No Rest for the Wicked Read Online Free PDF Page A

her.
    He grinned down at her. “Only my family used to call me that. It pleases me that you would.”
    “Uh-hmm.” She scratched his neck in languid circles.
    Excitement was still drumming in him. The idea of learning everything about her filled him with anticipation, but first he had to know—“Did I… did I… hurt you?”
    “I’ll be sore.” Her lips curled, then she rubbed her face against him once more, this time as if grateful. “But only in the most delicious places.”
    His cock was still semi-hard in the wet heat of his jeans, and the way she purred that one simple word, delicious, made it swell once more. He didn’t understand how she could simply shrug off being hurt, but there was no way he’d act on the need welling once more. He fought to ignore how good she felt beneath him.
    He brushed back her hair, revealing her pointed ears. The tiny fangs, the claws, the eyes… “Katja, what are… ” He cleared his throat. “What are you?”
    Her brows drew together. “I’m a—” She tensed in an instant. Her eyes cleared completely, as though she’d just woken up. All the supple muscles of her body that had gone soft and pliant after her orgasm now grew rigid.
    With a sharp inhalation, she kicked him off her—hard—sending him to the opposite wall, then shot to her feet. “Ah, gods, what have I done?” she whispered, bringing a tremulous hand to her forehead. Her face was cold, but her eyes burned wild as she backed away.
    He stood, hands in front of him so as not to startle her.
    But then she roughly ran her sleeve over her mouth, infuriating him. He recognized her disgust, recognized the sentiment.
    He’d shared it about himself ever since he’d been turned.
    “We’re going to forget this happened, vampire.” She couldn’t believe she’d just felt gratitude toward him. Because he’d given her relief from desire? What the hell had happened? Reality was seeping in, and with it came shame so hot it stung her.
    “How can I possibly forget this?”
    Maybe a capricious power had played with her, forcing her to do things she would never do. Or had she caught a spell? She had to leave at once. “Vow not to tell anyone, and I’ll let you live for now.”
    “Let me live—?”
    He didn’t finish the sentence, because in the space of three words, she’d collected her sword, then shot behind him to tuck it menacingly between his legs. She’d moved so quickly she was a blur.
    “Yes, let you live,” she hissed at his ear.
    “You are unused to this.” He traced across the room and stood, arms out, a hand on each side of the doorway. “As am I. We will find our way with this together. But you are my Bride.”
    She closed her eyes, struggling for calm. “You’re not my husband. And never will be.”
    “This can’t be random, Kaderin.”
    Enough. As she started for the door, she could sense apprehension building in him. They both knew the sun would protect her. All she had to do was get past him—
    Suddenly, she doubled over as sorrow for Dasha and Rika ripped through her like barbed wire dragged through her veins.
    “Kaderin?” He strode toward her. “Are you hurt?”
    Gulping air, she shoved her hand out to stop him before he reached her, and forced herself to stand. All Valkyrie were related, but she and her two sisters had been born together. Triplets. Inseparable for one thousand years, until two had died in battle. Because of Kaderin’s weakness…
    “Kaderin, just wait—”
    She charged for the door, but he traced back to it and held his ground. She feinted left and ducked right, moving so fast she knew he couldn’t make out her form. As he blinked, she swooped around him, bringing the sword handle crashing back into his chest, deciding at the last minute not to crack his sternum.
    He gave a bellow of fury when she barreled past him. She darted down a rotting landing, toward the three sets of winding stairs, running through massive cobwebs so thick he must have traced