Read The Taste of Magic for Free Online Page B

Eberhard strode toward him. A wide smile graced the society reporter's narrow face, her sleek flaming hair reflecting the hall lights.
     
    "Ingrid, do you make it a habit to follow me?" Adrian asked, but he smiled, and reached out to take Ingrid's offered hand, her wrist adorned with many clinking bracelets. He bent over it, and she laughed delightedly.
     
    "Du Lac, who is this charming creature?" Ingrid's wide green eyes focused on Katerina. Adrian turned.
     
    "Ingrid, this is Katerina Romanov. Katerina, you may know Ingrid from Zietung."
     
    "Yes, I read it every day."
     
    Adrian didn't miss the way Ingrid's gaze moved over Kat, as though taking inventory. He wondered what would appear in the paper tomorrow morning.
     
    "Good, we must keep our readership up. Are you enjoying the performance?" Ingrid asked. Her voice held condescension as if she were speaking to a small child. Adrian didn't miss the way Katerina stiffened.
     
    "Very much. La Boheme is my favorite."
     
    "Oh, you've been to the opera before? I don't recall seeing you here."
     
    Ingrid was snooping. Adrian prepared to intervene, before Ingrid formulated some strange idea and turned it into a twisted innuendo about Kat. He shouldn't have worried.
     
    "You must forgive me, Ingrid," Katerina said. "I've only been back from the U.S. for a couple of months and haven't yet had time to attend the opera. But as a former patron of the Met in New York, I've missed it and couldn't pass up the chance when Adrian offered to escort me this evening."
     
    Adrian bit back a smile as Ingrid's faltered for a moment, but she quickly recovered. There had been no mistaking the animosity in Katerina's voice.
     
    As Ingrid opened her mouth to respond, the lights flickered.
     
    "I must be off. Wouldn't want to miss the curtain. I'll see you again, Adrian." She turned to her companion and they disappeared down the hall. Adrian turned to Katerina and offered his arm.
     
    "I apologize for her."
     
    "What?"
     
    "Ingrid can be difficult, and if she feels slighted, she uses her column to fight dirty."
     
    Katerina smiled. "She's a reporter. It's what they do."
     
    Adrian closed the box door behind him. "Yes, but you may find your name in the paper with all sorts of lurid accusations."
     
    "You have more to be worried than I do. I mean, you can't be photographed, right?"
     
    Adrian stepped closer, and her heart pounded faster in response. He smiled, pleased to know he affected her as much as she did him. "True, but with allies like Ingrid, I am safe. Exposing me would endanger her own existence."
     
    Katerina's eyes widened. "You mean, she's a…a…vamp—"
     
    Adrian placed a finger upon her lips, silencing her. The way she trembled set off corresponding shocks in him. "Though we are alone, there are others who can hear us. And yes, she is."
     
    She seemed to ponder this new knowledge as she took her seat. As he lowered himself beside her, she turned.
     
    "Did you…"
     
    He chuckled. "Heavens, no. Ingrid is not one I would have chosen for my…employ." He offered a smile, hoping to ease the wariness darkening her eyes.
     
    "But you're not above using her when you need to."
     
    "You're very astute." He kept his voice low and slung one arm across the back of her chair. Her heart was still racing, and the sweet musky scent of her blood grew more intense with each beat. He could barely focus on the conversation. He cleared his throat and continued. "But vampire or not, I would still use her to my advantage."
     
    "Like you use my father?"
     
    He chuckled, and once again took her hand. Apparently she had not forgotten the conversation Ingrid had interrupted. "Kat, we've been through this."
     
    "Yes, I know. And each time I find out more, I can't help but wonder."
     
    "Wonder about what?" He let his gaze fall upon her lips, his groin tightening when her tongue darted out to moisten them. He couldn't take much more of this. Bringing her out in public was