Once Forbidden(5)

“What would happen?” she asked now, needing to know exactly what she was getting herself into if she accepted his offer. “What if I changed my mind?”

“You couldn’t change your mind. The change is permanent. But I promise you, you wouldn’t want to change it.” He paused a moment. “As to the how. Likely what you’re read in your books—that much is true. I would drink from you, and then you would drink from me.”

Sarah arched against him helplessly as he moved gently within her. She knew he was trying to show her how wonderful it would be with him; but she was still afraid. “I just can’t decide.”

“There’s no reason to decide tonight,” he soothed. “We’ll talk again soon. Sleep, love.”

He’d used his voice to force her to sleep. It would be a peaceful sleep, even though he was feeling anything but peaceful himself. Her hesitation frustrated him, even if he did understand it.

Devlin climbed from the bed and paced. He wanted more from her, damn it. He considered transforming her even without her consent.

But he didn’t want her like that—even if it hadn’t been forbidden, it went against everything he believed. The choice had to be hers. He wanted her to want to be with him. He looked at her as she slept. The scars hurt him; which was surprising in itself. He thought he’d long ago shed emotions like empathy. Admittedly, he was jaded.

But with her, those feelings came to the surface. He’d wanted to make her life wonderful. He closed his eyes. If it were within his power, he’d simply take the scars from her. But, with all the powers he possessed, that wasn’t one of them. The only way he could remove the scars was to transform her.

He remembered when he’d been transformed. He’d been hurt in a carriage accident over a hundred and fifty years before. One of the Elders had changed him. He’d awakened whole again.

But, he also remembered that Carina hadn’t asked him. She’d transformed him when he’d been unconscious. He’d been livid and had sworn vengeance on Carina. It had taken him a decade to adjust to what he’d become. Of course, he’d changed his mind about revenge—he liked what he’d become. He was stronger in every sense of the word. His powers were numerous. All of his senses were heightened at least ten-fold.

He could transform her without her consent; but he wouldn’t. He didn’t want her to have those years of doubt and bitter rage. He’d thought the dreams would help. He’d been giving her the erotic dreams almost from the first. They had made her receptive to him, but he wanted her when she was fully cognizant of what she was doing.

Tonight, he’d given her the illusion of her previous beauty, and that hadn’t been enough either. What more could he do to convince her? He was frustrated beyond belief. Part of him wanted to take the choice from her hands, but that kind of act was what the Hunters looked for. Even if he had been willing to change her without the consent of the Elders—and Sarah herself. Never had he been so torn. The Hunters were a serious concern—one he knew he needed to take into consideration.

He didn’t want to put her in the path of those evil creatures; humans that didn’t understand their ways would hunt them down like animals. He’d managed to stay off their radar and he planned to keep it that way. The transformation was forbidden by the Elders, though, for just that reason.

The Hunters were hoping that the vampire race would die out. Open hostilities were rare today, though they did occur once in a great while. He sighed. Carina would have the answer. He silently called her to come to him. He waited for her to materialize before him. A vampire could ignore the calling, but he knew she wouldn’t—as an Elder, she’d come. Humans weren’t able to ignore the will of a vampire, but another vampire could.

“You rang?” she said, her voice silky. She was dressed in all black. Her black hair was flowing nearly to her waist. Her blue eyes were cool and missed nothing, taking in the scene before her.

He nodded once. “I need your advice,” he said. “But keep your other comments to yourself.”

She tilted her head, and a smile played on her red lips. “What was I going to say?” she asked, her voice sultry.

Devlin simply remained quiet until she chuckled. “All right, Devlin. What is it? You want this woman?”

“I want her,” he admitted quietly.

Carina studied him. “And she resists?” she guessed.

“She is unable to make up her mind,” he said stiffly, pacing again.

Carina sighed. “So, you convince her, Devlin.” She looked at the woman. “Surely she doesn’t want to remain like that?” she asked with a flick of her wrist.