[Draven's Crossing 1] Hidden Diversions Read Free Page A

ball point pen and block letters to disguise his handwriting and then set it aside to be put in the mail. Isadora Jones’ segment started, and he turned up the volume. Settling back in his chair he reached for the bottle of wine he’d put out beforehand to allow it to breathe and poured himself a glass. Savoring the tangy undercurrents and smoky undertones with a hint of spice, he relished sipping Isadora Jones’ favorite wine from her personal vineyard and made himself comfortable to enjoy his favorite journalist’s latest offerings.
     
    * * * *
    Exuberance filled Ariel as she lugged the body to Lon Avenue and Lugosi Boulevard. She placed the dead man in front of a movie theater that was having a werewolf and vampire movie marathon. It was due to let out any moment. A sense of satisfaction hummed through her body at carrying out Abbott’s instructions. It was the first time he had given her such a huge task and she didn’t want to fail him. Never wanted to fail him. Ever. He’d been working so hard to find a cure for himself. So many nights in the lab, alone . She shook her head. It made her heart ache that he couldn’t trust her to help him. It was something that his creator instilled in him long ago: trust no one. That was before he’d abandoned him, like an unwanted child, leaving him in his current condition. Red hot anger burned in her stomach. Her heart ached as she thought of her poor master being so cruelly set aside. She shook her head to dislodge those thoughts. If the master didn’t want to dwell on it neither would she, even if she still felt angry about it. With a breath she looked down at the pale, unmoving body of her master’s latest interest. He had been beautiful when alive and in death he was sublime.
    It hurt that Abbott hadn’t asked her to join them. They’d sounded so beautiful during the night when the master had brought him back to the mansion. She had only been able to imagine what it would have been like to be pleasured by them both. A ripple of heat slid down her spine. Her pussy filled with cream as she thought of finally, finally getting to fuck Abbott. It had been so long since he’d even given her a look of hunger or interest. He’d spent most of his time in his lab during the night and during the day he would be at the shop. She also didn’t understand his interest in Isadora Jones. Revulsion filled her as she remembered finding the photo albums filled with pictures and articles of, and by, the woman. Isadora Jones was crass, slutty and completely inappropriate. Ariel scowled. Voices floated toward her, jostling her out of her reverie.
    Stop dillydallying, you have a job to do , she ordered herself. Ariel shook her head again and drew out her phone. With quick fingers she called the police hotline for the serial killer case and reported the body. He hadn’t ordered her to call the police but she felt it was her duty to carry out his work and in doing so, spreading the word of his genius. The officer on duty took her information before she cut off the call when he asked for her name a second time. Later she would get rid of the phone. For now they had to think she was a scared citizen who wanted to get home as fast as possible.
    Ariel sped away from the theater just as the first few people began to trickle out of the front doors. There was a scream and shouts for someone to call the police. Sirens cut through the air at a distance. They wouldn’t find her and they certainly wouldn’t find any evidence of her on the body. She’d been careful. The body had been placed in a blind spot where the cameras couldn’t reach. The route she’d taken had been mapped out so no one would think it odd. Ariel would look like a woman supporting a drunk friend who could barely walk. She’d used a clever bit of magic for that part.
    Pride surged through her at the pace with which her studies were going. Soon, she would be on par with the greatest wizards and witches there ever had been.