glittered preternaturally into hers.
Daring her, because he knew she'd hated flying.
They didn't even have wings for God's sake.
How was it possible?
"I can hear your deep thoughts from here. Sex or flying. Your choice."
Cheeky bastard.
Her dark mood lifted as her mouth curved.
She read a sharp intelligence as he studied her carefully.
He saw way too much.
"My deep thoughts are my own."
"Not when they place dark shadows in your beautiful eyes, and in your heart. At times you tremble when I touch you. Will you ever be able to forgive me? Truly? For what I have done to you?"
Would she?
"Maybe. One day."
He gave a weary and heartfelt sigh.
Now his eyes went soft with something like regret and a hurt that speared her heart.
"Every single day we worked together for all those months, I had to stamp down hard on my need for you, my wee darlin’. Every. Single. Day. It was the only way to contain my vampyre. More importantly, I wanted you to finish the longest trial period in our company's history to make a junior partner I've ever experienced. I knew your career was important to you. I didn't want to take that away from you, too."
"Are you saying I should be grateful to you for permitting me to have a career?" The edge to her voice was keen and cutting.
He shook his head and now those brilliant blue eyes went sharp and a little cool.
"No. I am not a raving misogynist, darlin’. I believe in equality between us. In most things. But as a vampyre I will always be superior to you in strength and endurance. Our culture is strictly patriarchal. There is nothing I can do to change that. It is what it is."
"So, I'd just better get used to you ruling the roost?"
"Do I rule our home? Do I?" he responded, the tone telling her very clearly that his temper was fraying around the edges.
She had to be nothing but truthful with herself, and with him.
"No. You've let me organize our home
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