Dark Desire by Christine Feehan

they were of great importance to the two of them. If she was as much in the dark as he was, they were in deep trouble. It was frustrating to have so many gaps in his mind. You are of this land. I feel your connection to this land. I know absolutely that you are mine, that we belong together.
    Shea shook her head. “My mother was Irish. My father was from this region, but I never even knew him. I arrived here for the first time only a couple of months ago. I swear I’ve never been here before.”
    We do not have a disorder, a disease. Our people have existed as they are from the dawn of time. He did not know where that piece of information came from. It was simply there.
    â€œBut that’s impossible. People do not require drinking blood to live. I’m a doctor, Jacques. I do medical research all the time. I know. This is extremely rare.” She could feel her breath refusing to leave her lungs.
    You can accept that I remained buried alive for an eternity, yet you cannot accept that our people exist?
    Shea bent to pick up the scattered pieces of glass, needingsomething practical to do while she tried to hold on to her self-control. What was he really saying to her? That he did not have a blood disorder but was of another race or…species? “We don’t know how long you were there,” she said uneasily, slowly mopping up the juice.
    How long ago were you shown the picture of me?
    Shea dumped the broken glass into the garbage can. “Two years ago,” she admitted reluctantly. “The vampire murders occurred seven years ago. They claimed the photos were of those victims. But it would be impossible, totally impossible, for you to have survived that long. That would mean you were buried with a stake through your body for seven years. It’s impossible, Jacques.” She turned to him, her eyes enormous. “Isn’t it?”
    Not if I shut down my heart and lungs. My blood would not run , he explained, choosing his words carefully, afraid of upsetting her.
    It had just the opposite effect. “You can do that? Really do that?” Now she was excited. “You can control your heart rate, slow it down, speed it up? My God, Jacques, this is incredible. There are monks who can do such a thing, but not on the scale you imply.”
    I can stop my heart if need be. You can stop yours.
    â€œNo, I can’t.” She dismissed the idea as nonsense with a wave of a hand. “But is that really what you did? Stop your heart? Is that how you survived being buried alive? Lord, that must have driven you mad. I don’t know if I can make myself believe this. How did you eat? You were chained, both hands.” Her thoughts and questions stumbled over one another in her excitement.
    I woke rarely, only when I sensed blood nearby. I called creatures to me. You must know you can do that. He was pleased that for once he could give her information. I managed to scratch a hole in the wood to allow them in .
    Shea could call animals to her; she had been doing it sinceshe was a child. And that talent she and Jacques shared accounted for the rat carcasses she had seen buried in the wall with him. “Are you saying there are others who do these things?” She hurried to her computer, turning on the generator so she could work. “What else do you remember?”
    She was so excited, he wanted to give her more information, but as hard as he tried to come up with something, his head simply pounded, and memories eluded him. Shea felt his distress, glanced over at him, saw the faint sheen of perspiration beading on his forehead.
    Immediately her eyes warmed, her mouth curving softly. “Jacques, I’m sorry. It was thoughtless of me to press you like that. Don’t try to think right now. Things will come back to you eventually. I’ve got plenty to work on right here. You just rest.”
    Grateful for her compassion, Jacques allowed the fragmented pieces of his memory to