Dead Rising by Debra Dunbar Read Free Book Online Page B

leave you in the morning so weak you could hardly stand.”
    Why did that sound so hot? Oh. My. God.
    “But I am human.” Why did I say that ? It was as if I wanted him to carry me off. I knew what happened to blood slaves. It wasn’t pretty, and it was a life usually measured in weeks. Or months if your master had a decent measure of restraint.
    “Yes, but unlike most humans you are a Templar. We vampires might outnumber you thousands to one, but Templars have access to a storehouse of weapons. I don’t ever wish to be on the business end of any of those weapons.”
    The Temple. We were forbidden from using any of the artifacts. We were only to catalog them, to keep them safe. But…yes, we did have access to magical items that could level the world and destroy pretty much any being alive or dead. Still, if the threat of weapons in the Temple was the only thing that held him back, those tethers were gossamer thin. No Templar would break their vow and remove anything from the Temple.
    Dario gave me a wry smile and reached out a finger to trace the column of my neck. “I remember enough of my lost humanity to know how a parent feels when their daughter is threatened. Truce or not, your father would unleash the hounds of hell if he thought I harmed one hair on your head.”
    Not true. It was my mother he needed to fear. Dad would tell her which hounds to use, and she’d come to my rescue like a Valkyrie on the warpath. Lately our relationship had been rocky at best. She never missed an opportunity to remind me of what a disappointment I’d been, but if the shit hit the fan, she’d not hesitate to give her life in my defense. Or in vengeance.
    “Even so.” Dario stoked the pulse that beat in my neck, his voice husky. “Even so, I might find death by some ancient weapon worth the risk. Immortality is but a punishment if one does not take the very things which make one feel alive. So be careful, Aria. I have lost control in the past, and that was nothing compared to the very primal urges I feel right now.”
    I couldn’t breathe. Even after he took his hand from my neck and turned his gaze from mine, I still couldn’t breathe. At that moment, nothing seemed to appeal more than throwing my life aside for a brief existence of servitude to a vampire— this vampire.
    His eyes locked on mine once again as he sipped from the wine glass. The red Chianti reminded me of blood and I curled my fingers against the table.
    “Why didn’t you take your Oath, Aria?”
    The words didn’t sway me as much as his dark eyes and seductive tone. I was in trouble, serious trouble, with this vampire. Snap out of it, Aria . “I didn’t want to. I may never want to. And that makes living with my family or with other Templars kind of uncomfortable.”
    So much for not answering his question. Dario looked oddly pleased with himself. I wasn’t pleased—either with him or with myself. Some shitty Templar I was, giving in with a few sips of wine and sexy-vampire talk. Lord forbid I ever face serious interrogation. I’d fold like wet cardboard, especially if I had a decent glass of wine in my hand and a hot guy within half a mile.
    “What was it like, growing up a Templar?”
    I gulped down half of my wine. Might as well have something to blame all this on besides my hormones and lack of willpower. “It was pretty much like any other childhood. Well, except for training in swordplay and practicing protective blessings since the age of six.”
    “So …soccer, birthday parties with bounce houses, and summer vacations at Disney World?”
    I snorted and drained the rest of my wine. “Uh, no. No birthday parties, vacations were in France and Italy studying art history, and our sporting events were equestrian activities. It’s critical that we be skilled in riding, just in case we needed to throw on some plate mail and thunder across the fields of battle on our charger.”
    He smiled. I actually got a vampire to smile— this vampire. Score