Once Forbidden by Hope Welsh Read Free Book Online Page A

widened. “What did you do, Devlin?” She couldn’t miss the burns that were
on his face and arms, although they were healing. He’d obviously come into the
bedroom and taken her away.
    Devlin
sighed and leaned back on his heels, watching her. “You were dying, Sarah. I
changed you. You’re a vampire now,” he said quietly.
    Sarah
closed her eyes. “I see.”
    Devlin
could feel her close herself off from him. Damn it, he knew exactly how she
felt—that was the problem. He’d felt the exact same way when Carina had changed
him all those years ago. “I had no choice, Sarah. You would have died.”
    “I
know,” she said simply, refusing to look at him. “Can I get out of here now,
please?”
    Devlin
nodded and stood. He held out his hand to her. He bit his tongue to keep silent
when she hesitated before allowing him to help her from the tub. She was
obviously still weak, and would be until she had sustenance. “I’ll get you a
robe. Wait here,” he said flatly.
    Sarah
let the tears fall down her cheeks now. She understood why he’d changed her. In
his mind—there had been no choice.
    In
hers, there was—he could have simply allowed her to die.
    Could
she live like this? Did she want to live as a vampire? That thought made her
laugh a little hysterically. No, she wasn’t alive anymore. She put her hand to
her breast, and of course, there was no heartbeat.
    She
touched her face. She’d never again see her face. Was not seeing it preferable
to seeing the scars every day? She just didn’t know.
    But
she loved Devlin—she did know that much. She just hadn’t been sure that she had
been ready to give up her life as a human to be a vampire. Now, the choice had
been taken from her. She looked up when the door opened. “Thank you,” she said
formally, taking the offered robe.
    Her
hands were shaking. What happened to the super strength vampires were supposed
to have? She felt as weak as a newborn kitten. “Why am I so weak?” she asked
after she’d tied the robe tightly at her waist.
    “You
need to drink,” he said calmly, crossing his arms against his broad chest. He
leaned against the door and watched her.
    She
shivered. “I have to drink blood?”
    “Of
course,” he said.
    “Oh
God, you’ve turned me into a monster,” she said, her voice breaking.
    Devlin’s
eyes darkened and narrowed. “No, Sarah, I gave you a chance to live,” he
snapped angrily. In a blink he was gone.
    Sarah
sagged against the floor and sobbed. This wasn’t what she wanted. Did she have
the nerve to kill herself? How would she even survive on her own?
    Unfortunately,
the only one with the answers had disappeared.
    She
suddenly realized that he wasn’t gone, though. He was just in the other room. He’d
gone back to the bedroom. Obviously enhanced hearing was a perk. She tried to
stand up, and realized she was simply too weak. “Devlin?”
    Devlin
was kneeling next to her in the next instant. “I’m sorry, love. I shouldn’t
have gotten angry. Let me help you.” He lifted her easily into his arms and
carried her back to his room.
    He’d
removed the bloody clothes and comforter, and he placed her on the cool sheets.
“I’m sorry, but you have to drink,” he said quietly.
    “I
know,” she said. She watched as he poured the blood from the donor bag into the
wine glass. With shaking hands, she took the glass. “Is it terrible?”
    Devlin
shook his head. “No, love. You’ll like it, actually.”
    She
doubted that, but took a tentative sip of the warm liquid. Instantly, she felt
her incisors grow and her hunger grew. The blood was marvelous!  It wasn’t at
all coppery as she’d remembered. This was actually sweet—delicious. She drained
the glass and almost immediately felt better. “I feel better.”
    “Yes,”
he agreed. “I’d imagine you do.”
    “So
what happens now?” Why was he looking at her like that? His eyes were dark and
his breathing had quickened. “What is it?”
    “I
want you,” he said