Duella Book 3: The Witch and the Vampire Series by Fawn Lowery Read Free Book Online Page B

persuasion, he could maintain a reasonable existence and have people to do his biding.
    With his plan set in motion, he left the estate, deciding to look up Miriam. Last he had seen of the she vampire, she was distraught over the incident in the library. His brows furrowed as he thought about Drucella and the reason she had sought him out.
    She cannot have the amulet. Convinced that the gem was the reason he was adjusting so quickly to his new era, he would fight to the death to keep it. He clutched it in one hand, vowing to never take it off his neck. It would remain with him forever.
    He began his search for Miriam at her house, but found no traces of her. Returning to a more crowded part of the city, he materialized into his male form so he could walk among the people on the sidewalk. He paid close attention to their mode of dress, realizing that he would have to imitate the mass so as not to call undue attention to himself. Noting that most of the males were clad in denim jeans and long sleeve shirts, he soon came upon the retail section of the city and went in search of his own clothing.
    A few minutes later, he returned, casually dressed, and resumed his mingling with the people of the city, an eye out for Miriam. He didn’t think he would find her in any of the nightspots he had seen those on the streets frequenting. From his evaluation of the she vampire, he didn’t think she was very likely to have established herself in the city, either professionally or socially. And the long black dress she wore was hardly fit to be seen in.
    He felt a shard of sadness grip his insides with the thought. Miriam seemed nice enough—as vampires went. She hadn’t tried to bite him while they were together and he had only seen her long talons once, that being when she was returning to her vampire self after having fed.
    He stepped through the door of a nightclub and paused, having decided that it would be in his best interest to see what went on in one of the rowdy bars. He moved to the side of the door and turned his gaze out over the crowd. There wasn’t a vacant seat in the room. Loud music blared into the space and at the back of the room, a six-piece band performed on a small stage. Dancers filled the space before the stage, their bodies gyrating to the tune of the music. A long bar spanned the length of the room with a row of pedestal stools flanking it. Every stool was occupied and several people stood between the stools. The din was almost deafening. One voice couldn’t be discerned from the other. Turning his gaze on one couple seated along the edge of the room, he tuned his hearing specifically to their conversation.
    “Let’s go back to your place.”
    “We just got here, you horny son-of-a-bitch.”
    Duella turned his head away. The couple was discussing sex. He turned his attention on another couple and tuned his keen hearing toward their conversation.
    “Sex was good last night.”
    “Yes. It was. Buy me another drink and maybe I’ll let you fuck me again tonight.”
    Duella shook his head and smiled slightly. Apparently, sex was the favored topic among young people of the day. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his new jeans and stepped out onto the sidewalk in front of the bar.
    He heard the siren, screaming through the night, its high-pitched wail growing louder as it approached the intersection. He looked in the direction it came, thinking perhaps the housekeeping staff had discovered Fred Glasco’s body. The ambulance passed through the crossroads and continued toward the outskirts of the city. He smiled. This time tomorrow night he would be residing in the mansion across town. Perhaps he’d sit at Fred’s desk and go over his assets.
    He refused to allow the feeling that he had done anything wrong to rise up inside him. He had been a vampire long enough to know that he could take what he wanted—if he went about it with a bit of finesse. He puffed out his chest. He had handled the Glasco deal