The Vampire's Curse, A Paranormal Romance (Undead in Brown County #2) Read Online Free Page A
Author: S.J. Wright
tension. He grasped one of my hands, pulled it towards him, and turned it over.
“ Michael…” I breathed his name like a prayer.
I watched, disbelievingly, as he pressed a fiery kiss into the palm of my hand. I had never before felt the alarming sensation of Michael’s lips on my flesh. It was a moment I would not soon forget. Every other sensation in my body ground to a sudden and silent halt when I felt the warmth of his lips. It seemed as if every other part of my body had gone numb with the shock of it. But the palm of my hand was burning. A rolling heat made me gasp.
When I raised my head to look at him, all I saw was a blur of motion. He had moved so fast that I had barely realized he was leaving. I heard the backdoor open and the screen door squeak as he passed through to the back yard. Then a terribly cold silence fell over the room.
I looked at the hand he had kissed. There was nothing there. I had expected it to be blistered and red. Curling my fingers into the place where he had pressed his mouth, I leaned my head back against the armchair and sighed. It was a good thing that he had decided to be a gentleman. Because I was positive that the next time we were completely alone, I would not have the will to keep myself away from him. Stupid, sexy vampire.
Chapter 3
Katie kept her promise to stay in touch. She called shortly after Michael made his hasty departure. She sounded tired and understandably irritated, but the conversation was amicable, and I hung up thinking that she and I were on the same page. I did not tell her that our mother was back. I figured that the less my sister knew, the better off she would be.
When I finally climbed into bed that night and turned off the lamp next to me, I still felt very uneasy. I had been anticipating another visit from my mother with a sickening fear. Would she want something from me? What about Katie? My feelings for my mother had morphed into this blackened, lurking phantom that hovered inside my gut and pushed away common sense. It was a heavy burden that caused me to look at myself harshly. I recognized suddenly that I had few real friends. My father had trusted me to run the Inn, but did not have enough confidence in me to encourage me to go to college. Was I even smart enough for college?
The self-doubt had begun to wear away the fragile threads of confidence that had sustained me for most of my life. I tried to push the dark tendrils of doubt out of my head. There was nothing wrong with me. I was a good person and capable of great accomplishment. Right?
I flung myself onto my back and pressed my fingers against my cheeks. I could not let this black cloud of self-hate saturate my brain anymore. I closed my eyes and tried to take some slow deep breaths. I am a great person, I told myself. I am worthy of being loved.
Then I heard a sharp, jarring tap on my window. I jerked back in surprise and stared at the window. What if it were Alex? Or my mother? Tentatively, I pushed the covers off me and put my feet on the floor. Another louder tap sounded, rattling the windowpanes.
With an impulsive burst of courage, I stepped to the window and yanked on the strings that brought the blinds up. I stared outside, but saw nothing at first. Without thinking, I unlocked the window and pushed it open. A bitterly cold rush of air assailed me as I stood there in my worn pink striped pajamas. The night outside was grimly silent except for the whistling of the wind through the window, and I shivered in trepidation.
A large human form rose up from the roof under the window, and I jerked back in surprise with my heart slamming in my chest.
“ You weren’t expecting me?”
A human form, perhaps. However, not human anymore. Alex had become something radically different from the easy-going, All-American guy that I had come to know. His golden hair was brighter, glistening like cold diamonds in the frigid night air, and his eyes were lit with emerald fire that seared every
“ Michael…” I breathed his name like a prayer.
I watched, disbelievingly, as he pressed a fiery kiss into the palm of my hand. I had never before felt the alarming sensation of Michael’s lips on my flesh. It was a moment I would not soon forget. Every other sensation in my body ground to a sudden and silent halt when I felt the warmth of his lips. It seemed as if every other part of my body had gone numb with the shock of it. But the palm of my hand was burning. A rolling heat made me gasp.
When I raised my head to look at him, all I saw was a blur of motion. He had moved so fast that I had barely realized he was leaving. I heard the backdoor open and the screen door squeak as he passed through to the back yard. Then a terribly cold silence fell over the room.
I looked at the hand he had kissed. There was nothing there. I had expected it to be blistered and red. Curling my fingers into the place where he had pressed his mouth, I leaned my head back against the armchair and sighed. It was a good thing that he had decided to be a gentleman. Because I was positive that the next time we were completely alone, I would not have the will to keep myself away from him. Stupid, sexy vampire.
Chapter 3
Katie kept her promise to stay in touch. She called shortly after Michael made his hasty departure. She sounded tired and understandably irritated, but the conversation was amicable, and I hung up thinking that she and I were on the same page. I did not tell her that our mother was back. I figured that the less my sister knew, the better off she would be.
When I finally climbed into bed that night and turned off the lamp next to me, I still felt very uneasy. I had been anticipating another visit from my mother with a sickening fear. Would she want something from me? What about Katie? My feelings for my mother had morphed into this blackened, lurking phantom that hovered inside my gut and pushed away common sense. It was a heavy burden that caused me to look at myself harshly. I recognized suddenly that I had few real friends. My father had trusted me to run the Inn, but did not have enough confidence in me to encourage me to go to college. Was I even smart enough for college?
The self-doubt had begun to wear away the fragile threads of confidence that had sustained me for most of my life. I tried to push the dark tendrils of doubt out of my head. There was nothing wrong with me. I was a good person and capable of great accomplishment. Right?
I flung myself onto my back and pressed my fingers against my cheeks. I could not let this black cloud of self-hate saturate my brain anymore. I closed my eyes and tried to take some slow deep breaths. I am a great person, I told myself. I am worthy of being loved.
Then I heard a sharp, jarring tap on my window. I jerked back in surprise and stared at the window. What if it were Alex? Or my mother? Tentatively, I pushed the covers off me and put my feet on the floor. Another louder tap sounded, rattling the windowpanes.
With an impulsive burst of courage, I stepped to the window and yanked on the strings that brought the blinds up. I stared outside, but saw nothing at first. Without thinking, I unlocked the window and pushed it open. A bitterly cold rush of air assailed me as I stood there in my worn pink striped pajamas. The night outside was grimly silent except for the whistling of the wind through the window, and I shivered in trepidation.
A large human form rose up from the roof under the window, and I jerked back in surprise with my heart slamming in my chest.
“ You weren’t expecting me?”
A human form, perhaps. However, not human anymore. Alex had become something radically different from the easy-going, All-American guy that I had come to know. His golden hair was brighter, glistening like cold diamonds in the frigid night air, and his eyes were lit with emerald fire that seared every
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