Courted by the Vampire by Sandra Sookoo Page B

His arms enfolded her protectively into his embrace…
     
    Hannah opened her eyes with a start, puzzled. Her cheek rested on a black denim pillow. Vivid disjointed images skittered around her brain. They compelled and disturbed her all at once. It had been the worst dream yet.
    “Does he chase you in every dream?” Edwin questioned, his voice low, his hand cool and soothing as he tucked a wayward strand of short hair behind her ear.
    She lay still, with her cheek on his thigh. The dark waters of the lake ebbed and flowed and she hoped the gentle action would sooth the upheaval in her mind, but it wasn’t the waves that had the ability to calm her fears. The more time she spent in Edwin’s company, the more comfortable she felt in her own skin, as if she could come to grips with who she was. Maybe having a supernatural power didn’t make her the freak she once thought.
    “Hannah?” He brushed his fingers along her cheek and her insides warmed. “Is Andre present each time?”
    “Not in every dream. Sometimes I feel an evil presence. I don’t know who’s tormenting me. I wake up more exhausted than when I dropped off to sleep.”
    “Andre knows you are close and is determined to find a way into your mind through your dreams. He thinks you will give up.”
    Give up. She’d been doing that her whole life. She sat up and wiped the sand from her clothes with a steady hand. Maybe it was time for a change. “Is it important to you to find this Andre person?” She frowned as she studied his face, looking for signs of duplicity. “He’s the real object of your quest?”
    “He is, and it is extremely important we find him together.”
    Together . That one little word caused a shiver to run down her spine. How long had it been since she’d been able to trust someone? To let another person share her burden? She continued to hold his gaze and saw nothing but honest concern. It tugged at her heart and chipped away at her resistance.
    “The power of your mind is the only thing that will defeat our mutual nemesis. Everything wholesome in this realm and the others needs you.”
    Power. Destiny. Gifts.
    Was it possible she’d been born for this specific time and purpose? Instead of being a curse, was her unique ability a saving grace? When Edwin cupped her chin in his hand, she trembled. Before her, an unmarked path beckoned with purpose; behind laid a darkened stretch of road where she’d spent her life running.
    At that moment, gazing into the sapphire gaze of her vampire companion, Hannah made the first decision she knew she would never regret. She would go on the journey with him for her sake as well as his. She may not understand what exactly an Enhancer was and she may not like what she found once she started digging, but she needed to try. “For some reason, Edwin Mason, I’m here, with you, and I’ll see this thing to the end. I want to know how to use my powers and why I have them. If you can help me with that, it’s a bonus.”
    “I appreciate your support and yes, I can assist you in understanding what it is you seek and what you can achieve.” He looked over her shoulder then nudged her hand. “I believe our ghost is here.”
    The hair at the back of Hannah’s neck prickled as she turned in the direction he indicated. An eerie, bluish-gray pearlescent apparition shimmered about a quarter of a mile down the beach from where they were. She waited in anxiety for the ghost to approach. “I can’t believe she’s real.”
    “Believe it or not, all beings are real. Some just straddle worlds and only a select few see them. People generally only see what they want to see and thereby miss half of what is truly around them.” He stood then pulled Hannah to her feet. “I am assuming you know the story of this ghost?”
    She nodded. “Everyone in Indiana does. Her name was Alice Gray and she was said to have been very beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that the anglers who spotted her swimming naked in the