Ascension by Laura Hall (accelerated reader books .TXT) 📕

his eye. “I bet you’re hell at parties.”

I wrinkled my nose. “What?”

He pointed at my hand, which was still hanging in the air but beginning to wilt. “You know, zapping unsuspecting people.”

Great, another jackass.

I sighed and let my hand fall, but Declan caught it before it reached my side, giving it a firm shake before releasing me. A marked ruddiness stained his cheekbones.

“I’m sorry, that was in poor taste. Good to meet you, Fiona.” He cleared his throat. “I was told you might be hungry.”

“God, yes,” I said emphatically.

Declan chuckled. “I can fix that. Follow me.”

We walked down an elegant hallway with dark wood floors and white walls to the elevator at its end. Declan depressed a button on the wall, then pulled a keycard from his pocket.

“I’d better give this to you now so I don’t forget,” he said and handed it to me.

I stared dubiously at the silver card, not plastic as I’d assumed, but a lightweight metal etched with a complex design.

“What’s this for?”

“The elevator. Access to this floor is restricted.”

I glanced back down the hallway. Across from the bedroom I’d woken up in was another, matching door, and at the far end were double doors. All were closed. A touch of claustrophobia tickled the back of my throat.

I looked at Declan. “A key to my own prison, huh?”

He squinted at me in confusion. “You’re a guest, not a prisoner.” At my skeptical look, he continued intently, “You’re staying in the private residence of the Prime. His rooms are at the end of the hall and the one opposite yours is his library.”

I blinked, shook my head, and blinked again, but the words were still ridiculous. Declan smirked. “Most women would kill to be in your position, but from the look on your face, I’d say you’d rather run screaming.”

I blurted, “What if the elevator breaks?”

He frowned. “Why would it break?”

I opened my mouth, then closed it, realizing my former issues with disrupting electrical circuits were, at least temporarily, irrelevant.

“Are there stairs, at least?”

Declan’s pale eyes twinkled with humor. “Hatching an escape plan?”

In spite of my anxiety, I grinned. “I thought you said I wasn’t a prisoner.”

The elevator pinged and the doors parted on a willowy blond. At the sight of us, she paused mid-step, her full red lips parting in surprise. Hazel eyes narrowed on Declan before shifting to my face. I winced at the cold zing of eye contact and looked quickly down.

I wasn’t sure if she was a daywalker vamp like the Prime or had been turned by Ascension, but either way, she was packing a lot of power. And I was defenseless.

“Who is this?” she snapped. “Where’s Connor?”

Declan stood stiffly beside me, clearly not a fan of the vamp. Based on the disdain I’d glimpsed in my brief eye contact with her, I felt safe predicting I wasn’t going to be a fan, either.

“Samantha, this is Fiona.”

I glanced at Declan sharply—his voice was a bit too smug for comfort. My suspicions were confirmed when he added brightly, “She’s staying in the Consort’s suite.”

The resulting silence was almost worse than hysterics. Still avoiding eye contact with the vamp, I shifted until Declan’s broad shoulder was between us. If she came at me, I wanted him in the way.

Behind us, a door clicked open.

“Samantha,” said that smooth, amused voice I was beginning to loathe. “Ms. Sullivan is immune to you, so you may cease trying to influence her.”

I stiffened in surprise, glancing over my shoulder to see a bare-chested Prime standing in the library’s doorway. Unsurprisingly, his upper body was a study in chiseled perfection.

My mouth went a little dry.

“Declan, please don’t bait Samantha. And Fiona…” His gaze flickered to my hair. “After you’ve eaten, please join me in the library.”

When he looked at Samantha and nodded once, I started breathing again. She strode past us, graceful on her four-inch stilettos, but not before sliding me a glare of undiluted malice. I instinctively recoiled, which brought me flush to Declan’s side. His shifter aura was a good deal more potent than my father’s, but was familiar enough to dull the edges of my fear.

“You okay?” he murmured.

I shuddered. “Yeah. She’s a real peach.”

He snorted, and we watched like voyeurs of a train wreck as Samantha greeted the Prime with a full-body press and an excess of tongue.

“Yuck,” I breathed, shaking my head. “Can we go?”

“Hell yes,” said Declan, and we stepped quickly into the elevator.

The doors began to slide shut, and because I couldn’t help myself, I took one more look down the hallway. Samantha’s mouth was on the Prime’s throat, her blond head tucked into his neck. His eyes, now dark as the forest outside, were locked on mine.

When the elevator doors thumped closed, I released a shaky breath and glanced at Declan. “Let me guess, Samantha’s the jealous type?”

He smirked. “You could say that. I’m sure after Connor explains your presence, she’ll leave you alone.”

I sighed, doubting his assessment. “Is there a private kitchen? I don’t think I can handle any more surprises tonight.”

He nodded, eyes softening with compassion. “Adam told me why you’re here, and about the spelled bracelets. I can’t begin to imagine what you must be feeling right now. If someone took away my ability to shift…” He shook his head, whistling beneath his breath.

I clenched my hands, his words compounding my ache of loss. “It’s not pleasant, I’ll say that.”

“I’m sure it’s only temporary.”

He didn’t sound convinced, and neither did I as I said, “Yeah, temporary.”