Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 119694 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119694 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
Uh…what? I stare up at him, dumbfounded. “Lord of the who?”
Lucian doesn’t answer me in words. Instead, he bares his teeth. And I see them…
Fangs. Long, curving, needle-sharp, fangs, glinting white in the crimson light.
My stomach plummets. How the hell did I miss that before? Maybe because I was too busy trying not to hyperventilate over the fact that his shoulders are literally twice the width of my own.
He steps closer, and I take a shaky step back, stumbling clumsily over the edge of an expensive Persian rug. I barely keep my footing and stay upright.
“I am no demon spawn,” he says again, his voice like a thunderclap. “I am Thirstborn. What you humans call a ‘Vampire.’ And you, my lovely one, are meant to be my Queen.”
“Wait—what?” I exclaim. “You can’t know that! You don’t even know me!”
“Oh, but I do.” A cruel smile appears on his sensuous lips. “I have been watching you for months to be certain you were the one for me.”
“What—so you’ve been spying on me? Did you bug my apartment or what?” I ask in a shaky voice, almost too shocked to be offended. Why would someone who looks like him be trying to sneak a peek through my windows…or however he was watching me?
“Spying on you?” Lucian raises one eyebrow thoughtfully. “I wouldn’t call it spying exactly. Though I confess I watched you more than I should—I wanted to drink in your beauty. But I was simply making certain you were the one for me—the Abundant Queen I was seeking. I even sent Whistler to get a sample of your blood to be sure you were the one the prophecy foretold.”
I take another step back.
“Wait, you’re the one who had me drug-tested? Do you know how stressful that was? I thought my manager was going to fire me on the spot!”
His handsome face darkens.
“Yes, I have seen the disrespectful way he treats you. I will have him killed for you, if you like.”
“Killed? You’re asking if I want Mr. Philbens killed?” My head is reeling. I can’t even take in what he’s saying right now!
“Yes, killed.” He shrugs those impossibly broad shoulders, as though it’s no big deal to put out a hit on my manager. “Don’t worry, lovely one—it won’t be a problem. I already have Shadow Agents in place to deal with the other male at your work—the one who pinched you without your consent.” His face goes dark as a thundercloud. “That one will die slowly—this I can promise you.”
Oh my God. Oh. My. God. Now he’s talking about killing Donald Pugh! And don’t get me wrong—not that either he or Mr. Philbens don’t deserve to get some of their own back—personally, I would be happy to see them both fired. But killed in cold blood? No—that’s too much. It’s going too far. He’s talking like a Mob boss—a vampire Mob boss!
Suddenly, I have a revelation—I understand what’s going on here. I’ve been suspecting it all along but now I know for sure—I’m dreaming.
This is what I get for reading Midnight Hunger before bed. My subconscious has mashed it all together—the book club…the vampire romance…the creepy blood test…my stress from work—and here I am, naked in front of Count Tall, Dark, and Fangy who’s offering to off my coworker for pinching my ass, while also claiming that I am the woman he’s been searching for—the one who can complete him because of some ancient prophecy.
There’s no way this isn’t a dream.
The realization frees me of my fear and I straighten up, stop trying to hide, and put my hands on my hips. Why bother to cover myself in a dream?
“Well,” I mutter, lifting my chin in defiance. “One thing’s for sure. I’m never reading another vampire romance again!”
Lucian—(I know, my subconscious even came up with a kick-ass vampire name for him)—frowns down at me, gray eyes flashing scarlet for just a moment, a red glow curling like fire in the center of his pupils.
“Who do you think you are, anyway?” I demand, poking a finger at his ridiculously broad chest. “And what gives you the right to send someone to drag me out of my own home and traffic me into this…this…whatever this place is?”
“This ‘place’ is the Shadow Realm,” he answers, frowning. “And you stand in the kingdom of The Bleeding Court, which I rule. This tower is The Crimson Spires, the tallest in the Shadow Realm. It is mine.” His lips curl in a smile, slow and dangerous. “Just as you are now mine, my lovely Curvy Queen.”
He reaches out, his hand coming toward my face, his fingers long and strong and elegant. His fingertips brush my cheek and I feel a strange flush of heat go through me. My nipples are instantly so hard they ache and my pussy feels wet and hot.