Embrace the Darkness by Alexandra Ivy Read Free Book Online

ate the egg roll and then a wonton. Viper remained silent, simply waiting for her to confess the truth.
    Another egg roll disappeared before she at last heaved a sigh and regarded him with a hostile frown.
    â€œVampires killed my father.”
    Bones of the saints. That certainly explained her aggressive dislike. And placed another hurdle directly in his path to seduction.
    â€œI am sorry.”
    She gave a restless shrug. “It was a long time ago.”
    â€œYou were raised by your mother?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œA human?”
    â€œYes.”
    She was deliberately keeping her emotions hidden, but Viper had been reading the body language of his prey for centuries. It was what predators did best.
    â€œShe kept you hidden from the demon world?”
    â€œAs much as she was able.”
    â€œDid you pass as a human?”
    It didn’t take skill to read the anger that rippled over her beautiful features.
    â€œYou asked me why I hated vampires and I told you. Now, can we change the subject?”
    Viper smiled as he straightened from the counter. He had an eternity to explore Shay’s secrets.
    It was just one of many explorations he intended to conduct.
    â€œEat your dinner. I have a few phone calls to make before dawn.”
    Pausing only long enough to trail a finger over her soft cheek Viper moved toward the back of the house and the small study. He had not forgotten that there was something out there intent on stealing his Shalott.
    That was unacceptable.
    He intended to do whatever was necessary to track down the mysterious enemy and put a swift end to the danger.

Chapter Four
    The house built on the bluffs of the mighty Mississippi was pleasant enough.
    Like most farmhouses in the Midwest it was a plain, two-story structure, with a wraparound porch and sharply angled roof. In places the white paint was peeling and the gutters drooping, but some might claim it only added to the rustic charm.
    Surrounding the house, the gently rolling yard held a handful of outbuildings. And, of course, the land was well populated with a number of ancient ash and oak and dogwood trees.
    At a glance it offered the simple warmth of most houses in the area. The sense that a stranger passing by would be welcomed with a smile and a warm meal.
    But only at a glance.
    Any strangers unfortunate enough to pass close to the farm would find no smiles awaiting them, and the only warm meal would be themselves.
    Thankfully, it was isolated enough to prevent most stray sightseers, and the locals had long ago learned to cut a wide path around the place. It was rare the heavy silence was disturbed by more than birds.
    The location of the house was no accident. Beneath the rolling hills were hidden a series of caves that stretched for miles. There were a hundred local legends connected to the caves. Some claimed that they had been used by the UnderGround Railroad. Some said that they had been the hideout of Jesse James. And others still that they had been used by smugglers who preferred the river to transport their ill-gotten goods.
    None of the stories were true, of course. The caves had been home to demons since long before the first settlers had ever arrived.
    In the deepest of the caves a slender imp with a cascade of golden curls peered into the scrying pool.
    He appeared out of place among the bleak rock. With his satin green robe the color of spring moss that matched his eyes, and the delicate gold leaves that he had weaved through his curls he shimmered with an unearthly beauty.
    An imp meant to rule a summer glade not the dark bowels of the earth.
    Still, for the moment the darkness served him well enough.
    He waved a slender hand over the pool to bring an end to the visions it revealed. Above him the shadow filled the cave with a fierce, choking anger.
    â€œYour wizard has failed,” the shadow rasped the obvious.
    â€œSo it would seem, my lord.” Rising to his feet Damocles carefully brushed the dirt