Read Online The Vampire's Curse, A Paranormal Romance (Undead in Brown County #2) by S.J. Wright - Free Book Online Page A

right arm, but I had no strength left in the muscles. All I managed to do was to move it over a few inches on the bed.
    The door was suddenly thrown open and crashed against the wall. Finally, he looked up. That’s when I saw the blood on him. Then I saw Nelly standing in the doorway, her blue eyes fierce and determined.
    “ You get away from her this instant, Alexander.”
    With bright red blood dripping from his mouth onto my ravaged thigh, he stared at her in astonishment. I looked down at myself and whimpered like a child. There was so much blood. It was still gushing out of me, over the sheet in an ever-widening circle.
    “ Out!” Nelly shouted at him.
    “ But she needs me to close it! She’ll die!”
    Nelly turned to him with a growl, “Get Michael to do it. Now .”
    I closed my eyes. A world of looming gray shadows was calling me, urging me to let go—to come into the darkness. I felt the presence of many lost souls, moaning in confusion and loss. I did not want to go there. There had to be another place. Somewhere bright and warm with laughter. Maybe my father would be there.
    Later, Michael’s voice moved over me. It was a guide, a compass pointing the way to somewhere I felt I belonged, “You’ve lost a lot of blood, but I’ve sealed the wounds. I am here. I won’t let it happen again.”
    Everything was still gray around me, but there was warmth blooming from somewhere inside. Gentle hands holding me, Michael’s deep calming voice urging me onward.
    “ Come back, love. You’re all right now. Come back.”
    Nelly’s voice interjected quietly, “Alex won’t wait much longer.”
    The gentle voice beside me morphed into the snarl of a dangerous animal, “If he doesn’t do as he’s told, I’m bringing Isaiah into this. Alex may be stronger than I am, but let him try to attack the oldest vampire on earth. Then we’ll see exactly how much his power is worth.”
    Who was Isaiah? My eyelids still felt heavy, but I forced them open. There was daylight coming through the windows. It was not sunny outside. There were masses of high gray clouds filtering the sun. Turning my head, I looked wonderingly upon the face of my prisoner.
    He looked exhausted. There was a gray cast to his skin that I had never seen before. He must have felt me move, because he turned his gaze on me expectantly, the blue eyes coming alive with hope. Then he slid his thick arms under my back and pressed me gently against him, gathering me in an embrace.
    “ Never again.” I felt the rumble of his voice through his chest, “I nearly lost you.”
    “ What are you thinking, Michael?” Nelly asked, suspicion peppering her tone.
    He did not answer her. Drawing back from me a little, he closed his eyes and rested his forehead against mine. His skin was a little cool but firm. Then something strange began to happen.
    In my head, I felt a pull. As if there was some force inside me reaching out for Michael and making everything it could from the contact. It was a whirling golden rope, tossed out to find its mate. In the place where our foreheads were touching, I felt a slow heat begin to burn. It was not uncomfortable at all. It was rather soothing.
    Then he spoke to me. Without words.
    Are you feeling this?
    I wanted to move away.
    Don’t. Try to talk to me.
    Taking a deep breath, I tried to concentrate on the vibrations he was sending through me. However, the dream I had about him that morning kept replaying itself in my head. That was the last thing I wanted him to see. Jerking back from him, I struggled to push his arms away.
    “ Let me go, Michael.” He moved back, and I drew the patchwork quilt closer around me. As if that aged cotton could hold back a creature of immense power. I looked over at Nelly, who kept watching Michael suspiciously.
    “ How are you here? It’s daytime.” I demanded.
    A half smirk emerged on his face, and he waved a hand, “I’m a magician of the highest order. I never reveal my secrets.”
    Nelly