The Progeny (The Progeny Series) Read Online Free

first bartending job. I’ve had several .”
    “You have trouble committing to jobs?”
    “No.” She gave him an awkward stare. He was nosey—so unlike Ascher. “I’m a college student.”
    “Ash is a student too. Where do you go?”
    “Birchmont University.”
    “I bet you two have seen each other. Ash goes there; he’s a Psychology major. What about you?”
    “I’m undecided, but leaning towards Supernatural and Paranormal Studies.”
    Quinn’s expression grew puzzled. “You want to be a ghost chaser?”
    “I’ve always had a fascination with the weird and taboo. If society ran from it, I’d flock to it with open arms.”
    “That’s fucking bad ass.”
    “I thought my parents might have me exorcised as a young child.”
    “They sound religious.”
    Sh auna paused, realizing that she’d just plunged into a sticky subject. Religion wasn’t something she openly discussed with strangers, but she’d started it and he’d accepted the invitation. He did seem genuinely interested in her. “That’s an understatement. They’re beyond religious.”
    “ That doesn’t suit you.” It was a statement more than it was a question.
    “I think most people make their own hell right here on Earth.”
    “So, you don’t believe in an afterlife?”
    H esitating, she completely shut down. She’d bared enough of her soul for one night. “I don’t mean to be rude. I know I started the conversation and that you’re only trying to be polite, but this is making me really uncomfortable.”
    * * * *
    Ascher sat in his office with closed eyes, listening in on their conversation, via Quinn’s thoughts. His brother was prying into her past for his benefit. He concentrated, sharpening his ability to channel deeper into her subconscious.
    The way Shauna’s brain worked was curious, because the abundant chatter was trivial and petty. Yet, she mulled over and pondered it as if it were rocket science. Her filter was strong, stronger than most. The majority of the thoughts never made it to her mouth. She was more of a thinker than a talker.
    His thirst muted, Ascher made his way up the back stairs to the gathering spot. The urges were still there, so it was better to avoid Shauna until he fed. He thought about his eavesdropping session. Shauna effortlessly shifted her mind. A tiny block of memories existed in a place Quinn couldn’t access, but Ascher was sure that, with time, he’d decipher every detail of her life story.
    I mages of his own face flitted across the new employee’s mind, but another appeared just as often—Katy. She worried about her younger sister and loved her more than life. He admired her loyalty, loving nature, and honesty—he’d lifted this conclusion from Gabe’s mind, earlier.
    Quinn was right. Gabe had channeled Shauna’s trip to Rousseau’s, only stopping when she’d arrived. Looking at her through the confines of Gabe's mind, Ascher saw the attraction he held for her. His brother adored Shauna as much as a man married ten years. Yet, he hardly knew her. That wasn't Gabe's style at all. How could that be possible?
    The gathering spot was an enormous room on the second floor that they used exclusively for feeding purposes. The chairs around the edges of the room were for the women to sit while they waited. Calming piano music played over the speakers on the wall. The middle of the room housed several chambers for the women’s enlightenment —a less sinister description for the act of hypnosis.
    Gabe administered the subtle mind washing that created the distant gaze in their eyes. He usually flashed them a small subliminal when they arrived, to calm them. When taken upstairs, the women got a more thorough 'convincing.' No woman in complete control of her faculties would ever allow a vampire to bleed her life’s blood. They were willing, but only because the fear was wiped from their brains.
    Enlightenment allowed more primitive and carnal desires to emerge. The human mind was capable of