Read NocC 016 - Laura Kaye - Vampire Warrior Kings 02 - Seduced by the Vampire King - Harlequin 2012-06 for Free Online Page A

expression that appeared almost amused.
“Yes, I’m Mikhail—”
“Nikolai,” her vampire blurted. “And you, your name is Katherine.”
A thrill shot down her spine. She loved the sound of her name on his voice, as if his tongue caressed the letters. “Yes. I go by Kate, though.”
He shook his head. “Katherine is a beautiful name.”
“My lord—”
Nikolai held up a hand. The gesture was full of an authority the other vampire responded to immediately.
My lord? What was that about?
The blond vampire scowled. “Leave us, Mikhail. And give me the keys.”
Intrigued, she watched the warrior obey and depart with a final glance her way.
Alone again, Kate wasn’t sure what to say. God, he was tall and broad. She remembered the muscular feel of those shoulders. She wanted to run her hands over him and prove to herself he was well. She wanted to press her face into his neck. Instead, she stood there watching, waiting, hating the iron bars that separated them. But maybe it was better to have the barrier. It would keep her from caving into his allure as easily as she’d done before.
What she couldn’t tolerate anymore was the awkward silence. “I was worried about you. I’m glad you’re better.” That odd tingling returned to her palm and Kate fisted her fingers without thinking about it. The movement pulled at the wound on her arm. She winced.
Standing firm and still on the far side of the door, he said, “Your concern…” He shook his head. “Thank you.” His gaze dropped to the movement of her hand. “I am better, but it appears you are worse for our meeting.”
Heat bloomed on Kate’s cheeks. She wrapped her arm behind her back. “Oh, well…” A dozen responses vied for airtime, but that’s all she could manage. The deep reverence of his words and his raw masculine beauty, all rough edges and hard angles, stole her breath. And she was so conflicted about the feeding she could hardly think straight. How could she both cherish and regret the memory of it? She ducked her head.
He released a breath and recaptured her attention. “I have to ask you, Katherine, how did you come to find me?” His voice was low and deep, his intense gaze studying her.
Maybe she imagined it, but he seemed fixated on the bloodied parts of her clothing. She shifted feet, self-consciousness making her want to squirm. She tucked her hair behind her ear. “It was a complete coincidence. I was walking to the metro—”
“In the middle of the night?”
She frowned. Was this some kind of interrogation? The thought squeezed her heart. After everything she’d done, he didn’t trust her? And why was it she cared? “I couldn’t sleep. I thought a walk would help.”
“The university is twenty kilometers away from the city.”
“Which is why I was taking the metro.” She sighed. So tired. “Why all these questions?”
“We need to understand what happened tonight.”
His distance and dispassionate tone left her feeling empty and bereft. And so stupid. As if anything unique had happened between them. As if he would think she deserved any special consideration. “Well, here’s what you need to know: I found you unconscious and bleeding, tried to help you, got bit for my trouble—” she pulled her arm from behind her back and thrust it toward him “—and then got tackled, kidnapped and dumped in a dungeon. Does that help?”
The volume of her accusations hurt her own head. On top of the pain and the blood loss and the adrenaline let-down, it was more than she could take. She swayed, hating that she was showing weakness in front of him, but unable to hold herself together any longer.
*

Nikolai was completely enthralled by the woman standing before him. Beautiful in her assertiveness. Bravery proven over and again. Wearing so much of his blood he went hard between his legs. She appealed to his body, intrigued his mind. His right hand tingled and twitched. He fisted against the foreign sensation.
Katherine went unsteady on