Corin & Angelique (After the Fall of Night) Read Online Free PDF Page A

qualities. There were so many things Corin loved about her, but one chief attraction was the way she embraced the night, venturing out each evening just at the brink of dusk. Was she searching for something only found in the sunless hours, or was that just his fantasy?
    The path she took led to a shallow creek where she stopped at the water’s edge. Corin followed as a Great Horned Owl, the large nocturnal predator one of his favorite forms. Landing in a tree about ten yards away, his razor-sharp talons clasped a limb, offering him a steady perch.
    A near-full moon commanded the sky, its light shimmering on the water’s surface. He soaked in the sight of her, careful not to reveal his presence, wanting oh so desperately to capture just a small inkling of her pure, enticing essence—her beautiful soul. How he longed to touch her. Forced to admire her from afar, he gazed at her while she slipped off her sandals and stepped into the shallow water. Kneeling down, the hem of her sheer summer dress danced with the current.
    With all the instincts of the large bird whose form he’d claimed, Corin cocked his head to the side at the unexpected crunch of underbrush in the woods behind Angelique. She looked back at the large trees and vines masked in shadows. He sensed her fear, but couldn’t go to her without compromising himself.
    Being immortal, he possessed a keen awareness of other creatures around him, yet he was unable to see anything—man or animal. Perplexed, he scanned the area. Someone or something was out there.
    Desperate to protect her, and having no time to grapple over the risk of discovery, Corin was forced to make a decision. Quickly devising a course of action, he leapt from his perch and took flight, his massive wings beating the air, rampant in his urgency to get to her. The tree limb rocked in his wake. Well out of view, he dove through the trees and landed on the woodland floor where he shape-shifted into his human form.
    “Who’s there?” Angelique called out. “I know someone’s there.”
    Hearing the distress in her trembling voice, he wished he’d assumed the shape of a smaller animal. Corin stepped out of the cover of the woods and revealed himself. Angelique’s safety was all that mattered.
    “Why hello. You probably don’t remember me,” he said. “I hope I didn’t scare you.”
    “Corin von Vadim?” she inquired with surprise. “You nearly gave me a heart attack.”
    “I apologize for alarming you. Are you all right?”
    “I’m fine,” she assured him. “You just startled me. What are you doing out here, so far from the estate?”
    “I thought this was my estate.”
    “I meant from the mansion,” she clarified. “It’s quite a walk.”
    “I suppose it is, but it’s a nice night. I was following the property line, getting a feel for the land. I believe our properties connect right here, along this very creek bed.”
    “That’s right, but you seem to be standing on the wrong side,” she pointed out.
    “A little detail I was hoping you wouldn’t notice.”
    “I see.” Angelique flashed a smile.
    The smell of lavender cascading from her stimulated an arousal he fought to keep suppressed, finding it hard not to act on his impulses when she was so close. But, sweet and luscious as she was, he reminded himself that she was off limits—forbidden fruit.
    “To tell you the truth, I really didn’t expect to run into anyone out here, not at this time of evening. Acquainting myself with the land, I’m finding there’s a lot of it to cover.”
    “More than two thousand acres,” she replied. “I guess you’ve been here about a month now, so, what do you think of our small part of the world?”
    “It already feels like home,” he said, not able to tell her he’d actually resided there for hundreds of years. “This is a nice section of the creek. I believe it’s my favorite part of the property.”
    “I’ve been coming here since I was a little girl. It’s so serene.