Vampire Assassin League Bundle 4 - Eternity Read Online Free PDF

wrong. It was a dining room. Or might have been designated as one. But this one was of immense proportion. A quick glance showed a long dark wood table looking pretty tiny down the center of the room, despite having about twelve chairs on either side. She didn’t count for accuracy. There appeared to be a doorway at the far end, but that portion of the room was shadowed. Indistinct. Not here at the front of the room. This room was almost as breath-taking as the foyer had been. Or the parlor. And basically the same dimensions. The walls were hung with larger-than-life-sized paintings, most featuring men who looked exactly like Devereaux in various poses and in various period costumes. They almost covered over the wall space done in off-white wallpaper of a fleur-de-lis pattern. The entire room was large and light and airy. Or meant to be. The fireplace in this room was even crafted of a lighter shade of stone. The windows appeared to be the same floor-to-ceiling proportion as his parlor, and had the same shuttered view from between the drapes. Only difference was these window treatments were done in a tone-on-tone striped pattern in the same shade as the walls.
    And then she saw Devereaux.
    He stood at the far end of the table, his hand resting on the back of a chair, as if it was nothing to race that far in a blink of time. At least, nothing on that chest or belly looked out of breath. It just looked fine. Sculpted. Masculine. And just maybe if he fastened his coat or donned a shirt, she wouldn’t have to keep noticing all that.
    Get a grip, Sydney . He’s a vampire. Vampires do not breathe. Geez.
     “Well. This looks perfect for any scene with dining we might script. What am I saying? Vampires don’t dine. They don’t... do they?”
    “What do you look like beneath those spectacles of yours?” he asked, right out of the blue.
    Her heart skipped a beat. And damn that organ for being so attuned to everything about him! Sydney tipped her head sideways and regarded him for long moments. It didn’t seem to do much. He didn’t even look like he needed to blink.
    “Like a person who can’t see. All squinty-eyed and lost. What’s through that door, there? The kitchen?” She pointed.
    “Butler pantry.”
    “And behind that is the kitchen?”
    “You wish to see?”
    “That is why I’m here, Mister... uh... Devereaux. I’m seeing how a real vampire lives. Right?”
    “ Live is such a contentious word,” he replied.
    “You have a pretty extensive vocabulary for a dead thing.”
    “I have a lot of time. I read.”
    “Right. How?”
    “Like anyone else, of course. I love reading.”
    “And you just happen to be in a book club or two? Or maybe you have a library card and the library here in New Orleans stays open all night?”
    He smiled. She should have known what was coming.
    “I have a staff. How else would I keep my abode in perfect condition? They keep me apprised of maintenance issues. I have it centrally conditioned to any climate change, so I don’t have to redo the interior constantly. Humidity is an issue on old wallpaper fixatives.”
    “I’ll bet,” Sydney replied for something to say.
    “My staff also orders books for me.”
    “What kinds of books?”
    “All kinds. Literary. Non-fiction. Commercial fiction. Mysteries. Romance. Science fiction. Would you like to see?”
    “Uh...”
    “My library?”
    Oh no. He has a library?
    She was going to have a really hard time fighting an attraction to him now. This was cheating. Nobody who looked like him needed more. That was just adding unnecessary kindling on the fire. Sydney licked her lips. Gripped her hands tighter. Conquered the urge to approach him. And then her feet just did it. Coming within an arm-span of touching him. And that just meant she had to look up.
    “Is your library close?”
    “You like books, do you?”
    “Devereaux.”
    “Sorry, love. I was just pondering the vagaries of fate. And irony.”
    “Irony?” she parroted. Oh