Surrendering: A Regent Vampire Lords Novel, Book #1 by K.L. Kreig Page A

well educated, understanding her passion for academia. They both loved to read and exercise. They had much in common. Every second spent with him not only did she want him more, but she also liked him more.
    After they finished eating, Dev asked, “So, was there anything else that you remembered about your dream that you think might help? Anything at all?”
    He’d asked this question several times, and she was starting to feel like she wanted to tell him. She trusted him. She started to fidget, trying not to. “No, not really. I’m sorry, I wish I could tell you more.”
    Elbows on the table, he leaned forward clasping his hands. He spoke in a gentle, coaxing voice, not breaking eye contact. “Kate, I really admire that you came into the station at all. It took a lot of guts and not many people would put themselves out there like that. You did, and you should be proud of yourself.”
    She relaxed a bit.
    “I believe your dreams are real. And I’ll believe anything you tell me, Kate. Anything at all. I’ve seen a lot of crazy shit, so trust me when I tell you nothing, and I mean nothing you can tell me will surprise me. We need to find this bastard.” He paused, adding, “And I need your help to do that, Kate. So please, do you remember anything else that maybe you were afraid to share before?”
    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