Blood Born by Linda Howard Read Free Book Online

luxury. In Luca’s view that didn’t come close to making up for the crushing responsibility and lack of freedom, but to some the prestige and authority were acceptable trade-offs.
    The area was stately and fairly quiet, though there was the occasional tourist and, of course, a steady stream of joggers. As Luca neared the Council building, a jogger ran at a steady pace down the sidewalk toward him.
Military
, Luca thought after a quick assessment, though Secret Service or even private security was also a possibility. Short hair, erect posture, excellent overall physical shape; he was sweating, of course, but his breathing was easy. The jogger looked Luca up anddown, taking in the long dark hair, the long sleeves that were unusual for such a hot summer day, the sunglasses that hid the direction of his gaze. Instantly there was a new tension in the jogger’s body, an awareness that Luca was a potential threat.
    Luca kept his pace steady, his body language as neutral as possible. He was what he was, a man of war honed by centuries of experience into something truly scary, and it was obvious to people who’d been trained to assess danger. They might not realize exactly how lethal he was, never dreaming he was a vampire, but the signs were there in the power and fluidity of his movements. It helped that he wasn’t carrying anything, and obviously wasn’t armed. He kept his hands open, his posture relaxed, and the jogger passed by. Luca gave a quick look over his shoulder, watched the jogger’s body relax by the time he’d gone three paces. He’d forgotten, already.
    He turned up the sidewalk, leaped the shallow steps two at a time, used his fist to give two sharp raps to the door. There was an ornate doorbell installed beside the door, but actually using it guaranteed that the door wouldn’t be opened unless a delivery was expected. The building was always locked, always guarded. He knew that a discreet surveillance camera had been recording him almost from the time he’d turned the corner.
    Dammit, the sun was burning him. Not literally, but a midday summer sun was a lot for him to tolerate. Annoyed at having to wait even a short while, he gave another two knocks, this pair decidedly harder than the first two had been.
    Abruptly the door was jerked open a bare six inches, and a narrow, suspicious face filled the gap. “We aren’t expecting any visitors,” the vampire said, without any hostility but also without any welcome.
    The guard’s name was Jasper. Vampires were as varied in their personalities and strengths as humans were. Jasper was a little over two hundred years old, which was kind of middle of the road for a vampire: not dreadfully young, but not all that old, either. His powers were very mediocre; despite having first met Luca over seventy years before, he never remembered him. He couldn’t fly, and he wasn’t great at glamouring. He could, however, stay awake during the day, which made him perfectly suited to be a Council guard. He could also tolerate a little sunshine, so long as it was indirect.
    “I’m Luca Ambrus,” Luca said, reintroducing himself as he did every time he came to the Council building.
    Jasper recoiled a little; what vampire wouldn’t when faced with the Council’s infamous executioner? “Yes … yes sir,” Jasper said, automatically withdrawing and opening the door wide enough for Luca to enter. “Ah … who should I … That is, is someone expecting you?” He ground to a halt, his eyes widening as it occurred to him that perhaps Luca was here to execute one of the Council members themselves, or perhaps even
all
of them. If anyone on the Council had been expecting him, Jasper would have been notified to expect a visitor.
    “Tell Enoch that I’m here,” Luca said, closing and locking the door behind him. Cool, blessed dimness engulfed him and he gave a mental sigh of relief. He would have given a physical one, but he never revealed even the slightest hint of discomfort