Shadow Rising by Kendra Leigh Castle Read Free Book Online

remotely match it. The wood floorswere scarred and bare. The window was a small relief from the dreariness of the room, but it looked out on nothing particularly inspiring. Ariane had learned that these safe houses were never in a good part of town. It made it easier to hide… and easier to feed.
    Elena turned her attention back to Ariane with a light frown. “I get traveling light, but this is insane. You’ve been here two weeks, and it’s like you’re not even here. How long are you planning on staying? I’ve seen a lot since I’ve worked here, but this whole deal with you is weird.”
    Ariane stiffened at what felt like a rebuke. She liked Elena, as much as one could like a woman who held so much of herself back. That reserve was the product of harsh lessons learned early, Ariane expected. And she was under the impression that Elena liked her well enough. Enough to be treating her like a slightly slow younger sister, at least. But this was no friendly visit… that was rapidly becoming clear.
    “I travel light because I need to. What’s the problem, Elena?” She paused, watching the shadow of an emotion she was quickly becoming used to shimmer briefly across the other woman’s fine features. Suddenly she knew. “You’re throwing me out.” It wasn’t a question, just a flat statement of fact.
    Elena’s face was all the confirmation she needed.
    “And am I allowed to ask why?”
    A desolate sigh. “You’re making the other vamps nervous, Ari. Truth? Having a Grigori here is lousy for business. You can’t stay. I just got off the phone with Strickland. He won’t turn you in… but he wants you gone before the sun rises.” She sounded faintly pleading, hercool and confident mask slipping just enough to reveal the regret and guilt beneath. “It’s not you specifically, babe. But it’s hard to miss what you are. And that’s the problem.”
    “I see,” Ariane said stiffly. “I’ll get my things. I thought you, of all people, would be immune to this fear people seem to have of my bloodline. I’m sorry to have been wrong.”
    She really was. Fascinating though the world was, finding an ally in it was proving to be an almost impossible task. It seemed the most genuine person she’d met was Damien. Not that he earned any points for being genuinely crass and intolerable.
    Ariane frowned and turned away to get the few personal items she’d put in the dresser. The last thing she wanted to think about was the obnoxious cat-shifter. Especially because she couldn’t seem to keep her mind off him for any length of time.
    She heard Elena’s heavy sigh. “Damn it. Just hang on a minute and hear me out, okay? It’s not like that.”
    “Oh?” Ariane opened the top drawer but turned to look back at Elena standing there, distinctly uncomfortable, in the middle of the room. That, at least, gave her some small amount of satisfaction.
    Elena expelled a long breath. “Ari. This is a safe house. The vamps here, mostly lowbloods, I might add, don’t want to get noticed. And you… Jesus, babe, I know you’re not from around here, but have you taken a good look in a mirror lately? And that’s before you strap on that big ass sword you walked in here with.”
    Ariane cast a quick glance in the mirror that hung from a single nail above the dresser and saw nothingunusual. Her hair was messy. Her cheeks were slightly pink from embarrassment and anger. And the black tunic was getting burned at the first opportunity, wasted money be damned. She looked like a ghoul.
    “I see only myself. Should I see more?”
    Elena rolled her eyes. “You should see what everyone else does—a highblood! The hair, the eyes—”
    “I’ll put the wig back on.” She paused. “And… I’ll try to hide the sword on my way out.” She disliked having to rely on the dagger, but it would have to suffice. These vampires all seemed disturbingly unarmed. Hadn’t any of them trained in swordplay?
    Elena winced. “Forget the wig, please.