Free Dahlia (Blood Crave Series) by Christina Channelle

him, hating him for being so patronizing.
    He ignored her look and continued with his speech. “Have you ever wondered…?” he paused slightly as if assessing his words, “…where you’re really from? Why you feel like you’re different from others?”
    He got up suddenly, walking so close to her again that Dahlia could almost feel the essence of him. He quickly grabbed her left wrist and placed her palm firmly against her chest, feeling the quickened gallop of her own heartbeat through her shirt.
    “There’s this constant pressure, right here, in your soul and you’ve been searching for some sort of release. Am I right?” He emphasized by pressing more firmly with his own larger hand on top of hers.
    She couldn’t look away from his eyes. So intoxicating, she was scared and intrigued all at the same time. She wondered how this stranger knew her own thoughts.
    “Dahlia,” he whispered against her ear as she shivered in response. “You’ve got all these questions running through that pretty, little head of yours. Like how I know your name, how come I know your thoughts, know you so well.”
    He had gotten even closer as he spoke, only centimeters away as she felt his breath caress her skin, looking down at her steadily.
    Dahlia trembled as she stared helplessly up at him. She felt she was in a dream, unable to move, entranced by his presence. All of a sudden, he wrapped his arms around her, reaching up to gently cup the back of her neck in his grasp. He then, unhurriedly, ran his hand down her entire back, ending at the base of her spine, Dahlia feeling every stroke of his fingers against her. It set off a huge reaction that caused a quiver to run throughout her entire body.
    What?
    He touched a place that no one had before, right over something that she had kept hidden for all these years.
    How could he possibly know about that?
    “I know a lot more than you think. I know you , Dahlia. You’re unique, a little diamond in the rough. You don’t belong with these people,” he commented as he gestured his head back toward the direction of the house. Dahlia focused on his mouth as he spoke those words, every word sounding like a caress.
    “You belong with us.”
    Her gaze continued to center around his soft-looking mouth and for a fleeting moment, the oddest thought came to her mind.
    I wonder what his blood would taste like.
    All of a sudden, he quickly broke away from any contact they had, as if she were suddenly contagious, and took a few steps back. Dahlia, stunned at what she had just been thinking and feeling, felt both confused and embarrassed at the entire situation.
    They must have spiked something in the punch.
    Bewilderment, speculation and fear shone from her eyes as she tried to grasp what he had just said and the feelings that risen from her at their brief contact.
    The strangest thing was that as she scrutinized him, she thought she saw those same emotions lurking in his eyes. As soon as those thoughts sprung from her mind, though, the look quickly disappeared. She was left gaping up into a face that looked both dark and cold.
    He walked back toward the huge rock and sat back down, abruptly. “Dahlia, just know that there are things in this world that you don’t have a clue exist. And one of these things has a key interest in you.”
    “What kind of interest?” she asked tensely, eyes wide.
    She knew she shouldn’t believe in any of this. What he was saying was most likely thoughts of a raving lunatic and she didn’t want to join the club. Instead of asking questions, she should be figuring out a way to get away.
    But how did he know my name?
    His eyes glowed as he looked directly into her face. “Don’t worry—I don’t want to harm you. That isn’t my intent.”
    Dahlia tried to calm down, to get her breathing controlled, but it quickened slightly when he continued. Although his words were calming, the expression in his eyes was contradictory.
    He spoke again, almost as an