Free ANDREA'S OVERLORD by Michelle Marquis Page B

his heart ached and worse still, he feared for her.
    Andrea had never been shy about speaking her mind and after her bold excursion the other day who knew what the consequences might be? He kissed her cheek as she blinked away the cobwebs of sleep. “How do you feel, darling?”
    She rubbed her forehead. “I feel strange.”
    “That will pass.”
    “Am I a vampire now?”
    “Yes, but you are not complete until you take your first victim.”
    She gave him a dubious glance and sat up. “And if I refuse to? Then what happens?”
    His throat tightened. He prayed she wouldn’t bring such suffering on herself just for the sake of being stubborn. “You will suffer greatly until you do.”
    Andrea swung her legs off the bed and sat up. She swooned and he sat next to her to steady her. She held her head for a moment then smiled at him.
    “Thank you.”
    Then she got up and disappeared into the bathroom.
    Mikel got up and paced. He was so afraid for her. What if she couldn’t adapt to this new life? What if he’d made a terrible mistake in turning her? A million small terrors made his mind race. He went to the window and stared out at the city.
    A heavy knock sounded at the front door. Mikel’s heart froze in his chest. He went to it and tried to calm his breathing. “Who is it?”
    “Council Police. We’re here for your human servant.”
    There was no running, he’d have to face them and try to talk them out of taking her. Mikel opened the door and gave them an acid stare. He didn’t invite them in. “Why? What has she done?”
    The sergeant, a short stocky man, squared his shoulders. It made him look all the more imposing in his dark red uniform. “She’s been spotted in the streets alone. There are strict laws against things like that. Many have testified she speaks out against the Council. She’s accused of being a human revolutionary. We have orders to bring her in for interrogation.”
    “The law no longer applies to her,” Mikel said. “She’s not human anymore.”
    “You turned her without permission?”
    “What can I say? It was a moment of weakness. She’s vampire now.”
    The sergeant seemed to shake his surprise off quickly. “The Council said she is to come in regardless of circumstance.”
    A feral rage built in his gut. He’d fight to the death to protect her. He just hoped it didn’t come to that. “And if I refuse to release her to you? Then what?”
    “It’s okay, Mikel,” Andrea said from behind him. “I’m not afraid to go with them. I have nothing to hide.”
    He turned around to see her already dressed. She was stunning in snug black pants and a cream-colored blouse. Her long wavy hair hung loose around her shoulders like a dark halo accentuating her ivory skin. He fell in love with her all over again. How he ached to take her right here even with these oafs watching. “You don’t have to go,” he said. “I can stop them.”
    “It will only make them more suspicious that I have something to hide. Let them take me. There is a lot the Council and I need to discuss.”
    “Andrea, please don’t go.”
    She came over and placed a delicate hand on his cheek. “This is my destiny, Mikel. I must do it, no matter what the risks may be.”
    He turned to the police. “I’m coming with you to the interrogation.”
    The sergeant shrugged. “The Council never said you were barred. I have no objection.”
    Mikel grabbed his long black coat and left hoping he hadn’t just condemned Andrea to another death. Only this might be one she could never return from.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 16
     
    One of the Vampire Council members with long white hair and piercing blue eyes frowned down at Andrea from a judicial bench. “Who authorized the turning of this woman?” he bellowed.
    Mikel stepped forward and stood next to her. “I never received permission, my Lord. I turned her because I feared she might be destroyed.”
    “Perhaps rightly so,” another vampire justice chimed