Lure of Forever by Doris O'Connor Read Free Book Online Page A

connection, but still, he could sense her. She was upstairs,
her heart beating slowly, as though in a deep sleep. Yet the lights were on.
The unease he'd felt all night increased tenfold and he made his way across the
street, the locks no deterrent to his strength. His fangs came out the minute
he stepped into the house, his nostrils flared, and his vision clouded over as
bloodlust grabbed him by the throat. An inhuman growl rumbled from his throat
and he covered the distance to the bathroom in a blur.
    ****
    Coralie's head was on fire. Licks of pain shot down her spine. The touch of coolness on
her shoulders barely registered in the pain-filled haze. Someone was talking,
in low, urgent tones, and more coolness surrounded her – her stomach rebelled
as she was lifted. Pain suffused her body. Sharp red-hot stabs made her cry out
and grope blindly for something, someone to hold her, to rescue her, to make it
stop.
    Thick, hot liquid filled her mouth. Coralie struggled against the iron hold on her body, the
hypnotic voice in her ear urging her to drink, reassuring her she would be
okay. She gagged, her body rebelling against the thick tide of fluid in her
mouth. And still the pressure against her throat increased, forcing her to
swallow more of the thick goo. It caused a new kind of pain down her body and
she writhed against the hold on her. Fire pushed through her veins, as every
cell in her body tingled with awareness. Sensations too intense to name
overtook her, as Coralie hovered between life and the
sleep of oblivion – every pain-filled exhale centering in the back of her head
until blissful darkness took it all away.
    She came to, surrounded by softness.
Cool silk sheets slid across her naked skin and she moaned her contentment.
Stretching like a cat, her outstretched arms encountered an unfamiliar
headboard and she froze. Where was she? Semi-darkness met her when she gingerly
opened her eyes. Her heart beat a painful rhythm against her breastbone, and
she bit back the shriek of fear, as her memories returned in Technicolor
detail.
    Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. This had to be some sort of desperate nightmare. What she remembered couldn't
be real, it just couldn't. If it was then everything she'd ever believed in
wasn't real either, and heaven help her, the man she allowed into her home and
into her body was a monster. A movement outside the door had her scrambling off
the bed in horror. The sheet wrapped itself around her legs and she stumbled.
Lucas' arm came out of nowhere and saved her from pitching forward onto her
face.  
    "Easy, Chere , you're still
recovering. Get back into bed."
    Nooooooo . The silent
scream echoed in her head. Her stomach churned and acid burnt the back of her
throat. Adrenaline coiled her muscles and she struggled to free herself out of
his cloying hold. His dry scent filled her lungs and terror made her voice
shrill.
    "No, let me go. Let me go. You
have no right. Let me go, damn you. Please…" Coralie’s voice broke on the last word. She blinked the hot tears away, as the futility
of her struggles dawned on her. His grip on her hadn't lessened.   Her struggles achieved absolutely nothing and
no one would hear her screams. He'd taken her back on his narrow boat. Oh God,
she was doomed.
      The sheet had slipped in her struggles. His
hand rested just under her exposed breast and she screwed her eyes shut in
terror. He breathed heavily into her ear, his erection pressing into her
backside, and she froze in his arms.
    "Please don't hurt me."
    He released her immediately with a
vicious French curse. He spun her around so fast her head snapped back and a
dull pain spread down her back. She bit her lip and clutched for the sheet in a
desperate bid to cover herself.
    " Putain l'enfer , I would never hurt you, Coralie . Damn it, look at me and stop acting as though I'm
going to attack you."
    She shook her head. "No,
you're, you're a…" God, she couldn't say it out loud, that would make it
real