Daughters of Dracula (The Stoker Sisters #1) Read Online Free Page B
Author: Kailin Gow
the doors of Stoker Manor. It could be…”
“Only Lord Ashwin has been a present in Dorset since the first disappearance to the most recent.”
“I hardly believe this makes a case against him. Perhaps your murderer simply sought temporary refuge at the Manor after his nightly rampage without residing here.”
**********
The doctor remained for dinner, and the dining hall felt the weight of his presence. With few guests in attendance, the family shared their table with Dr. Franz and Lord Ashwin .
Alexis watched Ashwin carefully. He seemed completely unperturbed by the doctor and even offered him a sincere welcome on seeing him enter the dining hall. But despite the great show Ashwin put on, Dr. Franz remained curt and professional.
The doctor said little over the course of the meal, but his eyes constantly scanned everyone and Alexis found herself deeply scrutinized by the awful man on several occasions. She disliked him, a feeling that only intensified over the course of the interminable meal, and she was eager to see him leave.
When he announced he’d be staying for the night, a knot filled her belly and a sense of foreboding enveloped her. She didn’t trust him and feared for Ashwin’s safety. With every fiber of her being, she ignored the possible underlying fear she had for her own safety.
Chapter 4
Sadie’s sleep had been restless and troubled. She turned in her bed, each movement accompanied by a vision of Lord Ashwin . When troubling sounds entered her light sleep, she was certain it was a dream, but as shouts and the sounds of panic finally seeped through, she knew something was wrong.
With a jolt, she sat up and gripped the sheets about her. She heard screams coming from out in the garden, while from down the hall she could make out the muffled cries mingling with an inhuman roar.
Shaking off the remnants of sleep, she reached for her robe, pulled it on and slid her feet into her slippers as she stood. Eager to find the source of this midnight chaos, she rushed to the door, but halted before her hand could reach for the doorknob.
Smoke billowed at her feet where it crept in beneath the door.
No, she wanted to shout. She ran to the window, pulled back the drapes and gasped at the sight of flames escaping so many windows around her. Fear gripped her as she glanced back at the door. She could now make out a faint orange glow under the door. How long would it be before the flames made their way through the door?
She rushed to the door and reached for the doorknob, hoping to escape the fire by running towards the servant’s stairwell to the left. The moment she touched the brass knob she recoiled as the intense heat seared her fingertips.
She was trapped.
Trying to control the wave of panic that threatened to overcome her, she returned to the window and looked three stories below. A fall would be fatal. Smoke was slowly filling the room, sweeping past her as it made its escape out the top panel of the window. It slowly choked her in passing, raising the level of panic. A quick glance at the door told her of the smoke that continued to infiltrate her room. Another glance out the window told her this wasn’t a viable way of escaping. She’d never survive the fall.
Part of her wanted to sit in the corner and wait for her father to come in and save her. Looking out at the rest of the east wing she feared her parents’ circumstances might already be direr than her own. Their window was spewing long, heated flames that seemed to relish the horror they struck in her heart.
Had they already escaped? Were they searching the grounds hoping to find her safe? Or were they just as fearful as she was and hiding in some semi-safe corner of the manor?
Growing faint, she gave her window a shove, pushing it open, but the flow of smoke entering intensified, relishing in the path she’d opened for it. She wanted to shout, but her throat wouldn’t allow it. Her eyes burned and tear, making it
“Only Lord Ashwin has been a present in Dorset since the first disappearance to the most recent.”
“I hardly believe this makes a case against him. Perhaps your murderer simply sought temporary refuge at the Manor after his nightly rampage without residing here.”
**********
The doctor remained for dinner, and the dining hall felt the weight of his presence. With few guests in attendance, the family shared their table with Dr. Franz and Lord Ashwin .
Alexis watched Ashwin carefully. He seemed completely unperturbed by the doctor and even offered him a sincere welcome on seeing him enter the dining hall. But despite the great show Ashwin put on, Dr. Franz remained curt and professional.
The doctor said little over the course of the meal, but his eyes constantly scanned everyone and Alexis found herself deeply scrutinized by the awful man on several occasions. She disliked him, a feeling that only intensified over the course of the interminable meal, and she was eager to see him leave.
When he announced he’d be staying for the night, a knot filled her belly and a sense of foreboding enveloped her. She didn’t trust him and feared for Ashwin’s safety. With every fiber of her being, she ignored the possible underlying fear she had for her own safety.
Chapter 4
Sadie’s sleep had been restless and troubled. She turned in her bed, each movement accompanied by a vision of Lord Ashwin . When troubling sounds entered her light sleep, she was certain it was a dream, but as shouts and the sounds of panic finally seeped through, she knew something was wrong.
With a jolt, she sat up and gripped the sheets about her. She heard screams coming from out in the garden, while from down the hall she could make out the muffled cries mingling with an inhuman roar.
Shaking off the remnants of sleep, she reached for her robe, pulled it on and slid her feet into her slippers as she stood. Eager to find the source of this midnight chaos, she rushed to the door, but halted before her hand could reach for the doorknob.
Smoke billowed at her feet where it crept in beneath the door.
No, she wanted to shout. She ran to the window, pulled back the drapes and gasped at the sight of flames escaping so many windows around her. Fear gripped her as she glanced back at the door. She could now make out a faint orange glow under the door. How long would it be before the flames made their way through the door?
She rushed to the door and reached for the doorknob, hoping to escape the fire by running towards the servant’s stairwell to the left. The moment she touched the brass knob she recoiled as the intense heat seared her fingertips.
She was trapped.
Trying to control the wave of panic that threatened to overcome her, she returned to the window and looked three stories below. A fall would be fatal. Smoke was slowly filling the room, sweeping past her as it made its escape out the top panel of the window. It slowly choked her in passing, raising the level of panic. A quick glance at the door told her of the smoke that continued to infiltrate her room. Another glance out the window told her this wasn’t a viable way of escaping. She’d never survive the fall.
Part of her wanted to sit in the corner and wait for her father to come in and save her. Looking out at the rest of the east wing she feared her parents’ circumstances might already be direr than her own. Their window was spewing long, heated flames that seemed to relish the horror they struck in her heart.
Had they already escaped? Were they searching the grounds hoping to find her safe? Or were they just as fearful as she was and hiding in some semi-safe corner of the manor?
Growing faint, she gave her window a shove, pushing it open, but the flow of smoke entering intensified, relishing in the path she’d opened for it. She wanted to shout, but her throat wouldn’t allow it. Her eyes burned and tear, making it
Readers choose
William W. Johnstone
L.A. Casey
Jenna Kernan
Piers Anthony
Susan Mallery
Kim Wright
Margaret Maron
Dean Koontz
Colleen Helme
Austin Winter