Free Marked: A Vampire Blood Courtesans Romance by Michelle Fox, Gwen Knight Page A

blood rushed from my head. The slightest touch, and I was reeling. He turned the doorknob and opened the door for me.
    Neither of us moved. Ethen hovered over me, his gaze wavering between my lips and my throat. My eagerness stunned me, my damned heart racing in my chest as I waited for him to close that final inch between us.
    Instead, he swallowed and stepped back. “Good night, Winter.”
    I meant to return his sentiment, but all that came out of my mouth was an incoherent and slurred response. Flustered, I slipped through the opening and closed my door before resting my head against it.
    Well, the good news was that I was attracted to him.
    Unfortunately, that meant I was attracted to him.

Chapter 8
    Clad in denim shorts and a thin tank top, sitting cross-legged on the floor with a bowl of cereal on my lap…that was how Ethen found me the next evening. I’d woken to a silent house and had ventured out on my own, too antsy to remain in my room until summoned. Afraid of messing up his kitchen, I’d taken my ‘breakfast’ to the courtesan-approved balcony off the drawing room. Here, I’d watched the sun set behind the cityscape. The view was spectacular, the thick brushstrokes of rosy pink and orange light sliding through the buildings as the sun dipped behind the horizon.
    “Evening,” Ethen’s rough voice rose from the doorway.
    I turned, my breath catching at the sight of him. He was clad in dark slacks and a pristine, royal blue button-down shirt, half open to the wind. I caught a small glimpse of a sculpted chest marred only by a thin scar that ran adjacent to his heart. Though curious, it didn’t feel right to question its source. At least, not yet.
    I swept my tongue across my lips and cleared my throat. “Hi.”
    “I trust you slept well?”
    “The room is fantastic, thank you.” Not to mention the feather-soft bed. I’d never slept on anything like it. “And you?”
    Amusement curled his lips, as though sharing in some private joke. “Well enough.”
    And there went the pleasantries. I pressed my lips together and cut a glance back toward the horizon. The last of the sun’s rays had vanished, relinquishing the city to a dusky haze. Prime time for vampires, or so it appeared.
    “Have you been awake very long?” he asked.
    “Only an hour or so. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to sleep in the daylight, but those windows…”
    “Smart glass,” he informed me. “By now I’m sure you’ve noticed the many skylights and windows adorning the house.”
    I chuckled under my breath. “I’ve noticed. You have a lot of windows for someone with a severe allergy to sunlight.”
    Even he smiled. “The glass is tempered and controlled by a sensor. As the sun rises, the glass darkens. Much like tinted windows in a vehicle. We have shades if needed as well, for those particularly bright days that might reduce a vampire to ash. Some vampires can walk under the sun. Day walkers, we call them. I, however, am not one of them. So smart glass it is.”
    “Clever.”
    “I’m glad you approve. Now, I believe we have some business to attend to.”
    Ah, the true reason he’d ventured out onto the balcony. Dusting my hands off against my legs, I grabbed my bowl and pushed to my feet. Time to sign the contract and put in motion what I’d dubbed Operation Coffin Bait.
    I re-entered the house to find Ms. Doyle standing next to the nearest chair, her hand extended toward me. “If you’d please, Ms. Winter.”
    Blinking, I glanced between her and Ethen.
    “The bowl,” he confirmed.
    “Ah. Sorry.”
    “No need to apologize,” he commented before starting down the hallway.
    “Oh, and thank you for stocking the upstairs kitchen with food,” I murmured to Ms. Doyle as I skirted past her.
    “Of course, dear.”
    Ethen took the next right into his office. I paused at the door and studied the interior, unsurprised to find it comprised of the same cherry wood as the rest of the house.
    “Come in.”
    I did as he