Surface Below: Dark Secrets (The Surface Below Book 1) Read Free Page B

protégé.
    The man had taught him all he needed to know to play the money game. Buying, selling, and waiting patiently. Not exactly one of his strongest attributes. It had seemed odd to William, at the time, that the professor had even taken an interest in him. But no matter the reasons, William had benefited from it. It wasn’t until he graduated from college that the professor had revealed to William who he was.
    Benton Bancroft, a Bottom inhabitant by night and Surface dweller by day. The man was a Conjurer just as William’s mother was. William only carried half of that gene, inheriting the rest from his father, the vampire. And he embraced that vampire side with very little left to give his Conjurer.
    Benton had given William the knowledge and resources he needed to become a Drifter, to be able to walk away from the Bottom life and live comfortably on the Surface. And that’s exactly what William had done. His visits to the Bottom became scarce. He lived his life on the Surface among a species he appreciated.
    Tired and sore, he finally retreated back to his bedroom. He didn’t bother closing the door. Letting the towel drop to the floor, he climbed into the welcoming embrace of his king size bed. Before drifting off to sleep he wondered if he should go out that night. He knew he would, but still he wondered if he should.
    Time for a change.

Chapter 3
     
     
     
     
     
    The sun was already flirting with the sky when Becca climbed into the comforts of a hot shower. Her feet sore and throbbing, her lower back aching. Hot water ran down her body and over her sore muscles, calming them and washing away the night’s drunken advances.
     
    Stepping out, she came face to face with a soft blue-eyed girl. Dark red hair framed her face, curls wet and running water down to her shoulders. She worried she had lost that person but here she stood, looking at her. Her own reflection. Pulling her hair up and securing in a mess, she turned off the light and went for the door.
     
    The house had quickly quieted down as Becca passed the rooms, one by one, turning off the lights. Reaching the end of the hall; on the far side of the house, she peered into the room across from hers. A smile crept up on her as she eyed the bed. Z, her cousin, was already curled up with his arms wrapped around her best friend Nikki. She was more like a sister though. The two were already fast asleep.
     
    It had been a long night at the bar. Too many college students crammed in, all too eager to catch the football games. Two waitresses had called in, leaving Nikki and Becca. And Z had run back and forth from the storage room to the bar, restocking as fast as he could.
     
    Becca switched off the hall light and turned to look into the blackness that now filled the house. On the other side of the house her Uncle Danny was in his room, not sleeping, but quietly tucked away in his bed with a book. This was her family. And it made a smile grow to touch the corners of her lips.
     
    Softly closing the door, she went over to her bed. It was small. Just big enough for her bed, night stand and dresser. The white walls made the room bright. A few pictures decorated the walls. One was of a country farm with a big beautiful house and red barn. It was her favorite one. It had been a gift from her uncle. He had told her it was the old Marks Farm. An old family friend, he would say. A family he grew up with and spent most of his own childhood and teen years with.
     
    Sitting down on the edge of her bed, she glanced over at the picture on the night stand. A heavy sigh passed her lips as she reached for it. It rested in her hand against her lap. The man and woman in the frame stared back. Tears stung at her eyes and her bottom lip quivered like a child’s. The woman was beautiful and full of joy. The man’s eyes were glowing with love.
     
    Wiping the tears away, she placed it back in its place on the stand and slipped under the pink comforter of the twin size bed. As