Of A Darker Nature by Michelle Clay Read Free Book Online

Limbs pierced her body. Her father was still alive, but just barely. The crumpled front of the car had shoved the steering wheel into his chest. His crushed sternum and collapsed lungs wouldn't afford him much time. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a bubble of blood and a hiss of air. His eyes grew glassy.
    The car shuddered and groaned as the limbs relinquished their grip. The family and their car fell into the dark river below. 
     
    Finally, Emily managed to surface from the painful memories. “Get out of my head!”
    Her fingernails gouged at Starr’s cheeks and eyes. The hateful woman growled a curse and thrust her backward. Emily lost her balance, stumbled and banged against a shelf. Several books and framed pictures of Scott's family and friends tumbled down.
    “That's just a taste of what I can do.” The witch moved toward the door and tossed a wicked look over her shoulder. “You picked the wrong side, Ms. Cross.”
    Then she stabbed a finger at Wren. “I’ll see you tomorrow at the gathering. Don’t be late.”
    After Starr had vacated the office, the air returned to the small space and Scott was able to move again.
    Emily's right hand had a warm, oily sensation where Starr had gripped it. The bones tingled with the memory of being compressed. Shaken, she could barely form the words that tumbled from her mouth. “How the hell did she do that?”
    Scott darted into the hallway after the witch.
    Emily's stomach lurched. She lost her dinner behind the desk.
    Wren helped her stand and walk to the bathroom down the hall. “May Goddess help you, Emily. You're going to need it.”

 
    Marcus parked near the curb and climbed out of the low-slung sedan. Darla crawled out of the passenger side and slammed the door. One wrong move and her ample chest would spill out of the shiny latex top she’d squeezed into. She must have noticed Marcus looking because she pressed her breasts against his arm and attempted a smile. He knew she was scared, but did nothing to put her at ease. 
    “Are you sure Starr stays here?”
    She exhaled pot-laced breath and laid her head against his shoulder. Her stiff, orange hair crunched against his shirt. The golden hue looked stark against her wan skin. “At least, some of her people do.”
    He draped an arm around the pathetic creature and practiced more patience than he felt. His backup, Jai Li, and Corey, had split up to scout the area. He’d given them the task of making sure the witch and her lackeys didn’t show up unannounced.
    Marcus and Darla moved across the concrete terrace. He guided her toward the row of run-down apartments. They strolled past discarded beer cans and whiskey bottles in the breezeway.
    He tightened his arm around her narrow shoulders. “There aren’t any surprises, are there?”
    Darla cast a worried glance at him. “I’m scared. Let’s go somewhere else.” Her voice was a shrill whine. She ran bony fingers down his arm and cast a pleading glance at him.
    “You and I have a little business to take care of before your friends come back.” He shoved her toward the stairs that led to the apartment in question. All pretense of friendliness was a thing of the past.
    “I’ll do whatever you want. Just don’t kill me.” Darla licked her lips and dropped her watery gaze. She shrank back against the dirty brick wall. “Is this about the fire? I didn’t know they were going to set the mansion on fire. I was supposed to spy on you guys and tell them where you were hiding Isabella. I never meant for any of you to get hurt.”
    He gripped a handful of Darla’s crunchy hair. He pulled her head back to expose a scarred throat. Though she whimpered, her eyes radiated acceptance. She was a blood doll, a play toy for any vamp. Her wretched life would never amount to anything more.
    Once they were upstairs, Darla searched her cleavage for the key. It took two attempts to slide it into the lock.
    The apartment she shared with the others smelled of