Shattered Skies: Beginning's End Read Free Page A

to make your life what you want it to be. I had to give up the family bond that Dr. Walker so promptly promised me if I would just fall in line. There comes a time when you just have to be willing to decide what is more important to you and leave behind the things that stand in your way or hold you back from being yourself.

Chapter Three
                  It was nearly seven when Darien’s phone call woke me up, so dusk had already fallen, which meant that I was late as usual and would have to rush around like crazy to get ready. Lucky for me, I work better under pressure. Even luckier for me was the fact that Darien knew me well enough to know that I would not wake up on my own. “You know Cat, you wouldn’t be able to survive without me.” I could hear the smile on his face. 
    “You are probably right, but on that note I would probably get to sleep more.” 
    “Go get ready beautiful and I will see you tonight, and Cat try to stay out of trouble until I get to you.” With that he chuckled and hung up the phone. 
    Tonight was the biggest Dominus social event of the year. The Midnight Masquerade was the one and only night that the low class Dominus could mingle with the ruling class. Everyone that was anyone would be there along with the nobodies that would give anything to be somebody. It was a night of desperation and imagination. Every year that I attend the event, I find myself thinking how sad it must be to be the rulers of the planet and still want to be something else. I mean they have everything, wealth, power, and the ability to abuse it all on a regular basis, and  they still want to go to the dance and be normal once a year, a place where no one will judge them, where no one will fear them, and where no one will go out of their way to avoid them. Some monsters are just so selfish.
    Even though it was a night of fun, the ball, like every other Vampire thought up event, had rules. Everything had to be orderly, and what better way to achieve this than structuring everything. The three rules that went along with this function were pretty cut and dry and mainly for the women, not the men, to abide by. Rule number one: you didn’t remove your mask or disguise until the ball ended and you were in your private room with the man who selected you. Rule number two: never under any circumstances reveal your name or your identity. And rule number three: every woman had to drink. They had to get so drunk that they could barely stand; apparently the evening is more fun that way. The last rule is the one that bothered me most. In my line of work I can’t afford to be judgmentally impaired. Drinking could slow me down and make me run off with the wrong Dominus, to whom, with enough alcohol in my system, I could very well spill my every secret. I get very, very honest when there is alcohol in my blood. Every year it got harder and harder to convince Dr. Walker to let me go. The guys were not expected to drink as much; no one would think anything if they slowly sipped the night’s poison. Yet, every year, I fought my way into attendance. It was the biggest event of the year, and I know it really makes no sense, but I wouldn’t feel normal if I wasn’t there. It isn’t every day that you can pick and choose which monsters you are going to take your vengeance on. I am like a kid at a candy store at this event.
    After a lot of convincing and begging, Dr. Walker gave into me just like he always does. I like to think that my father would have been like him, stern, smart but also understanding, loving and unable to tell me no. Being the smart man that he is, he’s always one step ahead of the crowd. He called a brief meeting to inform the guys exactly what my costume would be. So come midnight, when everyone paired up for one night of no strings attached sex, one of the guys would quickly attach themselves to me claiming me as theirs for the evening, ending our night there. To say the least, no one was jumping