Dark Passion Rising Read Online Free PDF

floor. 
The dark ink of a tattoo on his shoulder caught her attention.  It was intricately
designed, starting on his shoulder. Vines wove around a shield and down,
encircling his large bicep.  The words on the shield were in what looked like Latin:
“ Morior cum Honoris, Redire in Vester Scutum”.
    She shrugged off her puzzlement and pulled her gaze away.  She
didn’t know just how long he would be out and didn’t want to take the chance of
being caught.  Soundlessly, she slipped out into the hallway, fighting the
trembling in her legs.  She was not at top form and would not make it very far
on her own, but there was nothing for it.  She had to get to the nearest
station on foot.
    She hurried down the hallway, passing paintings of landscapes and
pastoral scenes.  No sound came to her as she made her way down the stairs.  On
her right, in the foyer, stood an elegant cherry wood table, a crystal vase
full of white roses on its polished surface.  On the left, a small hallway
turned into a massive living room.  She got a glimpse of black leather wing
backed chairs surrounding a huge oblong table before she turned her attention
back to the foyer and the door to her freedom.
    Tambra slipped out unnoticed, catching her breath as the leftover
heat from the day hit her like a physical force.  The night sky, which Tambra
usually saw drowned by the lights from the strip, was brilliant with stars,
laid out like glittering diamonds.  Within moments, sweat trickled down her
back and between her breasts, plastering the silk of Marcus’s shirt against her
body.  She pushed herself into a sprint, concentrating on her surroundings.  The
hot asphalt burned her feet.   
    She could see the lights from the strip far off and to the south. 
She must be in the northwestern part of the city where there was less
development and more desert.  She guessed she was about five miles from the
nearest police station and prayed she could make it there without collapsing
into a wet, exhausted heap in the middle of the road.
    Her sprint turned to painfully slow plodding.  She had no sense
of how long she had been walking.  She could only concentrate on placing one
foot in front of the other.  It wasn’t until a black sedan pulled up right
alongside her that she became aware she was no longer alone.  She stopped,
peering into the open window on the passenger side, making out the dim outline
of an elderly man at the wheel.
    "Can I be of some assistance, young lady?”  His voice was
British and filled with concern.
     “I need a ride if you don’t mind.”  She cursed the weakness in
her voice as her body shook with exhaustion. 
    “I would be happy to give you a lift.”
    She nearly wept with relief, wanting nothing more than a shower
and her bed.  Slipping into the seat, she leaned her head back against the head
rest with a sigh, and gave him her address.
    “I will have you there in a jiffy, Miss.  You just rest.  You
look quite out of sorts.”
    He spoke softly, his voice melodic and deep.  She felt her tense
muscles relax in the cool confines of the car, the AC emitting a soft whirr as
the cool air caressed her sweat slick skin.  Closing her eyes, she sank into a
light doze, unable to combat the exhaustion that plagued her.
    A hand on Tambra’s shoulder jarred her awake.  Panic skittered
though her for a second before she remembered where she was and the events that
had brought her there.  She took a deep breath to calm her nerves, and looked
out the windshield at the familiar sight of her apartment building.
    It was a small complex with tall palm trees clustered around the
white and brown stucco buildings.  Lantana in yellow, red, orange, and purple
trailed around the front walkways, spreading out over the concrete.  Home.
     “Thanks for the ride.”
    Her words were muffled as she stepped out of the vehicle.  The older
man didn’t seem to mind.  He pulled away without so much as a word, leaving her
to watch his