Broken Heart 02 Don't Talk Back to Your Vampire (18 page)

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What else was I supposed to do? Usually I was at the Broken Heart library, tending to all the tasks there. My daughter was exploring a big, spooky house with a potential boyfriend. My friends were checking each other's nonexistent breath. Yet I still felt guilty about curling into a comfy chair and indulging my reading obsession. I looked up, up, up at all the books. When would I ever have another opportunity to enjoy this place?

Giddy, I decided to wander along the walkway and see what treasures awaited me there. As I stepped into the darkest part of the alcove, a hand reached out and grabbed my forearm.

"Hey! What the—"

"Jeez, Eva," said Ralph. "It's just me." He pulled me close to the window. My eyesight adjusted. His hair was medium brown, cut short, his eyes were blue, and he wasn't quite as tall or buff as Lorcan. Ralph was lean and wiry. He looked like a working man, which I appreciated.

"I dropped by to see how you were doing."

"You scared me."

"I'm sorry."

An awkward silence ensued. Well, it was probably awkward for me. I wasn't sure what else to say. I found myself staring at the stained glass again. The only image taking up the entire window was one long-stemmed red rose.

"I wanted to know if—if you wanted to go see a movie." He pointed at the floor. "Downstairs. They're playing
Casablanca
. I've been told approximately forty-two times that you can't leave." He looked at me, his blue eyes sincere. "Why not?"

"I was sorta kidnapped."

"Are you okay?" He grasped my arm. "Did they hurt you?"

"No, I'm all right." I felt uncomfortable with Ralph intruding on my personal space. "Thanks for taking care of the library, Ralph. I appreciate it."

"It's no problem." He stepped closer, his eyes filled with empathy. "I'm glad you're okay, Eva." He leaned down and kissed my cheek.

"What the bloody hell is going on?"

Startled, I looked up—straight into the angry gaze of Lorcan.

"None of your concern," answered Ralph. I saw annoyance flash in his eyes.

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Lorcan's jaw clenched and his hands curled into fists. Fury vibrated off him.
She's mine. Stay away
from her. Damn it
!

Yikes. I could hear Lor's thoughts, but he probably didn't realize that I could hear him now. Jessica and Patrick shared each other's thoughts, but most mind-speak was reserved for emotionally attached vamps.

Ralph wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "I was asking Eva to the movies."

Obviously frustrated, Lorcan stared at me. I saw a muscle ticking in his jaw.

"I'm sorry, Ralph," I said. "I can't go with you."

He looked at me, looked at Lorcan, and then sighed. "I see."

I felt bad. Ralph was a wonderful man. Not only was he handsome and nice, but he understood the vampire lifestyle. He was a rarity. For me, though, Ralph couldn't compare to Lorcan.

"Bye, Eva." He offered Lorcan his hand. Lorcan shook it. "Lorcan."

"Ralph."

I watched Ralph leave, then turned my gaze to Lorcan. As always, he was dressed in black, but he was casual Goth tonight. He wore a black T-shirt and black jeans and black Converses. His dark hair had been pulled into a queue. Jessica called Patrick "Remington Steele" because he reminded her of Pierce Brosnan. I had to admit that the O'Halloran brothers resembled my favorite 007.

Lorcan's gaze was dark and dangerous. He stalked me until I was backed against the window.

Adrenaline spiked in my stomach as he stood before me, studying me. Then he grasped my hands and brought each wrist to his lips for a soft kiss.

"You are well?" he asked softly.

"Uh-huh." I couldn't articulate more than that. He looked beautiful and angry and yummy.

Heat pooled between my thighs and desire thickened hotly through me. I wasn't sure what to do. The excitement of sexual longing hadn't happened since Michael seduced my foolish seventeen-year-old self.

I'd had two lovers since then, but had derived very little pleasure from those encounters. My last boyfriend, who had to date me for nearly six months before he got into my pants, called me frigid. Not long after we broke up, my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I had one relationship—brief and unremarkable—before Tamara and I moved to Broken Heart.

Lorcan inspired bone-melting lust. His tongue flickered across my pulse-deprived wrist. Tingles of longing skipped up my arm.

His gaze captured mine. "Do you want me to stop?"

No. Yes. I don't know
. I shook my head.

He raised my arms and pressed them against the window. I could feel the beveled glass against the back of my hands as his palms flattened against mine. Toe-to-toe, he covered my body with his, pushing my
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breasts into his muscled chest. My nipples enjoyed this situation so much that they tried to drill into his skin. And he knew it, too. He closed his eyes, shuddering, and when he opened them again, I knew I was done for.

His lips descended to mine.

My body was a tinderbox and Lor was the match. We burned hot and bright, but ours wasn't a spark quickly doused. Given the opportunity, the flames would build and grow and strengthen. In that moment, I knew that I wanted Lorcan—in every way that counted.

He kissed me passionately. Desperately. I melted all over again. Would every kiss be this way between us? He dropped my arms and gathered me into his embrace, holding me against him as his tongue warred with mine. I reveled in his loss of control.

Heat and light filled me. I wiggled closer, moaning as he attacked my mouth with renewed fervor. I pulled him closer still.

God, he was beautiful.

I never felt so… so wonderful. I felt as though I had come home. I was in the arms I had always longed for, with the man I had always wanted.

"I promised to protect you," he said sorrowfully. "And I failed."

"No," I said. "Never."

"I have cared for no one as I care for you. I do not have the words to describe how you make me feel. I never want to lose you, Eva."

"You won't," I said. Desire raged through me. I lifted his shirt and stroked his stomach.

"I would bind with you," he murmured against my lips. "For us, a hundred years would pass as if it had been a day."

"You're crazy," I said, but my heart jolted. Was Lor saying he'd marry me? He was such a poet. Such a lovely, sweet poet. "Shouldn't we date first?"

"Anything you wish," he murmured.

He was kissing me dizzy. Really dizzy. I felt faint. Reluctantly, I pulled back. "Lor, I feel strange."

"Me, too. You drive me mad."

"Ditto. But this is something different." My whole body went cold, then hot. My stomach clenched and my head squeezed. Darkness roared at me. I saw Lor's shocked expression right before I passed out.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Jessica. Sheesh. This was really getting to be a pattern.

"I'm sorry, Eva. I'm so fucking sorry."

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"What are you talking about? What's happened now?"

I saw Patrick next to Jessica, his gaze filled with sorrow.

"Oh, my God. Tamara."

"She's fine," reassured Jess. "She's in the kitchen with Durriken and Helene's sitting between them."

If my daughter was okay, then what was the issue? "Did the library burn down?"

"No. Ralph has that handled."

Well, then, if Tamara was safe and my home was safe, that meant
I
must be the cause of my friends'

concern.

My heart squeezed. Had Charlie given me something that was worse than drugged blood? He was a human. I was a vampire. Supposedly, as one of the undead, I had a godlike immune system.

"I fainted," I said. "Isn't that an odd thing for a vampire to do?"

"Well, yeah. Sorta." Jessica looked uncomfortable and twitchy. Patrick put his arm around her and drew her close.

I was torn between demanding the truth and delaying hearing the bad news. My stomach felt lined in lead. Whatever they had to tell me, I was sure it didn't involve winning the lottery or discovering a lost Shakespeare play.

My gaze swept the space. This wasn't the same room I'd had before. I couldn't pinpoint why the decor, or rather the lack of it, bothered me.

The door clicked open, stalling the bad news. Lorcan slipped inside.

Lorcan's gaze captured mine. His eyes reminded me of storm clouds, especially with those raven eyebrows always dipped into twin frowns.

"Evangeline."

He adorned my name with such tenderness that I felt an unaccountable need to weep. I couldn't explain the feelings that overtook me. I was just so glad to see him, to know that he was near. He coasted to the other side of the bed, picked up my hand and kissed my knuckles. My skin trembled under the softness of his lips.

"
A stóirín
," he murmured. He glanced at Jessica and Patrick. "I will tell her."

Jess and Patrick nodded, their gazes filled with concern and, if I was any judge, fear. I watched them leave. As the door shut with a metallic thud, I suddenly realized why I had been bothered by the room's setup.

It reminded me more of Faustus's cell than of hospitable accommodations. I had no doubt it was locked from the outside. Were they protecting me from another kidnapping attempt? Or were they protecting others from me?

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I didn't think I'd like the answer.

"I'm thirsty." I licked my lips. "Jess fed me, too."

"That was yesterday evening," he said. "You've slept through again, Eva."

"I seem to be doing that a lot lately." I sighed. "It wasn't the drugs that did me in this time."

"No. We took you to Stan and kept you unconscious to run tests."

Had it been capable, my heart would've leapt out of my chest. My mother, tired and pale for weeks, passed out at work. I took her to the hospital emergency room. The doctor was friendly but patronizing, too.
We'll keep her overnight, run some tests. Probably just stress and exhaustion. Don't worry,
Miss LeRoy
.