Blood Awakening by Tessa Dawn Read Free Book Online Page B

his
voice...because he meant none.
    Kagen laughed anyway, although his laughter
sounded primitive, both amused and irritated. But then, that was Kagen: the
kindest and the meanest of the Silivasi brothers at the same time. Luckily for
the rest of them, the easy-going persona took up ninety-five percent of his character;
however, when that five percent came out, even Marquis knew enough to clear a
path...although not because he feared him. Marquis feared absolutely no one and
nothing—save, perhaps, Napolean Mondragon—but when Kagen got that damn-mean, it
just wasn’t worth all the energy it took to try and calm him down.
    I’m listening , Kagen drawled, Mr. Nice Guy
spilling over.
    I want you to keep Kristina for the next week
or so. I don’t want her staying anyplace where Dirk might find her, and if for
some reason, he does happen to track her to the clinic, then you are to…take
care of him…for me, long before he gets anywhere near her. No human involvement.
    I have no problems with Kristina—or handling
Dirk—I’ll keep her.
    Good. Be well, then, Kagen.
    And you as well, my brother.
     Marquis looked across his desk at Chad, who was
still waiting patiently for his boss’s directions. “I’m going to take Kristina
to the health center, where she’ll be staying for a few days.”
    Kristina looked up, startled. Her eyes grew wide,
and her face hardened like stone. If there was any doubt that Marquis meant to
kill Dirk, it was gone now. She was being placed under the supervision of a
Master vampire until her boyfriend was in the ground. By the look on her face, she
knew it was final. The situation had been removed from human hands.
    “Absolutely no one is to know where she is,”
Marquis admonished, staring at Chad. “And the moment you see Dirk, you call me.
Are we clear?”
    “Crystal, boss.”
    “Good.”
    Kristina dropped her face in her quivering hands,
defeated.
    It was dark when Marquis pulled his H3T Hummer onto the private dirt road that
led to Kagen’s health clinic and private residence. The graphite metallic truck—with
its eighteen-inch chrome wheels and ebony leather seats, encased with cashmere
inserts—made easy work of the rough terrain, and it took them less than ten
minutes to pull into the front lot of the clinic once they made the final turn.
    Kagen Silivasi was a true loner—preferring to live
as far back into the mountain as possible. The high-tech clinic was virtually
hidden within a dense forest of pine and spruce trees, anchored into the base
of a steep mountain. Kagen’s own personal residence was about one mile west of
the center, also built half-in, half-out of the steep, rocky crevice.
    Both properties were accessed by a single dirt parking-lot
that bordered the southern branch of the winding Snake River. To get to either
one, visitors had to go forward on foot, crossing an archaic stone bridge that arched
across the deepest branch of the white-water tributary; then follow a steep, inclining
path that finally took them to the structures. In the event of a severely
injured patient, there were stretchers and wheelchairs available, but the
difficult environment served a purpose: Vampires could materialize, and humans weren’t
welcome.
    Like every other structure in the house of Jadon,
the clinic was on private property. With human hunting societies, Dark Ones,
and lycans always posing a threat, it was important that the community remain
well-hidden.
    Marquis parked the Hummer just to the right of the
bridge and got out of the truck, leaving the keys in the ignition. He never
worried about such things; after all, gods help the soul who decided to steal
from him. Although...it might make interesting sport: fun to track, easy to
dispose of. He opened Kristina’s door and waited while she slowly climbed out
of the vehicle, her eyes bloodshot and swollen from crying.
    Marquis frowned. He was good with his fists and
his guns—and his trident, stilettos, and sling—but words