Dark Salvation Read Online Free Page B

boyfriend was holding on to it. He’s not coming back.” Nicholas turned to walk away.
    “This isn’t mine!” she huffed.
    That made him pause. He wondered at the fate of the previous owner. The poor woman who’d not been able to see him for the snake he was. At least now he’d not be able to hurt anyone else. Still, he didn’t appreciate the dark-haired woman’s haughty tone. He had saved her, after all. “Then I guess you were his second choice tonight. Lucky you. Imagine what must have happened to the first. You should be more selective next time.”
    “Go fuck yourself.” She glared at him with hate-filled eyes.
    “Thanks for the suggestion. I just might.” She had some spunk, that was for sure. Smiling to himself, Nicholas continued to walk away without a second glance at the woman.
    He found Lysander sitting alone at a small table along the wall pretending to nurse a beer.
    “That is the old Nicholas. I have missed you, friend.” He held up the bottle in salute.
    “Don’t patronize,” Nicholas retorted.
    “Well, at least for a few moments, you appeared to be happy. What about the girl? Did you not like her?”
    Nicholas heard the wary edge in Lysander’s voice. It annoyed him that his friend would try so hard to force him to meet a woman. He wasn’t ready, might not be ready for centuries. Why wouldn’t Lysander just drop it?
    “I don’t like ignorance,” Nicholas grumbled under his breath. A lie, really. His reasons for not pursuing the woman had nothing to do with her perceived intelligence. He found her to be quite attractive, even if her taste in men was questionable, but he was just not in the mood tonight.
    “Come now, that is hardly fair. Look at where we are. Alcohol is in abundance and inhibitions are low.”
    “Then I hope for her sake that she’s learned to watch her drink. Why are you pressing the matter?”
    “Because she is staring at you.” Lysander nodded in the woman’s direction.
    “Really?” Nicholas’s voice was laced with sarcasm. “She told me to go fuck myself.”
    “Then she must really like you.” Amusement lit in Lysander’s eyes as he stared over Nicholas’s shoulder toward the dark-haired lady.
    Nicholas shrugged, trying to act as if he could care less. “It’s my animal magnetism, what can I say?”
    “It must be something, she is still staring.”
    He’d hoped that Lysander had been pulling his chain, but the way he continued to look in her direction had Nicholas’s curiosity piqued. He turned around and sure enough, she was staring, but this was no lusty gaze. There was something cold and calculating about the way her eyes were scrutinizing him.
    He caught a flash of recognition in her penetrating gaze. She did not waver or cower away when Nicholas met her eyes either. Something was off about her. No normal mundane human acted this way. Perhaps he had misjudged her.
    Calling on his years of experience, Nicholas quieted his mind, blocking out all sounds in the room. He locked eyes with the woman, focusing, making their connection the only thing in existence. Through that connection, he reached out with his mind. Turn around, and pretend you never saw me. He sent the message with a push of his power.
    The woman blinked as if startled, her face contorted with confusion, then relaxed in a knowing smile. She turned back around to face the bar.
    “Pity, she was cute,” Lysander’s broke through his connection. “Better luck next time.”
    Nicholas ground his teeth. He shook his head slowly, still staring in her direction. “Drop it. She’s not an ordinary woman.” Worry began to swim around in his mind, mingling with thoughts he’d rather not see come to life. “We’d best get out of here.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “She knows something. She’s strong, mentally. Somehow, she was able to block me.”
    “She is a thing of curiosity,” Lysander said as if he wanted to study her. “Are you sure we should not attempt to make