Crouching Tiger, Forbidden Vampire (Love at Stake) by Kerrelyn Sparks Read Free Book Online

leaving a pool of water.
    Good. Something to do. He threw on his coat and leather gloves, grabbed a knife and two buckets, then teleported to the edge of a glacier in the Himalayas. As a Vamp, he could tolerate cold better than most mortals could, but even so, the instant change to subzero temperatures was like slamming into a brick wall. He went to work at vampire speed, and within a few seconds, he’d chipped off enough ice to fill his buckets.
    Back in his cave, he emptied the ice into the second ice chest and pulled out the stopper so the melted ice could drain into a bucket. This was the water he used for brushing his teeth. Sometimes he warmed it up to use for his shower.
    As he pulled off his gloves, he checked his watch. Five hours had passed since he’d awakened. Five hours that he’d not talked to another living soul. Since when did that ever bother you? His gaze shifted back to Jia’s spot. Damn her for making his solitude seem so . . . solitary.
    The sun would have set at Zoltan Czakvar’s castle in Transylvania. Even though Russell had enough blood to last a few more days, it wouldn’t hurt to have more. He loaded his empty bottles into the first ice chest, dropped the fully charged sat phone into his coat pocket, then grabbed the ice chest and his quiver and teleported to Zoltan’s castle.
    The second he landed in the armory, an alarm went off, the pitch designed so that only vampires and shifters could hear it. Thanks to Zoltan’s head of security, Howard Barr, the castle now boasted the best in high-tech security. Ironic, Russell thought, since he wasn’t sure Zoltan needed security anymore.
    After eight hundred years of being a vampire, Zoltan had accidentally re-mortalized himself two months ago by drinking too much of the Living Water from the hidden valley of Beyul-La. As far as Russell could tell, Zoltan was taking the change fairly well. He was so damned happy with his new wife, newly adopted son, and baby on the way that he constantly had a dopey grin on his face.
    Russell stifled a groan. He wasn’t going to begrudge Zoltan his newfound joy. After eight hundred years, the guy deserved a break. And he’d always been a good friend. He’d been the one to help Russell adjust to being undead. He’d taught him how to use his new skills, and after Russell had gone AWOL, Zoltan had generously allowed him to take whatever supplies he’d needed from the castle without reporting him to Russell’s old boss, Angus MacKay.
    It was different now that Howard Barr was at the castle. The Kodiak bear shifter worked for Angus, so everything Russell did or said on these premises was reported.
    Russell set the ice chest and quiver on the table. When the alarm abruptly stopped, he glanced up at the newly installed camera. No doubt Howard knew exactly where he was. Any second now, the nosy were-bear would come charging down the spiral staircase to butt into his life and ask him a million questions.
    With vampire speed, Russell filled his coat pockets with ammo. Then he set the box of arrows on the table and pried off the lid.
    Footsteps pounded down the spiral staircase. “Russell.” Howard ducked to keep from knocking his head on the low stone archway.
    “Howard.” Russell grabbed a handful of arrows and stuffed them into the quiver.
    “I wasn’t expecting you,” Howard said as he approached. “You usually wait two full weeks before returning.”
    Russell shrugged and added more arrows to his quiver.
    Howard planted his hands on the table, leaning toward him. “I heard you saw the dragon shifter, Xiao Fang, last night.”
    Russell paused, then put the lid back on the arrow box. No doubt J.L. had reported immediately to his boss, and it hadn’t taken Angus long to spread the word.
    “How was he?” Howard asked.
    “He looked okay.” Russell returned the box to its place on a shelf. “Han was giving him an archery lesson. Patting him on the back like a proud papa.”
    “Sick creep,” Howard