Playing with Shadows Read Online Free

are going to help me.”
    Vlad shifted out of bed and onto his
feet. Nicola’s green eyes met his livid expression. The cool look
in her gaze infuriated him more. “Why are you so
difficult?”
    “ Why are you so defensive?”
She countered.
    Taking a step closer to her, Vlad
decreased her chances of escaping. Nikki usually didn’t mind being
close to any of her fellow undead friends, but Vlad was different.
He had made her what she was. He controlled what she did and where
she went. She wasn’t supposed to defy him no matter what she wanted
and here she was doing exactly that. The thought of what he could
do to her made her throat close up in fear. “Don’t make me regret
giving you some extra freedom, Nicola.”
    “ I have concluded why Nicola
is the only compassionate vampire I’ve met since dying.”
Christian’s appearance in Vlad’s bedchamber had gone unnoticed
until that moment. Nicola had specifically told him to stay in the
sitting room, but apparently he thought she needed his help. He
might have been correct.
    Vlad growled and his eyes darkened as
his pupils engulfed the irises in his rage. He didn’t move from his
close proximity to Nicola, but instead focused that unyielding gaze
on the ghost who was drifting on the opposite side of the room.
“And that conclusion would be?”
    Christian didn’t seem the least bit
thrown by Vlad’s vicious nature. Of course, Vlad could hardly hurt
the apparition. “Every vampire turns off their emotions to keep
from caring about others so they can’t lose anyone.”
    Vlad seethed.
    Christian continued as if Vlad wasn’t
about to go on a murderous rampage. “Nicola is young as far as
vampires go, yes I’ll admit that, but she is also trying to hold
onto her humanity, which is something you’ve failed to
do.”
    “ I have given up any hope on
keeping my humanity because my human family was killed by demons.
Obliterated.” Vlad seemed to be sobered by the memory, but Nicola
could still sense the fury in him. “It’s the reason I won’t deal
with demons. I won’t have my family’s memory tarnished by
associating myself with those parasites.”
    “ We must get Carolyn back.”
Christian pressed upon the vampire master.
    “ So your blood line can
survive?” Vlad asked him sardonically. “What of mine? It was ended
the moment my son was killed and I was turned into a
vampire!”
    A thought crossed Nicola’s mind. A
similar thought had hit her back in the apartment before Carolyn
had been abducted, but it reappeared once more as she stood in
Vlad’s room. “Vlad?” She asked tentatively, unsure of his reaction
to this new information.
    “ What?!” He snapped as he
turned his attention to her. Once he glimpsed her expression,
Vlad’s anger softened to nothing. “What is it?”
    “ I think I know why the
demon wants Christian’s line.” Nicola met her sire’s questioning
look. “Carolyn is a psychic and... she's pregnant.”
    The statement seemed to change
something in him. “There is a child involved? What could a demon
want with a human and her child? Even if Carolyn is a psychic,
there has to be another reason it'd focus solely on
her.”
    Nicola didn’t answer the question, but
instead looked at Christian. He avoided her probing gaze. She knew
he had answers to her questions and she was determined to get
them.
    “ Christian?”
    The ghost sighed in defeat. “My
bloodline can kindle demon magic. Since our blood can do this, we
are able to do things demons can without the limits of Hell's
leash.” Vlad scoffed in disgust and Christian appeared flustered.
“I swear that none of my family has meddled in the dark arts. They
knew the consequences and refused to be a part of it.”
    “ And yet young Carolyn is
mixed up in all of this.” Vlad finished for him.
    “ She wasn’t supposed to be
involved. I didn’t get to her in time.” Christian trailed off and
it seemed he didn’t want to speak anymore.
    “ I’m not protecting or
saving