AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Genevieve,” he almost whispered, stepping into my space again. He really needed lessons on personal boundaries.
His scent invaded me, circled me in a woodsy heat that was all his own. “All I know is that at this exact age, the Vessel opens, and the opposing sides vie for her—the Dark and the Light. The demons will come for you. The light is already within you. Who wins will be determined only by you.”
“Are you kidding me? Who in the hell would choose to go with demons?”
His face darkened. His eyes grew distant, colder. His voice dropped even lower, a rumble of rolling thunder. “Many have. Many would.” A tingling chill crawled up my spine.
“But I don’t feel any different. Wouldn’t I know if I was a so-called Vessel?”
“You will.”
He was as certain as the sky is blue. I could see that in his determined expression. But I wasn’t so sure. I played along for the moment.
“Okay. So if what you’re saying is true, then why did that demon want to kill me last night? Why didn’t he just want to…to possess me?”
The thought made bile rise in my throat.
“I don’t know.” He glanced at the marks on my neck again. “That puzzles me exceedingly.”
I scoffed.
“Puzzlesyouexceedingly? Are you kidding me? In the past twelve hours, I’ve been groped by a red-eyed demon on a dance floor, nearly strangled to death in an alley, watched an actual demon being pulled from another man’s body, andnowI’ve been casually informed by my new stalker, a Dominus whatever, that I’m like chocolate cake to every demon alive and all of them want a piece of me.”
He came back from that faraway place, studying me with a smirk on those pretty lips.
“Chocolate cake. That’s quite a metaphor.”
Was he flirting with me?
“It was a simile,” I snapped back, not even blinking. “I have to go.” I clicked my key fob to unlock the door.
“There’s more we need to discuss.”
“Not today. Thanks for the pep talk. It’s been real. Too real, but I can’t take any more of this right now. I don’t know what to believe.” I tossed my backpack in the passenger seat and slid behind the wheel. “That’s another thing. How do you know so much about me? How do you know my name? I don’t even know yours. I can’t keep calling you—”
“Dominus whatever?” he asked with the smallest of smiles.
“Yeah. Right.”
“My name is Jude Delacroix. Call me when you catch your breath, Genevieve.” He passed me a business card. “I need to prepare you before the next one comes searching for you.”
The card was stark white with his name in all caps and a phone number—no fancy symbols or details of any business.
“Man of mystery, eh?”
“I only give it to those who know who I am and what I do.”
“Hmm. You could add some devil horns with a big X on it or something. Give it some pizzazz.”
He was trying so hard not to smile. Somehow that made me giddy. He stood up and closed the door. I started the car, then heard a light tap of knuckles on the window. I lowered it.
“Call me, Genevieve. Soon. There’s not much time to waste.” His mouth straightened into a somber line.
I nodded, unable to speak. I’d run out of smart comebacks. I shifted into gear and sped away. My mind reeled with the current state of affairs.
If I could possibly swallow everything Jude had told me, I had several issues to consider. One—I was a Vessel, some mystical thing I’d never heard of before in my life. Two—demons would be hunting me, and soon. Three—my new would-be protector was probably the hottest man alive.
3
