Alpha Vampire Romance: Vampire’s Mate (Paranormal Shapeshifter Alpha Demon Vampire Romance) (Coming of Age Werewolf BBW Shifter Women’s Fiction Short Stories) Read Online Free Page A
be sleeping. If you feign sickness and send your mother into town for some potion to ease your symptoms, we can be gone and far from here before our absence is noted.”
The distant sound of voices heading their way stopped him, and he quickly kissed her before releasing her and hurrying away. Esther slipped out of the darkness from behind the stables, leaving by way of the main road so as not to attract attention by walking through the alleyway. She lingered in front of a horse for sale, pretending to be interested in the beast as others walked by.
“Oh there you are,” her mother called from the other end of the stables, her face flushed with worry. “I turned around and you had vanished. Child, you gave me an awful fright.”
“I’m sorry mother. I was feeling distraught in the confines of the crowd. I’m feeling much better now.”
“I’ve some shopping to do, come now.”
“If you’ll excuse me, Mother. I’m feeling very tired and I would like to rest.”
“Very well. Hopefully you’ll think twice the next time you feel like going off in the middle of the night as you did.”
Esther nodded and said her goodbyes, turning to go the other way toward their home. She wanted to run to Dallin, to beg him again to run away with her that very night, but she couldn’t risk getting caught.
Hurrying toward home, she fully intended to sleep the rest of the day away. If they were going to leave in two days, she had work to do.
Chapter 7
Dallin was nearly asleep when he heard a noise outside his window. He leaned over, reached under the bed and rested his hand on the stake he’d hidden there. Quietly, he slipped out of bed and crouched low beside the wall, hiding in the deepest shadows of the dark room.
A hooded figure filled the window, its silhouette dark in the waning moonlight. Dallin waited, holding his breath and trying to still his rapidly beating heart within his chest. For the millionth time he thought about the next night, and how unfit he was for hand-to-hand combat.
It looked like he was about to find out what he was made of.
The dark figure fumbled around in the darkness, finally finding a foothold and slipping through the window and onto Dallin’s bed. Dallin stood, stake raised above his head. He advanced on the figure, ready to attack when he stopped.
“Esther?”
She pulled her hood off and gasped as she saw the stake in his raised hand. He dropped the hand to his side and the stake rolled onto the hard dirt floor, and under his bed once more where it came to rest.
“What are you doing here?”
“Mother fell to sleep shortly after supper and I snuck out again.”
“What if my father returns and finds you here?”
“Your father is at the tavern and by the sounds of it, is already quite befuddled. I doubt that he would notice my presence if I stood before him and danced a jig.”
Dallin chuckled at the image, going to her and cupping her face in his hands.
“It’s so dark in here, Dallin. Would you light a candle?”
He did as she asked, the thick smell of Sulphur filling the air for a moment when he lit the match.
He leaned down and kissed her, surprised when she pulled away.
“What’s the matter?”
“Nothing is the matter, but we haven’t a great deal of time.”
Without explanation, she unlaced her bodice, her fingers fumbling with the laces. Dallin placed his hands over hers, stopping her.
“Are you absolutely sure, Esther? Once you give yourself to me, you can never reclaim it.”
“Oh Dallin. I have been sure from the moment I first laid eyes upon you.”
“Why now?”
She lowered her eyes, trying to hold her composure and hide her fear from him.
“I want to give you a reason to come back to me.”
His heart sank and he felt her fear as if he had slammed full-force into a wall. Dallin understood her reasoning, but he didn’t want her to have any regrets.
He tilted her chin up, forcing her to look
The distant sound of voices heading their way stopped him, and he quickly kissed her before releasing her and hurrying away. Esther slipped out of the darkness from behind the stables, leaving by way of the main road so as not to attract attention by walking through the alleyway. She lingered in front of a horse for sale, pretending to be interested in the beast as others walked by.
“Oh there you are,” her mother called from the other end of the stables, her face flushed with worry. “I turned around and you had vanished. Child, you gave me an awful fright.”
“I’m sorry mother. I was feeling distraught in the confines of the crowd. I’m feeling much better now.”
“I’ve some shopping to do, come now.”
“If you’ll excuse me, Mother. I’m feeling very tired and I would like to rest.”
“Very well. Hopefully you’ll think twice the next time you feel like going off in the middle of the night as you did.”
Esther nodded and said her goodbyes, turning to go the other way toward their home. She wanted to run to Dallin, to beg him again to run away with her that very night, but she couldn’t risk getting caught.
Hurrying toward home, she fully intended to sleep the rest of the day away. If they were going to leave in two days, she had work to do.
Chapter 7
Dallin was nearly asleep when he heard a noise outside his window. He leaned over, reached under the bed and rested his hand on the stake he’d hidden there. Quietly, he slipped out of bed and crouched low beside the wall, hiding in the deepest shadows of the dark room.
A hooded figure filled the window, its silhouette dark in the waning moonlight. Dallin waited, holding his breath and trying to still his rapidly beating heart within his chest. For the millionth time he thought about the next night, and how unfit he was for hand-to-hand combat.
It looked like he was about to find out what he was made of.
The dark figure fumbled around in the darkness, finally finding a foothold and slipping through the window and onto Dallin’s bed. Dallin stood, stake raised above his head. He advanced on the figure, ready to attack when he stopped.
“Esther?”
She pulled her hood off and gasped as she saw the stake in his raised hand. He dropped the hand to his side and the stake rolled onto the hard dirt floor, and under his bed once more where it came to rest.
“What are you doing here?”
“Mother fell to sleep shortly after supper and I snuck out again.”
“What if my father returns and finds you here?”
“Your father is at the tavern and by the sounds of it, is already quite befuddled. I doubt that he would notice my presence if I stood before him and danced a jig.”
Dallin chuckled at the image, going to her and cupping her face in his hands.
“It’s so dark in here, Dallin. Would you light a candle?”
He did as she asked, the thick smell of Sulphur filling the air for a moment when he lit the match.
He leaned down and kissed her, surprised when she pulled away.
“What’s the matter?”
“Nothing is the matter, but we haven’t a great deal of time.”
Without explanation, she unlaced her bodice, her fingers fumbling with the laces. Dallin placed his hands over hers, stopping her.
“Are you absolutely sure, Esther? Once you give yourself to me, you can never reclaim it.”
“Oh Dallin. I have been sure from the moment I first laid eyes upon you.”
“Why now?”
She lowered her eyes, trying to hold her composure and hide her fear from him.
“I want to give you a reason to come back to me.”
His heart sank and he felt her fear as if he had slammed full-force into a wall. Dallin understood her reasoning, but he didn’t want her to have any regrets.
He tilted her chin up, forcing her to look
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