Origins (A Demonkin Novel) Read Online Free Page A

know how long I went on, but it took quite a while, or at least it felt that way. I went from hysterics, to wracking sobs, to sniffles and then finally to quiet lip quivers. When they finally subsided, my mysterious captor finally stood and pushed her chair back.
    "What is your name?" Her tone sounded five-hundred degrees softer than before.
    "Ashlyn," I answered.
    "Ashlyn, if I take those off are you going to attack me?" The timbre of her voice made me pause. I heard her ask, but the words kept repeating themselves over and over and over. I could feel them trying to insinuate themselves into my brain, trying to force me to answer truthfully. I wouldn't have lied anyway, but I felt the compulsion almost forcing the truth from my lips. I knew I could have lied, but I didn't.
    "I don't know. I'm still hungry."
    If I judged the look on my new friend's face correctly, I surprised her. She closed her eyes for a moment and I heard a soft knock on the door followed by it opening and the large man mountain from the front door pushing his bulk through its inadequate frame.
    "Yes , mistress?"
    "Anan, come in and close the door," She said and waited for him to comply. "I need you to bare your wrist for our famished guest. Do so now."
    I had to give the guy credit. Her voice left no room for argument, but I probably would have told her what she could go do with herself. Anan however, removed the watch from his left arm and lowered his wrist to my mouth. It looked like an entire leg of lamb splayed out in front of me. I raised my eyes and locked gazes with the woman behind the desk as I bit down. I fought the instinct to grab his arm, which would have been damn near impossible anyway because of my spiffy restraints.
    The blood hit my tongue and I felt ecstasy consume me. I had lived on the blood of my kin for over seventeen years. It had nourished me, kept me alive, and kept me sane. I never enjoyed it. This however felt like liquid fire pouring itself through every nerve of my body. The puzzle of what made my aunts blood nourishing became clear. It had to be power. My aunt told me my mother had been an earth mage of considerable power. Here before me now stood a vampire of considerable power. My aunt must have had the aptitude to use magic, just not the desire. I must have been a fool not to have seen it earlier.
    I drank deeply of my meal. He made no motion to stop me, even as I felt his legs start to quiver. I felt his power ebbing and neither myself nor the hunger inside felt the desire to stop. Then I felt his fear. I like to consider myself a good person. I have never harmed animal, vegetable, nor mineral in the scant two decades of my existence. Feeling his fear made me a little sick to my stomach. Hooray for morals.
    I let him go and made sure to be careful extracting my curved fangs so as not to rip his flesh anymore than necessary. I don't know if I expected a modicum of gratefulness from him for my delicate work or what, but I did feel a little hurt when he grabbed his wrist and fled to the far side of the office. I let it go and rolled the power and taste around on my tongue. It tasted exquisite. I stretched like a cat and felt the hunger slumber finally. I had been hungry for days and the feeling of contentment washed over me.
    I couldn't contain myself. I looked down at my bonds and snapped the three chains without a thought. If I had thought about it beforehand, I probably wouldn't have done it. I looked again at my captor. She closed her eyes again and a mere moment later a group of large vampires in the Fangloria's regalia came surging into the room. A mere fraction of a second later and I became surrounded in bouncer.
    "Whoa!" I wasn't going to do anything; I just wanted to free my hands. I held my hands up in the classic "freeze" posture, and I felt multiple hands grab my wrists and arms.
    "Stop," I heard her say. Again she used her double voice. I could hear it whispering to me with desire to do what she said. I'm not