Read Online Love Bites by Lynsay Sands - Free Book Online

arm away when he took it, but he was much stronger than she.
    â€œYou need this.” He slid the tube back into the IV in her arm with the skill of a nurse. “Your body is going through changes, and healing took a lot of blood. This will ease the cramps so you can sleep again.”
    Rachel wanted to argue, but the moment the blood slid down the clear tube and began to pour into her body, some of the aching she had suffered since awakening began to ease. So did the odd hankering she’d been experiencing. Apparently, this was what her body had yearned for.
    â€œYou will sleep now.”
    It sounded more like an order than a suggestion. Never having cared much for being ordered about, Rachel wanted to argue…but she was suddenly quite weary. Her exhaustion and lassitude were growing in proportion to the blood entering her. She feltmuch as she did after a big carbohydrate-rich holiday meal.
    â€œThis is a dream, remember?” her host said soothingly. “Just sleep. All will be well when you wake up.”
    â€œSleep,” Rachel muttered.
    Yes, sleep would be good. And when she woke up for real, she would find herself in a hospital, or perhaps snoozing at her desk. Perhaps it was all a dream—the crispy critter, the ax-wielding madman, everything. It was such a reassuring thought that she closed her eyes and let her mind drift. Rachel did have one regret just before she gave in to sleep: If it was all a dream, then the handsome, vital man who had carried her upstairs was a dream too, and that was rather a shame.
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    Etienne watched Rachel’s face relax into sleep. She was a beautiful woman—nearly as tall as him too, which he liked—but her life had obviously been a stressful one. There were vague tension lines around her eyes and mouth. Those would disappear once she’d had enough blood, but they were signs that her life had not been an easy one. He brushed a fiery red curl away from her cheek, smiling when irritation flickered on her face and she brushed his hand away like a pesky fly.
    Yes, Rachel was an interesting woman. She showed signs of being prickly. He liked prickly, and he had always enjoyed challenges.
    His smile faded as he considered Rachel’s reaction. She would be resistant to the change at first. The woman obviously had all sorts of preconceived ideas about his people. Lumpy faces? Bloodsucking demons? He would have to clarify matters when next she awoke. Vampire wasn’t a label he liked, but it was expedient, and one most people could at least understand. It would serve as a starting point in the conversation to come.
    Stifling a yawn, Etienne glanced around his room. He would have liked to remain here, didn’t want to leave her alone, but sleep was creeping over him. From her pallor, he estimated she needed another two or three bags of blood, and cramps would wake her again when this bag ran out. He didn’t want her wandering around weak and shaky—she could fall and hurt herself.
    After a hesitation, Etienne stretched out on the bed. He crossed his ankles and clasped his hands behind his head, then turned to glance at her. He would stay, catnap, and change the bags as needed. Her restless stirring when the bag ran out would wake him to the task.

Chapter Four
    The room was dark and silent, but something awakened her. Rachel lay still for a moment, simply listening, collecting her thoughts. It wasn’t completely silent. Outside, it was obviously windy. She could hear the soft rush, the battering of the building and the rustle of blown branches. Those were the only sounds, however; there was nothing to signal where she was—nothing except the memories crowding her.
    Those memories were horrific, not to mention confusing. They came to her in order this time. Rachel distinctly recalled Fred and Dale arriving with the burn victim and telling her she’d earned the position she’d sought. Then, she recalled her confusion at the