Free Lure of Forever by Doris O'Connor Page A

Jacomo's .   The mention of the demon in that guttural language stirred a faint
memory that she couldn't quite grasp, but her heart beat faster and her
breathing grew shallow as the fine hair on her neck stood to attention.   She sensed this memory was important with
every cell of her being and the world dimmed as she went into herself to remember.
Jerry's face swam in front of her eyes. Her friend's broken body covered in
blood, as a hideous scaly being danced around her, a ceremonial dagger raised
high above her heart. Coralie tried to scream, to
warn Jerry, to do something, but no sound came out. Nothing but her strangled
breath forced past a throat that felt too tight to function.
    Cool hands on her shoulders shook
her out of her nightmare. Lucas's concerned face swam into view. Shit, what had
just happened? Carmen was talking to Bughar and neither
one was paying any attention to her, thankfully.  
    "If we're done here, I'll
retire to my chambers." Lucas addressed Carmen, his deep voice causing
those butterflies in Coralie’s stomach to awaken
anew. "I'm taking my snack with me."
    ****
    Lucas had no idea what had happened
to Coralie back in Carmen's hall. She had gone a
shade so pale, any vampire would have been proud, her breathing almost
nonexistent. Her warm, brown eyes had changed to a vibrant yellow and she had
been completely unresponsive until he had literally shaken her out of whatever
trance she'd been in. What's more, she had followed him meekly, head bowed,
through the myriad of corridors back to his chambers. He had expected her to
explode into a ball of fury the minute they were out of sight of Carmen and Bughar , but all he sensed was a void, as though all the
life had been sucked out of her.
    He encountered no resistance when he
took his jacket off her shoulders and peeled her out of what remained of her
blouse. Her skin was clammy and so cold goose bumps rose in front of his eyes. Merde , he had to warm her up. Anxiety made
him clumsy and his fingers shook when he unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them
down her slim hips. He settled her on the low settee and pulled her jeans off
completely.
    She was beautiful. Sat just in her
underwear, the ugly bruises forming on her delicate skin did not detract from
her natural beauty. Her hair tumbled over her shoulder and down her cleavage,
the nipples erect in their lacy confines. He clenched his fists and swallowed
the growl rumbling in his throat at the sight of Bughar's large handprint on the slight indent of her waist. His eyes roamed lower over
the slight curve of her belly and flared hips, leading to long legs. He groaned
when his eyes travelled up to the juncture of her thighs only just covered by
the tiny, black thong. His cock responded instantly at the sight and his fangs
ran out with a soft click.
    Coralie continued to stare into space at a spot far over his left shoulder. What the
hell was wrong with her? It was as though she was under a powerful spell. He
pulled her to feet and she went into his arms without any resistance. The
single tear running down her freezing cold cheek brought his long-buried human
side up, kicking and screaming. Forcing his fangs to retract, he fitted his
mouth against hers, willing her to respond. It was like kissing a fucking
corpse and she reeked of the fairy.   With
lightning speed he bundled them both into the en-suite shower unit. The stream
of hot water hit them both. Coralie moaned and
stretched upwards and Lucas swallowed his tongue. His gaze followed the
rivulets of water cascading down her naked body and his cock rose in direct
response to her upturned breasts. The nipples stood proud in their rosy
surroundings and he itched to taste them and swipe the drops of moisture
glistening on their tips away. The look in her eyes stopped him and with a deep
growl he turned her around and reached for the soap instead.
    She was not herself and she would
never forgive him. If he wanted to convince her that he wasn't the monster