[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
brought in a little money but it just wasn't enough. Jon needed to find his own place.
He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He checked his appearance in
the mirror, groaning when he spotted the large water spot on his white dress shirt.
Just fucking perfect. Could his day get any worse?
He grabbed some dry paper towels and tried to wipe away as much of the
water as he could. Shaking his head, he tossed the towels in the garbage then ran his
fingers through his brown hair, wishing just once the curls would behave
themselves. No matter what he did, his hair would just bounce all over the place.
Figuring there was nothing else he could do to make himself any more
presentable, Jon made his way back down the hallway to the office. He opened the
door then stopped, glancing around in surprise. The waiting area, filled only
minutes ago with about a dozen people, was totally empty.
Jon took a step into the room, the office door closing behind him with a soft
whooshing sound. His heart began to sink as he looked around the empty room and
listened for any sounds. Had someone gotten the job already?
A loud crash from the room behind the secretary's desk startled Jon. Curios,
but also fearful, he took a hesitant step closer, then another and another until he
could peer around the edge of the doorway.
His eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he took in the destruction of what
must have once been a beautiful office.
Chairs lay overturned or broken into pieces all over the floor. A large,
wooden desk sat on its side near one wall. Shattered picture frames, torn books, and
shredded papers littered the room.
Terrified he might have walked in on a break in, Jon started to back out the
door. A deep rumbled growl behind him froze Jon in his tracks. Low and menacing,
the sound made Jon's blood run cold.
He'd only heard that type of growl once before in his life, right before a rabid
dog tried to attack him. He'd fought for his life then, and he felt pretty sure he would
be fighting for it once again, only this time he didn't think the growl came from a
rabid dog.
As slowly as he could, Jon turned to face whatever was behind him. He had
just enough time to see red glowing eyes devouring him before a blur of motion took
him to the floor with a loud thud.
The pain exploding in Jon's back as he hit the floor was nothing compared to
the pain ripping through his throat. He tried to fight back, hitting and scratching,
biting at the body pinning him down, but the thing holding him in a death grip was
too strong.
As Jon's vision began to blur around the edges, he absently wondered at the
strange taste in his mouth. Blood, obviously, based on the coppery tint, but
somehow sweeter, less metallic.
How weird was that?
Chapter Two
Nikolas raised his head and stared down at the body beneath him. He licked
his lips, and growled at the delicious flavor exploding across his tongue. So sweet, so
succulent, so . . . .
Nikolas frowned as the red haze of bloodlust enveloping him started to clear
and he realized where he really was. He tasted blood on his lips, coating the inside
of his mouth.
The ripped skin and blood trickling down the neck of the man lying
unconscious on the floor testified to the fact Nikolas fed and fed well. His breath
caught in his throat as he realized he might have killed the man.
His hand trembled as he reached down to check the man's pulse. A deep sigh
of gratitude and relief fell from his lips when he realized the man still lived.
Unfortunately, the slow heartbeat told Nikolas the man lived but by a miracle.
He hadn't killed during feeding in over 800 years. Nikolas took great pride in
that fact. So why did he attacked this man in such a brutal fashion? His control was
absolute, always there, always strong, at least, until now.
From the look of the injuries he'd inflicted, that control had flown right out
the window.
He bent down and ran his tongue over the deep gash in the man's neck,
hoping his saliva would close the wound as it usually did. The sweet flavor of the
man's blood burst across his tongue again. Nikolas groaned and licked again, then
again. His cock hardened and he had the insane urge to sink into the man's tight
body.
Disturbed by the lurid thoughts floating through his mind while the man lay
injured and unconscious on the floor, he sat up and stared down at him, studying
him carefully.
He had a full head of brown, curly hair, a straight nose, high cheekbones, and
a square jaw. His face was glorious to look at and he had the most luscious lips
Nikolas ever saw, but . . . .
A small, red drop of blood marred the man's plush lips. Nikolas inhaled
sharply. He quickly leaned back down and licked at the small drop, his eyes closing
in anguish when he tasted his own blood.
"Bloody hell!" Nikolas whispered as he pushed his trembling hand through
his hair.
And he was in hell. Despite what Hollywood portrayed in the movies, a
human could not be converted by exchanging blood with a vampire. A human
could, however, become mated to a vampire by exchanging blood. It just depended
on the amount of blood exchanged, and Nikolas had no idea how much the man
took.
A noise outside of his office door made Nikolas tense. He turned and
crouched over the man on the floor, his claws extending, and a low growl rumbling
through his chest.
"Mr. Vaile?"
Nikolas sniffed the air, recognizing the scent of his secretary, Bella. Some of
the tension in his body faded, but he remained alert and guarded. He felt an insane
need to stay hovered over the man beneath him.
"Bella," he said simply, frowning when she appeared in the doorway a
moment later and the desperate urge to protect filled him again. Nikolas never felt
anything like it in his life.
"Oh, my oh, Nikolas, what have you done?" Bella whispered as she tried to
rush past him to get to the man on the floor. "Is he alive?"
Nikolas turned to watch Bella run her hands over the man. He barely
suppressed the growl building in his throat. Just the very sight of Bella touching the
man made Nikolas want to rip something apart, starting with Bella. Damned
strange. She'd been with him for nearly twenty years, and he'd always trusted her
completely.
"Bella," Nikolas spit out through gritted teeth, "you need to step away from
him."
"Nikolas, don't be ridiculous," Bella said as she checked the man for injuries.
"Jon is injured. He needs our help."
"Jon?" Was that his name? Nikolas wanted to strangle Bella when she rolled
her eyes.
"His name is Jon Brighten," she said. "He came here to interview for the
personal assistant position." Bella glanced around the destroyed room and frowned.
"I gave you his resume but I doubt you could find it in this mess."
Nikolas could feel the weight of her displeasure as Bella glanced back up at
him.
"Have you totally lost your mind, Nikolas?" She waved her hand at the
injuries on Jon's neck. "You could have killed him."
"Bella, you really need to step away from him," Nikolas said as the desire to
attack her grew stronger. "I don't know how much longer I can keep from hurting
you if you keep touching him."
Bella's eyes widened. She slowly scooted away from Jon, watching Nikolas
carefully the entire time. The moment she was away from Jon, Nikolas dropped to
his knees and gathered the man into his arms.
"Nikolas?"
He shook his head as he gently cradled Jon's body to his. "I don't know what
happened, Bella. One minute I was going over resumes and the next Jon lay on the
floor with blood all over him. I don't know what I did."
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pldoc.pisz.plpdf.pisz.plcs-sysunia.htw.pl
|
