Sacrifice of Passion (Deadly Legends) by Melissa Bourbon Ramirez Read Free Book Online Page B

cuidado, niña ,” Esperanza sputtered.
    The chill of the woman’s voice sliced through Delaney, leaving her cold inside. Her skin came alive from the inside out. The way in which Esperanza’s blind eyes held such intensity caused a feeling of foreboding to ripple over her skin.
    “What was that?” Carmen asked. Carmen spoke Spanish; Delaney didn’t. It didn’t matter. With the woman’s lisp, neither one could understand her.
    “No clue,” she whispered. To Esperanza, she said, “ No comprendo .” Her mind scrambled, trying to make sense of the curandera’s words. “I don’t understand—”
    “Chupacabra. It ith after you,” Esperanza said in halting English. “It want…”
    Delaney’s skin grew icy, her throat dry. “What? What does it want?”
    Esperanza’s translucent eyes became more vacant. Her voice sounded harsh against the quiet sounds of the night. “ Lo thiento . Be careful, my child, or you will die.”

Chapter Six
    Delaney lay huddled in her childhood bed, her knees pulled up, a pillow clutched to her stomach. Her room was dark—with the cloud cover, not even cold moonlight drifted through the slats in the blinds. Be careful, my child, or you will die . She shuddered, rubbed the heels of her hands against her eyes. Her mind was jumbled, too many thoughts racing through it. Her nightmares. The sleepwalking. The curandera. Vic. Every thought sent her spiraling further out of control.
    And she refused to feel that way a second longer.
    She took a deep breath and focused her mind on her problems. Her nightmares and sleepwalking were nothing new. She’d lived with them now for years.
    Then there was Vic. No witch could help her deal with how her body still reacted to his. He hadn’t changed much, with his smoldering eyes, seductively dark skin, strong jaw, and raven hair. His years of ranching had broadened his shoulders and created a hard, masculine body that sent an ache low in her abdomen.
    Her mind reeled as she thought again about how it had felt to have him watch her while she’d danced. Powerful. Sexy. In control. The whole thing had been just for him, and she’d experienced a sliver of satisfaction at the lust she’d seen on his face. The way he’d eyed her. The heat of his hand on her arm. The reverberation of his sexy voice saying that he wanted to sleep with her.
    But she couldn’t read him anymore. His hungry eyes were those of a man in lust, but he’d been controlled. Guarded. Still angry.
    And determined.
    It had been obvious his proposition wasn’t really about her—that she was just a conquesta , a woman he’d never had that he wanted to purge from his system. Even so, her temperature had still shot through the roof at the image of him, naked, in her.
    She’d turned him down flat, but now she had a fleeting thought—or maybe it was a wish—that Vic could be right. That taking his deal and sleeping with him after all these years would restore order to her life. That it would allow her to take charge of things she’d never been able to take charge of before. That it would help her stop sleepwalking.
    If only.
    “Ridiculous,” she muttered. How would sex with Vic help? Once he had her, he’d drop her just like before. There was no way she was putting herself in a position to be abandoned by Vic Vargas again. When she needed him, he wouldn’t be there. Just as he hadn’t been there before.
    She’d gone to the Chain Tree to begin their new life together, and instead her life had been ripped apart by another man. Anger flushed her skin as she remembered how desperate she’d been the next morning, going to Vic, praying he’d have a good reason for breaking his promise to her. Hoping there’d been some kind of terrible mistake. That he could still save her.
    And that he’d still love her despite what had happened…
    She closed her eyes against the sudden rush of tears. But he hadn’t loved her. While she was being brutally raped, he’d been doing God knows