Blood Legacy Read Online Free PDF

Clearly, being submissive was not the same as being harmless.
    “I assure you, my good lord, that as soon as I have made my decision regarding the open chair on the Coven, you shall be the first to know.” Victor tilted his head, candlelight dancing in his cloudy eyes. “But I have not made my decision yet.”
    I swallowed audibly. I couldn’t bear that sharp-eyed gaze, more incisive than a hawk’s.  I pushed against the sofa to stand up.
    “You must understand, Victor, we are taking a huge risk,” Lady Burdrak said. “The success of this merger depends on how much time you will be able to devote to it, and if you join the Coven, I would expect—”
    “You would expect me to neglect my duties as the executive officer of Bressov Industries? How little you must think of me, my lady.” Victor smiled playfully. “Unlike some of our brethren, I do not pair my immortality with a loss of all sense of urgency. I can assure you, should I accept the Coven seat, you will see no change in Bressov Industries.”
    I smirked at his words. I couldn’t argue with what he said; Vampyr indolence and sloth was one of their few redeeming qualities, one of the few things that spared us humans their wrath from time to time. They were vicious captors, but their strange sense of time—or lack thereof—occasionally made them sluggish to crack down on us Undertowners.
    “Does that mean you plan to accept the seat?” Lord Burdrak asked.
    Victor’s hand shot out, catching me by the wrist. His thumb grazed along the pulsing softness at the underside of my wrist, then turned, nail biting into that tender flesh. I stifled a yelp by catching my lower lip in my teeth, but he held firm.
    “Is that what the latest rumors say?” Victor asked, a blank gaze fixed directly on me. “I thought the newest iteration was that I would decline.”
    I tried to yank my wrist free from his grip. His nail pricking at my flesh was like a hot ember, burning all the way up my arm, into my chest. I was sure he’d drawn blood at this point, but all I could hear was the rush of blood to my face, fuzzing my hearing, blurring my vision. I tried to mouth the word “Stop,” but I really couldn’t say whether I succeeded.
    “. . . is n’t just some game,” Lord Burdrak rumbled over the hidden speakers, though I scarcely heard him. “This is the fate of our Republic you’re toying with.”
    Victor swung my arm around and pinned it against my back in one lithe motion. I did yelp this time, and shoved back against him, hard. I think my insubordination, however, stunned him more than the shove, because he dropped me immediately, causing me to fall back onto the couch.
    Victor stared down at me, his shadow blocking out the dim candlelight. “I never play games,” he said, tone frigid.
    My heartbeat sounded like a drumbeat in my chest. Screw Finch, scre w the Resistance. No way was I letting this sleazy Vampyr playboy paw at me and draw blood from me like I was some unregistered Undertown harlot. I didn’t care if it blew the Resistance’s best chance at getting access to all the secrets of the Coven and the Bressovs. This operation was over.
    And never mind the sick, sick tug I felt deep in my core that craved for Victor Bressov to scold me again.
    “Very well, Victor. We will consult with our analysts and have a response for your proposal by the end of the week. I expect,” Lord Burdrak said sharply, “that if you come to any decision regarding the Coven before that time, we shall be the first to hear of it.”
    “All my business partners will be second to know, right after the Coven itself,” Victor said. His gaze never left mine. I felt rather like a butterfly skewered in place, like I’d seen in the old Downtown museums.
    “May your cups bleed true,” Lady Burdrak said, and then the comm chimed with the sound of a closed connection.
    The silence between us thickened and congealed with each passing second. It must have only been a few moments, but