Love
Resurrected by Kristy Centeno
It’s never too late for a second chance at love.
Keiran
McDermott has lived by one simple rule for over a hundred years, keep a safe
distance from humans at all times. He knows from experience that close
proximity to them can be disastrous and more often than not, end up badly. But
when the need to explore a nearby town places him directly in the path of a
woman being stalked by two foul predators, the instinct to protect the young
beauty from the men intent on causing her harm forces him to break his
self-imposed law.
However,
once she’s safely away from her attackers, Keiran finds himself locked in
another battle. He knows his weakness can kill; it did so in the past. But how
can he find the courage to stay away when the image of her lovely face torments
his mind?
When a
new threat forces him to come to Celine’s aid again, will Keiran be able to
fight temptation long enough to keep her alive and protected, even from
himself?
Excerpt
Celine
awoke the next morning, startled by what she found once her brown eyes glided
across the room. Disoriented and confused, she scanned her surroundings,
instinctively knowing she was not in her bedroom. Of course, her throbbing
headache soon demanded attention and she was no longer as concerned about lying
on a strange bed in a strange room. She felt as if she had one serious
hangover, except she did not remember drinking at all.
What
happened? Where am I?
Another
glance around convinced her she was in a hospital room – or at least it
appeared to be a hospital room – which confused her even more. How in the world
did she get there? Why was she there?
Well, if
she wanted definite answers she had to ask. Judging by the sounds emanating
from what she assumed to be the hallway to her right, the hospital staff had to
be making their rounds somewhere out there. If only she could reach for the
cord just above the nightstand, she would have it made.
She tried
sitting up on the bed and immediately recognized her mistake. The room began to
spin beneath her, and she had to fight back the bile rising up in her throat
almost immediately after. Although she had felt somewhat out of place upon
waking, it was nothing compared to the earthquake breaking out inside her skull
now. Apparently, moving only accomplished triggering her dormant symptoms,
which even now threatened to get worse. In order to avoid soiling the pristine
sheets covering her body from toes to mid-chest, Celine decided to stay put
before she ended up vomiting all over herself. Defeated, she lay back on the
bed and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that would stop the room from spinning.
By this
point, she was not aware of much except that her head, right hand and back hurt
like crazy, and she did not know why. She could not remember falling or
anything of that nature, so the physical pain was as much of a mystery to her
as the reason she was in the hospital. “So much for enjoying my days off with
pay,” she muttered under her breath.
When
Celine raised her hand and touched her left temple, she found at last the
source of her pain. A huge bump that must look as nasty as it felt protruded
from her head. Great! Just great! I had so been looking forward to my week
of paid vacation, and I wake up in a hospital? How did that happen?
The last
she remembered, she’d finished her long night working at the diner and had
begun her commute home – and the events of the attack came back to her in rapid
flashes. She recalled the assault, the two men and the fight she put up. She
remembered the shock and surprise upon discovering she was being followed.
She’d never been so scared in her entire life, not even when— Oh my God! Had
those men…? No, she could not automatically assume the worst. But… had they…
was that why she was here?
Again,
Celine felt as though she might vomit. The mere thought of what those men might
have done while she was unconscious disgusted and horrified her. Hadn’t she
been through enough already?
All
thoughts fled the second a soft knock on the door interrupted the silence in
the room. She had no idea who decided to pay her a visit, but she assumed it
was either a nurse, doctor, or police officer. Any of them would be welcomed.
And any of them could provide answers for her, which she desperately needed. A
million and one things flashed across her mind, including the one that worried
her the most, had she or had she not been raped? As she called for whoever was
at the other side to enter, she had nothing to do but bring the covers up to
her chin and wait.
About the
Author:
As a
child, Kristy used to lose herself in an imaginary world by the means of a good
book. Now that she’s all grown up, she gets to create her own fictional realms
and make them come to life in ways that most readers might not expect.
Writing
has always been a passion of hers but she never had the opportunity do so until
now. After trying out numerous options, she realized that writing was what she
loved the most and so she decided to give it a shot. As it turns out, her very
active imagination helped her achieve her goals of creating believable plots
with some ordinary, and some not so ordinary characters that move the stories
along in one way or another.
As she
keeps achieving her dreams of becoming a published author, she divides her time
in between four children and a very understanding husband.
Thanks for hosting today!
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