Bound by Blood (Vampire Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page A

he kept in the refrigerator. There was little else in it save those few bottles and a bottle of wine or two. Pouring himself a glass full, he set it on the counter. By the time he finished changing clothes, it would be at a more palatable temperature.
    Returning to his great room, dressed in black jeans and black turtleneck jersey, he turned on the CD player, then moved to the corner armoire and opened it. Inside was his computer. It was a lap top, but he found he worked better at a desk. As it booted up, he retrieved his drink and set it next to him. While at headquarters he sent himself all the files he considered pertinent to the case. He had his own special database at home. One that Louis helped him develop. In its listing were all the vampires he knew of, and any traits he had been able to garner about them. It was a rather comprehensive list. The other database, set to integrate with the first if needed, contained any mortals he knew who were familiar with vampires, or those in the first database, whether they were known as vampires or not. That list was significantly shorter. And kept as short as possible. There were very few who actually knew the persons were vampires. More often, it was a case of them knowing there was some anomaly about them, but not what. In some instances, they had been caught observing the vampires, which meant it was often more annoying than if they had actually been aware of the reality.
    Carlos was listed. His circle of known vampire acquaintances was very small. Louis’s name was on it, but then, he was on everyone’s list. He made it so. Granted Carlos was not old by vampire standards, but not terribly young either. Yet the list of those who might suspect him was the longest. Interesting. Apparently, the man was careless. Alex encrypted the information then sent it to Louis. It was always good to have other, trusted, eyes to review his findings. It was entirely possible he would see a connection not immediately apparent to Alex. In the mean time, Alex printed the list for his own use, and looked for possible connections between the people involved. There always was one. No matter what he had said to Louis, his gut told him Cassandra had been taken because of him, but who could possibly want the child?  No one in this generation would know there was a connection between them, nor from the last. It would have to be someone with a very old score indeed.
    ~*~
    By the time he arrived at the Morgan’s the next day, he felt completely refreshed. Although he had no leads other than Carlos, it was a significant start. It was also something he wasn’t ready to share with the local police. He didn’t believe it possible for them to find the child before him, but what if they could? He pushed away the thought. Even if they found her, they would not be able to deal with Carlos.
    Entering the house, he was surprised to find Barbara Morgan was not at home.
    “She said she may as well get back to work since she could do nothing here,” Lisa told him.
    “And Mr. Morgan?”
    “He had a big meeting scheduled, so he went to the office for a few hours. We’re to call him immediately if there is any news.”
    Alex didn’t wholly approve, but at least someone of his blood seemed to have a bit more sense than the woman.
    “The captain said since there have been no calls or leads, he would have only one uniform here, but you probably saw him on the way in.”
    Alex nodded absently, scanning the room and finding it eerily empty compared to the day before. “If no one else is here, we can talk privately.”
    She looked at him warily, but talking was all he had on his mind, at least until she leveled her clear gray gaze on him. Then a lot of sentiments that hadn’t made an appearance in years – decades – screamed for attention.
    He looked at her more closely and wondered what it was about her he found appealing. She looked a little more rested than the day before but he had a feeling she was paler