Vampire King of New York Read Online Free PDF

shelves and turned the corner.
    “Hello.”
    She gazed into those glacier, blue-gray eyes and everything in her melted. Evelyn grinned. “Hello, Max.”
    “Oh, I see you’ve found him.” Mrs. Jepsen nodded.
    Weird , Evelyn thought. She didn’t even feel the woman on her heels. It gave her the creeps. “Yes, thank you.”
    The head librarian nodded again, then turned and went off toward the reference desk. Evelyn waited until she was some distance away before returning to Max in the stacks.
    “What are you doing here? You of all people don’t need a book on Vikings.”
    “I just thought I’d enjoy a little reminiscing.”
    “About pillaging and plundering?”
    “No, friends and family, remember. I especially miss my family. I had a wife and a little boy. When I left, he was just learning to talk.”
    Tears welled in her eyes, and before she knew it, she was sobbing quietly against his chest. His arms were warm and strong, and for the first time in a long time, she relaxed in the arms of a man. After several minutes, she lifted her head. “Thank you for the roses, Max.”
    “I’m happy they pleased you.”
    Evelyn couldn’t help but smile. Sometimes his speech betrayed him with its old fashioned way of saying things. Most people would think he was a foreigner that had learned English.
    “We don’t have to go to the opera, but we could go to dinner. Any restaurant you choose except Italian, of course.” He grinned, and his smile was so appealing, a laugh fell from her lips. Covering her mouth, she said, “I didn’t mean to laugh.”
    “Yes, you did. I was trying to make you smile at least.” He shifted in his stance, as if she was making him nervous. “We could go to the movies or for coffee, or just hang out.”

    There was something about him that took her breath away. “Yes, Max, I’d love to hang out with you. Nothing fancy, okay?”
    “All right. You pick the restaurant. Then we could catch Bergman’s “Cries and Whispers” at the Regal. Or something else. Your choice.”
    “I think “Cries and Whispers” is perfect. It’s tragic. We’ve both had tragic lives. It sort of fits.”
    “I’ll pick you up around seven at David’s?”
    “Yes.” She picked up the books and they headed to the checkout. “These books are excellent choices. If you need any additional assistance, just call.”
    As they reached the desk, he waited while each book was scanned and handed to him. “Thank you, Mrs. Beaumont, for your help.”
    Max turned and left. Evelyn watched until he pushed through the doors and was gone from her sight. Every second of seeing him gave her pleasure. Then a shadow crossed her peripheral vision. She jumped.
    “Do you need something, Mrs. Beaumont?” Mrs. Jepsen asked.
    Evelyn smiled. Oh, she definitely needed something.
    She hadn’t planned on working late. Time had gotten away from her. It was already quarter of seven when she ran out the staff door.
    “Mrs. Beaumont.” An expensively dressed, dark-haired woman stepped up to her. The woman was gorgeous, but strangely she wore sunglasses and the shadows of evening had already fallen.
    “We can go inside, and …”
    A knife flashed. Evelyn screamed and fell down an open grate.

 
    Chapter 5
    “Sleep in a dark place and lose your way …” As Evelyn dreamt, the words swam over and over in her mind. Long claws stroked her face tormenting her.  To keep from crying aloud, she bit her lower lip until it bled. She refused to give the creature the satisfaction.
    A mouth sucked over her face, taking her breath, spinning her into a queasy whirlpool of shattered memories. Evelyn, in one last gasp of air, screamed.
    “Evie!”
    She opened her eyes. “Laura.” Evelyn reached up and touched her sister’s face, uncertain if she was still dreaming.
    Laura held her hand to her cheek. “I’m here. You screamed. I heard you scream. You fell into an open grate.”
    “There was a woman. She wore sunglasses. She had a knife.”
    Max