Love is Darkness (A Valerie Dearborn Novel) Read Online Free PDF Page A

lump in her throat and it made it hard to talk. “What's it to you?” Val dreaded the answer, had no idea what it might be, but was afraid nonetheless.
     
    Lucas ignored her, the quiet of the night registering during the pause.
     
    “Shall I help you?” he said like she was a spooked horse.
     
    She stared hard at the ground. “Compel me, you mean?”
     
    “Yes.”
     
    “Will you...release me again?” Why was she even thinking of trusting him? Because he hasn’t killed me yet. She wanted to freeze time so she could think it through, but she only had this moment, and if she didn't keep up, he'd make her fate for her.
     
    The vampire was still struggling, but it was as futile as a moth struggling when a child has it by the wings.
     
    Decide. Run or stay. Her heart pounded ten times louder than the words. But he was a vampire, he'd hear it anyway. “Make me then.”
     
    Val looked back to him almost aggressively, deciding to own her decision. She threw herself into his eyes like jumping off a cliff. His will surrounded her until she was floating in the warm sea of his blue eyes, watching actions that belonged to someone else.
     
    It was someone else who gripped the stake tighter. Someone else who walked forward, eye level with the monster who had just been about to kill her. And behind him was Lucas his large presence overshadowing everything else. She smoothed the rumpled Pogues t-shirt, wanting to hit his heart on the first try.
     
    She struck hard and fast but the stake didn't go in far enough. Val tried again, using two hands and pressing forward, all of her weight pushing forward. It was like cutting a grisly steak with a plastic knife.
     
    “Harder,” Lucas said.
     
    Val heard a grunt— her own— and pushed, her arms burning with exertion, until the stake slid forward and the vampire paused in mid-struggle.
     
    His skin turned ashen then disintegrated, bones falling around the stake and clunking to the ground before her, dust settling on her tennis shoes. Her momentum carried her forward, the stake still raised, about to pierce Lucas. Deftly, he turned and caught her, his strong hands gripping her arms, keeping her and the stake away from him.
     
    “I think one vampire is sufficient for tonight,” he said dryly.
     
    Val stepped backwards and looked up into his eyes. She thought of a gas fire, the blue that surrounded the flames, the same color and heat of his eyes.
     
    “I release you,” he said softly, looking down at her.
     
    Valerie came back to herself, the blue ocean throwing her out, cold night air biting through her clothing, her shin painful and still bleeding. She looked down at the wound, then back up but Lucas was gone.
     
    She heard Jack calling her. Dropping the stake, she ran; calling for Jack and her father, tripping over tree roots and slipping on damp leaves as she followed Jack's voice back to the car.
     
    Her father looked her over, disappointment, maybe even irritation, etched on his face. “See Jack, I told you she was fine. You think that's a funny game, Valerie? Run off into the woods and scare us witless? If you couldn't help, or I guess wouldn't help, then you should have stayed in the car. You were stupid and reckless, Valerie.” Her father strode to the driver's side of the car and got in, leaving Val in the cold night air.
     
    She supposed she should tell him what had happened. But she didn’t want to.
     
    Did she fear Lucas? Hell, yeah! She wasn’t a total idiot. But would he hurt her?
     
    No.  
    Her mind and body knew it, the answer resonating through her like the vibrations of a bell. Part of her wondered how she could know, wondered at the risk she was willing to take, and then that worry resolved too. Irrationally, she knew. He wouldn’t hurt her.
     
    They drove home in silence and Valerie went to bed thinking about Lucas and her decision to stay quiet. He'd known her name, protected her, and tried to help her get over her fear. Even though she