Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 20635 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 103(@200wpm)___ 83(@250wpm)___ 69(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20635 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 103(@200wpm)___ 83(@250wpm)___ 69(@300wpm)
That's what people will think either way, since I'm pretty sure everyone by now knows what happened last night at Oak & Pine.
"Are you alright, Catalina?"
I forget my train of thought as soon as I hear Michalis murmur my name in that sexy, Greek-accented way of his.
Can this man be any sexier, seriously?
"You look worried."
I force myself to concentrate on his words. "Um, not worried exactly, but I was kinda hoping I don't show up late for work today, so maybe if we pick up our pace a little—-"
He runs his knuckles gently down my cheek, and I forget what I'm about to say again.
"You do not have to worry about that."
Michalis and I take the subway back to Night Bloom, but as soon as we're out of the station, the King suddenly sweeps me up into his arms, and all I can do is throw my arms around him when he bursts immediately into a run.
Holy shit!
Air traffic rules have been adjusted since That Day to prevent accidental collisions between preters and low-flying aircraft, and the only reason Michalis is able to jump from one building to another is because Night Bloom is his city, and there are no rules when you're its king.
I actually feel airsick by the time Michalis lowers me to my feet right in front of Nox's lobby, and a slight smirk over his lips. "Are you alright?"
Ha!
He clearly looks like he knows I'm not alright at all, and...someone correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this a textbook case of little boys loving to tease and torment the girls they're secretly crush—-
The King's smirk suddenly disappears, and I'm left blinking at the way he's glowering down at me.
Uh oh.
What did I do this time?
He slowly leans towards me, and I find myself leaning away until I'd have ended up falling backwards if not for the King curving an arm around my waist as he whispers into my ear, "You have exactly ninety seconds to get to your office if you don't want to be late."
Oh, shiiiiiiiiiiiiit.
The King smirks anew when I immediately try wriggling free, and all I can do is gasp when he takes my mouth in a deep, hard kiss before letting me go.
Oh my God.
Did he just kiss me in full view of, I don't know, his entire freaking city?
"Have a nice day, Catalina."
The pleasant tone of his voice makes me feel like he's mocking me, and I'm torn between wanting to throw my shoe - or myself - at him.
Show some pride, Cat!
I'm thirty-freaking-two years old, and it's so not my age to act like a little kiss is enough to turn my world upside-down...even when it is.
I hurry away without looking back, but just as I'm about to enter the Nox, something - someone - catches my eye.
Don't go there.
It doesn't matter how my heart is now thudding against my chest.
You just thought you saw something, but you didn't.
I'm probably the first normal woman the King's ever known to kiss, so it's normal to feel I'm being watched.
So stop imagining things.
I can't let my past ruin my life all over again.
Chapter Nine
First, there was just us humans. And then we found out there were preters.
You would have thought it would end there, but humans have always been a race that wants what the other has. Vampires knew this, and they did not hesitate to take advantage of it.
~ A Mortal Guide's to Preters by S.J. Wells
MICHALIS SHIFTED INTO his other form as soon as Catalina turned away. The only reason he had a penthouse built was to have access in and out of the tower without having to take the stairs or the elevator, which were far too slow and crowded for his liking.
He was already several hundred feet above ground when his hackles started to rise, and he immediately halted mid-climb as his senses picked up on Catalina's unease.
His first instinct was to leap back down so he could pick her up by the collar of her blouse as a wolf would with its cub. His primal desire was to carry Catalina all the way to the safety of his penthouse, ask her what was wrong, and kill whatever it was that had caused icy sweat to blanket over her skin.
The scent of her distress was making him bristle, but his tension abruptly turned into wariness when he sensed Catalina determinedly working to slow her heartbeat down. It was almost as if she didn't want anyone to find out she was troubled, and Michalis' mood turned brooding as he recalled her story about meeting an old woman and ending up drawing The Priestess from a deck of Tarot cards.
He had security verify her story without telling Catalina, but Spiros and his men had come back empty handed. All of the security cameras at the train station had apparently experienced a few minutes of downtime...and it just so happened to coincide with the time Catalina had spent there.