Dark Salvation Read Online Free Page A

your…girlfriend?” Nicholas cast a sidelong glance at the dark-haired woman seething with anger, her eyes shooting daggers in his direction. He wouldn’t admit it aloud, but angry looked adorable on her. Something about the crimson flush to her cheeks and the way it played off her brown eyes. He’d love to stay and piss her off further, but he had a dinner date outside that he just couldn’t miss.
    Angry, drunk, and stupid, Paul was a stellar combination of fail. In his blind rage he threw his fist, but never landed the punch.
    Nicholas grabbed him by the wrist and twirled him around. “Outside, now!” he growled, and forced Paul out of the back door.
    It didn’t take much effort; blondie was just as willing to fight as Nicholas was to let him try.
    Alone in the back alley, it was Nicholas’s turn to strike. Paul’s six-foot, one-inch height was no match, even with his alcohol-fueled rage. Before he could utter another word, Nicholas had Paul pinned against the wall and his teeth sunk deep into his neck.
    Rich and thick, the blood flowed into his mouth, warming him, fueling him, and at the same time soothing his own anger.
    The right prey was always too easy, but nothing satisfied his thirst for blood like an arrogant bastard, and that prick had practically begged for death.
    It was one thing to be an asshole – Nicholas himself had been guilty of that on many occasions – but to harm an innocent, that he could not accept. Who knew what atrocities he had planned for that woman inside? Nicholas wondered how or why anyone would stoop so low. The thought was beyond him. Could anyone be that desperate for sex? He’d never had trouble with that in his time, never needed to resort to drugs to get between a woman’s legs. They’d always been more than willing.
    Whatever this man’s reason, or lack thereof, he’d never be able to do it again. Paul’s heart began to falter and the flow of blood slowed to a trickle. His body slacked in Nicholas’s arms. Death came too quickly.
    Nicholas dragged in a deep breath and let out a sigh of pure satisfaction. Heat coursed through his system, starting with a tingle at the base of his neck and then spreading all the way to his extremities, bringing with it new vigor and energy. Fresh blood heightened his already acute predatory senses. Though sated, he instantly locked on the scents of pedestrians passing by on the near street, fangs tingling to sink once more into hot tender flesh. As an ancient of his kind, fresh blood was an indulgence. He’d long since grown out of the need for nightly feedings. That was something fledglings required. For him, once a week was more than enough, and lately he’d gone beyond that, not bothering to leave the house for lack of care. Tonight, however, he found himself strangely unsatisfied. Perhaps he’d take a second soon. In a city like Boston, prey like Paul were never in short supply. Sadly, in these modern times, scumbags and predators were common. Easy prey for him, but unfortunate for the rest of society.
     Nicholas disposed of the body, snatching the gold cross that had been around the man’s neck, and a ladies’ wallet that had fallen from his back pocket.
    “A rapist and a thief,” he scoffed as he stalked back toward the bar.
    The woman was still there, looking quite dejected, half soaked in whatever concoction she was drinking, and all alone.
    Nicholas smiled as he approached, catching a whiff of her perfume. Soft, pleasant; a sweet orange scent that smelled natural and fresh, unlike the cloying chemical-ridden concoctions most women bathed themselves in. There was a note of vanilla in there as well.
    He caught her heated gaze for a moment and flashed her a cocky smile. She really was quite adorable with that angry pout on her lips. But he wasn’t interested in the woman, cute or not.
    “You’re welcome.” Nicholas said and placed the wallet he’d retrieved in front of her.
    “What the hell is that?”
    “Your