From Fear to Eternity: An Immortality Bites Mystery Read Online Free PDF Page A

mean you might be at risk, too?”
    “It’s possible,” he allowed. His gaze scanned the shelves nearby before returning to me. “I was contacted by lower-ranking elders yesterday who wanted me to come here, to reacquaint myself with Atticus so I could acquire more information which could help in their investigation.”
    Something horrible occurred to me. “They think Atticus is the murderer, don’t they?”
    He hesitated for only a second. “Yes.”
    My heart started pounding harder. “So it’s possible that you’re currently under the same roof as somebody who wants to kill you next.”
    “I’m not convinced I’m on his list of potential victims. I no longer hold any true power within the council. As consultant, I’m not a threat to him.”
    “But you founded the Ring and you left it of your own free will. If you really wanted to, you could challenge him for his position as leader, couldn’t you?”
    His lips thinned, which was enough of a confirmation for me.
    I’d known since we arrived that this was a badplace to be. Call it vampire intuition—paranoia now with evidence to back it up. “We need to leave.”
    “We can’t do that. Not yet.”
    “Why?”
    “The others believe Atticus wants the amulet. If it is here tonight they want me to acquire it using council funds to do so, to keep it out of his possession.”
    We didn’t even know for sure if it this specific amulet was up for grabs tonight. We’d been guessing until now. But I could understand why keeping something that contained a powerful genie away from an accused murderer might be an excellent idea. Here I’d thought Thierry had been jonesing for it himself.
    And he’d never given me any clue there was another reason for us being here.
    “You could have told me that much, you know.”
    “I’m telling you now.” Again, that smile played at his lips. “Better late than never?”
    Thierry didn’t want this dangerous amulet after all. He wanted to prevent someone nasty from getting their hands on it. The tight knot that had formed in my gut last night when he’d first told me about this auction finally eased.
    A little, anyway.
    One question continued to nag at me. “I’m still not sure why you told Atticus what you did about us.”
    His expression shadowed. “To gain his trust, he must believe I’m the same man I was in the past. He might confide in me then and confess his crimes and what his ultimate agenda is. If he knew you were more to me than I let on, it would give him more leverage than I want him to have, especially given the threats he’s made in the recent past.”
    “Honor among thieves, as the saying goes.”
    “Essentially.”
    Thierry knew this guy and how to deal with him. I had to put my faith in that. “But, in truth, you’re madly and passionately in love with me and I helped change your life completely for the better.”
    The smile returned to his lips. “A feat I never thought possible.”
    “I juggle really well.”
    “You do.”
    When he kissed me this time, I returned it with great enthusiasm, sliding my hands up his chest and over his shoulders. His hands tightened at my waist as the kiss grew more passionate and he pressed me against the shelf of hardcover books behind me.
    Once, I would have doubted his words, but I didn’t anymore. We might be opposites in so many ways, and he was so vastly older than me that his life experience eclipsed mine like a cruise ship next to a rubber dinghy, but there was something about us. We worked.
    He drove me crazy a lot of the time with his secrets, but I was crazy about him. That definitely helped to balance the scales.
    And, I’d admit it, he was an amazing kisser.
    “When’s the auction supposed to start?” I breathed. While I didn’t really want to interrupt, this I had to know. “It’s already well after nine.”
    “I’ve been told it’s been delayed an hour. We have time.”
    Even though I didn’t want to be stuck here longer than necessary,