Excerpt from 'Her Vampire Hero'
Kat:
“Doctor Donovan.” His voice is a deep, smooth baritone that sends waves of unexpected joy through my chest. It sounds like hot chocolate after a cold winter’s day and it makes my insides melt.
“Mmmph!”
“No screaming,” he whispers, his breath fanning my ear. Pulling back a little, he catches my gaze, and if I was lost before, I’ll never be found now. I’ll drown in those deep, brown eyes, over and over, until my days come to an end.
I nod, eager to please. I want to know more. This man has haunted me with every beat of my heart, with every breath I’ve taken, no matter if I’ve been awake or asleep.
His tight hold over my mouth eases up a little, as if testing me, then he removes it completely.
“You—you jumped out of the window.”
“And I suddenly had a pulse,” he counters, his tone slightly mocking.
“That too. What… what are you?”
“I was just a lucky trauma victim, Doctor Donovan. Lucky to end up in your competent hands, or I would surely have stayed dead.”
I frown and look him over, my thoughts running a million miles per hour.
“Don’t let your imagination run amok, little one. Forget whatever it is you’re thinking and you can go.”
“I can’t forget,” I whisper.
He cocks his head, a brief look of sadness crossing his features. “Then I can’t let you go.”
He opens his mouth and his fangs, his fangs, I wasn’t hallucinating, descend again. I scream and throw myself to the side, only to get caught between his arms as he slams his palms to the wall on either side of my head. I try to dodge, but end up with his thigh pressed between mine, fixing me in place.
“Don’t.” My voice is nothing but a hoarse whisper, my throat constricting with primal fear.
He frowns and his expression turns sad as he strokes his curled fingers along my cheek. “I could make you forget, Doctor Donovan, but it’s a fickle tool, and you might never be the same brilliant young woman after. I don’t much feel like doing that.”
“Then don’t.”
“Forget me.”
“I can’t.”
He shakes his head. “Then—”
“But I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”
His eyes soften. “You don’t know how much I wish I could believe you.”
“You can trust me,” I say quickly. “Patient confidentiality.”
He laughs. “Clever. But it hardly applies.”
“Don’t make me forget. Please.” I put a hand on his chest. He’s hard as a rock, not warm, but not cold either. Not entirely… human. He’s something else. Something that shouldn’t exist. My mind spins with the implications that there’s something more out there, something med school doesn't teach, something science doesn't acknowledge.
His gaze scans my face, my hair, down along my body. If looks could touch, his caresses me with the utmost possessiveness. “I should know better,” he mutters.
I swallow hard, a faint hope flaring in me. “Better than what?”
“If you ever talk about me, Doctor Donovan, I will find you and I will finish this. Do you understand?”
I nod eagerly. “I understand.”
“Little human—” He sighs. “Run. Run before I change my mind.”
His beauty is unearthly, his pull on me irresistible, and I’m so lost in his dark eyes that I don’t register what he says until he puts his nose to mine and roars,
“Now!”
“Mmmph!”
“No screaming,” he whispers, his breath fanning my ear. Pulling back a little, he catches my gaze, and if I was lost before, I’ll never be found now. I’ll drown in those deep, brown eyes, over and over, until my days come to an end.
I nod, eager to please. I want to know more. This man has haunted me with every beat of my heart, with every breath I’ve taken, no matter if I’ve been awake or asleep.
His tight hold over my mouth eases up a little, as if testing me, then he removes it completely.
“You—you jumped out of the window.”
“And I suddenly had a pulse,” he counters, his tone slightly mocking.
“That too. What… what are you?”
“I was just a lucky trauma victim, Doctor Donovan. Lucky to end up in your competent hands, or I would surely have stayed dead.”
I frown and look him over, my thoughts running a million miles per hour.
“Don’t let your imagination run amok, little one. Forget whatever it is you’re thinking and you can go.”
“I can’t forget,” I whisper.
He cocks his head, a brief look of sadness crossing his features. “Then I can’t let you go.”
He opens his mouth and his fangs, his fangs, I wasn’t hallucinating, descend again. I scream and throw myself to the side, only to get caught between his arms as he slams his palms to the wall on either side of my head. I try to dodge, but end up with his thigh pressed between mine, fixing me in place.
“Don’t.” My voice is nothing but a hoarse whisper, my throat constricting with primal fear.
He frowns and his expression turns sad as he strokes his curled fingers along my cheek. “I could make you forget, Doctor Donovan, but it’s a fickle tool, and you might never be the same brilliant young woman after. I don’t much feel like doing that.”
“Then don’t.”
“Forget me.”
“I can’t.”
He shakes his head. “Then—”
“But I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”
His eyes soften. “You don’t know how much I wish I could believe you.”
“You can trust me,” I say quickly. “Patient confidentiality.”
He laughs. “Clever. But it hardly applies.”
“Don’t make me forget. Please.” I put a hand on his chest. He’s hard as a rock, not warm, but not cold either. Not entirely… human. He’s something else. Something that shouldn’t exist. My mind spins with the implications that there’s something more out there, something med school doesn't teach, something science doesn't acknowledge.
His gaze scans my face, my hair, down along my body. If looks could touch, his caresses me with the utmost possessiveness. “I should know better,” he mutters.
I swallow hard, a faint hope flaring in me. “Better than what?”
“If you ever talk about me, Doctor Donovan, I will find you and I will finish this. Do you understand?”
I nod eagerly. “I understand.”
“Little human—” He sighs. “Run. Run before I change my mind.”
His beauty is unearthly, his pull on me irresistible, and I’m so lost in his dark eyes that I don’t register what he says until he puts his nose to mine and roars,
“Now!”