Free Sweet Ruin by Kresley Cole Page B

Josephine’s attractiveness. Right now, he had trouble coming up with
any
female who could.
    No matter what, beheading this woman seemed such a waste. His hand paused at his blade. “Do you dream the memories of those you drink?” Maybe she didn’t possess that ability; some vampires didn’t.
    “I’ve definitely never done that.”
    He was tempted to believe her. “You’re not a
cosaş
? A reader of bloodborne memories?”
    “No.”
    Natural-born vampires were incapable of lying. When attempting to voice a falsehood, they experienced severe pain.
    Of course, in the world of the immortals, every rule had an exception.
    Perhaps he should force Josephine back to his lair and monitor her. In addition to his opulent rooms at Perdishian Castle, he had a second home in the realm of Tortua. The outer walls were warded, escape-proofed.
    He would keep her for a while, making certain she posed no threat.
    Yet what if a
cosaş
drank
her
, then what would happen? Though unable to read memories, she still could have harvested them.
    Rune could never let her go free into the worlds. A
permanent
female capture? In his private sanctuary?
    Unless he disposed of her.
    Damn it, he didn’t have time for this! His dick had led him straight into trouble, and he was no closer to killing Nïx.
    He would secure the vampire, debate his options, then return to search for his target until sunrise.
    He looped his arm around Josephine, crushing her against him. “I’m going to imprison you, female. Regrettably for both of us, you’ll remain my captive for the rest of your life, however short a time that might be. The longer you keep me interested, the longer you’ll live.”
    She thrashed against him. “Let me go, freak!”
    He sighed with irritation. “I’m far too powerful for you to break free. Not even a millennia-old demon can trace from my hold.” A proven fact.
    “Trace?”
    “Don’t play ignorant, little girl.”
    Her widened eyes narrowed to slits. “
Little girl?
I’ve
never
been a little girl.”
    When she stilled, his irritation turned to bafflement, because she began dematerializing—like tracing, but slower. “Impossible.” Somehow she was evading his viselike grip.
    Face gone even paler, eyes even darker, she smirked at his disbelief.
    He’d never known a vampire who could control their tracing to this degree.
    “I’m more powerful than I look,
little boy
,” she purred. “I’ll remember you planned to imprison me—at best—and gut me at worst. Guard your back, because I’ll be watching you.” Then she disappeared.

    Jo had heard of coffee dates gone wrong, but
seriously
? What a prick!
    After ghosting from his hold, she’d gone fully invisible, settling into the opposite wall of the courtyard.
    She meant what she’d said; she intended to monitor his every move. Tonight she would discover more about his world.
    About my world.
    This dude was old—holy shit, was he old!—so he would have answers.
    Already she’d learned she was a vampire, and there were others. Dark fey and nymphs and demons existed.
    On an abomination scale, a mortal turned vampire would have to be better than a demon, right?
Hey, Thaddie, I’m a vampire, but luckily—phew—not a demon.
    Again she wondered if she would live to be thousands of years old. The thought depressed her.
    Rune spun in place, his face a mask of rage. He bit out words in that weird language he’d used earlier, then adjusted his bow over his shoulder. He gazed up at the sky, as if to gauge time, then started away.
    To find me.
    She followed, ghosting from one lamppost to another. . . .
    For hours, she watched as he checked every backstreet, pausing, and then seeming to track down stray scents. They’d gone far afield from the Quarter but were almost back at the courtyard where this night had started.
    At one point, he’d launched his fist into the brick wall of an abandoned building. The force hurtled the two-story structure onto its side, as if he’d