Love's Eternal Embrace by Karen Michelle Nutt Read Free Book Online Page A

a human, he used to think she felt cold to the touch, but
not anymore.
    “Do you miss it?” She turned in his arms. “Do
you miss the sun?”
    “Sometimes.” He would not lie to her. “Do not
worry, I shall live.”
    She chuckled as she met his lips. Her fangs
grazed him, drawing blood. He growled before taking her mouth
hungrily. They fed off each other to sustain life, the way it was
meant to be for a Dearg-due .
    He didn’t fear death now. He only feared
leaving behind what life still had to offer. Being Immortal only
proved true as long as an enemy did not know of your
weaknesses.
    Glamis and he had spread stories about the
legends of vampyres, whispering in playwrights and poets’ ears.
They were the muses for the arts, a ploy to keep them safe from the
humans’ ignorance of the species. Eventually the Dearg-due would be only a myth and nothing more.
    “I have added more written words to the
book.” He handed her the vellum page he’d been working on for the
last few days.
    She glanced down at what he’d written, his
script strong and sure. Her laughter made him smile.
    “I do not believe I have penned a
comedy.”
    “Oh, but you have. Garlic and holy water will
keep the fiend at bay. A Dearg-due may be defeated by
building a cairn of stones over its grave.” Her brows rose. “Who
will ever believe such nonsense? We do not sleep in graves.”
    “That is the point, my sweet. We will pass
this information along and soon our existence will only make for a
good story told on a starless night.” He pressed a kiss to her
lips.
    “But you have stated truths as well. You
revealed how the sun could harm us.”
    “All myths and legends have a bit of the
truth in them, do they not?”
    “Hmm… yes.” She exposed her neck for his
caress. “You should add how we are passionate creatures. Mmm… Right
there.” She paused to let him nibble near her ear.
    “Go on, tell me what else to write,” he
encouraged.
    She turned in his arms. “How about I show
you?”
    His lips curved. “The night is ours. Seduce
away, my love.”
     
    The End

 
    Author’s Notes: What inspired Love’s
Eternal Embrace?
     
    The Legend of the Dearg-due
     
    Vampires have inspired poems and stories
throughout the ages. Even though the names vary naming this
blood-sucker, every culture has a legend.
    The Irish Dearg-due literally
translates to blood-sucker. In one of the legends, the Dearg-due is a female demon that rises from her grave to
seduce men, dooming them with just one kiss.
    A Celtic legend tells of a fair maiden named
Dearg-due. She was so beautiful all knew of her. She could have
married any man, but she fell in love with a local peasant.
However, her father would not allow the marriage. He forced her to
marry a wealthy man to secure a financial future for the family.
The husband mistreated Dearg-due and she committed suicide. Legend
states she is buried in a small churchyard located near Strongbow’s
Tree in the village of Waterford. One night, Dearg-due avenged her
fate, rose from the grave, and lured her father and husband to
their deaths.
    The legend differs, but it is believed a Dearg-due will rise from the grave to seduce men and lure
them to their deaths by draining their blood. It could be every
full moon or a few times a year. Some say it is the anniversary of
her death. There are only one or two stories stating she can change
into a bat-like creature, but most claim she cannot shapeshift at
all. There are a few legends that say she does not drink blood, but
sucks out the life force, until the victims slowly wither and
die.

 
    Where Did Ireland’s Forests Go?
     
    At one time, Forests covered two-thirds of
Ireland. In the Middle Ages, the forests were communally owned and
appreciated. If the trees were unlawfully cut down, the person
would be fined. The English and Anglo-Irish nobles kept their
estate grounds forested for beauty and for hunting.
    When England’s Tudor armies began their
conquest in Ireland