Vampirates 5: Empire of Night Read Online Free PDF Page A

reverting to her normal tone, she smiled prettily and asked, "Won't you fetch me a proper drink, dearest?"
    Nodding but saying nothing, Sidorio seized the empty bottle and set off through the snow. Lola glimpsed the fire in his eyes, the deep pits of flame that revealed that his own appetite was as strong and deep and demanding as her own.
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    Inside the warmth of the hotel restaurant, the maître d' noticed that the music had stopped. He squinted out through the window, but a veil of fresh condensation impaired his view. He lifted a feeble hand to the glass, wincing as his old flesh made contact with the freezing pane. Rubbing his fist against it, he cleared a peephole.
    Peering out, he saw that the bandstand stood empty. He adjusted his line of vision and corrected himself. The bandstand was not in fact empty but carpeted with bodies. The musicians were slumped on it, lifeless. A river of red, illuminated by the moon, flowed urgently into the virgin snow.
    The man--the impossibly tall stranger with the impressively deep pockets--walked back across the snow. Rocking between the thick thumb and forefinger of his left hand was the wine bottle. As he strode on, some of the contents of the magnum spilled over the brim and spattered on the ground.
    Feeling waves of nausea, the old man frowned. He turned away from the window and sought comfort in the sight of the pile of gold coins. They gleamed in the candlelight, as bright as if they had been minted that very evening. He cupped the coins in his hands and cradled them carefully. This was more money than he had ever seen in his long life, certainly more money than he would ever see again.
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    Outside, Sidorio offered the bottle to his wife. Lola reached out her glass, and Sidorio poured a tasting portion of the liquid inside. She had trained him well. Mouthing her thanks, she swirled the liquid around the glass and lifted it to her nose, the better to savor its distinctive aroma.
    Glancing up, she caught her husband dismissing the other glass and, instead, lifting the bottle directly to his thick lips. He drank thirstily. She watched him, half appalled, half entranced.
    Sidorio, growing conscious of his wife's glance, drew the bottle away from his mouth and smiled, innocently, at her. His lips were smeared with blood. Like a naughty child caught with a mouthful of chocolate, he extended his tongue to lick up the traces.
    Lola laughed. "You're such a brute, my darling," she said, her words laced with affection. She reached out her glass once more. "A refill, please, if you've left anything for me! It's a mixed blend, but rather tasty."
    "Plenty for us both," he said. "And plenty more where this came from."
    Lola sipped her wine thoughtfully. "You know, Sid, you're the roughest of diamonds, but once I have finished with you, you will shine with all the light of Lucifer."
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    Sidorio raised his glass. "A toast," he said. "To you and me. Together always. Husband and wife."
    Lola raised her own glass. "To us, my darling. Together through eternity." She drank, then gazed at her husband, fresh fire in her eyes. "You asked me before what I wanted. Well, there is one more thing...."
    Sidorio nodded. "Go on."
    "I want to grow an empire with you. Hand in hand."
    "I want that, too," Sidorio said. He paused. "And I want my children to be part of it."
    Lola hesitated. "Grace and Connor?"
    Sidorio nodded. "I can't pretend they don't exist. Even if Connor did try to destroy you."
    Lola considered for a moment. "He did cast a certain cloud over our wedding by stabbing and then decapitating me. But"--she shrugged--"I'm sure we can forgive such waywardness in the young. Connor and Grace are your flesh and blood. And, by marriage, my stepchildren. It is only fitting that they should become part of our empire." She smiled at Sidorio. "You should invite them to visit us, when we return. I'd so enjoy getting to know them."
    "Would you really?"
    As Lola nodded, Sidorio thought his heart might break