Betrayed by D. B. Reynolds Read Free Book Online

vampire, but . . . She slammed her foot into the boot and ran for the door, checking the magazine on her Glock 17 as she went, wishing for one of the guard’s MP-5s. Raphael was already dressed and gone, supposedly taking phone calls in the conference room.
    She pulled open the bedroom door and raced down the hall, noting as she ran that the corridors were too empty. Where were the guards? She reached the conference room, and her heart fell. It was empty.
    Running footsteps drew her attention toward the front of the house, and she followed the sound. The helicopter landing pad was near the front of the house. Had Klemens sent in troops? A vampire attack force? She cursed herself for not grabbing the extra magazine for her Glock, the one with the vampire killer rounds. Her focus had been on taking down a helicopter, not a vampire.
    She skidded around the corner, her boots slipping on the smooth marble of the short stairway leading down to the house’s grand foyer. Another twenty feet separated the five stair steps from the tall, glass front doors. Her gaze honed in on Raphael. He was surrounded by security, standing at the foot of the stairs just below her, waiting. But for what? Or was it whom?
    Several people suddenly came into sight, lit up by the glaring security lights of the front porch. More vampires, she noted, at least some of them heavily armed. And for the first time, she noticed Juro standing near the front doors, appearing alert but not especially worried. So whoever was arriving wasn’t exactly a friend, but not an enemy either.
    The new arrivals entered the foyer in a swirl of movement. Juro said something she couldn’t hear, and one of the vampires broke free of the rest. He responded to Juro , but he wasn’t looking at the big vampire, he was searching the crowded foyer, frowning until his gaze settled on Raphael. His eyes immediately moved up and down in a quick visual scan, as if checking for injury, and then he grinned in what could only be relief.
    Cyn watched in amazement as the visiting vamp strode across the foyer and embraced Raphael like a long lost brother. Even more amazing was that Raphael returned the embrace, with a touch less enthusiasm, perhaps, but it was a definite hug, and she felt a twinge of jealousy. She’d never known Raphael to hug anyone but her. Not even Duncan .
    “Lucas has always been a hugger,” said a smooth voice from over her shoulder.
    She glanced back briefly as Jared Lincoln stepped up to stand next to her. “That’s Lucas?” she asked.
    Jared nodded. “Difference is , I’ve never known Raphael to hug him back.” He paused for a moment, then said. “You’ve softened him. You remind him what it is to be human.”
    Cyn bristled at the suggestion that she’d somehow weakened Raphael, her anger not for her own sake, but for Raphael’s.   “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said coldly.
    Jared tipped his head apologetically. “I meant no offense, my lady. Quite the contrary. Lord Raphael is so much more powerful than the rest of us, it’s difficult for him to relate sometimes. But you probably know that. He’s easier with you than with anyone I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been with him a very long time. You’ve made him a better lord.”
    “He did quite well before he met me.”
    Jared gave her a quizzical look. “I am not your enemy, Cyn. Lord Raphael is my Sire. I owe him more than I can ever repay, my life and my freedom. I would die to protect him.”
    “But,” she said cynically.
    He shrugged. “Lord Raphael has the love of all of his people, but his people have not always felt he loves them back. Protects them, yes. Defends them against enemies, both human and vampire, absolutely. There is no better master in all the world. But you have freed his emotions. For the first time, his people feel his love as well as his loyalty. I don’t simply believe this. I know it.”
    Cyn didn’t know what to say to that. She wasn’t certain