Dark Needs at Night's Edge by Kresley Cole Page A

it with your fated Bride,” Sebastian continues. “She’ll calm you, and will help you find clarity. I was on the edge myself before I met mine. One day I had nothing, no real home, no friends, no family. Then as soon as I recognized her as mine, suddenly there was possibility .”
    Sebastian’s obviously musing about her right at this moment, his expression so satisfied. Sickening . “I want you to meet Kaderin soon. Once you’re recovered.”
    They’re acting like it’s a given that I’ll heal.
    Impossible. He would know if there was a way to come back from bloodlust. There is no return. No instance of it.
    But his brothers’ confidence forces him to wonder.
    â€œKaderin’s had…well, her history with fallen vampires is extensive, even for a Valkyrie.”
    â€œKaderin the Coldhearted?” he asks with a slow nod. “An assassin like me. Rumored she snaps vampires’ fangs from their decapitated heads, strings them together for her collection. Sounds really fucking calming, Bastian.”
    Darker outside… The female appears backlit by an iridescent source. He can’t discern her features yet. But he can see the outline of her figure. His lips part. Of her breasts.
    Sebastian shrugs. “Like I said, Kaderin has a long history with them. Which means we’re fighting on the same side. Who knows, you might even have a Valkyrie for a Bride.”
    Darker. Valkyrie were strange, fey-looking women, with far too much strength for their small bodies—and no hesitation to wade into battles or start wars. If one was his Bride, he’d greet dawn.
    Dark.
    And there the female is.
    Though her image is flickering and colorless like an old TV show, he can make out her dress and her bared arms and shoulders. She’s turned away as though perched on the window seat, with her head leaning against the window. He begins to see that she’s not entirely colorless. Her nails, her choker, and the ties at her bodice are all a deep crimson.
    Are those red petals sprinkled in her wild hair?
    The more he can discern of her hazy form, the more he… likes .
    She’s small in stature, but she has generous breasts. His hands fist behind him again, his fangs subtly aching for that plump flesh. He’s never drunk from a woman—and why in the hell has he never drunk from a woman?
    He can make out the shine of her nails and the sheen of the slipper ribbons laced up her calves. A slit in her dress climbs up her thigh to reveal a garter.
    For some reason, he raises his brows at this. As a vampire who hasn’t encountered his Bride, he has no sexual ability or need; her breasts and garters shouldn’t interest him whatsoever, not any more than food would.
    But they do.
    Then…for the first time, he sees her face. And just stifles a curse. He hadn’t been deluded that first night.
    Figures she’d be fucking beautiful. He grates a short laugh. He would imagine nothing but the best.
    Those big blue eyes are another shot of color in her black-and-white image. She has a pert, slim nose and smooth, translucent skin. Her lips are pale, but they’re full, especially the bottom one.
    As if she feels his scrutiny, she turns to him, easing to her feet. Eerie grace. He makes his expression blank while keeping her in his field of vision.
    She tilts her head. Is she studying me? Can she see without the light?
    No, she’s not real. There’s a line between having hallucinations and interacting with them… Can’t cross the line.
    She appears to walk, though she is floating off the ground. And she’s coming directly toward the bed. What does she want from him? Closer…closer…
    He dimly hears Sebastian ask, “Do you know what will happen to you when your Bride bloods you? Your heart will start to beat again, and you’ll begin to breathe once more. The air is cold and heavy in your lungs, but the pressure feels good if