Lahat ng Kabanata ng Ivan's Betrayal: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

Chapter Two For the past couple of weeks, Khafil had noticed his Chief seemed distracted. Lately Sarim seemed as if he were elsewhere. One incident came to Khafil’s mind. During a crucial conversation in last week’s council meeting, Sarim had zoned out. The other tribal brothers were awaiting the Sarim’s response to a critical matter before the council. Khafil had to regain his Chief’s attention by sending him a mental summons. He had watched Sarim quietly drift in and out of conversations with members of the Soga Vampire Tribe. Khafil knew how to read his Chief’s every move and thought by scanning Sarim’s facial expressions.Khafil had been Sarim’s protector since Khafil reached vaperty, the time when a vampire reached adulthood. He had been primed since birth to serve, counsel, and protect the Chief. His father had protected Sarim’s father, and the father before him had been protector to Sarim’s grandfather. Khafil came from a long line of protectors. His family took the responsibi

Sarim sat in his office, allowing the silence to clear his thoughts. Khafil remained in the shadows, unseen and unheard. Lately his office was the only place he could find solitude from the chaotic world around him. He should have been thinking of his upcoming journey to the human world, where he was headed later tonight. Instead, his thoughts were on the monthly meeting he’d just dismissed. Tonight, several members of the lesser Taalib Duma tribes were vocalizing concerns about Sarim’s successor. “Who is he?” “Where is he?” and “When is he coming?” Those were just a few of the questions asked. Even though Khafil had warned him the questions were coming, he should have been prepared. Instead, he was deeply unsettled. He had no answers. He’d managed to dissuade his brothers by explaining he still had a few years left and there was no need for the pressing concern. This was true, but Sarim knew it was customary for his successor to be introduced to the tribe by now. The new ruler had to

Stepping on the sidewalk, Victoria took a deep breath of fresh, southern air. This was her first day outside since the ice storm had hit Tabor Ridge. Smiling, she lifted her arms upward, stretching them as far as they could go. She didn’t mind that the cold air burned her nose or that it stung her eyes. Happiness made her light on her feet. Feeling hope for the first time in weeks, she was glad to finally be out of her efficiency. Since arriving, she had spent the last few days watching TV, reading books, watching the ice storm from her window, and devising a plan to locate her father. According to her mother’s notes, this small town was his birthplace. Walking along the idyllic street outside her motel, she felt warm vibes from the picturesque town. She stopped in front of a building, which emanated wonderful smells. Looking up, she saw it was some sort of eatery named McGrady’s. An eatery usually had a lot of people. People who may have knew her father. Shading her eyes from the su

Sitting cross-legged on the hotel floor, Khafil closed his eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. The second his body had completely relaxed, he became mist. He traveled through the hotel room, under the door, then down the hall to the basement room Sarim occupied. Once there, he floated under Sarim’s door and materialized. Walking silently through the cold, dark room, he stopped beside Sarim’s bed, then placed a hand over Sarim’s forehead. Thoughts of the heir dominated Sarim’s thoughts. He wondered if it was male or female and if they would follow his plans willingly. Astrong thought made Khafil pause. Seemed Sarim had plans to make the heir agreeable. He would kidnap the heir, if it was female, holding her hostage in his quarters while getting another Taalib Duma to impregnate her. Taking a deep breath, Khafil forced himself to focus through the waves of repulsion coursing through his body. The bastard already had several Taalib Dumas in mind for the task. He was going to

Sitting, Victoria took a few seconds to allow the last dredges of sleep to leave her brain. She still couldn’t believe she had changed her mind and had agreed to spend the night at Ivan’s. Once outside the parking garage, the cold air did the trick and she felt on high alert, although she remained quiet as she followed Ivan to his apartment. His place was nice, very nice, the ultimate bachelor pad. She followed him across a plush carpet to the living room where a fifty-inch flat screen televisiondominated the far wall. “Have a seat,” he said, nodding toward the sofa. “I’m going to put your luggage in the guest room.” He vanished down the hallway. She sat on the black sectional, then placed her purse on the glass table and surveyed the room. Paintings of all kinds decorated the other three walls. Some were modern with splashes of colors. Others landscapes, and the ones the wall closest to her were portraits. Her eyes rested on a rather formal picture drawing of a man who looked qui