Awaken Me Darkly Read Online Free PDF Page B

snaked around the far corners. Sashaying in every direction were waitresses dressed as slutty nuns, each holding a tray piled high with drugs, alcohol, and sex toys. Amid the moans of titillation that rivaled the music’s volume, bodies bumped and writhed.
    “Think I can get a membership?” Dallas asked, the warmth of his breath fanning my ear.
    “You’re perverted enough.”
    “Yes, I am,” he answered proudly.
    I rolled my eyes. “Do you see her?”
    “Honestly?” He slowly smiled. “I haven’t been looking. There are too many other, more interesting sights.”
    I couldn’t chastise him, since I’d been distracted as well. I slid my gaze to the bar. Lilla’s file claimed she was a bartender, but I didn’t see her peddling drinks. Determined to find her, I studied every individual, every corner, every hollow. I counted two Arcadians, both female, neither Lilla.
    Then suddenly…joltingly…
    My gaze connected with the seductively uptilted violet eyes of an Arcadian male. Breath froze in my lungs, and everything around me receded. Time slowed. The music faded from my ears. My vision tunneled to this one man as a foreign energy sizzled under my skin. I rubbed at my arms, trying to rid myself of the odd sensation.
    The Arcadian was taller than anyone else in the room, his shoulders broad and muscled like a savage Pict warrior from long ago. His cheekbones were high, his nose straight, his lips full, lush, and sensual. He wore danger like a cloak, erotic danger, lethal danger, and there was a hard, granite edge to his expression. It was the same expression cops and hunters wore, one that proclaimed he’d seen the darkest life had to offer and had survived. I couldn’t see his clothing, couldn’t tell if he wore traditional earth clothing or something more daring. I only knew he looked like living power.
    At last you arrive whispered so clearly across my mind, I almost turned to see who had spoken.
    I watched a knowing—and perhaps a little mocking—smile half-curl the corners of his lips, and then he was gone, his warrior body somehow hidden in the crowd. I searched, but couldn’t find him. Besides the energy flowing through me, there wasn’t a single indication of his presence.
    Where was he? Who was he? And how the hell had he disappeared so quickly?
    I frowned.
    “Hey, Mia,” Dallas said, slicing into my preoccupation. “You okay? You were in a trance or something. I had to call your name several times to get your attention.”
    “I’m fine,” I offered weakly. Disgusted with myself, I scanned the masses again. Lilla. I’m looking for Lilla . The man didn’t mater.
    I resumed my search and was quickly rewarded. There, at the back altar, was a black overstuffed lounge that curled at the end like a lover’s palm. Atop the cushions, I saw a cascade of white hair and a perfectly sloped back. Anticipation zinged across my nerve endings. Sometimes I just knew, knew things without any explanation why, and I knew this was Lilla, though I couldn’t see her face.
    She was poised above a human male. His legs were bent and spread to offer her a libidinous cradle. I couldn’t make out his features. On Lilla’s left and right sides were two catlike Taren females; both wore flimsy white robes and were licking and kissing Lilla’s shoulders.
    As if she sensed my gaze, Lilla tossed her hair over one shoulder, turned, and met my stare. I felt a slight hum of energy whiz through me, the same type of odd hum I’d felt with the Arcadian warrior. It was…bizarre, something I’d never encountered before today. I had no idea what it meant, and I didn’t have time to analyze. Lilla gave me a slow smile before returning her attention to her lovers.
    My eyes narrowed. “This way,” I said to Dallas, giving his shirtsleeve a tug. Side by side we strode across the dance floor, ignoring wandering hands and gyrating bodies.
    When we reached our destination, I received my first full look at the man beneath Lilla. He