Indulge Read Online Free PDF Page A

just so much to take in here, ya know?” I avoided his eyes even though I knew he sensed my sadness. Now wasn’t the time or place to have the discussion, so I hoped he wouldn’t pry.
    “That there is,” he sighed with satisfaction. “You still haven’t seen the best of it yet, so hold on to your panties.”
    I looked up to Arrick and his child-like grin completely confused. I wasn’t sure what I thought of chipper Arrick. Sure, it was nice to see him happy, but it was making me jealous that I wasn’t as happy as he was. Not yet at least, but I had plans to make sure I would be. Plans that involved one very unvampire-like best friend and one devilishly cute vampire named Dmitry.
    “Please don’t ever use the word panties around me again. Deal?” Arrick might have been incredibly hot, but hearing a masculine man say that word, was just too awkward.
    “Why not? I bought them didn’t I?” He laughed aloud as he dodged a heavy-set man, who was walking briskly toward a dried meat carving vendor, a look of hungered determination set firmly on his hairy face.
    “I’ll gladly give them back if you promise to shut up?” I shot him a wicked smile - and then bit my lip. Were we flirting again?
    Arrick must have felt it too and he chivalrously changed the subject, the smile gone from his face as well. “Like I said before, you still haven’t seen the best part yet.”
    “Oh yeah?”
    We broke through the seemingly endless crowd and now found ourselves in a residential area. In the entryway of one of the houses sat a stray cat, washing itself, and I thought of Louie. I couldn’t let the thought of him make me sad. I knew Robin would take care of him and after this whole mess with Ana was settled, I would get to see him again.
    “The Château.”
    “Sounds fancy. Is that where we are headed?”
    Arrick simply nodded as we made our upward climb through the streets, toward the Château that lay somewhere beyond.
    I knew I should be more excited about finally being home, but it was hard having never known this home before. Not to mention that the last place I called home, I was almost murdered in. But Ana didn’t win, and I still had the fire alight inside me that was determined to make her pay for what she did. That much I was sure of.
    After the slow thirty minute hike through the city, the last buildings petered out, fading into open cliff-side. Towering on the edge stood a building on the rocky shore. The Château sat regally amongst its surroundings, as beautiful or more so, than the city itself. It almost seemed like the world had grown and blossomed around it. The warm glow flooded through the dozens of windows, cascading softly on the city below. In some way, the Château seemed more like a watchful guardian than just a building. The thought made me smile.
    I inspected it meticulously in the moonlight and saw another building. It was lined with glass, but unlit, jutting out like a sword among the stones. Why have a lighthouse if you weren’t going to use it? The thought just me that more curious. Sure, with today’s technology, lighthouses had very little use, but something about it was mysteriously interesting.
    I didn’t bother asking Arrick, because I was sure I would soon find out for myself and I longed to have time alone. Walking around my new home, alone with my thoughts, sounded much like a vacation to me. My excitement compounded, putting a spring in my step.
    A tall arched hedge welcomed us into the gardens, just beyond the entrance to the Château. This place was quickly gaining my favor even though I was trying to fight it. The gardens at Nicolae’s palace were my retreat and made me feel at peace. I knew instantly that these would too.
    The hedges were all neatly trimmed to line pathways or seemingly float over flowerbeds in unusual shapes. Soft white lights aimed toward each plant, captured unique angles in its shadows. There was no straight path that led to the Château and I delighted in the