Violet Tendencies Read Online Free PDF Page A

with the passwords. But now, the place might as well have been Fort Knox. Too bad Lavinia rarely left the compound, or we could have just planned an ambush.
    I became still. Lavinia never left the compound, but the other Dominae did. Tanith and Persephone handled most of the night-to-night business.
    “Hey,” I called. “What day is it?”
    “Let’s see…” Adam looked up as he mentally counted days. “Monday? No, wait, it’s Tuesday by now.”
    A smile spread across my lips. “Perfect.”
    The males frowned at me for a moment before resuming their discussion about the best place to crash. I took a moment to weigh the insanity of my new plan with the possible outcomes. Once I was sure it was our best option, I held up a hand. “Hey guys,” I said, interrupting their debate over where we’d spend the day after the sun came up. “Anyone in the mood for a little kidnapping and extortion?”

Meet the Author
     
    Raised in Texas, Jaye Wells grew up reading everything she could get her hands on. Her penchant for daydreaming was often noted by frustrated teachers. Later, she embarked on a series of random career paths before taking a job as a magazine editor. Jaye eventually realized that while she loved writing, she found reporting facts boring. So she left all that behind to indulge her overactive imagination and make stuff up for a living. Besides writing, she enjoys travel, art, history, and researching weird and arcane subjects. She lives in Texas with her saintly husband and devilish son. Find out more about Jaye Wells at www.jayewells.com.
    Jaye Wells. Photo © by On Location Portraiture.
     

By Jaye Wells
S ABINA K ANE N OVELS
     
    Red-Headed Stepchild
    The Mage in Black
    Green-Eyed Demon
    Silver-Tongued Devil

If you enjoyed VIOLET TENDENCIES,
    look out for

RED-HEADED STEPCHILD
    Book 1 of the Sabina Kane series
    by Jaye Wells
     

Chapter 1
     
    D igging graves is hell on a manicure, but I was taught good vampires clean up after every meal. So I ignored the chipped onyx polish. I ignored the dirt caked under my nails. I ignored my palms, rubbed raw and blistering. And when a snapping twig announced David’s arrival, I ignored him too.
    He said nothing, just stood off behind a thicket of trees waiting for me to acknowledge him. Despite his silence, I could feel hot waves of disapproval flying in my direction.
    At last, the final scoop of earth fell onto the grave. Stalling, I leaned on the shovel handle and restored order to my hair. Next I brushed flecks of dirt from my cashmere sweater. Not the first choice of digging attire for some, but I always believed manual labor was no excuse for sloppiness. Besides, the sweater was black, so it went well with the haphazard funerary rites.
    The Harvest Moon, a glowing orange sphere, still loomed in the sky. Plenty of time before sunrise. In the distance, traffic hummed like white noise in the City of Angels. I took a moment to appreciate the calm.
    Memory of the phone call from my grandmother intruded. When she told me the target of my latest assignment, an icy chill spread through my veins. I’d almost hung up, unable to believe what she was asking me to do. But when she told me David was working with Clovis Trakiya, white-hot anger replaced the chill. I called up that anger now to spur my resolve. I clenched my teeth and ignored the cold stone sitting in my stomach. My own feelings about David were irrelevant now. The minute he decided to work with one of the Dominae’s enemies—a glorified cult leader who wanted to overthrow their power—he’d signed his death warrant.
    Unable to put it off any longer, I turned to him. “What’s up?”
    David stalked out of his hiding place, a frown marring the perfect planes of his face. “Do you want to tell me why you’re burying a body?”
    “Who, me?” I asked, tossing the shovel to the ground. My palms were already healing. I wish I could say the same for my guilty conscience. If David thought I should apologize