Free Dark Mate (MATE series) by Natalie Kristen Page B

clearly that they were from different worlds. She walked in the
light, on the side of the law, while he moved in the dark, a lethal,
remorseless predator.
    One of her ex-boyfriends had
complained that Eva was too guarded, too afraid of her heart. But
now she had real reason to be afraid. She feared that her heart no
longer belonged to her.
    Eva turned away from the door
and felt a hand close around her throat. Her scream was choked off
as long, cool fingers dug into her neck.
    She gasped and stared at the
woman in front of her. The woman was smiling as she held Eva by the
neck. Eva felt her feet lift off the ground as the dark-haired woman
smiled wider, baring her sparkling, sharp fangs.
    The woman had flowing, black
hair and blood red eyes, and she was wearing a figure hugging,
see-through crimson gown. She was tall and voluptuous, her skin
smooth and flawless. Eva could see her naked body under that sheer,
shimmering gown. Her breasts were high, round and full, her curves
sexy, perfect. Her arms were slender, but there was no mistaking the
strength and power in them.
    There was a cold, savage
beauty about her, and Eva sensed that the woman was no ordinary
vampire.
    Eva tried to aim a kick at the
woman's face, but she only laughed and tightened her fingers around
Eva's neck.
    “ Come,” she cooed
seductively. “This won't hurt.”
    Eva stared helplessly into
those red eyes as the woman licked a drop of blood from Eva's neck.
Eva gasped, as she felt herself plummeting into those swirling red
depths. Eva blinked hard, unable to look away from those hypnotic
eyes that were the color of blood. In a few blinks, Eva saw the
woman's eyes fade to hazel, and she saw her as she was two hundred
years ago.
    Eva saw the woman lying on a
slab of stone, naked and bleeding, her eyes wide open with fear and
loathing. She was staring into a cage, staring at...an animal, a
monster. No, it wasn't an animal. It was a bloodied vampire,
slamming against the bars of the cage, trying to reach her. He
wanted her blood, wanted to drink her. She made a sound of disgust
as the vampire fell back to the corner of the cage, slipping on the
blood on the floor. With a roar, he threw himself to the floor and
started lapping up the fresh blood at his feet. That was her blood,
her blood that had been spilled all over the floor of the cage for
him.
    For Gabriel.
    Eva gasped. She had looked
into the woman's eyes, and she had seen her past. Hers and
Gabriel's.
    “ You...” Eva
wheezed. “You're Vonetta, Gabriel's...” What? What was
she to Gabriel?
    The woman cocked her head at
Eva.
    “ I see you have access
to his memories. That means you have his blood in you.” She
smiled. “I knew he had taken you. And now, I can smell him on
you, in you.”
    Eva clawed hard at the hand
holding her by the throat. When Vonetta's grip loosened, Eva's hand
shot out and she raked her nails across Vonetta's face, narrowly
missing her eyes. Sniffing, Vonetta flung Eva to the floor and
pressed her sharp, stiletto heel into her chest. The point was
sharp, and Eva felt the sharp point stabbing into her chest, twisting
slowly through her flesh.
    Vonetta bent down, showing the
swell of her creamy, bountiful breasts. Her hair brushed against
Eva's skin, and Eva suddenly felt relaxed and calm, like she was
being massaged and stroked by soft, gentle fingers. She sighed and a
strange high-pitched giggle bubbled from her throat.
    Eva jerked, and forced herself
to stay alert. Why was she giggling like a schoolgirl when there was
a blade burrowing into her chest towards her heart?
    She glared up at Vonetta's
smiling face, and saw that the scratches across her face had already
vanished completely.
    “ You...you're not a
vampire...” she stammered.
    “ Oh, I am. I am most
certainly a vampire. But I am more than just a vampire.”
Vonetta's beautiful face twisted and she spat, “I am what I am.
Because of Gabriel King.”
    “ W-what do you want?”
    “ I think you know