Shining in Crimson: Empire of Blood Book One (A Dystopian Vampire Novel) Read Online Free PDF

standing on concrete behind a rail. He followed the legs down to see that they belonged to Peter. Then he followed Peter's outstretched arm to see that it was holding him by the ankle.
    He tried to reach for his own ankle to free it. That was when he felt the breeze. It seemed just a little too strong. He looked up to what he thought would be the floor of the balcony. His heart almost burst as he saw the lights of the city seemingly above him, but he knew it was actually below him. He could feel his crab leg dinner moving up his esophagus as he looked down at the great city below. He screamed loudly only to hear several of the vampires reply with more laughter. He could barely make out what Ishan was saying over the laughter.
    "Must everything be a joke?" Ishan asked.
    Peter was saying something back, but Simon didn't hear it as he had begun vomiting. He watched as the vomit fell to the street below over a matter of several minutes. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve. When he looked up at Peter again, the vampire snarled at him, his blue eyes reflecting Simon’s horrified expression.
    "Maybe now you'll treat the lady with respect," Peter said.
    Simon felt his stomach turn again and felt a cold spot on his lap as another breeze touched him. Great, he had pissed himself. How lovely. As if all this hadn't been enough, Peter swiveled his wrist from side to side, swinging Simon like a pendulum. Simon closed his eyes. Peter swung him faster. Simon vomited again. Some of it went up his nose and he started to choke on it. He was sure Peter would let go at any moment. He could hear Rachel screaming something at him in a horrible, gleeful tone, but he couldn't make out the words. Stanislov continued to laugh harder and harder. Peter, still laughing, taunted Simon.
    "You're gonna die, Simon. Is your god gonna save you? I don't think He will, you know why?" Peter asked with bitterness in his voice. "Because your god doesn't care about you. He thinks you're scum," Peter said, still swinging Simon all the while. Simon finally coughed up the vomit he had been choking on. The volume of the vampires seemed to be rising to a fevered pitch, when out of nowhere they were silenced by a single word from Ishan.
    "Enough," he said, with only a hint of emotion.
    Simon felt himself rise again. He closed his eyes even tighter. Then he felt himself turning around. Before he knew it, he was no longer moving yet still felt as though he were. He opened his eyes slowly and confirmed he was sitting back in his seat. When his view came into focus, he noticed Rachel sitting right in front of him with a neat, satisfied smile on her lips. Looking around at the rest of the table, he saw that all of the vampires, except Ishan, shared her expression. Ishan looked down at his own fingernails.
    "Mr. Withers, we want the Big Easy," Ishan said with what sounded like conviction relative to his prior speaking tones.
    "The big what?"
    " New Orleans , Simon. The Big Easy," Ishan explained.
    "Now you want to talk business?" Simon asked, his voice near to screaming. "At least give me a few minutes to recover first."
    "By all means. Calm yourself. Here, have some more wine," Ishan said, refilling Simon's glass.
     Simon took a deep breath, picked up the wine glass, and tipped it back, gulping the contents until he emptied the glass. Then he exhaled loudly and sat back in his seat, wiping the mess from his face and hair with some napkins he had taken from the table. His heart was still beating pretty fast, but it was gently slowing down. He looked back at Ishan.
    "That's not negotiable," he said, "and from what I understand you have been told this several times before." Ishan looked at him with his dark red eyes, showing the first emotion Simon had seen from his smooth face yet. It was anger. Simon swallowed hard as Ishan opened his mouth to speak.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 3
    Viva Necropolis
     
     
     
     
     
     
    H ank made sure to stuff