"Banks, L A - Vampire Huntress 5 - 2005 - Forbidden" - читать интересную книгу автора (Banks L. A)

and designs; to Chris Bonelli, a saint who keeps the Web site fresh; and, of
course, the Rowdee Black Giants, who always inspire—go, brothers—and to Zulma
Gonzalez, an angel whom I am blessed to know.







CHAPTER ONE



ALL WAS still on level seven. A clawed hand held embryonic life within it.
Golden green glowing eyes misted over black as they looked up to the vast
expanse of nothingness that mimicked a vaulted ceiling. Trembling with
anticipation, a shaky finger extended a hooked talon that prodded at the bloody
mass of dormant life… life that could be molded into its own image. A hissing
coo filled with gentle adoration warmed the small cluster of cells, making them
glow red and begin to pulse.
"Oh, soon, my son," a passionate voice whispered. "Very, very soon."

Sydney, Australia…

Dread tightened Damali's chest as she watched Carlos's eyes. Visceral emptiness
filled her, making her clutch her lower belly. His once-serene gaze now darted
to her face, then to the faces of her teammates and to his surrounding
environment like a man displaced and confused. The sensation was so overwhelming
that it threatened to choke her heart to a standstill. Her man, once confident,
suave, and smooth as black silk, had come up out of the unknown looking crazed
and wild in the eye.
Suddenly she felt a strange sensation that fluttered in her womb. She pressed
her hand against her abdomen. What was that? But she had to shake off the weird
feeling. Too many issues competed for her attention right now and the most
immediate was Carlos.
The Light had brought him back, had actually reconstituted his form from the
burnt vampire ash left by dawn, and now it seemed as though he didn't know where
he was, how he'd gotten there, or whom he was with. Beyond all that they'd had
to contend with, this was perhaps the most frightening experience of all: Carlos
Rivera's mental state was in question—tears, screaming, ranting, fighting
against the hold of friendly hands. Damali turned away for a moment and
swallowed hard.
A head on a silver platter would be her bride price. Yeah. She and the chairman
had unfinished business.
She reached out her hand to touch Carlos's face, and he jerked away from her,
unsure if she were a mirage, a vampiric illusion, something evil and vile that
would start his torture all over again. His fear rippled through her and rattled
her bones. It sent a chill through her like a knife. It drew her mouth into a
tight line as she fought not to scream. She saw what they had done. A head. The