Home > Work > Heart of Dracula (Immortal Soul, #1)
21 " That is the response of a zealot, not a man who knows the answer. "
― Kathryn Ann Kingsley , Heart of Dracula (Immortal Soul, #1)
22 " Love rarely ever followed logic or reason when it came to where it chose to place its focus. "
23 " She looked down at the gem in her hand. She could feel it calling to her. Whispering come and see. It was the lure of secrets untold, of knowledge to discover. Of danger. Of a creature who would join her there in her visions. It should scare her more than it did. As it was…she was intrigued. There was more to this mysterious creature than the death and the murder it seemed he spread around him like a plague. "
24 " God help her, doom her to the pits, she was going to walk proudly to her own demise. "
25 " If I am to die, I suppose it is better that I go with meaning. We rarely get to pick how we exit this world. At least this will be interesting. "
26 " If you are right, and I die, then your problems are solved. If I am right…you will belong to me. Either way, I win. "
27 " Taking off the glove on her right hand, she held the brooch in her left again. “Well, Mr. Dracula. Let’s try this again, shall we?” She dropped the stone into her bare palm. "
28 " Such a lonely thing you are. That is why you whisper to me in your dreams. There is a void deep within your heart, an emptiness that longs to be filled. And it is the very same you feel in my own soul. You see a reflection of yourself in my shadow. That is why you are drawn to me. "
29 " A laugh echoed through the space, low and dark, dangerous and promising both violence and a great joy taken in bringing such things to pass. “And why would I hide from you?” His voice was a deep baritone rumble. It sent a chill up her spine, and she shivered. "
30 " But Maxine’s empathic gifts extended to more than just her ability to read emotions. Flashes of memories came with it. "
31 " He was tall, towering over her, and broad shouldered. He was a monolith of a man, and he surpassed her by easily a foot or more, and she was of average height. Long black hair reached past his shoulders in dark tendrils. They were a sharp contrast to his skin, which was so pale it was almost gray. Full lips were barely a shade darker. His ears were slightly pointed at the tips, accentuating his incredibly inhuman appearance. For while all the rest might be in the right places—he did not have a third eye, nor horns or scales—there was no mistaking what he was. "
32 " He parted the fabric and revealed a small brooch lying in the center of it. She guessed that it had belonged to a man by its design. In the center was a ruby, thick and dark, the color of blood. "
33 " But it was his eyes that arrested her to the spot. They were crimson and flashed as they reflected the firelight around him like a wolf in the darkness. He was dressed in blacks and deep cardinals, perfect and regal finery, over which he wore a long peacoat that nearly reached the ground. "
34 " When Eddie, Bella, and Alfonzo came to her door, she had known they had carried death with them. She had assumed it had been their own doing. It was not. "
35 " He was watching her with a strange expression that all at once seemed predatory, amused, and curious. He arched a dark eyebrow. “Well?” “Well…what?” “You did not finish your sentence.” His canines were a bit too long and a bit too sharp. "
36 " Alfonzo paused before he finally said the words she knew he dreaded to utter. “The King of Vampires. Vlad Tepes Dracula. "
37 " You were about to claim I was lurking in the shadows ‘like’ something, were you not?” He took a step toward her. She immediately retreated one in turn. “I fear I have forgotten what I was going to say. "
38 " I have had many names. To others, I am most recently Count Vlad Tepes Dracula.” He swept one arm in front of his waist and bowed deep. She did not miss that his fingernails were long, sharpened points, like claws. He straightened slowly, red eyes catching the firelight and flashing dangerously. “But to you, Miss Parker, I would be only Vlad. "
39 " You have invaded my mind. Twice in one day, no less. You pry into my thoughts. I would call that rather personal. As for intimate…” He tilted his head slightly, his gaze pointedly traveling down her body once and back up. “No need to rush the inevitable. "
40 " Then I shall strive to not be boring.” “You are doing wonderfully so far.” “I have done nothing but stand here and make an utter fool of myself. You have low expectations, Vampire King. "