was just a dream? Blinking her eyes back into focus, she perused her surroundings once more. Nothing had changed. How could this all be real?
When she found her fingers trembling, she linked them together and drew deep fortifying breaths. How? Why? How could Mikel exist outside her dream world?
Pushing past her fears, she quietly climbed from the bed and fought to make sense of it all. Her bare feet touched the cold stone floor. A chill rushed through her. She started to rise then stopped as a wave of dizziness took hold. Fingers combing her thick hair from her eyes, she waited until the lightheadedness passed. She dragged herself from the mattress and shook off the feeling of disorientation. The need for answers, to understand what was going on, propelled her forward.
Without making a sound she padded from the bedchamber and made her way into the hall. She cautiously glanced both ways before moving to the winding staircase. Hugging her thin linen dress to her cold body, she moved swiftly down the stairs. At the main landing, she turned her attention to the front door. She couldn’t escape. She had nowhere to go. No one to turn to, and the sun, it was too high in the sky. She also knew Grayson was out there somewhere, searching for her signal through his psychic connection to her. Everything inside her told her that Mikel, a man whom she still had a hard time fathoming, was more than simply her dream man, he was the epitome of strength and power and would protect her with his life. But why had he kept his real existence a secret, and only come to her in her sleep?
Shades had been pulled over all the windows blocking out the stinging rays of sun. She glanced into the massive rooms as she passed by the doors. One room, with rows and rows of books lining the walls, caught her attention. She moved inside the library and walked to the bookshelf searching for clues to her many unanswered questions. She studied the binding and was somewhat disturbed to discover how many books there were on vampire history. Her stomach churned. Dari fought off the shiver that threatened to make her body convulse.
She moved to the desk and glanced at what appeared to be some type of journal. The pages had yellowed with age. Pulling out a padded chair she sat down, turned her attention to the book and began reading.
Soon minutes turned into hours as she absorbed the information. Some passages had to be read a second or even a third time as her mind struggled to understand what she was. Finally, the pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place. The sunlight, the inhuman strength, the ability to feel things others couldn’t.
Why had all this information been kept from her? A rush of anger tore through her and fired her blood.
She didn’t need to turn around to know Mikel was there watching. She felt his presence long before he spoke. Her spine stiffened, her stomach knotted.
“Dari?”
With rage stirring her soul and urging her on, she swung her head around and came face to face with Mikel.
She clenched her jaw and worked to keep her voice steady. “It’s all real.” Her voice dripped with ice.
He glanced at the book before her and stepped farther into the room.
“It’s real,” she said again, as though repeating the words would help her come to terms with it all.
Mikel pulled a chair away from the wall, positioned it beside Dari and sat next to her. His hand reached out to comfort her. She noted how he touched her with fierce possessiveness. His hands were soft, comforting, drawing her into a cocoon of warmth. His caress worked some mysterious alchemy on her soul. Feeling her resolve begin to melt, she quickly recoiled and moved out of his reach. She needed answers. Needed to know why he would keep this from her.
She watched a muscle in his square jaw tighten. “Yes, Dari. It’s all real,” he replied soberly.
She gave an angry shake of her head. All along she had thought vampires were simply folklore. How foolish of her.
When she found her fingers trembling, she linked them together and drew deep fortifying breaths. How? Why? How could Mikel exist outside her dream world?
Pushing past her fears, she quietly climbed from the bed and fought to make sense of it all. Her bare feet touched the cold stone floor. A chill rushed through her. She started to rise then stopped as a wave of dizziness took hold. Fingers combing her thick hair from her eyes, she waited until the lightheadedness passed. She dragged herself from the mattress and shook off the feeling of disorientation. The need for answers, to understand what was going on, propelled her forward.
Without making a sound she padded from the bedchamber and made her way into the hall. She cautiously glanced both ways before moving to the winding staircase. Hugging her thin linen dress to her cold body, she moved swiftly down the stairs. At the main landing, she turned her attention to the front door. She couldn’t escape. She had nowhere to go. No one to turn to, and the sun, it was too high in the sky. She also knew Grayson was out there somewhere, searching for her signal through his psychic connection to her. Everything inside her told her that Mikel, a man whom she still had a hard time fathoming, was more than simply her dream man, he was the epitome of strength and power and would protect her with his life. But why had he kept his real existence a secret, and only come to her in her sleep?
Shades had been pulled over all the windows blocking out the stinging rays of sun. She glanced into the massive rooms as she passed by the doors. One room, with rows and rows of books lining the walls, caught her attention. She moved inside the library and walked to the bookshelf searching for clues to her many unanswered questions. She studied the binding and was somewhat disturbed to discover how many books there were on vampire history. Her stomach churned. Dari fought off the shiver that threatened to make her body convulse.
She moved to the desk and glanced at what appeared to be some type of journal. The pages had yellowed with age. Pulling out a padded chair she sat down, turned her attention to the book and began reading.
Soon minutes turned into hours as she absorbed the information. Some passages had to be read a second or even a third time as her mind struggled to understand what she was. Finally, the pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place. The sunlight, the inhuman strength, the ability to feel things others couldn’t.
Why had all this information been kept from her? A rush of anger tore through her and fired her blood.
She didn’t need to turn around to know Mikel was there watching. She felt his presence long before he spoke. Her spine stiffened, her stomach knotted.
“Dari?”
With rage stirring her soul and urging her on, she swung her head around and came face to face with Mikel.
She clenched her jaw and worked to keep her voice steady. “It’s all real.” Her voice dripped with ice.
He glanced at the book before her and stepped farther into the room.
“It’s real,” she said again, as though repeating the words would help her come to terms with it all.
Mikel pulled a chair away from the wall, positioned it beside Dari and sat next to her. His hand reached out to comfort her. She noted how he touched her with fierce possessiveness. His hands were soft, comforting, drawing her into a cocoon of warmth. His caress worked some mysterious alchemy on her soul. Feeling her resolve begin to melt, she quickly recoiled and moved out of his reach. She needed answers. Needed to know why he would keep this from her.
She watched a muscle in his square jaw tighten. “Yes, Dari. It’s all real,” he replied soberly.
She gave an angry shake of her head. All along she had thought vampires were simply folklore. How foolish of her.
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