Aveline Read Online Free PDF Page A

gripped the knife. She did not hear
the response through the clamoring of her thoughts, except to
notice the low male voice. The first rays of dawn formed a line
along the top of the ceiling, and the sounds of the city awakening
drifted through the window.
    The night had started as the worst she could
recall, with the death of her beloved father. By now, Rocky knew
she was not coming, but could he possibly find her here? Even if he
did, he would never reach her before the man in the hallway. It was
one thing to go down fighting and quite another to be put down when
vulnerable.
    Tears stung her eyes. She hated crying and
in the span of a single night, she had cried twice, once for her
father and once for herself. What would her father think of her if
he knew she had not lasted a day after his death? That all his
training had been wasted? That she was weak?
    Aveline swallowed the sob stuck in her
throat and ran half a dozen scenarios through her mind, seeking one
that allowed her to live through this unscathed.
    The results of her mental exercise left her
with one terrible option – and the determination she would rather
face the punishment for her actions in the afterlife than remain
here as a whore.
    Aveline steadied her breathing and closed
her eyes. She thought of her father, who was hopefully waiting for
her among the other spirits, and then of Rocky, who would mourn her
death. He would seek revenge on her behalf, once he discovered what
had happened here. She would do the same for him, and knowing
vengeance would be obtained stilled some of her fear.
    Farewell, Rocky, she told her best friend silently. I have no choice. Death
was not feared by assassins. At least, it was not supposed to be feared by
them. She could not help thinking there was too much she had not
accomplished with her life to die now. But she was too proud for
the alternative: losing all control over her body and
life.
    Had her father experienced the turmoil of
his stomach and his pulse quicken with fear when he realized he was
going to die? Had he wished for one more day or one more chance at
life?
    Her heart felt like it was being squeezed in
a clamp when she thought of her father. Aveline gritted her teeth.
She waited until the door closed, clenching the knife. When the man
who came to violate her took a step towards the bed, she acted.
    Aveline plunged the knife towards the major
artery in her neck.
    The man snatched her wrist, and her eyes
snapped open. He disarmed her and stepped back quickly, as if
sensing the blow she was in the process of flinging towards him.
Her sloppy attempt at a punch did nothing but twist her body and
nearly knock her off the bed.
    Aveline righted herself with some difficulty
then pushed her torso up and glared at the stranger.
    He wore a mask. “I thought I would give you
another chance to accept my offer.”
    She blinked, registering his familiar voice.
“You sent me here!” she snarled.
    “I did not,” he countered. “I simply enabled
your capture by the pursuer I believed would do the least amount of
harm. I thought this could be a lesson.”
    “A what ?”
    “You should accept an offer from a man like
me when it comes. I am not accustomed to being turned away.”
    This man’s ego had sent her to a brothel and
driven her close to suicide? She narrowed her eyes in disgust and
propped herself up against the wall.
    “The assassins have an extensive set of
rules,” he continued. “I believe one of them involves a life debt.
If I save you, you owe me.”
    “It doesn’t count if you’re the one who puts
someone in danger!”
    “I can leave you here to take your chances
with the next man or woman who comes through the door. I was not
the only person interested in the exotic beauty your owners claimed
you to be. Or you can agree to work for me, and I’ll ensure your
safety.”
    Aveline bit back the acidic retort at the
tip of her tongue. She was not in a position to offend him.
Perhaps, after her night,