The Twisted Kiss: Doomsyear, Book 1 Read Free

around her.
    Ah, finally, peace. It seemed like she hadn’t had any since that silly proclamation had been made.
    Her art always gave her peace. She did it for that reason, more than anything. She wasn’t looking to sell it or have a big, fancy exhibit in New Minneapolis or anything like that. She was happy where she was, in Sweet Rock, running her bar and restaurant and doing her artwork in her barn. She wasn’t even sure she knew how to act around humans anymore, anyway.
    She finally configured her piece exactly the way she wanted it and set her hammer aside.
    “Kylie.”
    She jumped and whirled around, pushing her safety goggles to the top of her head. “Michael! What the hell?” She shouldn’t be surprised one of them had followed her home.
    He stood near the open double doors of her barn, gazing up into the rafters. “Your work is amazing.”
    She glanced up, seeing what he saw—huge metallic loops and swirls. A sight that never failed to please her. Today it almost didn’t. She peeled off her gloves and threw them to the counter, then stalked toward him. “Don’t change the subject. Why did you come here?” She gave a pointed glance at his motorcycle—indeed, it was as beautiful as he—before her gaze came to rest on his face. “I can’t handle this right now, seriously.”
    He tore his eyes away from her artwork and his dark gaze held hers. “You’re going to have to deal with it sometime, Kylie.”
    “No.” She shook her head, coming even closer to him. “No, I don’t, because I’m not a supe, Michael. Your rules don’t apply to me.”
    His stony expression didn’t crack. It was as if his face and eyes were carved from marble—the pale color of his skin didn’t help the impression. “You have lived among us for so long, the council has decided you are one of us.”
    “I don’t want to be in a relationship right now.”
    “The council sees all. They see something you don’t want to admit.” He glanced around the barn, specifically at the sculpture. “Maybe, deep down, you’re lonely. Maybe, somewhere inside, you’re ready to move on to another portion of your life.”
    Her adrenalin flared with a burst of pure, unadulterated annoyance. She glanced at the sculpture and her chest constricted. “I’m not lonely,” she ground out. “In fact, until yesterday morning, I was perfect in every way.”
    “I didn’t mean to offend you.” Michael didn’t seem perturbed at all by her sudden flash of anger. He remained the same stoic man of few words she’d always known him to be. “But the council is never wrong.”
    She made a frustrated noise in the back of her throat and pointed out the double doors of the barn to his bike. She almost stomped her foot. “Out! I didn’t invite you here and I want you to go.”
    He just stood there, looking at her.
    Suddenly she wished that old myth about inviting and uninviting vampires was actually true. “Michael, please.”
    He gave her a slow blink and then closed the distance between them so fast her eyes couldn’t register the movement. His arms came around her and his mouth descended on hers.
    She stiffened in shock for a moment, then punched him in the side as hard as she could, right in the kidney—it had no effect. His lips slid slowly over hers, tasting her. She tried to keep her anger, but the more he kissed her, the less anger she had. Little by little it was replaced by lust.
    Goddamn him to hell and back.
    Her arms went around his shoulders as he slanted his mouth over hers and parted her lips with his tongue, spearing in to mate with hers. He didn’t have his fangs out, which was a good thing. If she felt his fangs, it would break this odd magical spell. She heard a low, hungry sound and was mortified to realize it was her.
    Well, it had been a long time since she’d been with a man and Michael was a very potent man.
    His arms tightened around her and he moved her back toward a table, pushing her against it. For a crazy moment,