Wolf Ties (A Rue Darrow Novel Book 2) Read Free

creature disappeared, taking his cloaking of my presence with him.
    “What are you doing here?” the nurse demanded. “We have an emergency, and visiting hours are over!”
    I considered giving an excuse, but why bother? One last glance at the man’s still body, I knew they would never revive him. He was gone to another place, to his reward for whatever life he had lived. As I strode down the hall toward the exit, I wondered if the man was someone important since the nurses had made sure he was given a private room even if it disturbed another patient. Ah well, all the money and position in the world meant nothing when Death came to collect your soul.
    Except, of course, if you were a vampire like me.
     

Chapter Two
     
    “The night is almost as beautiful as you are, Rue.”
    I just managed to keep my eyes from rolling. Not that I didn’t agree I was cute. My appearance had nothing whatsoever to do with me. When I looked into the mirror, I liked the face that stared back at me. At first the changes jarred me, but eventually I came to accept myself. As each day passed, I became more used to standing out because of my looks, not to mention the otherworldly draw that was a part of my makeup.
    Silvano, one of my fellow vampires, and a slightly older yet distinguished man, probably wasn’t affected by the draw so much as the physical appearance.
    “Thank you, Silvano, but you sound like a lover. I thought this wasn’t going to be a date but you giving me pointers for my growth.”
    He frowned. “Can’t it be an enjoyable time between friends?”
    “Friends aren’t in the habit of flirting with each other.” I lied because my friend Nathan asked me out and flirted every time I saw him. Part of Nathan’s charm was his unwillingness to give up and how he had proven he would always look out for me. I liked him a lot, but I wasn’t sure I should admit it to him.
    “Your mind is elsewhere, Rue.” Silvano sounded petulant, and I hid a smile. I had learned he could speak into my mind and maybe read it, but he had assured me he wouldn’t. Since spending time with him, I knew when someone was in my head even if I couldn’t stop them. So far, Silvano kept to his promise. He must have noticed the distracted look on my face.
    “Yes, sorry, you were saying?”
    He studied my face as we walked. Silvano had been making subtle suggestions over the past couple of weeks that I should join his coven. So far, I had resisted. Before I knew what I was getting myself into, I wanted to learn all I could. Not just about vampires but all nonhumans and about the world I lived in, the one hidden from me all the years I was human.
    A breeze stirred my hair, and I raised a hand to brush it from my face. I sensed a change in Silvano as he watched. On the other side of the road, another man appeared and was gone just as quickly. He hadn’t moved off, although I couldn’t detect him by any stretch of my senses. Instincts told me so, but I was sure Silvano did feel the man. He was no doubt one of Silvano’s group.
    “Have you learned to take wine yet?” Silvano asked.
    I hated him knowing my secret, that I still couldn’t stomach anything other than blood, but he had assured me most new vampires had this problem. I would “grow out of it,” he said, but I hadn’t yet.
    “No.”
    “How about we visit a restaurant anyway?” he suggested. “There’s a place on Saint Louis Street. This time of night there may be fewer guests, and you can open your mind to accept their thoughts.”
    I wrinkled my nose. “Accept? You make it sound like they’re offering them.”
    “Humans offer a lot more than they realize just by their nature.” He spoke the words as if he were relaying the time.
    “It’s not their fault.”
    “Do you defend them?”
    I shrugged. “I don’t need to defend their existence. They are what they are, just as we’re something else.”
    “I agree. Humans serve their purpose.”
    “I don’t remember saying