Kiss of Crimson by Lara Adrián Read Free Book Online

again for coming by here. Can I get you some coffee or hot tea? I‘ve got both, and it will only take a few minutes to make it.‖
    ―No, thank you, ma‘am.‖ The policeman‘s comm device gave a short burst of static, followed by a coded string of new orders from Dispatch. He spoke into a mic clipped to his lapel, giving the allclear on the veterinary clinic. ―Looks like we‘re all set here, then. You folks take care now. And, Mr. Sullivan, I trust that you‘ll get that tiger back where it belongs.‖
    ―Yes, sir,‖ Ben agreed, his smile tight as he accepted the officer‘s hand and gave it a brief shake.
    They walked the police to the door and watched as the squad car eased out onto the quiet city street. When they were gone, Ben closed the clinic door and turned to face Tess. ―You sure you‘re okay?‖
    She nodded, gave a long sigh. ―Yes, I‘m perfectly fine. I‘m sorry I worried you, Ben. I must have fallen asleep at my desk and bumped the phone.‖
    ―Well, I still say no good can come from you working such late hours. This isn‘t exactly the best part of town, you know.‖
    ―I‘ve never had any problems here.‖
    ―There‘s always a first time,‖ Ben said, his expression grim. ―Come on, I‘ll take you home.‖
    ―All the way to the North End? You don‘t have to do that. I‘ll just call a cab.‖
    ―Not tonight, you won‘t.‖ Ben picked up her purse and held it out to her. ―I‘m wide awake, and my van is right outside. Let‘s go, Sleeping Beauty.‖

    CHAPTER Six

    D ante came off the elevator at the Breed warriors‘ compound, looking and smelling as foul as he felt. He‘d been seething—mostly at himself—
    the entire ride down, some three hundred feet below one of Boston‘s most affluent addresses and the high-security gated mansion on street level that belonged to the Order. He‘d made it inside with only a few minutes to spare before dawn crested over the city to put a nice toast on his UV-allergic skin.
    Which would have been the perfect topper to a night that had FUBAR written all over it.
    Dante headed down the stark white corridor that twisted and turned through the heart of the labyrinthine compound. He needed a hot shower and some shut-eye and looked forward to sleeping off the daylight hours alone in his private quarters. Maybe he‘d sleep off the next twenty years, long enough to avoid dealing with the glorious mess he‘d made topside tonight.
    ―Yo, D.‖
    Dante muttered a curse under his breath when he heard the voice calling him from the other end of the corridor. It was Gideon, resident computer genius and right-hand man to Lucan, the Order‘s venerable leader. Gideon had the compound wired tight inside and out; he‘d probably been on to Dante‘s arrival from the second he stepped onto the property.
    ―Where you been, man? You were supposed to call in your status hours ago.‖
    Dante turned around slowly in the long hallway.
    ―I guess you could say my status got a bit fucked up.‖
    ―No shit,‖ the other vampire replied, taking him in with a shrewd glance over the top of square-cut pale blue shades. He chuckled, shaking his spiky crown of blond hair. ―Gad, you look like hell. And you smell like toxic waste. What the devil happened to you?‖
    ―Long story.‖ Dante gestured to his shredded, bloodied, sodden clothing, which was rank with brine, sludge, and God knew what else from his trip down the Mystic River. ―I‘ll fill everyone in later. Right now I need a shower.‖
    ―Industrial strength,‖ Gideon agreed. ―But cleanup is gonna have to wait awhile. We‘ve got company in the lab.‖
    Annoyance sparked in Dante. ―What kind of company?‖
    ―Oh, you‘re gonna love this.‖ Gideon gestured with his head. ―Come on. Lucan wants you present for input.‖
    Exhaling a long breath, Dante fell in step alongside Gideon. They walked up another twisting length of the corridor, heading for the tech lab, the surveillance and intel hub where the