Free Dark Melody: A Vampire Romance (Immortal Legacy Book 1) by Lorraine Kennedy Page A

when the sun went down.
    There was nothing left to do but go back to Ethan’s office or home. Calling the police wasn’t an option. They’d think I was crazy.
    Knowing Ethan was in danger, I was too agitated to go home so I headed back to the office.
    When I got there, LaRee’s Voodoo Shop was crowded. LaRee’s drew all kinds of people, from tourists to those serious voodoo practitioners. This time of year was especially bad for crowds in the Quarter.
    I was happy that we had a separate entrance.
    As I made my way around the people that were standing in front of the store, I felt a prickly sensation run up my back. Stopping, I examined the crowd a little closer. No one seemed to be watching me.
    Although I tried to shrug it off, the feeling persisted all the way up the stairs. Drawing in a deep breath, I turned to look down the staircase at St. Peter’s Street.
    There were too many people on the street to know for sure if one of them was watching me. I could make out the muffled sound of jazz in the distance, but nothing really seemed out of place.
    Dismissing the feeling as my overactive imagination, I decided that as long as I was in the office, I should probably look through Ethan’s files. Maybe there would be a clue to who Omar was and where I could find his nest.
    If the vampire was as dangerous as everyone thought, I had no doubt Ethan would have been tracking him.
    As soon as I turned to face the door, I stopped. A dim glow from the emergency lights crept from the cracked door.
    I was positive I’d closed it when I left.
    Could Alec be wrong?
    Maybe Ethan had already been in and forgot to close the door completely.
    Drawing in a deep breath, I pushed the door open a few more inches and peered inside. At first, all I could make out were long legs and a black pair of boots propped on my desk.
    Just as I was ready to scramble down the stairs, a voice stopped me. “Don’t leave without saying hello.”
    It was Alec’s voice.
    Relief washed over me, although I wasn’t sure why. He was a vampire, after all.
    I pushed the door open and stepped inside.
    “It’s about time you showed up.” There was a critical tone to his voice.
    “I’ve been looking for you,” I told him, wondering why I even felt the need to defend myself.
    In a blink of an eye, he was standing next to me. “I smell another vampire on you. Who have you been with?”
    I opened my mouth to say something, but no words would come out. Actually, I hadn’t even decided if I was going to tell Alec about Dash and what I’d discovered.
    Now he was even closer, so close that I had goose bumps.
    “Don’t deny it. I can smell him on you.” Alec’s eyes were glowing with hunger.
    My heart was racing as I imagined him sinking his fangs into my flesh. To my surprise, the thought was almost erotic. It seemed that whenever I was near him, carnal images slipped into my head.
    “I have seen another vampire,” I admitted. “I wanted to talk to him about something.”
    “Are you crazy?” he thundered. “Does the word vampire not mean anything to you? Humans don’t keep company with vampires.”
    Stunned by his outburst, I couldn’t think of a single thing to say in response.
    The corners of his mouth dipped into a frown. Before I could stop him, he’d pulled me into his arms. His lips came down on my neck and I felt something akin to a jolt of electricity travel over every inch of my body.
    I had to focus!
    I had to think about Ethan!
    Finally, I gathered enough willpower to pull away. “If I should stay away from vampires, then why are you here?” My voice trembled along with the rest of me.
    For a long time, he said nothing and when he did break his silence, he answered my question with one of his own. “What is it about vampires that you find so compelling? It won’t do you any good to deny this. I feel the curiosity that draws you.”
    I had no answer to offer. He was right. There was something about the vampire that drew me, but I had no