Read Wordless: new adult paranormal romance (Age of Blood Book 1) for Free Online Page B

could always tell right away; his chef was fancy, and pretty damn good, but Zeva’s food was real .
    William didn’t need to eat that much – the diet of an anorexic model on crack was perfectly adequate for a vampire of his age – but he helped himself to everything within reach, today. Those fluffy pancakes always made him hard.
    “As if you had to ask!” Zeva rolled her eyes. “That girl,” she added, just when a fresh-faced Fay appeared at the door, “is terrified and exhausted. I figured she could use a little bit of TLC.”
    William stopped mid-chew and gave as many silent clues as he could – tilting his head towards the door, clearing his throat, discreetly pointing – but his housekeeper was determined to finish what she had to say.
    “Pretty gorgeous though. And just your type. I didn’t think you would…”
    Before she could add anything incriminating, William gave up and said: “Annnnd, she’s also right behind you, Zee.”
    Zeva had the decency to look appalled by her slip, but Fay dismissed her apology with a tentative smile and the fervent shake of her head.
    William watched with interest as she took both of the housekeeper’s hands and squeezed them in one of hers. She didn’t say anything, but the gesture made him wonder what he’d missed: she showed reverence and appreciation – two things he so very rarely saw from young folks.
    “Now now, poppet – that’s quite unnecessary. Come, come,” Zeva cooed, showing her to the head of the long table, opposite his seat. “I made breakfast.”
    Fay glanced towards him, obviously uncomfortable at the prospect of sitting with him, although she was about three meters away. Great.
    William knew he shouldn’t take it to heart; she was entitled to mistrust him, as much as any vampire, but still, it irked him to no end. He tried to send her a non-threatening, reassuring gaze, but he kind of lost the plot, and ended up gawking at her instead.
    She looked fantastic. Her golden skin shone with a new glow, the bags under her eyes had considerably deflated. The grey yoga pants and long-sleeve top covered the body that had been on show since he’d met her, and she seemed… wholesome.
    Naked, at his mercy, he’d just wanted to protect her. Now, he would have loved nothing more than to rip her clothes off.
    That would have been great to ease the whole terrified thing, wouldn’t it?
    “You have no reason to be frightened of me, Fay. None whatsoever.”
    He knew he needed to explain things to her, but first things first.
    “Sit down, eat. We’ll speak when we’re done. Can you join us for breakfast, Zee?”
    Zeva generally had her meals with her family, downstairs, but he guessed her presence would reassure Fay.
    “Sure. Agnes is excited about taking Fay shopping, by the way. It was very kind of you to ask her.”
    William tried a smile, but that one might have ended up as a scowl.
    Agnes. He’d forgotten he’d texted her the previous night. Dammit.
     
    Agnes, Zeva’s niece, daughter of Hector, his faithful driver, was a personal shopper. He had asked her because there had been no way of commissioning anyone else without having to endure the silent disappointment of the entire Gardiner clan, and he couldn’t trust Fay to choose adequate things by herself. The girl was a country bumpkin, for Christ’s sake! Not to mention that everything he’d seen led him to believe she’d lived naked.
    To his surprise, he’d easily managed to enroll her in the Academy, the only college welcoming vampire and human alike. It only accepted the best and brightest of both worlds; save for a few exceptional individuals, applicants were only considered providing that they were either recommended by an important figure or a wad of cash. For that reason, most of the attendees knew each other – by reputation, at least.
    Fay was going to be an oddity; new, late to enroll, and more importantly, unknown. There would be questions and speculations about her; if she