Until Forever by Johanna Lindsey Read Free Book Online Page B

sheowned the sword? That possibility was terrifying and fascinating by turns. If she had to be stuck with a ghost, having one as handsome as—
    She groaned into her pillow. She wasn’t really starting to believe this nonsense, was she? But what if…what if Blooddrinker really was a ghost, a thousand-year-old Viking ghost…?
    Her heart started pumping as another possibility occurred to her. Had he been a witness to all the centuries since his death? Could he tell her about the Middle Ages in actual detail? Give her facts that were unknown? Actually assist her in her research?
    The mere possibility of that was so exciting to her, she started to throw off her covers to get the sword, but stopped herself with another groan. It had to be her exhaustion. She really should have gotten some rest before she came to England, instead of promising herself that she’d rest once she was there. That was the only reason she could think of for why she was letting her imagination run amok like this.
    Well, there was one other reason, her enthusiasm for historical research. But still, that was no excuse for getting so fanciful. There were no such things as ghosts. Curses weren’t real either, for that matter. Weird dreams were, however.
    But it was time to forget them. She’d had the right idea to begin with. Just stop thinking about it, get some much-needed rest, thentackle the research she wanted to get done while she was here. If she did that, she heartily hoped there wouldn’t be any more dreams to disturb the peace she intended to nurture this next week.

8
    R oseleen was taking the longer, more scenic route back to the cottage after dropping David off at the train station, simply because of his parting remark. He’d warned that if she didn’t relax and have some fun, she’d end up collapsing from exhaustion. She did agree with him, but good intentions or not, it wasn’t long before all those “what ifs” from last night came back to haunt her. And here she’d been patting herself on the back for putting those dreams out of her mind so she could enjoy her last few hours with David.
    Of course, it was easy to forget troubling experiences when you had a companion to talk and joke with about other things. But now that she was alone, Roseleen’s thoughts veered with amazing swiftness right back to the crazy theory she had come up with last night—that Thorn Blooddrinker was an actual ghost, rather than merely a dream.
    There was really only one way to test thetheory, and once that thought settled in her mind, the nervous excitement that built up within her was impossible to tamp down. She’d do it. She’d touch her sword again someday anyway, so why wait and wonder needlessly?
    She no longer noticed the scenery as other things occurred to her. If—and it was still a very big if —her ghost did appear again, and did decide to stick around for a while as he’d threatened to do, how was she going to control him? But his sticking around wasn’t a likely possibility. She was counting on the fact that he didn’t like being summoned by her. Each time she’d done so, he’d insisted that she send him back to wherever it was he resided when he wasn’t haunting.
    She would just have to assure him that she wouldn’t keep him for very long, only long enough for him to answer all her questions. She was hoping he’d simply cooperate with her.
    But regardless of whether she could control him, she was determined now to summon him again—if he wasn’t just a dream. The things he could tell her about the past were too important not to take that risk.
    There was no changing her mind this time, and she’d never driven as recklessly as she did in returning to the cottage once her decision was made. And as soon as she got there, she fairly flew up the stairs to her bedroom.
    The only precaution she took was in locking the door and hiding the key, so the ghostcouldn’t escape from her room until she explained things to him. Or at least