Kindred (Book 1 The Kindred Series) by Erica Stevens

the surface of his existence.
       A gasp of pleasure escaped her as her hands wrapped tightly around his shoulders, and her fingers d u g into him . Her mouth parted beneath his demanding quest. A groan escaped him as his desire for more of her seized hold of him. His hands drifted over her bare shoulders, the feel of her silken skin le ft him shake n as he moved closer to the collar of the dress she wore. She moaned softly, he caught hold of her as her knees went limp and she slumped against him.
       His composure swiftly unraveling, he seized hold of her dress, wanting to rip it free of her. This was his dream after all, and he could do anything he wanted in it. And he wanted her.
       The scent of her tears stopped his rushing, heedless movements. He pulled slightly back from her, horrified that he had hurt her , or that he had frightened her with his urgency. Even if it was just a dream he couldn’t bring himself to hurt her . He did not know the extent of her experiences with men, but he sensed that they were not much . A nd there was no way that she had ever been pawed and molested by a nearly crazed vampire before.
       But it made no sense, if this was his dream she shouldn’t be crying, she should be throwing herself at him with reckless abandon. If this was his dream, he shouldn’t be feeling like he was actually experiencing her emotions. Something niggled at the back of his mind, but he shoved aside any doubts and questions, he didn’t want to face them right now.
       “Cassie what is wrong? Did I hurt you? Please,” he whispered . “Please tell me that I did not hurt you.”
       She shook her head wildly. He gently pulled back the strands of hair that fell across her damp cheeks. Cupping her chin , he lifted her face to his. Tears slid silently down her cheeks, her eyes were bright and damp with unshed ones. Though he had been frightened that he had hurt her, there was happiness and joy radiating from her.
       “Cassie?”
       “I’m fine,” she breathed, reaching up to cup his hand in hers as she leaned into his touch. “I’m just so happy here. This, this is just the most wonderful thing that I have ever experienced. You are the most wonderful thing that I have ever experienced. I can say that here because it isn’t real.” Her eyes darted away from his for a moment. “But out there…”
       She shook her head, closing her eyes as she nestled closer. “Out there what?” he asked softly , knowing that she was talking about the world that existed outside of this dream one .
       Her eyes darkened, her face hardened slightly with anger. “Out there everything is hard. Out there , this cannot be.”
       Confusion filled him as he studied her. She kept her gaze focused on the lake, more tears filled her eyes. But he sensed these were tears of sorrow and loss, not of joy. He did not understand what she was talking about, but it was more than apparent that she was greatly upset about something.
       “Cassie look at me.” Her attention returned to him, her forehead furrow ed . “Why is it hard? Why can’t this be?”
       Though she smiled wanly, the depth of her sorrow was nearly palpable. “I wish that I could tell you.” She shook her head . “You wouldn’t believe me anyway.”
       “I would believe anything you told me.”
       Her eyes warmed and melted. “You are wonderful,” she whispered. “So wonderful. I’ve never felt like this with anyone before, never even knew it could be possible to feel like this. Even though it’s a dream, I feel like you would be like this in the real world , that you would make me feel this good .”
       “I would,” he promised, surprised by the strange turn of events t his dream was taking. It was his dream after all, she should be in his arms still, she should be happy still. She should not be lost and wounded and talking in riddles that he couldn ’ t unravel . She should tell him what was bothering her, not keep it