Darkling Read Online Free Page A

tempting and inappropriate, like laughing in the middle of a funeral.
    I expected a plate displaying a human head with an apple in its mouth, human roast, goulash of human organs, and goblets filled with blood. Luckily, I was wrong. Tonight’s menu was French cuisine, and of the three offered plates, I chose beef with cherry sauce. It was hard not to choose it, and the instant I tasted it, the subdued famine kicked in. I didn’t mind the red wine they served me. It was tasty. I thought of cows and asked myself if one could make beef out of person. A totally bizarre thought. However, I enjoyed the dinner so much that I almost forgot the table was full of vampires. Almost. Still too frightened to meet anyone’s eyes, I focused on my plate.
    For dessert, we moved to another hall where a sweet feast filled a round table. There were all sorts of cakes, puddings, muffins, ice creams, fruit salads—it was like being in the Hansel and Gretel fairytale (no question of Baldur’s role in that story). I stuck to him like a three-year-old with her mom, terrified of being alone. Knowing that I was not, in fact, three, Baldur had stopped paying attention to me, probably assuming that I could behave in company. But the problem was that most of them were not exactly people . So I continued to follow the known evil.
    When he stopped next to the three men, three male vampires—could I call them men?—he finally turned to me, indicating to one of them.
    “This is Belun, our noble blood, and great strategist and fighter. He will lead your team and you will answer first to him and then to me. Now, we leave you.” With those words, the other two men began to follow him out.
    I stood nailed to the spot. In front of me was Belun, tall and in his mid-twenties. Dark hair fell across his forehead, shadowing his right eye. His deep green eyes were looking right into me with an unpleasant tension. Nervously, I lowered my gaze. In his black dress shirt and dark blue jeans, he stood like a pillar waiting for me to crash into him with my full stamina. The silence between us was too long and discomfort took over. What did I do to deserve him looking at me like I was a friggin’ insect?!
    Then he spoke, his voice short and sharp.
    “Andrei Belun.”
    I swallowed and gathered a little courage to look up at his eyes again.
    “Nika Young.” I offered my hand and a bewildered look crossed his features. He held my hand a bit stronger than necessary, and a sudden jolt echoed through my body. For sure my face reddened again.
    His hand was smooth and firm, a bit colder than mine. His gaze was devoid of positive emotions, and then he let my hand go.
    “The weekly training schedule is in your suite,” he said, turning and leaving.
    Baffled, I stood staring at his back until he was lost among the other people—creatures, whatever! That was so unpleasant. A schedule? I don’t remember accepting the job offer, but then I remembered Baldur’s fangs, and swallowed dryly. For a second, the hall started spinning. It was either the wine or terror, or something in food. I took an unsure step in a random direction. I was standing in the center of the hall. The buzzing in my ears started up again and a little voice started screaming inside my head. I didn’t try to calm it; I helplessly watched while the floor design threatened to chew me up.
    “You alright?” I felt a hand on my shoulder.
    I froze, expecting the worst punishment. A woman with blond wavy hair in a tight red knee-length dress was smiling at me. She was in her early thirties and holding a half-full glass of champagne that I couldn’t take my eyes off.
    “Oh, you want this?” She passed me the glass.
    I drank it down, not bothering to stop to taste it. She was still smiling.
    “Better?”
    My silence didn’t stop her.
    “Really dear, there’s no reason for that going-to-the-gallows look.”
    “Can you blame me?” I managed to say, and she uttered a charming laugh.
    I had noticed that