Taking Nicole (Vegas Mates Series)(#4) Read Online Free PDF Page A

their bond. Shit. What is that stubborn woman about to say now?
    “Sounds positively delicious.” Nicole’s voice was syrupy sweet and bordered on slightly unhinged.
    He snapped his jaw shut in surprise and closed the limo door.
    “Oh, good. I’m so glad you said that. I was worried we would keep having ugly confrontations after the little upset in the car.” Carlotta smiled, making her look a little more grandmotherly and a little less dominatrix-bitch.
    Maybe she’s smarter than I thought.
    Silence. His leopard was still giving him the cold shoulder.
    Damn it. You can’t avoid me forever. We share the same fucking body!
    “I can avoid you as long as I damn well please. When you decide our MATE is worth saving, I’ll start taking you serious again.”
    Aaron stifled a snarl and followed silently behind the Antipas royal family. They walked up to the large, intricately carved doors that featured two wolf heads. Their footsteps echoed on the white marble floors. He noted Nicole glancing around some, but she kept most of her attention on her two grandparents.  
    It was hard not to appreciate the beauty of the palace. He hated the place, but still admired the elegance of the marble floors, the gold lacquered walls, the arched and coffered ceilings that were so high the servants had to build scaffolding to clean them properly. Rich Persian rugs decorated the floors and exquisite medieval tapestries hung from nearly every wall. Paintings from every master from every era of time also decorated the walls as they passed through to the dining hall.  
    He knew Carlotta had a penchant for Rembrandt and Monet. Much of the priceless artwork had been commissioned privately by the family through the centuries. The public didn’t even know the paintings existed. There was even had a sculpture from the great Michelangelo. It was a depiction of Bathsheba—the complement to his renowned sculpt of David.
    He took his place next to two other guards at the dining hall doorway. One was a wolf shifter and the other was a lion. Alex, the wolf, was head of security in the palace. The lion, Ashir, was Carlotta’s plaything in bed when Reginald chose to have other company, which was quite regularly.
    Reginald sat at one end of the enormous table and Carlotta sat at the other. Nicole was seated at the corner near Carlotta. Aaron rolled his neck and cracked a couple of vertebrae, relishing the release of a little tension. The evening meal would take at least three hours, more than enough time to clean up and visit with his sister for a few minutes.
    He walked to Carlotta’s side and knelt beside her chair—head down, waiting for her acknowledgement. She didn’t say a word until the servants had poured drinks and brought out the appetizer course. His nostrils flared at the rich scent of scallops and buttery sauce and he willed his stomach to be silent, regretting that he’d not eaten anything on the plane.
    “Yes, Mr. Katsaros.” Carlotta spoke softly.
    He spoke without raising his head. She would take offense if he attempted to make eye contact. “Mistress, may I take a short leave of my charge while she eats? I would appreciate a few minutes to clean up from the trip and see my sister.”
    “I suppose, Mr. Katsaros. Be back before the meal ends. I do not want to be kept waiting when she needs to be escorted to her suite.”
    “Yes, Mistress. Thank you.”
    He rose from his knee and walked silently from the room, neither slowly nor quickly. He never moved to arouse suspicion. Every move he made around the palace was carefully calculated and measured. Most of the guards and servants had their own agenda, and none protected anything but their own ass.
    It was a lonely way to live.
    His gait sped as he entered the servant’s hallway that stretched nearly the entire length of the palace. It was a central corridor that made it easier to access nearly every room of the palace. About every hundred yards, swinging doors closed off the