Free Midnight Embrace by Amanda Ashley Page A

death.
    Ah, Analisa, there are worse things than death…
    The demon within him fought for control, urging him to take it all, to savor every drop, to drink as he had not done since he was a newly made vampire. To drink until he was sated and nothing remained of his prey but a dry empty shell. And it was tempting. Far too tempting.
    As his pain eased, he became aware of two things simultaneously: Her heartbeat was slow and faint, and her skin had grown cold. Alarmed by what he had almost done, he lifted his head. His tongue slid over the marks left by his fangs, and then, with a savage cry that was almost a howl, he thrust her away from him. A thought opened the cottage's outer door.
    "Leave me," he said, his voice harsh.
    She staggered toward the doorway, stepped out into the rain, stumbled and fell to her hands and knees in the mud. Head hanging, she didn't move, hardly seemed to be breathing.
    With a curse, he was at her side. Sweeping her into his arms, he hurried back inside. Closed the door. And carried her down into the bowels of his lair.
     
    The shivers that wracked her body had nothing to do with being wet and cold and everything to do with the stark terror that embraced her. If she lived to be a hundred, if she lived past this day, she would never forget the eerie, inhuman glow blazing in his eyes, never forget the sharp prick of his teeth at her throat. Never forget the almost sensual pleasure that had followed, pleasure that had been frightening in its intensity.
    She had faced death in the hospital, but it had not been as terrifying as the look in this creature's eyes.
    He carried her effortlessly across the room, his feet making no sound on the stone floor as he carried her down a long, winding flight of stairs. She was lost in a dark world, terrified beyond words. Her breath came out in short, shallow gasps. She tried to pray, but the words were trapped in her throat, caught in the web of her fear.
    It took her a moment to realize he had stopped moving.
    "A light." The words whispered past dry lips. "Can we not have a light? Please."
    The words had barely been spoken when several candles sprang to life, filling the room with a soft amber glow. Afraid to look at him, she glanced at her surroundings. The floor was of smooth, dark earth, the walls were of pale gray stone. A large bed covered with a dark quilt stood in the center of the room. There was a single high-backed chair, a small square table made of rough-hewn mahogany. There were no windows, but then, they were far below the ground. Like being buried alive in a tomb made of stone, she thought, and shivered.
    He carried her to the bed and placed her on it.
    She immediately rolled to the far side and stood up, putting the bed between them. Only then did she risk a look at him. His eyes were no longer a hellish red. Had she imagined it?
    "Who are you?" she asked tremulously. " What are you? What is this place?"
    He bowed from the waist. "It is as I told you. I am Alesandro de Avallone, and this is my home. As for what I am, have you not guessed, my sweet Analisa? No?" He took a deep breath. "I am a vampire."
    He watched her eyes widen as the words registered, saw the color drain from her face…
    He caught her before she hit the ground.
     
    She swam to consciousness through thick layers of cotton, fighting it all the way, not wanting to face what would be waiting for her when she awoke.
    She kept her eyes closed as full consciousness returned, waiting, listening. She was lying on something soft. The bed? Where was he?
    "I am here, Analisa." His voice broke the stillness, as deep and dark as death itself. "And I know you are awake."
    She opened her eyes, afraid of what she would see. He was standing beside the bed, gazing down at her.
    No monster now, but the man she knew. Or thought she knew.
    She shook her head. "It can't be true."
    "You know it is."
    She shook her head again, not wanting to believe, yet knowing, in the deepest part of her, that it was