Dream Vampire Read Free Page A

she’d open them and find that this bizarre discussion had been only a bad dream. “I don’t understand what’s happening. Something must be wrong with me. I shouldn’t be so attracted to someone I just met.”
    “Ah, you needn’t concern yourself about that. We bonded long ago. You invited me to sit with you in your room when you were a child. I’ve entered your dreams. You’ve been in love with me most of your life.”
    “What?” She opened her eyes, cocked her brows. “Could you possibly be more arrogant? I’m not in love with you. I’m a happily married woman.”
    “You’re not married, Alana. Your husband is dead. But our connection happened long before you met Stephen.”
    Startled, she went cold with fear. “How... how do you know about Stephen?” Then a horrible thought occurred to her, and she pushed Michael away and leaped up from the couch. “Did you have anything to do with Stephen being killed right in front of your house? Did you hurt him?” Could this gorgeous man really be a killer? A mad stalker who had some twisted idea about being in love with her? Did he murder her husband? The idea took her breath away and filled her with a terrible sense of dread.
    He stood, gazing at her with soft, compassionate eyes, and shook his head. “I had nothing to do with harming Stephen.” His lips spread into a sweet smile. “You were a delightful, innocent child when we met. You had the most fertile imagination I’d ever encountered in all my five hundred years of existence. It was a pleasure sharing dreams and magical fantasies with you. I’ve been on the periphery of your life ever since. I was happy for you when you met and married Stephen. You deserved to be happy. You still deserve that.”
    Without being aware of what she was doing, she’d been stepping backwards toward the fireplace.
    “Stop!” Michael demanded.
    Startled by his harsh tone, she froze, but slid her hand into the pocket of her cloak, fingering the dagger.
    He walked slowly toward her and pointed to the fireplace. He tugged her forward a few inches. “There’s no screen covering the fire. Your cloak was close to the flame. You would’ve gotten burned, and I’m much too fond of you to allow that.”
    She looked down at the bottom of her cloak and her shoulders sagged. She had been within igniting distance. If she didn’t get her wits about her, she could wind up dead like Stephen. Or held hostage by a vampire-fan maniac.
    Michael chuckled and drew her attention again. He was standing very close. So close she could slide her hands down his chest—or somewhere.
    “I’m not a vampire-fan maniac, although I freely admit to being a vampire romance fan. Some of those books have been the inspiration for my most adventurous—and most amorous—exploits.” He smiled his glorious smile. “And vice versa.”
    He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her to him, pressing his erection against her stomach. “I know you are attracted to me, as I am to you. Why not let your desires dictate your actions instead of your fear?”
    She hesitated a couple of seconds, allowing herself to be distracted by her body’s reaction to the evidence of his obvious arousal, then pushed away, “You know nothing about me—or my fear. I insist that you let me leave. Now.” She turned and headed for the front door.
    “I saw the men who killed Stephen,” he said, softly.
    His words stopped her dead in her tracks. All the blood drained from her head. Her legs refused to hold her, and her muscles gave way. For the second time in one night, Michael swooped in and gathered her in his arms before she fell.
    With unusual speed, he carried her over to the couch again, arranged her comfortably and adjusted the pillows behind her head. He stood looking down at her, his silky hair shining in the soft light.
    She stared at him, eyes wide, fear and anger warring inside her. Sitting up, she shrieked, “What do you mean, you saw them? You saw them because