Born to Darkness Book 1 in the Immortal Destiny Series: Vampire Romance Paranormal Read Online Free PDF Page B

later. Daylight is coming … you need to go. The keys are in the car,” he told her.
    Nicole started backing toward the door, still not too sure about turning her back on them.
    Alec smiled and blew her a kiss. “It’s been sweet.”
    * * *
    Trying to pry her eyes open was much harder this morning. She managed to get them open to slits, but blinked against the brightness of the sun.
    Nicole willed herself to roll out of bed. She hadn’t arrived home until almost dawn, and was so exhausted, she’d only had strength enough to fall into her bed. Everything was a blank until the moment she’d tried to open her eyes to the light. She felt drained - almost like she didn’t even have enough strength to walk.
    A thought occurred to her.
    Had she been bitten?
    Forcing her legs to move, she stumbled to her small - windowless bathroom. It was really more like a closet, than an actual bathroom.
    Flipping on the bathroom light, she winced at the pain that made its way from her eyes to the middle of her brain.
    The florescent light was worse than the sun.
    When she could finally open her eyes, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Right away, Nicole wanted to close her eyes again.
    She was in a frightful state. Her hair was a tangled mess, and the black dress she’d slept in was a mass of wrinkles.
    Doing her best to ignore the fact that she could easily pass for a zombie, Nicole examined her neck carefully - looking for any puncture wounds.
    Nope … nothing.
    Well necks weren’t the only place a vampire could bite you. In light of this little fact, Nicole figured she better look over her arms and shoulders too.
    There wasn’t a vampire bite anywhere.
    Stripping off her clothing, she jumped into the shower. After adjusting the water until it was just the right temperature, she stood beneath the spray - letting it wash away the tension in her muscles.
    Not only did a hot shower always make her feel better, it gave her a chance to gather her thoughts.
    She’d danced with a vampire!
    That was just really weird.
    If someone had told her a week ago that she’d be dancing with a vampire, she’d have laughed herself silly.
    But vampires were real creatures, and she had danced with one!
    Still, she couldn’t quite make herself look at Ethan or Alec as creatures.
    They did feed on blood, and they were predators, as sure as the gators in the swamps.
    Getting out of the shower, she grabbed the towel she’d hung on the rod next to the tub.  Drying off quickly, she wrapped the thick terrycloth around her and started running a brush through her hair.
    She still looked a mess, but at least she felt better.
    Rushing from the bathroom, she rummaged through her closet until she found an old pair of jeans and a T-shirt.
    Once she was dressed, Nicole grabbed the phone from her nightstand and dialed Ethan’s number.
    She wanted to see for herself if he was there or not, but then she remembered that he had never once answered the phone before dusk.
    It was hard to believe she’d missed so many clues that would have pointed to something being off kilter with her boss. She’d always assumed he was simply a night person.
    He was that all right, but for different reasons than what she would have thought a couple days ago.
    Nicole wasn’t sure what she should do next. She couldn’t call Ethan or talk with Alec until after dark. For now, the only thing to do was go to work. Grabbing her car keys from the kitchen counter, she headed out the door, making double sure she locked it behind her.
    She got behind the wheel of her black Tacoma and headed toward the Quarter. Ethan kept his offices in the French Quarter, claiming he liked the atmosphere better there. It was easier to think.
    Nicole just thought he liked to be different, and he was that.
    * * *
    Inside the small - cramped office, Nicole found everything exactly like she’d left it. She switched on the lights and her computer.
    There wasn’t a lot to do until she could contact Alec