Read Online Masquerade by Amanda Ashley - Masquerade - Free Book Online
Authors: Amanda Ashley - Masquerade
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possess a woman, pulsed through him. Only the love he had for her made it possible to keep his accursed blood lust at bay, to touch the living warmth of her skin, to kiss and caress her, and not bury his fangs in her throat and satisfy the awful hunger that plagued him.
Still buried deep within the warmth of her body, he held her close, listening as her breathing returned to normal. She whispered that she loved him and then, her eyelids fluttering down, she fell asleep in his arms.
So young, he thought. So trusting.
His fangs lengthened as he gazed at the pulse throbbing in the hollow of her throat. The scent of her blood filled his nostrils, teasing him, tempting him beyond endurance.
One bite. One taste. Just one. Slowly, he lowered his head to her neck, his tongue stroking her skin, tasting the salt of her perspiration.
A growl rumbled in his throat. His whole body shook as he fought the need to sink his fangs into her flesh, to swallow a single drop of her blood. Just one small drop. She need never know that a monster had sipped her sweetness.
Hating himself for his lack of self-control, he bit into the tender skin just below her ear. Her blood was as warm and sweet as he had so often imagined and he hovered over her, a dark phantom torn by a driving need to take more. The darkness inside him urged him to stop fighting what he was and seize what he wanted, what he needed. She was his for the taking; she could be his for all eternity...
She moaned softly as he brushed a kiss over the curve of her neck, and then she whispered his name.
Filled with self-loathing for what he had almost done, for what he wanted so desperately, he drew back, surprised to find that he was weeping.
"Sleep, beloved," he whispered brokenly. "Dream your young girl's dreams. You're safe from the monster tonight."
* * *
She dreamed of darkness, a vast all-encompassing darkness that shut out the light for all time. And, in the heart of that darkness, she saw a man with hair as black as ebony and eyes as blue as a midnight sky. He was dressed in black from head to foot. A cloak the color of death billowed out behind him as he walked toward her, as graceful as a panther stalking its prey, but it was his gaze that captured her; mesmerizing, haunting, his deep blue eyes filled with pain and loneliness.
She should have been afraid of him, afraid of the power in his eyes. Instead, she reached out toward him. Let me help you.
He shook his head, and she saw that he was crying, and his tears were the color of blood . No one can help me , he said, and the anguish in his voice was more than she could bear.
I'll do anything , she promised. Anything you ask, only let me ease your sorrow .
Anything? he asked.
Anything, she replied, and then he was on her, his arms like steel bands around her as he gathered her into the enveloping folds of his cloak. His eyes blazed with an unholy light as he lowered his head. She closed her eyes as his mouth covered hers in a searing kiss, and then she felt his teeth at her neck, a sharp pain, a sudden sense of lethargy.
A scream of primal terror rose in her throat, a scream that brought her awake with a start.
Heart pounding in her breast, she sat up, reaching for Jason, only to find herself alone in bed with no recollection of how she had gotten there. She glanced wildly around the room, but he was nowhere in sight. Through a crack in the drapes, she saw that it was dawn.
She sat there for a long moment and then, with a hand that trembled, she fingered the side of her neck. Was she imagining things, or did she really feel two small puncture wounds? Slipping out of bed, she started for the bathroom, only to stop when she remembered there was no mirror in the bathroom.
There were no mirrors anywhere in the house.
She shook her head vigorously, refusing to even consider the bizarre possibility that came to mind as she climbed back into bed and drew the covers up to her chin.
She was just letting her imagination
Still buried deep within the warmth of her body, he held her close, listening as her breathing returned to normal. She whispered that she loved him and then, her eyelids fluttering down, she fell asleep in his arms.
So young, he thought. So trusting.
His fangs lengthened as he gazed at the pulse throbbing in the hollow of her throat. The scent of her blood filled his nostrils, teasing him, tempting him beyond endurance.
One bite. One taste. Just one. Slowly, he lowered his head to her neck, his tongue stroking her skin, tasting the salt of her perspiration.
A growl rumbled in his throat. His whole body shook as he fought the need to sink his fangs into her flesh, to swallow a single drop of her blood. Just one small drop. She need never know that a monster had sipped her sweetness.
Hating himself for his lack of self-control, he bit into the tender skin just below her ear. Her blood was as warm and sweet as he had so often imagined and he hovered over her, a dark phantom torn by a driving need to take more. The darkness inside him urged him to stop fighting what he was and seize what he wanted, what he needed. She was his for the taking; she could be his for all eternity...
She moaned softly as he brushed a kiss over the curve of her neck, and then she whispered his name.
Filled with self-loathing for what he had almost done, for what he wanted so desperately, he drew back, surprised to find that he was weeping.
"Sleep, beloved," he whispered brokenly. "Dream your young girl's dreams. You're safe from the monster tonight."
* * *
She dreamed of darkness, a vast all-encompassing darkness that shut out the light for all time. And, in the heart of that darkness, she saw a man with hair as black as ebony and eyes as blue as a midnight sky. He was dressed in black from head to foot. A cloak the color of death billowed out behind him as he walked toward her, as graceful as a panther stalking its prey, but it was his gaze that captured her; mesmerizing, haunting, his deep blue eyes filled with pain and loneliness.
She should have been afraid of him, afraid of the power in his eyes. Instead, she reached out toward him. Let me help you.
He shook his head, and she saw that he was crying, and his tears were the color of blood . No one can help me , he said, and the anguish in his voice was more than she could bear.
I'll do anything , she promised. Anything you ask, only let me ease your sorrow .
Anything? he asked.
Anything, she replied, and then he was on her, his arms like steel bands around her as he gathered her into the enveloping folds of his cloak. His eyes blazed with an unholy light as he lowered his head. She closed her eyes as his mouth covered hers in a searing kiss, and then she felt his teeth at her neck, a sharp pain, a sudden sense of lethargy.
A scream of primal terror rose in her throat, a scream that brought her awake with a start.
Heart pounding in her breast, she sat up, reaching for Jason, only to find herself alone in bed with no recollection of how she had gotten there. She glanced wildly around the room, but he was nowhere in sight. Through a crack in the drapes, she saw that it was dawn.
She sat there for a long moment and then, with a hand that trembled, she fingered the side of her neck. Was she imagining things, or did she really feel two small puncture wounds? Slipping out of bed, she started for the bathroom, only to stop when she remembered there was no mirror in the bathroom.
There were no mirrors anywhere in the house.
She shook her head vigorously, refusing to even consider the bizarre possibility that came to mind as she climbed back into bed and drew the covers up to her chin.
She was just letting her imagination
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