Opal (Rare Gems Series Book 4) Read Online Free

well, forever, as I’ve said to you before. I need you nearby. We work well together, and because I have a mate, it does not change the fact that I like you being around.”
    “ No, I don’t think so. When the shit hits the fan, I’m going to be as far away as I can for now. I’m thinking she’s going to bring this here house down on your head, and I’d just as soon not be anywhere I can get any of the debris down on me. She’s a hell cat; I’ll give her that. You should maybe oughta think about taking her. She’s fine to look at and with that temper of hers, she’d be keeping you on your toes.”
    “ No thanks.”
    When he entered the house , he took her directly to his lair. He actually thought about taking her to another room so she’d be able to rest without him in the bed with her, but he was afraid to let her go. After yesterday…. His mind refused to think what might have happened to her had he not woke when he had.
    He ’d found her standing in the sun when he’d gotten up. It had been full sun coming in the window, but that wasn’t what had terrified him. She’d cut both her wrists from palm to elbow. The blood draining from her had been a sight that he’d never forget. She was swaying on her feet, her body already beginning to shut down from starvation. Sloan had never had anything make his heart stutter to a violent stop like that had.
    “ I don’t want to live like this,” she’d told him. When he wrapped her into his arms she’d been too weak to fight him. When he held her down with his body, she looked up at him with a wounded look that he knew would haunt him forever. “Please, you can just let me go and no one would know that I didn’t die from whatever made you do this to me. Please?”
    “ I’ll know, Opal, and your family would know because I’d have to tell them. I’m so sorry, but I can’t let you die.” She looked away, and he said her name. “Your family is pissed enough at me. If you kill yourself, they’ll blame me.”
    She stared at him for several seconds before turning away. “Well, we can’t let that happen, can we? Let me up. I don’t want you to touch me either.”
    “ Opal, I had to save you.” She nodded and told him again to let her go. When he rolled off her, she sat up but didn’t look at him. “I’m taking you home today. I can’t let you continue here with that man looking for you.”
    “ Of course not. I’ll pack now.” She stood up and turned to him. “I won’t try that again, but I’m not going to be your mate. You can do whatever you think to keep me safe until we get to my family’s house, but I won’t ever be your mate. You took something from me and I’ll never get it back. I wanted to be as normal as I could, and you took that all away from me.”
    He ’d let her go, and true to her word, she hadn’t tried again in the next twenty-four hours, but that didn’t mean he didn’t watch her closely. He was sure she was talking to her sisters, but there was little they could do for her from the States. But now they were home, his home, and he was going to talk to someone about having her removed as his mate. It was either that or she might die at her own hand. Sloan stared at her as he stripped down to his naked body.
    “ I’m not going to take you.” He grimaced when he looked down at his straining cock. Even though she couldn’t hear him, he was still slightly embarrassed that he was so incredibly hard and wanting her. “I know this looks bad, but I promise you, I have no intentions of taking you. I will have to feed from you, but there will never be anything more than that. And as soon as possible, I’m going to have this thing between us voided; then you can go back to your normal life, and I can go on with mine.” He tried his best not to notice how badly that hurt him. He had considered himself very normal, for a vampire anyway. And even though few knew his origins, he was quite pleased with his life until now.
    Sloan