Tale of the Century Bride Complete: Historical Vampire Paranormal Romance Box Set Read Online Free

reeling as she began to slowly and quietly back up from the lip of the gorge and away from the group gathered below.

Tale of the Century Bride Book One: Chapter 6
    “Wait. Quiet all… Listen!” The fourth speaker, Alrik, the one with the skinned head said, raising a hand to silence all his companions. He drew in a long, deep breath. “Does anyone else smell that?” He looked around the gorge and inhaled deeply again. The other vampires followed suit. “That smells like…”
    “An unclaimed maiden – and my new wife!” Mattis finished his companion’s sentence. “This one is mine! You have three brides at home, Santu, and Laurence already has his first heir.”
    Just then Catherine heard the vampire’s voice rise in tone, taking on a seductive, almost siren-like quality.“Come here sweet girl, come here to me.” And in one jump, Mattis was across the river, now firmly standing on Dalmarn land. He took in another series of deep breaths, all in several directions before turning towards where Catherine still lay on the overhang, frozen in the growing darkness. The other vampires swiftly followed him, crossing the river and fanning out on either side of Mattis.
    “Come here to me, my beloved. Come out. I will not harm you.” The vampire called out to Catherine through the darkness. As he got closer to her, his voice became harder to resist. An enflamed, terrifying heat surged through Catherine as Mattis steadily approached her hiding place, one step at a time.
    Life and death seemed to be her two choices though, as she crouched there in the darkness, one seemed more probable than the other. What mere human had ever managed their ground against the onslaught of a single vampire, let alone a seasoned group hell bent on destruction? Still, Catherine refused to let them have her without a fight. She managed to slowly move her crossbow into position as he continued to call for her. She clutched the trigger of her crossbow, slowly aiming the weapon for his heart.
    “Do not be afraid, my darling,” Mattis cooed to her again.
    The voice came again and again, the one calm object inside a terrible storm. Something about his voice soothed her, lulling her deeper into submission. Against her will and all reason, she could simply not bring herself to pull the trigger, try as she may. All she wanted now was to be close to him, to touch him, to be his lover.
    Mattis continued to slowly draw closer to Catherine’s hiding spot, a mystical quality about him that Catherine couldn’t resist. The tender glow of his dark eyes, soft features of his face, and soothing rhythm of his voice – all of it suggested that she might find a paradise with him – some place far away where women were not sacrificed to reigning lords. Everything was beginning to make sense to her now. And going away with the vampire named Mattis seemed the most logical choice she might ever make.
    Just then, an enraged shriek from up river broke the spell that Mattis’ voice had on her. Regaining control of her will, Catherine now loosed the crossbow bolt straight toward the chest of the vampire Mattis. In an instant she heard the familiar sound of a bolt tearing through flesh, but reeled backwards ever so slightly to see that she had missed her mark. Unfortunately the bolt barely missed his heart, being several inches too low.
    “You will surely pay for that”, he growled and lunged in Catherine’s direction. However, he took no more than a single step before a huge dark figure in shining chain mail fell downwards out of the sky and directly in the path between both Catherine and Mattis, in fact, blocking the trail between all the vampires and Catherine.
    “Cornelius!” Santu yelled as he pulled his sword from its sheath. “Your dominion over your precious Dalmar ends now! We are here to take control from you this very night!”
    Santu rushed forward, slashing rapidly in what Catherine could only discern as every direction as once. Count August’s body