Read Online MinetoChase by Laurann Dohner - Free Book Online Page A

palms had been sweaty
when they’d shaken hands.
    “No. I’m good.”
    “It’s a slow process, fortunately.” He reached out but he
didn’t touch her. Instead his fingers traced a crease in the bedding. “We still
have a few hours.”
    “Before I turn into a full-on vampire?”
    “Yes.”
    “Will it hurt?” That was a real fear.
    “No. Your body will start going numb while it shuts down
until you fall asleep. Your heart will stop beating at that point and you’ll
die.” He glanced anywhere but at her. “The next evening, after the process is
finished, you’ll wake.”
    “Will I still have a beating heart?”
    He hesitated. “It does to a degree.”
    “What does that mean? It either does or it doesn’t.”
    “It will slow to a standstill if you haven’t eaten or if
you’re sleeping during the day. When you wake and feed, it accelerates. The
fresher the blood in your system, the more it will pump at a normal rate.”
    “What about air? Will I need to breathe?”
    He hesitated. “You could go without for quite a while. You
technically don’t need it but it isn’t pretty when your body is starved of
oxygen for extended periods of time.”
    “Can you elaborate? I don’t know any real facts about
vampires, just the fiction I’ve read in books.”
    “Think white or a greenish tint, depending on whether you’re
in a dry or wet climate.” He grimaced. “We need to take care of this situation,
Jasmine.”
    She knew what that meant. “You want to make me your mate.”
    “You know I do.” He leaned closer, holding her gaze. “I
promise you’ll never regret it.”
    “How can you possibly do that?”
    He hesitated. “I’m over a hundred years old, Jasmine.”
    She studied his features closely. He didn’t appear older
than early thirties, if even that. She bit her lip, trying to guess his point,
besides shocking her.
    You can hear me when I concentrate on projecting my
thoughts to you.
    The sound of his voice inside her head was as clear as if
he’d spoken the words aloud.
    Believe in what you think is impossible. I’m proof of
that, my love. I’ll always keep my promises to you.
    Hot tears filled her eyes while she gazed into his. The
brown irises turned cobalt as she watched, more proof that everything she’d
once know to be factual wasn’t quite true. Chase changed everything. Her life
turned upside down by his very existence.
    “Take a chance,” he murmured, inching closer, staring deeply
into her gaze. “You have everything to gain.” His voice deepened. “My love. Me.
Happiness.” He paused before giving her a sexy, devastating grin. “Great sex.”
    He wasn’t playing fair. He was too close, smelled really
good, and who was she kidding? She adored Chase Woods. It ran deeper than that
though, had almost been an obsession since they’d first met. He was the man
who’d captured her fantasies on a nightly basis, made other men insignificant
in comparison, and he’d saved her life.
    “I’ll lose my house, my job, my friends and family if I
agree, right?” How can I do that to be with this man? It went against
everything she’d ever believed in. She was a strong, capable woman. The concept
of walking away from her life to be with Chase left her feeling lost and
confused.
    “I know it’s difficult but if the rogue had a master, you’re
still in danger. He will consider you his and come after you. He would destroy
the people you care about to get to you. I’m strong enough to defeat him.
You’re my mate, Jasmine. I won’t let anyone harm you. And there are other
things to consider. How will you explain the changes you’ve undergone,
especially over time? People will notice. That will put you at risk, cause you
pain. That would hurt you more. And that would hurt me.”
    “I didn’t ask for this.” Bitterness rose over the impossible
situation she’d been placed in.
    “The rogue did this, not me. I walked away from you once
when it was the last thing I wanted to do. I