Deamhan Read Online Free PDF Page A

asked.
    Unable to stand the crackling air between the two, Veronica slid from the stool.
    The woman placed her hands on her hips, blocking Veronica’s escape with her elbow. Remy smiled. “Not every female who strolls into Dark Sepulcher belongs to you, Alexis.”
    Veronica made a mental note of the vampire’s name.
    “But this little catch is stirring up the attention.” Her lips puckered.
    “Oh, that’s it,” Remy said. “You just want to be the first to take her.”
    Veronica eased sideways. They were playing a game to see who would be the first to have her. Well, she wasn’t going to be “had” by anyone.
    “Please sit.” Remy respectfully motioned to Veronica. “Don’t let Alexis scare you.”
    Leaving again entered Veronica’s mind. If I ran, would they stop me? Alexis seemed to be the more violent of the two. Remy appeared relaxed and comfortable in the mini-altercation. Veronica wondered how easy it was for them to sense her discomfort. She decided to leave.
    “Excuse me.” Veronica slid past Remy, intending to walk away.
    Remy reached out his arm, blocking her path. “But we haven’t talked yet, researcher.” Remy tapped his index finger on the counter.
    His comment stopped Veronica in her tracks.
    “Researcher?” Alexis visibly cringed at the mention of the word. “Well, then. You can have her.” She snarled her lip in distaste. “I don’t like researchers. Their blood tastes funny.”
    A cold chill blew up Veronica’s spine. Try as he might, Veronica couldn’t allow herself to be associated with The Brotherhood. She was not a researcher, her father made sure of that. He kept her away from it, shielding her just enough to tell her what she needed to know. Even if her father wanted her to follow in her mother’s footsteps, Veronica wouldn’t allow herself to be used in the way that her mother was. The bad memories of The Brotherhood were fresh in the execrable minds of the vampires and Deamhan alike. She couldn’t risk allowing Remy to peg her with the title of “researcher”, thus immediately black-listing her in the club—and in the city.
    “I’m not a researcher,” she blurted. Not like my father.
    “Then who are you?” Remy asked, fixing her with his penetrating stare.
    She buried the important pieces from her memory like names, cities, places, and the reason why she came to Dark Sepulcher from her mind.
    “What? What is it?” Alexis asked Remy. “What do you see?”
    Remy smirked. “Nothing now.”
    “That’s why she interests you?” Alexis rolled her eyes. “Because she knows how to hide her thoughts unlike the whores you prefer?”
    Remy tilted his head to the side, still studying Veronica.
    “That should make you want to kill her even more.” Alexis turned her body toward Veronica, gloating over the fear she saw in her eyes.
    “Now, now, Alexis,” Remy said softly, “let’s give Veronica a chance to explain.”
    Veronica again felt the tingling sensation. He even knew her name.  This time, it hurt.
    Remy persisted.
    Veronica ran toward the front exit. She plowed through the crowd, knocking past people and Deamhan alike. The sensation continued until she passed the security guards outside. Her heart thumped in her chest, and she drank fresh air in huge gulps.
    As she reached the corner and turned in the direction of her apartment, she slowed her pace. When she neared the end of the block, she paused and checked the street behind her.
    Sloppy. Mother would never have acted like that.
    As she continued her walk home, thoughts about her father’s warning before she left San Diego repeated over and over in her mind. He’d said she wasn’t ready to come back to Minneapolis. Nonsense.
    She had to be.
    The full moon filled the night sky. Veronica zipped her jacket as the wind picked up. She turned her face to the wind and inhaled, letting the crisp air fill her lungs. Fall was the best time of year in Minnesota. She shoved her hands into her pockets and