Read Online Embrace the Darkness (Darkness Series) by Lilly Gayle - Free Book Online Page B

She would react with courage. And she would react quickly.
    She held the Glock close to her chest and stepped off the beige Berber carpet onto the hardwood in the entry hall. Dark stains dotted the oak—blood droplets where Gerard had dripped onto the floor. A twinge of guilt made her flinch.
    Had the wound caused him pain? Had it healed completely?
    Her fingers tightened on the Glock’s textured grip. Frenzied thoughts of vampires and vampire legends filled her thoughts. Then another memory came rushing to the forefront—a memory from her childhood—deeply buried but never completely forgotten. Germany wasn’t the only time Nicolas had saved her from attack. He’d rescued her once before. When she was a child.
    Nausea roiled up from the pit of her stomach. Was Gerard a threat?
    “Nicolas?” she whispered.
    “No. It’s me.”
    Amber yelped and spun around. Years of training and experience saved Gerard from a second bullet. She lowered the Glock, forcing her rational mind to overrule her fear. If Gerard wanted her dead, he wouldn’t have announced his presence.
    “Do you know how close you came to buying the farm?” she snapped.
    His lips twitched but he didn’t smile. He did, however, eye her curiously, as if he wasn’t quite familiar with modern slang. “I’m not interested in farmland.”
    She tried ignoring the contrast between his biting wit, naivety, and attractive exterior. He was far too appealing for comfort.
    He leaned against the doorframe between the living room and foyer and folded his muscled arms over his wide chest.
    A rush of heat twisted her insides into warm sensual knots.
    Shit.
    Ignoring the flush of unwelcome desire, she held the grip of the gun to her forehead and pressed it against her skull. Her head felt as if it were going to explode.
    If vampires were involved in the Lifeblood murders, how would law enforcement bring the killers to justice?
    Images of her and Reid sneaking through cold, dank catacombs at high noon with wooden stakes and silver crosses flashed through her mind.
    Gerard stepped forward, eyes focused on the gun. “Who are you planning to shoot with that thing?”
    She’d forgotten she was even holding it. Heat burned her cheeks as she holstered her weapon. “No one. As you’ve already pointed out, bullets won’t stop a vampire.”
    He smiled faintly. “Silver bullets are rather effective.”
    “Great. I’ll make a note of that the next time I put in a requisition for ammo.” Did munitions companies even make silver bullets?
    She glanced at Gerard’s shirt. His wound no longer bled. And the way he moved—besides being inhumanly fast—indicated a complete lack of discomfort. “If it wasn’t for the blood on your shirt, I wouldn’t even know I’d shot you .”
    "Que puis-je vous dire?" he said with a shrug. “What can I say? I’m a vampire. The wound still aches and I’m sure I have a bruise but by tomorrow, there won’t even be a scar.”
    “A bruise?” She’d frickin’ shot him. “It wasn’t a through and through or a flesh wound. There’s still a bullet inside you.”
    He shrugged again. “You missed my heart, and it’s a foreign body. The bullet will work its way out through the original wound track when I fall into the regenerative sleep. When I awaken tomorrow night, I’ll find the bullet in my bed.”
    Teetering on the edge of hysteria, she tried embracing her anger but could only manage impotent sarcasm. “Not your coffin?”
    “No,” he replied with a touch of annoyance.
    Meds. I need Meds.
    She bent down to retrieve her purse from where she’d dropped it on the floor earlier. Then she brushed past him and into the living room. She needed to be on something a hell of a lot stronger than valium and Trazadone. She needed to add Paxil to her drug regimen. Because this was way more than post-traumatic stress. A hell of a lot more. This could push her over the edge—if she wasn’t there already. Until then, valium would have to