Heiress of Lies Read Free Page B

goes well, there is no reason to believe that you won’t be returned to Brebackerin in short order.”
         As the man spoke, Angeline surveyed the room. She saw a small tunnel behind him, but that appeared to be the only way out of the room. Without her escort to rely on, she’d have to use her own wits to escape. The first thing she needed to know was if there were more of the creatures outside. She realized the man had stopped talking and the corners of his mouth were twitching as if he was trying not to laugh.
         “For someone who was asking so many questions, you don’t seem to be very interested in listening to the answers. So I will help you out with the one I can see running around in that pretty mind of yours. There is no one else here. Only me. But I wouldn’t put any energy into trying to escape. If you don’t give me any trouble this will make it easier for both of us.”
         Angeline refused to be intimidated by something that wasn’t supposed to exist anymore. “You cannot make me stay with you against my will.”
         “I can and you will ,” the man said softly, but Angeline heard the threat in his voice. “Now let’s stop being cross with each other. We have a bit of a journey ahead of us and we might as well make the best of it. So let’s start things off properly. My name is Connor.”
         “I don’t care who you are,” Angeline spat.
         She was out of the crevice, on her feet, and pressed against him so fast she couldn’t believe it. His hands bit into the soft flesh of her upper arms and his face was inches away from hers. He stared deep into her eyes and then it was like all thoughts flew right out of her head. She felt her limbs go slack, and time stood still. There was nothing but his eyes and his mouth. Then he pulled her closer and his lips softly touched her forehead and she felt his tongue pass over the cut there. Even though the small part of her mind that was still functioning screamed that it was wrong, she felt another part of her, a much larger part, that didn’t care what he did to her.
         Then his hands unlocked from her arms and Angeline slid to the ground. As her senses returned, she found herself staring at his boots. She felt drunk. He had not moved. She looked up at him.
         “I could make you more pleasant if I chose to, but it has been a long time since I’ve been in the company of someone who I thought could carry on a sophisticated discussion. I understand that you’ve been studying the arts and science up there in your closeted convent. I was a student once too.” Connor’s tone was tinged with regret. “Right now, I am merely following my orders, Princess, which are to bring you to the one that wants to speak with you. I am not your enemy. You have nothing to fear from me.”
         Angeline watched him turn and walk down a stone passageway that led away from the room. Her anger was gone. It was all too much to process. She had met a man who was a vampire, and contrary to every legend she had ever read, he hadn’t killed her. In fact, it felt quite the opposite. She sensed in him a deep desire for companionship. But her father was lying in his bed far away and he was dying. She had to find a way to get back to Brebackerin before that happened. The roots of a new plan started to blossom in her mind.

CHAPTER FOUR
     
     
         As she paced the small cave, Angeline tried to recall everything that she knew about vampires. The histories had turned into folklore that eventually became the ghost stories commonly told to children to keep them from misbehaving. That was because most people didn’t believe anymore that vampires ever existed, and although over time the Robarts had been content to leave it that way, Angeline knew better. Of course, the version she had been told was that her ancestor had exterminated them. The last epic battle between humans and vampires had been fought by her