Page 19 (1/2)

Ascension Caris Roane 30100K 2023-08-31

She went back to her office then took the display case in hand With her briefcase in the other, she thought the thought then folded into the building that housed the adlass entrance of Endelle’s suite The interior was dark, of course, because the adht

She stepped in front of the sliding doors Nothing happened

She tried several times

She drew her phone into her hand and thu about her tone eased Havily She had no idea why, although she’d always heard that the women chosen to work at Central--and they were aloain, Jeannie I’’s dark Are you sure Madame Endelle is here?"

"Oh, yeah," Jeannie drawled "Her Supreht for the past six hours She’s there I’ll give her a holler"

"Thanks," she said

She thumbed her phone and as she waited, her heart onceinside her chest Yes, indeed, there were es that needed to be made

And they began tonight

After tenback in her ho Yet her mind still spun like a top and couldn’t seeed back and forth This couldn’t be happening

Va at a wall of books, her favorite books, collected from the time she was a child She stretched her hand out toward the to find purchase for her spinning thoughts and fears

Vas and suck down blood

They enthralled and used woone to the Blood and Bite but the dreams had called to her and then the club’s business card had appeared at her feet

And the longings, oh the longings, which never stopped

She took deep breaths, one after the next

A new, horrific thought intruded She crouched then turned 360, looking around for an intruder, exa every shadowy pocket of the roo roo to the master bedroom suite What if one of those creatures had followed her here? Could they even do that? Did they kno to dematerialize like she did? What if they nohere she lived?

She held her breath and waited, listening hard for the sn she had been followed

Finally, after severalshe was safe, at least for now

The club had been too ed men at the necks of women, the red velvet booths, the Armani twins

She put a hand to her head and rubbed her temple The headache had returned, this tiraines and going to bed for days

She sank to the green sculpted carpet in front of her coffee table She slid off her Jis crossed in front of her She leaned forward and put her head in her hands

Events at the club once more played over her mind Despite the actions of the Armani duo, it was the other vaht now, the powerful creature who’d gone gorilla, his chin low to his chest, his fangs distended and pressed against his lips, his wild gaze fixed to hers, his powerful body tensed for action, his h her shields

She had been overcoorgeous, thick wavy black hair drawn back froht-colored eyes, the shade hard to deter strobes of the club He had tried to command her with his mind So what exactly had his intention been? Had he meant to hurt her? She lifted her head and stared at all the rows of books No, he wouldn’t have hurt her He would have done soers to her h her body until her back arched and her ht shook her--she would have let him

Oh God

Onceswaled to breathe, unable to co for hi more?

As she searched her heart, she knew she felt soe Her desire for this man, this vampire, was part of the need she felt, but not the whole

So as this yearning that once ?

Tears burned her eyes She was frustrated on soto her