Eternal Shadows Read Online Free PDF

stopped. “What?” Still fearful, despite his words, I cautiously peeked out from beneath my arm. Rhys had been standing over me, but now bent down beside me so I could see him better. His eyes were an even more brilliant blue in the sunlight.
    “Feeding does not mean killing. Lesson two. Some vampires kill all the time, others kill some of the time, and others kill almost never. However, blood is a necessity and it’s not nearly as beneficial coming from a bottle.”
    “I don’t want to bite anyone.”
    “This first time, you have to. It will diminish the thirst and make you strong. Once you’ve given your body what it needs, you’ll be able to think and you’ll be able to uphold any decisions you make about your feeding habits.”
    I turned my face into the grass and groaned. All I could think about was how warm he was, and how cold I felt. But the thought of biting someone…I couldn’t. Could I? My pulse thumped against every vein in my body, demanding relief. The sun made it worse. Despite the chill of my flesh, I felt like I was running a fever. If Rhys put blood in front of me now…
    Footsteps. I heard them so clearly they captured my attention immediately. Different from Rhys’s steps, these were more delicate, softer. New. I’d never heard them before.
    “Honestly, Rhys, you’d think you’d never dealt with a newborn before.” The voice was high, feminine, almost like bells on the air, only there was an undertone of something much darker that tainted the otherwise beautiful sound.
    I heard Rhys shift. “What do you want, Madge?” He didn’t sound happy to see her. Out of curiosity, and hoping it would deter my insane thirst, I turned my head to look.
    “Cade sent me,” she said. “He’s looking for you.” Her perfect bob was bleached blonde, yet it looked natural. Her smart little nose was turned upward, and her full, Cupid’s bow lips were painted red. She looked like an old-fashioned doll, dressed in the modern version of a blue drop-waist dress.
    Rhys stood. “What does Cade want?”
    “You,” she said simply, sticking one hip out. “He said it was urgent. And he asked me very nicely to do this little favor for him.”
    “Sorry you had to exert yourself.”
    “Anything for you, dear brother.”
    Brother? That didn’t make sense. She looked nothing like him, and vampires didn’t have families like that. Well, they never did in any of the movies. Lesson three, the movies are wrong. Rhys would be so proud that I was learning.
    “So this is the new addition,” Madge said, stepping closer. She lifted her dainty blue shoe that matched her dress perfectly to tilt my chin up. I jerked my head away. “She doesn’t look like much.”
    “Neither did you your first week,” Rhys said.
    She scoffed. “Nonsense. I drank right away. You must be thinking of Millie.”
    “My memory of those days is better than yours. Leave her alone. What does Cade want?”
    “He didn’t tell me, you know he wouldn’t tell me. I’m just here to fetch you.” She tucked her hair behind one ear and smiled at me. It didn’t look friendly. “What on Earth have you thrown her in the sun for? And why is she covered in blood?”
    Rhys grumbled. He did that a lot. I wondered if I was the cause, or if it was a bad habit. “She tried to kill herself. She refuses to feed. I was hoping the sun could persuade her.”
    Madge rolled her eyes. “Oh, Rhys, you’re too nice about it. It’s as simple as this.” She disappeared for the briefest moment, then returned with a girl in hand. I recognized her, though I hadn’t noticed anyone else around before. Our housekeeper, Anne, had hired her only last week to work in the kitchen. She made the most unbelievable brownies. Could I eat brownies now? One more thing to ask later. Maybe I really shouldn’t have been giving Rhys such a hard time. I’d know a lot more by now if I had just listened. But I would not drink blood. Nope. Never again. He couldn’t make