Once Forbidden Read Free Page B

take
the scars from her. But, with all the powers he possessed, that wasn’t one of
them. The only way he could remove the scars was to transform her.
    He
remembered when he’d been transformed. He’d been hurt in a carriage accident
over a hundred and fifty years before. One of the Elders had changed him. He’d
awakened whole again.
    But,
he also remembered that Carina hadn’t asked him. She’d transformed him when
he’d been unconscious. He’d been livid and had sworn vengeance on Carina. It
had taken him a decade to adjust to what he’d become. Of course, he’d changed
his mind about revenge—he liked what he’d become. He was stronger in every
sense of the word. His powers were numerous. All of his senses were heightened
at least ten-fold.
    He
could transform her without her consent; but he wouldn’t. He didn’t want her to
have those years of doubt and bitter rage. He’d thought the dreams would help. He’d
been giving her the erotic dreams almost from the first. They had made her
receptive to him, but he wanted her when she was fully cognizant of what she was
doing.
    Tonight,
he’d given her the illusion of her previous beauty, and that hadn’t been enough
either. What more could he do to convince her? He was frustrated beyond belief.
Part of him wanted to take the choice from her hands, but that kind of act was
what the Hunters looked for. Even if he had been willing to change her without
the consent of the Elders—and Sarah herself. Never had he been so torn. The
Hunters were a serious concern—one he knew he needed to take into
consideration.
    He
didn’t want to put her in the path of those evil creatures; humans that didn’t
understand their ways would hunt them down like animals. He’d managed to stay
off their radar and he planned to keep it that way. The transformation was
forbidden by the Elders, though, for just that reason.
    The
Hunters were hoping that the vampire race would die out. Open hostilities were
rare today, though they did occur once in a great while. He sighed. Carina
would have the answer. He silently called her to come to him. He waited for her
to materialize before him. A vampire could ignore the calling, but he knew she
wouldn’t—as an Elder, she’d come. Humans weren’t able to ignore the will of a
vampire, but another vampire could.
    “You
rang?” she said, her voice silky. She was dressed in all black. Her black hair
was flowing nearly to her waist. Her blue eyes were cool and missed nothing,
taking in the scene before her.
    He
nodded once. “I need your advice,” he said. “But keep your other comments to
yourself.”
    She
tilted her head, and a smile played on her red lips. “What was I going to say?”
she asked, her voice sultry.
    Devlin
simply remained quiet until she chuckled. “All right, Devlin. What is it? You
want this woman?”
    “I
want her,” he admitted quietly.
    Carina
studied him. “And she resists?” she guessed.
    “She
is unable to make up her mind,” he said stiffly, pacing again.
    Carina
sighed. “So, you convince her, Devlin.” She looked at the woman. “Surely she
doesn’t want to remain like that?” she asked with a flick of her wrist.
    Devlin’s
eyes followed Carina’s movement. “No, she doesn’t. But she doesn’t want to
become one of us, either.”
    Carina
put her hands on her hips impatiently. “What is it you want of me, Devlin? If
you can’t convince her, your only two options are to forget her or to transform
her.”
    Devlin
turned to Carina again. “She’d never forgive me,” he said quietly.
    “No,
she likely would not,” she agreed.
    Devlin
didn’t miss the flash of pain in her eyes. “I forgave you long ago, Carina,” he
said softly.
    “No
matter,” she said firmly, brushing away the concerned tone. “So, what are you
going to do?”
    He
sighed. “Give her more time, I suppose.”
    Carina
softened. “Make her love you, Devlin. It is all you can do. If she loves you
enough, then perhaps