Kiss of Crimson Samantha Coville (best short books to read .TXT) 📖

I placed my finger on his lip to quiet him. "Hopefully you won't need to give a last breath for a very long time. I know where we can go for now until we figure out what to do next. Somewhere that Jardin wouldn't dare touch us."

He scrunched up his face as if he had smelled something bad. "I hate to ask where."

I nodded. "We have to go to my mother, Arden. The mansion is secure, she has the guard force we need, and, as much as Jardin can threaten her, she is not a force so easily taken down."

"I'm the last person she wants to see," he interjected.

"Well, she's going to have to deal with it for now. If she doesn't let you in, then that means I'm not going in either. I don't think she's willing to make that sacrifice."

Arden's hand reached over and grabbed my own from my lap, giving it a tight squeeze. "We aren't anywhere close to being in the clear yet. It's going to be dangerous."

"Then let's stop wasting time. The boy needs medical attention quickly."

He nodded in agreement and the car pulled away from the warehouse and onto the road. Luckily, it would only be a short drive to the mansion. But every passing mile marker filled my heart with dread. One night had changed everything and, as confident as I tried to be for Arden, I had no clue what my mother was going to do.

Sixteen

Arden

As a vampire, there’s very little that terrifies me.

Being trapped outside without protective sun gear. My master somehow finding a way to take his gift of eternal life back from me. Being hideous.

But damn did the thought of seeing Madame Leona right then scare the crap out of me.

I wasn’t too thrilled with Eloise’s plan. Unfortunately, we didn’t have much choice. Both of our lives were on the line.

And I sure as hell wasn’t going to let Eloise pay the price for my choices.

So I drove as fast as I could without risking being caught by the cops. The last thing I needed was to end up in jail, where Jardin was more than likely to have someone working for him on the inside. No, the Hart Mansion was our only hope.

Eloise was putting on a confident facade beside me. But I could see out of the corner of my eye that her leg was bouncing up and down and her right hand clutched the door of the car in a vice grip.

The carrier boy had gone silent in the backseat. I didn’t have the heart to tell Eloise that it was probably too late to help him. She wouldn’t accept defeat so easily.

I felt Eloise relax momentarily as the mansion came into view. With a few more quick maneuvers of the car, we were on the grounds and pulling up to a group of people waiting for us.

I didn’t have a clue how they knew to expect us, but I counted my lucky stars.

Once the car was in park, a handful of armed security guards came forward to check on Eloise. She waved them off and yelled at them to check the backseat. Her voice was high-pitched and panicked.

“There’s a boy in there. He was badly hurt. Please hurry, there isn’t much time.”

They obeyed orders and opened the backseat to gently pull out the kid. Christ. His skin was a nauseating grey color. Eloise began to whimper as I got out of the vehicle and went to hold her.

The men carried the boy away to a separate car. Probably to take him to a hospital that received generous “donations” to keep quiet regarding any of Madame Leona’s medical needs.

And speak of the devil.

Her heels were loud on the loose gravel of the road. I turned to look at her and saw she was once again dressed strictly for business. She had on a long dress, not quite formal enough for a ball, but nothing you’d wear for simply lounging about. Her hair was pulled up in a tight bun, her face serious and cold.

I had to give her credit. She kept herself emotionally distanced from clients and rivals better than most. Most blood traders would slip up, eventually. But Madame Leona was a top player in the game for a reason.

And I was now the target of her untrusting hatred.

Damnit.

“Eloise, are you hurt?” Her voice was flat and calm. But I knew it was her way of expressing that she cared. She was checking on her baby bird first. Then the talons would come out.

Eloise pulled away from me and shook her head, wiping away her tears.

“I’m okay; Arden saved me. And he tried to save the boy. Mother... he’s done working for Jardin. We can trust him now. We have to help him though or Jardin will-”

Madame Leona put her hand up to silence her daughter. Eloise looked between the two of us pleadingly.

“I’ll decide what I will or will not do for a man who stole information from me and put that boy in danger in the first place.”

I held my hands in front of me, staying respectful and silent. I was on her turf. I was at her mercy. If I didn’t play my cards right, she’d throw me to Jardin like table scraps.

“Let’s get inside before someone comes looking for. And then Eloise, you will go to your room. I won’t hear a single complaint from you, understood? Arden and I will have a little chat and we’ll see what happens from there.”

I nodded at Eloise to signal to her that it was alright. Because my poor, sweet Eloise looked mortified. Willingly putting her vamp and her mother alone together was surely a recipe for one of our deaths.

Eloise gave in. A small servant girl ran out with a coat to wrap around her Lady and escort us inside. As soon as the large double doors were closed behind us, the servant