Hunting Midnight by Emma Holly

Author:Emma Holly [Holly, Emma]
Format: epub
Published: 2010-01-07T07:31:30+00:00

***

Knowing how leaden his arm could get when he fell asleep, Juliana eased away before it could trap her. She was too restless to lie with him all day, even more restless than before. Feeling the need for a shield, she drew on her chemise.

For all her horror at Ulric's violence, she had no objection to roughness in bed. She had discovered already that she enjoyed it, but to find that she needed it, that the experience was not complete unless he took her forcefully, disturbed her more than a bit.

His verbal orders had been a tease. The control she longed for was physical. For her, being left a little too tender was as necessary for satisfaction as a drink of blood was to him.

Helewis said when the leader was strong, everyone felt safe. Outwardly dutiful, Juliana had always prided herself on her independence. Could it be that, in her heart, she agreed with Helewis?

Halfway to the door, she hugged herself, shivering in her linen shift. As if of its own will, her hand slid up to find the place Ulric's fangs had pierced, where the muscle of her shoulder met her neck. The bite was healing, a mark a tomcat might have left. She wondered what it said about her that she found this exciting. Certainly, she could not deny she did. Tiny flickers of arousal moved deep inside her as she probed the spot. If Ulric had been awake, she would have climbed on him then and there.

But she could not solve the riddle now. Shaking it off, she pulled Ulric's door open.

Her heart jumped as her foot almost struck a body. For some reason, Helewis was sleeping on the threshold. Juliana wondered if Ulric knew: surely this was taking subservience too far! Holding her breath for silence, she stepped over the slumbering woman and into the corridor. Though the darkness was not as thick as before, she lifted a small bronze lantern from its hook.

She would have to learn to move through these tunnels blind, at least until she decided if she was going to be upyr. That she had not ruled this out troubled her anew.

Maybe the difference between her and Ulric—and never mind between her and Helewis—was not so great.

She padded barefoot down the passage, this time toward the entry ledge. She had a longing to see the sun. Even if she was sleeping with a creature of darkness, she did not have to live like a mole.

To her relief, she recalled the route. As she walked, she began to see shadows without the lamp. The sound of ravens cawing in the trees was humorously sweet.

The cave faced west—better for viewing sunset than sunrise, though there were signs of the dawning day. A thin line of clouds, their edges fired with reflected pink, flew like feathers above the trees. Last night, Juliana had not realized how high Ulric's cave was, or how isolated. The forest was immense, a sea of pine and oak that followed the rise and dip of the land in every direction she could see.

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