The Vampire's Kiss Read Online Free PDF Page B

to his need for Savannah, and now that need was raging inside of him. If he still had any conscience, he would let her go. He would send her far, far away from the monster that he’d become.
    But his conscience had died a long time ago. It had died in a blood soaked field in France. It had died the moment he killed his brother.
    His hands tightened around Savannah’s still form.
    She was the first thing that he’d wanted, that he’d needed, in over one thousand years.
    And he didn’t want to let her go.
    SAVANNAH AWOKE with a start, her brother’s dying scream echoing in her mind.
    Her breath panted out, hard and fast, and her heart pounded furiously against her breast.
    “It’s all right,” a man’s voice whispered from the darkness beside the bed. “You’re safe.”
    Savannah froze. She knew that voice. “William?” She strained to see him in the shadows.
    He stepped forward, and the moonlight from the open window spilled across his rough features.
    She looked blankly around the unfamiliar room. “Where are we?” She shook her head, struggling to remember how she’d gotten to this place and into this bed.
    “My home.” His unnerving stare was locked upon her.
    Savannah pushed back the bedcovers and hurriedly stood. Her body swayed. At once, William reached to steady her.
    His hands wrapped around her arms. “Careful. Don’t move too quickly.”
    Her body heated at his touch, and she looked away from him, glancing around the room. Trying to find something else, anything else, to focus upon.
    Moonlight spilled through the windows and lit the room. She saw that the furniture was antique, heavy cherry wood. A large four poster bed was the center piece of the room. A silken white canopy clung to the top of the bed. A vanity table and mirror were located near the far wall. The mirror gleamed brightly. A silver brush and matching comb sat on the table’s surface. Both looked as if they had never been used.
    “How did I get here?” she asked curiously. “The last thing I remember was being in the alley . . .” Her brow furrowed as she struggled to remember those last few moments.
    He seemed to stiffen. “I brought you here, after—”
    “You bit me,” she whispered, her hand rising to touch her throat. “I remember that you bit me! You took my blood.” She raced toward the vanity mirror. She sat down heavily upon the cushioned chair and strained to see her neck in the mirror. Where was it? There . . . two small marks, tiny circles, upon her throat.
    He walked up behind her, and she glanced at him, stunned. “I can see you,” she murmured.
    A dark brow lifted.
    “In the mirror. I can see you.”
    He smiled. “Of course you can. Why wouldn’t you be able to see me?”
    “But . . . the legend says . . .”
    He shook his dark head and bent to inspect her small wounds. “Forget the legend. Only half of it is true.” He frowned. “I’m sorry for hurting you.”
    Surprised, she stared at him.
    His jaw clenched. “Despite what you think, I really don’t enjoy hurting people.”
    She felt a hot blush hit her cheeks. He wasn’t what she’d expected. In reality, she’d expected to be disgusted by him. Repulsed. After all, he was a killer, a vampire.
    But when he’d touched her in the alley, she hadn’t felt repulsed. She’d felt . . . desire.
    When he’d kissed her, when he’d touched her, a fire had burned deep within her body. Despite all reason, she’d wanted him. She hadn’t cared about where they were or who might see them. She hadn’t cared about the dirt on the walls or the garbage on the ground. William was all she’d thought about.
    And that knowledge shamed her to the depths of her being.
    She had a promise to keep. She couldn’t forget her vow, not for a moment.
    “You’ve given me the first bite,” she murmured, turning to face him, locking her gaze upon his. “Will you give me the other two?” She knew it took three bites to convert a human. Three bites