Bad Mouth Read Online Free PDF Page A

Graham.”
    She buzzed the doorbell. It made no sound, but there was a faint click of the lock before the door cracked open. Seconds passed before she realized no one
     would answer, and they had to let themselves in. She glanced at Graham, but his brow
     furrowed as much as hers.
    Where were the subjugates? Servants? Slaves? Groupies? There were always subordinate
     beings to feed and cater to the vampires. Her body urged her to flee as she stared
     at the dark space at the open edge of the door. With shaking hands, she pushed it
     open the rest of the way.
    Val stepped in and surveyed the penthouse. The ceilings were high, but unlike the
     Ancients’ mansion, the extravagance of the penthouse was understated in simple, clean
     lines, uncluttered. Other than a touch of red here and there, it echoed all blacks,
     dark and light grays, charcoals. What wasn’t smooth marble or granite was another
     chilly sort of construction—glass and crystal and pewter-colored metals.
    There were no dividers in the main living area, just one spacious room all the way
     to the plate glass wall with a stunning view of the Sound. A sparse sitting area with
     long, low couches spread between Val and the floor-to-ceiling sliding door to the
     balcony. Elegant but unused fireplaces sat at each end of the sitting area. Who required
     two fireplaces in the same room? Like a vampire would need the heat.
    She needed it now, however.
    Crisp, salty air wafted in from the open door to the balcony. She drew in a lungful;
     the freshness revived her and drew her toward the balcony. Her three-inch heels made
     no sound on the thick, iron-gray carpet. She glanced back at Graham, but he’d headed
     toward the wet bar and poured himself a liberal drink.
    She turned away to focus on the horizon and calm her nerves and her rising anger.
     Alice had set this meeting up personally, so the useless desk-jockey vampire had known
     damn well to expect them. Rollins was playing with them already, but she refused to
     be intimidated by his lack of attendance.
    Val heard nothing, not even a hint of sound, but a heavy awareness swept through her.
     Her muscles tensed with a fight-or-flight burst of adrenaline. A charge of energy
     whispered along her nerves, causing her skin to tingle and raising goose bumps on
     her arms that had nothing to do with the frigid room. A ticklish sensation brushed
     at her nape, as if someone stood a hairsbreadth away. Though she tried for nonchalance
     as she turned, the movement was too fast and jerky to fool a vampire.
    She drew a sharp breath when she saw Rollins. He wasn’t right behind her but at least
     ten feet away. Lord, if he had that much presence at ten feet, he would overwhelm
     up close and in full contact. Before she could examine the thought further, he made
     a slow approach like a predator stalking his prey.
    She had to remind herself to breathe. The man was devastating. The top of her head
     barely made it to his shoulders, and he was nearly twice as wide as her, his broad
     shoulders straining the white fabric of his T-shirt. His denim jeans were dark but
     faded in the area snug around his strong, thick thighs.
    Where Graham had the soft features of an angel, this man was all solid, firm angles,
     his jaw a determined square, cheekbones high, and nose perfectly straight and proportioned,
     like Olen’s. His lean cheeks gave him a harsh aspect. His hair was shiny and black,
     but cut military-short in the back and slightly longer in the front. He wasn’t GQ pretty, but raw and wickedly handsome, so ruggedly sexy the sight of him made her
     inner muscles clench. The sensual being that had slumbered for too long inside of
     her unfurled and sat up at attention.
    Those seductive, kiss-you-senseless lips moved up into a humorless curve. Then his
     eyes registered through her daze. They were colder than the room, the deep bloodred
     of them reminding her just what he was and what he liked to do to humans. No matter