The Vampire's Release, A Paranormal Romance (Undead in Brown County #4) Read Online Free PDF Page A

could wait.   It was dangerous to assume I could effectively put off my rescuer’s advances indefinitely.  Resisting Amanda’s many charms had never been easy for me.  I didn’t look at her again, but concentrated on finding a news channel on the tiny television set.
    A few minutes after the water came on in the bathroom, I picked up the phone by the bed and dialed Victoria’s cell number.  Her voice was a comforting sound in that dank smelly room. 
    “I was hoping it would be you,” she said.
    “I’m in St. Louis.”
    “I know,” she admitted in a little huff, “Amanda was supposed to call me herself once she got you out.”
    Speechless for a moment, I stared at the wall.  
    “Michael?”
    “You were working with Amanda to get me free?”
    “Unfortunately, we didn’t have any other way into Isaiah’s group.  She knew where you were and said she could get you out.  Meekah told me it would happen that way.  We had to take a chance.”
    I couldn’t imagine the bitter meetings that had probably taken place between the three of them.   Once again, the loyalty of Victoria and Jones had proven to be one of my greatest assets.  After everything they had already been through for me, I felt I owed them something more than what I’d offered in the past--s omething infinitely more suitable as a gift to two such treasured friends.   But for the moment, I was more concerned about the current political situation of the Council.
    “The Council has renounced Isaiah?”
    “Yes.  They have called a hearing to pass judgment.”  There was a sub tle breath before she finished. “They’ve asked Sarah to be there.”
    Worry plunged through me like a ghost on the warpath.  If they had requested her presence, then it would be public knowledge.  She was going to be in a great deal of danger if she went to that meeting.  It had to be stopped.  Until Isaiah was destroyed, the only safe place for Sarah was the farm.
    “Who put that on the table, Victoria?” I asked.
    “Vincent.”
    “Shit.”
    He was the last one I wanted to spar with over this issue.  The resources available to Vincent were sizeable.  He had the money and influence necessary to downplay any request I might make on the behalf of Sarah’s safety.  Additionally, he possessed a coldly calculating sense of justice with little room for negotiation.  If he intended to fully prosecute Isaiah for his crimes, he would require Sarah’s testimony before the Council in order to render his opinion.
    “Do you want me to set up a meeting with him?”
    “Yes,” I answered, “And please come pick me up.”  I gave her the address of the motel .
    “We’ll be there soon.  I’m glad you’re okay, Michael.”
    “Thanks, Vic.”
    When I hung up, I turned to see Amanda standing in the open doorway of the bathroom.  She was still wet from her shower, her sodden mass of shining hair barely covering the dark nipples of her breasts.   Despite my intentions, desire surged through me.  Memories of us together fluttered around the edges of my consciousness.  She had changed the way I saw women.  After knowing her, I became so much more aware of the things a woman wanted and the things that I hadn’t even realized that I’d wanted for myself.
    “Leaving so soon?” she purred.   Her eyes were switchblades in the dark, seeking to cut through my defenses cleanly.  But there was another image in my mind.  It was another set of blue eyes, wide and infinitely more innocen t, that kept a fragile check on my lust. 
    Sarah.  Her vulnerability.  Her strength of heart.
    The vampire before me was a reminder of what I had been before Sarah had wrapped her slender fingers around my soul and grounded me.  Amanda represented the ruthless, ghastly fantasy that had been my existence before I had been taken in.  Before I’d learned to rein in the monsters inside me and trust that other voice that sometimes whispered that I was good underneath everything