Darkyn's Mate (#3, Rhyn Eternal) Read Online Free PDF Page A

finger. They were real. She bared her teeth. Her
two canines were larger than before and gave her the appearance of
a vampire.
    Or demon. The Dark One was going to turn her
Immortal. Had he made her a demon?
    She controlled her breathing to keep her
frantic emotions from consuming her.
    Her eyes went to the mantle where the
hourglass remained. Deidre strode to the hearth and picked up the
time marker that was no larger than her pinkie. She tilted it. The
sand only moved one way, even when upside down.
    She found herself poking the new teeth with
her tongue to confirm they really were there.
    Maybe they were temporary. When the sand ran
out, she’d have no Darkyn tattoo, no demon fangs, no Past-Death
standing between her and Gabriel.
    How certain are
you? Darkyn had baited her.
    She wasn’t. At all. What if she won but
stayed a demon? What if she lost and stayed a demon? Whose bright
idea was it to turn her into a demon anyway? What if she lost the
bet entirely?
    She swallowed hard to keep tears from
forming.
    There had to be a way out of this. Fate said
to do what Darkyn said. Fate wanted Past-Death dead. Thus far, he’d
been the most helpful of the Immortals. He wasn’t going to abandon
her, too, was he?
    Deidre went back to the mirror and gazed at
herself. She wore the Grecian style gown of Hell: secured around
her neck by a loose band, it draped over her curves and pooled at
her feet, leaving her arms, shoulders and back bare to the hips.
She wore the metal collar that marked her as Darkyn’s food source.
The scars the Dark One created when he turned her Immortal were
more faded today than yesterday.
    Her pink hair was up in a bun that revealed
the delicate cut of her elfin features. Her large blue-green eyes
were clear and calm, the curves of her slender frame complemented
by the cut and drape of the dress. Her lips were red and her
features flushed from the fever. She sensed more than saw the
largest difference within her. The sunny glow she was known for was
gone, replaced by a sultriness rendered dangerous by the fangs
resting on her lower lip.
    She looked seductive, no longer sweet. The
distinction left her feeling torn. She’d lost something when the
Dark One turned her. At the same time, the petite woman in the
mirror was beyond gorgeous, the combination of shimmering
seductiveness and cool beauty stunning.
    She had fangs.
    Deidre closed the door, near tears once
more. She raised the hourglass. She had to make it only a few more
days.
    “You still don’t believe me.”
    She tensed at his low voice. She hadn’t
heard him enter but doubted the Dark One used doors.
    “I don’t know what to believe,” she replied.
“None of this is real.”
    “It is.”
    “What did you do to me?”
    “I turned you.”
    “Into what?”
    “What do you think?”
    Deidre faced him. Across the room, Darkyn
held the tension of a taut rubber band. His predatory gaze was on
her. No part of his stance or piercing look was welcoming and yet,
she felt the urge to cross to him. A flash of a dream went through
her mind. It was of his lean body pressing her into the bed while
they made love. She shook her head, not about to believe anything
of the sort happened outside her nightmare.
    Darkyn’s hands were clasped behind his back.
He approached her, eyes on her lips. Deidre didn’t move, afraid of
provoking him.
    He reached out to take the hourglass,
grazing her skin in the act. Her breath caught at the cool
electricity that ran through her. She flushed. His gaze flickered
to hers. He was coldly amused. He held up the hourglass in the
space between them.
    “Let’s talk, shall we?” he asked.
    “I don’t think I want to,” she replied. She
felt too fragile to deal with him.
    “Assume you win your bet. Do you really
think you’ll become Gabriel’s mate?” he started, ignoring her. “The
chances are slim it will work. Both of you bear the mating marks
now. She had none before her death. She’d have to be dead-dead
which