The Blood That Bonds Read Online Free PDF

be? Was this
what life was supposed to be like?
    Sudden emotion, so strong it was nearly
pain: here only a few miles from where she lived was a world just
beyond her grasp, a world that she would never have. This night
would end. This pleasure would not last. Two took a shuddery
breath, fighting back the onslaught of depression, the coming of
tears. Theroen slowed the car, looked over at her.
    “ Don’t.” Not a request, not
a command. Almost a piece of advice. Two looked up at
him.
    “ I can’t help it,” she
said. “I’m not used to this.”
    “ Then you should focus on
enjoying it.” There was no sense of emotion behind Theroen’s words.
He continued to look at her with his casual, nearly disinterested
smile.
    “ I can’t think like
that.”
    “ No?”
    “ I’m just a–”
    “ Stop.” He cut her off,
suddenly intense, the first time she’d seen his face animate, his
expression change. He pulled the car over the side of the road and
turned again to her. When she met his eyes, they seemed to pull at
her, draw her in, command her entire attention. She felt her heart
speed, her breathing deepen. Fear? Lust? She couldn’t be sure; she
knew only that she could not look away.
    “ Who you were yesterday,
this morning, two hours ago is immaterial. Understand that. Believe
it. I do not choose to measure your worth by past actions. Of all
of the women in this city that I could be with tonight, I am with
you.”
    Two considered this. “Why am I here,
Theroen? You don’t need me. There’s no way you need to pay for what
I’m selling.”
    “ Does it matter? Is it
worth worrying about? Will it change what is?”
    “ No.” Two said, and was
somewhat surprised to find she meant it. She felt the grip of
despair loosen.
    “ Good. We’re here.” Theroen
gestured to the right of the car. Two saw that they had stopped in
front of a small Italian restaurant. There was a raised terrace in
front, where people were dining under heaters, their tables covered
with long white cloths, silverware resting beside china plates.
Most of them had turned to stare in amazement at the
Ferrari.
    “ Does it bother you that
everyone is constantly staring at your car?” Two asked, stepping
out onto the curb. Theroen grinned.
    “ No,” he said. “It keeps
them from looking at me.”
     
    * * *
     
    The restaurant was dim, lit by small sconces
on the wall and by candles flickering on each table. It was warm,
and smelled like herbs, garlic, and oil. The woman at the door
raised an eyebrow at Two’s appearance, but another woman behind her
recognized Theroen and quickly ushered them to a table near the
back. Theroen requested a bottle of wine with an Italian name and
watched Two as she studied her menu, seemingly uninterested in his
own.
    The waiter returned with their wine, and Two
regarded it for a moment with a small amount of trepidation. Beer
she knew, and hard liquor, but wine was a new experience, and she
wasn’t sure what to expect.
    The drink, a Chianti, bit gently at her
tongue and spread warmly over it. Two smiled, relaxed. Theroen
nodded slightly at this, as if to himself.
    “ Good?” he questioned. Two
nodded. He smiled, sipped at his own glass, watched her with his
preternatural calm.
    “ You look lovely,” he said
at last. Two felt herself blushing, a reaction she would not
normally have expected from herself. Compliments from clients were
common, nothing to be surprised at. This, though, felt heartfelt.
More to the point, it seemed as if Theroen was truly enjoying her
as a person rather than an object. She smiled, lowered her eyes,
took another sip of wine, unsure how to respond.
    A waiter arrived, asking if they were ready
to order. Theroen waved him away, saying he didn’t want anything,
directing the attention toward Two.
    “ Whatever you want,” he
replied to her questioning look. “Don’t concern yourself with me,
I’m not hungry.”
    Normally, Two would have demurred, insisted
that she couldn’t eat