Should she tell him? She warred with herself. She didn’t want this beautiful, sexy man to think she was ready for the funny farm.
“You can trust me, Kate.” She sighed heavily, decision made. Guess it was best he thought she was crazy now before she got too emotionally invested.
“It’s hard to believe it’s real, Dev.” Her voice lowered. “I’ve had strange dreams my entire life. Some are so unimaginably terrifying they couldn’t possibly be real. When I was younger, I would wake in a panic and run into my parents’ bedroom in the middle of the night. Eventually they got tired of hearing about them, so I stopped talking about it and convinced myself they were just dreams, nothing more.
“In high school, I had a difficult time. My dreams really intensified and I wasn’t getting much sleep at night. My grades suffered. I had constant headaches. I was more moody than a normal teenage girl.” She gave a small laugh.
“So my parents took me to a doctor. A psychologist. I told her I was stressed with the pressure of school and she gave me a few low dose sleeping pills.” Kate closed her eyes, tilting her head toward the ceiling. “For a short time, it was…heaven. I actually slept through the entire night without dreaming. No faces. No sadness. No blood. No death. It was blessed relief. Then even those stopped working.
“You have no idea what it’s like to see the things I’ve seen. I thought they were just dreams. Sick and twisted, yes, but still just dreams. When I was sixteen, I realized differently.”
Dev waited patiently for her to continue, which made it easier. Getting the next part out was harder than she’d thought. He gently coaxed her, “What happened at sixteen, love?”
The corners of her mouth turned slightly up at the endearment. Her stomach tightened in hard knots. She couldn’t do it.
“I can’t talk about that right now. I’m sorry. It’s not relevant anyway.” He looked disappointed. She felt guilty, but she just couldn’t bring herself to talk about how she’d failed Jamie Hallow by denying her dreams were real.
“That’s all right. Was there anything more you remember about Sarah, Kate? Even a feeling you may have had during the dream?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “Evil.”
“Evil?”
She nodded. “I know it sounds crazy and you probably think I’m am, but I’m telling you, Dev…I felt evil seeping into my pores. It was terrifying.” She just couldn’t tell him about the fangs and vampires. That was just too unbelievable, even for her.
He grabbed her hands, holding them in his. “I believe you, Kate.”
“You do?” Relief coursed through her.
“Yes, I do. We’re going to find Sarah. With your help, we are going to find her.”
“I hope we find her alive.” Tears welled in her eyes.
He stood and pulled her into his arms, tucking her head under his chin. “Me too, love. Me too.”
As Dev held her in his strong, muscular arms, she felt safe. Cared for. It felt like home. Whoa…where did that thought come from? His next question broke the spell he had somehow woven around her.
“Hey, how about that tour now?”
“Sure. That sounds like a good distraction.”
He pulled away slightly to look at her, his face purely carnal. “If it’s a distraction you want, love, I’m sure I can find something more pleasurable than a tour.”
Liquid immediately flooded her core. She felt him begin to harden against her. She felt hot all over.
Since they’d arrived at his house, he’d significantly upped his seduction efforts and while she’d been silently begging for it the last several days, it suddenly made her extremely nervous. She quickly stepped back, out of the safety and comfort of his arms.
“Tempting, but maybe we should just stick to the tour for now.” But damn if she didn’t want to find out what sort of pleasures Dev could lavish on her body. No doubt he’d ruin her for any other man.
“Hmm. That’s too bad. It would be an immensely enjoyable way to spend the day,” he winked. Every sensual word he uttered chipped away at the thick defensive layer she’d built over the last year.
He grabbed her hand, tugging her along. “Come.”
Kate was in awe; each room was more splendid than the next. The entire manor was decorated in traditional home decor, but with an old-world feel. It had warm neutral colors and felt cozy and inviting, despite its expansiveness. The color scheme was earth-toned and while it had masculine undertones, she noted plenty of throw pillows, decorative lamps and colorful matching throw rugs to give it a pleasant, homey feel. Oddly enough, it felt like Dev.