Midnight's Master Read Free

she tried to hurry to him and—
    And a vampire stepped in her path.
    Niol’s fingers drummed on the bar. The undead asshole had just blocked his view. He’d give him five seconds to move, then—
    Holly stepped around the vamp, her jaw locked. Her full lips—painted red, Niol’s favorite color—pressed into a line. Ah, so the reporter wasn’t in the mood for—
    The vamp touched her. Grabbed her arm. Then jerked her up against his chest.
    Niol stil ed and a hot rush of power and fury flooded through his body. Even as the floor began to tremble, he was storming across the room.
    “Holly.” His voice cut through the music and the shrill voices and the fake laughs.
    The vamp, skin drained of color, eyes sunken, craned his head toward him. “Oh, shit.”
    He shoved Holly aside.
    She stumbled, just a moment, on her two-inch heels. “Nice, you jerk—”
    The vampire bared his fangs at her and growled.
    Holly’s jaw dropped. Then she swayed on those heels. Niol reached out a hand and snagged her wrist, a wrist that was too thin, catching her just before she fell.
    Her stare held his.
    Oh, yeah, the fear was there. Hiding behind the “don’t-give-a-damn” mask. Fear…and a helpless curiosity.
    Humans, always so curious. Always wanting to know what lurked in the darkness around them.
    And then, when they found out—running away in fear.
    “She’s a reporter, André,” Niol murmured, and allowed his fingers to stroke over her pounding pulse. Already fast, the beat of her pulse began to race even more. “She’s not the prey you want.” Because she’s mine.
    “Reporter?” The too-sharp teeth disappeared. “Thought you didn’t let their kind in here.”
    Holly sucked in a sharp breath. She tried to yank her hand away from Niol. Tried, failed. She grunted, a sound that shouldn’t have been sexy but was, and turned her stare on the vampire. “It’s a public place, jerkoff. From the looks of things, all kinds get in here.
    Even the dead ones.”
    “Undead.” André sniffed.

    “Right.” She tugged her hand again. Niol tightened his hold. “Listen, buddy, you—”
    The vamp’s lips peeled back, revealing teeth no human should see, unless the human was about to become a meal.
    Reluctantly, Niol dropped Holly’s hand. Then he stepped forward, deliberately putting his body between Holly and the vamp. “Is there a problem here, André?”
    The vamp was tal —big damn deal. He was taller. And the last time he’d been afraid of a vamp…well, he’d never been afraid of the fanged freaks.
    André swallowed, and seemed to shrink a bit. “I-I just…” He licked his lips, a quick, nervous move. “Reporters can’t be here. Too risky, you know that, you know—”
    Okay, the guy’s voice was getting too high, and two panther shifters at a nearby table were starting to look nervous. “She’s not your problem. Forget her.”
    “Ah, she’s here.” Holly tapped on his back. “And getting more pissed by the minute.”
    Another insistent tap, right in the middle of his back.
    André’s already beady eyes narrowed. The brief flash of fear gave way to anger.
    “Throw her out, Niol. You want the vamps to keep comin’, you throw that bitch out.”
    The tapping stopped, and, because the vampire had raised his shrill-ass voice again, the nearby paranormals—because, generally, the folks who came in his bar were far, far from normal—stilled.
    Niol shook his head slowly. “I think you’re forgetting a few things, vamp.” He gathered the black swell of power that pulsed just beneath his skin. Felt the surge of dark magic and—
    The vamp flew across the bar, slamming into the stage with a scream. The lead guitarist swore, then jumped back, cradling his guitar with both hands like the precious baby he thought it was.
    The sudden silence was deafening.
    Niol motioned toward the bar. “Get me another drink, Marc.” He glanced at the slowly rising vampire. “Did I tel you to get up?” It barely took any