Blood Vengeance (Blood Curse Series Book 7) Read Online Free Page A
Author: Tessa Dawn
vampire…
And this was not going to be an easy Blood Moon.
one
Ramsey Olaru shimmered into view beneath the narrow, spindly branches of a Ponderosa pine. He plucked a thin pine needle from a low-hanging branch, stuffed it between his teeth, and slowly turned around in a circle.
He was scenting, once again, for the presence of Dark Ones. He was tuning into Nachari and Keitaro’s recently placed lycan-wards, making sure the supernatural wolf-detectors were functioning. He was checking for the presence of vampire hunters, human miscreants, or general threats of any kind: bears, cougars, wolves, anything that could threaten his destiny .
His destiny .
Tiffany Matthews.
What in the hell had just happened?
He looped his familiar spiked bola into a thong at his waist—the last thing he needed to do was frighten the blond graphic artist any further—and tried to determine his next move: Tiffany was riding up a steep, rocky grade about fifty yards away, and by the harried look on her face, she was barely keeping her seat. Somehow, she had found an old riding trail, one that wound its way through the steep Rocky Mountains, and unbeknownst to her, she was heading for an imminent bluff, one with an abrupt seventy-foot drop-off.
The horse was holding his own, and damn, wasn’t that the understatement of the century ? The Percheron was a magnificent sight to behold. But even the young, powerful steed was having a hard time keeping his footing on the gravelly trail, and Ramsey couldn’t help but consider what would happen if the 1,400-pound steed actually fell. He grit his teeth around the reed and focused his thoughts: There were more pressing matters to attend to.
Like how to retrieve his destiny before she encountered something she couldn’t defend against… before she led the horse to the edge of the waiting cliff.
He sighed, mentally preparing himself for the confrontation. No matter how he turned it, it wouldn’t be pleasant, and frankly, that wasn’t his foremost concern. Tiffany would come with him one way or the other; best to just go ahead and get it done.
He whistled low, mimicking the call of a native swallow, just to get her attention in the least abrasive way, and then he slowly stepped out from beneath the tree and began to make his way up the steep embankment, choosing his footing with ease.
Tiffany froze in the saddle. She pulled back on the reins to halt the horse and sat up straight to listen. A wisp of her harshly layered, short blond hair fell into her eyes as she turned her head from side to side, trying to home in on the sound.
“Over here, behind you,” Ramsey drawled, stepping into the moonlight.
Her eyes immediately darted to where he stood, and she took a quick intake of breath. For a moment, Ramsey thought she would fall out of the saddle in fright, but she quickly regained her composure and held out a hand in a gesture of stop . “Don’t come any closer, Mr. Olaru,” she warned.
Ramsey spat out the reed and smiled. “Now, you know that’s not going to happen, Miss Matthews.” He tried to keep his voice soft, but it came out as a rasp just the same. “Why don’t you come down from that horse, and let’s talk this over.”
To Ramsey’s utter surprise and horror, she kicked the Percheron in the flanks and tried to gallop up the mountain. Oh hell , he thought, putting a little urgency into his own step as he followed like a stalking raider behind them. Whoa, boy ; he sent a telepathic call to Viking. The horse was clearly nervous, undoubtedly responding to the presence of a predator, and the animal’s tightly coiled power could be unleashed at any moment. He snorted, pranced in place, and then took a powerful leap up the mountain, nearly bounding to the top of the hill.
And that’s when Ramsey shifted into overdrive. He dematerialized from where he stood and instantly reappeared at the top of the bluff in front of the horse, holding both hands out in front of him. “Whoa,
And this was not going to be an easy Blood Moon.
one
Ramsey Olaru shimmered into view beneath the narrow, spindly branches of a Ponderosa pine. He plucked a thin pine needle from a low-hanging branch, stuffed it between his teeth, and slowly turned around in a circle.
He was scenting, once again, for the presence of Dark Ones. He was tuning into Nachari and Keitaro’s recently placed lycan-wards, making sure the supernatural wolf-detectors were functioning. He was checking for the presence of vampire hunters, human miscreants, or general threats of any kind: bears, cougars, wolves, anything that could threaten his destiny .
His destiny .
Tiffany Matthews.
What in the hell had just happened?
He looped his familiar spiked bola into a thong at his waist—the last thing he needed to do was frighten the blond graphic artist any further—and tried to determine his next move: Tiffany was riding up a steep, rocky grade about fifty yards away, and by the harried look on her face, she was barely keeping her seat. Somehow, she had found an old riding trail, one that wound its way through the steep Rocky Mountains, and unbeknownst to her, she was heading for an imminent bluff, one with an abrupt seventy-foot drop-off.
The horse was holding his own, and damn, wasn’t that the understatement of the century ? The Percheron was a magnificent sight to behold. But even the young, powerful steed was having a hard time keeping his footing on the gravelly trail, and Ramsey couldn’t help but consider what would happen if the 1,400-pound steed actually fell. He grit his teeth around the reed and focused his thoughts: There were more pressing matters to attend to.
Like how to retrieve his destiny before she encountered something she couldn’t defend against… before she led the horse to the edge of the waiting cliff.
He sighed, mentally preparing himself for the confrontation. No matter how he turned it, it wouldn’t be pleasant, and frankly, that wasn’t his foremost concern. Tiffany would come with him one way or the other; best to just go ahead and get it done.
He whistled low, mimicking the call of a native swallow, just to get her attention in the least abrasive way, and then he slowly stepped out from beneath the tree and began to make his way up the steep embankment, choosing his footing with ease.
Tiffany froze in the saddle. She pulled back on the reins to halt the horse and sat up straight to listen. A wisp of her harshly layered, short blond hair fell into her eyes as she turned her head from side to side, trying to home in on the sound.
“Over here, behind you,” Ramsey drawled, stepping into the moonlight.
Her eyes immediately darted to where he stood, and she took a quick intake of breath. For a moment, Ramsey thought she would fall out of the saddle in fright, but she quickly regained her composure and held out a hand in a gesture of stop . “Don’t come any closer, Mr. Olaru,” she warned.
Ramsey spat out the reed and smiled. “Now, you know that’s not going to happen, Miss Matthews.” He tried to keep his voice soft, but it came out as a rasp just the same. “Why don’t you come down from that horse, and let’s talk this over.”
To Ramsey’s utter surprise and horror, she kicked the Percheron in the flanks and tried to gallop up the mountain. Oh hell , he thought, putting a little urgency into his own step as he followed like a stalking raider behind them. Whoa, boy ; he sent a telepathic call to Viking. The horse was clearly nervous, undoubtedly responding to the presence of a predator, and the animal’s tightly coiled power could be unleashed at any moment. He snorted, pranced in place, and then took a powerful leap up the mountain, nearly bounding to the top of the hill.
And that’s when Ramsey shifted into overdrive. He dematerialized from where he stood and instantly reappeared at the top of the bluff in front of the horse, holding both hands out in front of him. “Whoa,
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