A Bloody London Sunset (Sunset Vampire Series, Book 2) (3 page)

He nodded as she gently steered him towards another painting.

She whispered in his ear, “Of course, during those days I would’ve been preoccupied with my next hunting experiences, so I attended very few formal events. Blood banks didn’t exist yet, and I spent a lot of time planning to secure my meals clandestinely. I had to be discreet at formal events because people grew suspicious if someone abruptly disappeared from the party. As is much the case today, the poor and working class took the brunt of the average vampire’s focus.”

Caleb contemplated that and asked, “Did you normally kill your prey?”

Katrina pulled him close to her and bent down slightly to place her lips against his ear. “I killed animals and humans alike. But often I tried to get a person plied with enough liquor so they would pass out. Then I could have my meal, leaving them with nothing more than a sense of lightheadedness after they woke. That was particularly useful if I selected someone from the formal events we just spoke of. It could all be attributed to their overindulgence of spirits. Then perhaps I could revisit a previous target for future consumption. By rotating around to various people, my meal sources lasted longer. And using my saliva to heal fang wounds made the feeding process inconspicuous as well.”

Though being a firsthand beneficiary of such ability, Caleb nevertheless shivered upon considering the leechlike behavior that vampires engaged in while feeding. However, given the tender manner with which Katrina always treated him during feedings, it wasn’t as if he was complaining.
Of course, that’s before she stopped feeding on me altogether
, he reflected morosely.

She frowned after noticing his sudden physical tremor and glanced down at him. She placed her lips to his check and kissed him for a moment longer than a simple kiss would have lasted.

He appreciated the comforting feeling of her soft lips and turned to press his own against hers before she pulled away from him.

She used her arm, still wound around his waist, to lead him towards a small secluded alcove nearby. He thought she was guiding him to another painting, but when he glanced up at her, he noted her gaze was focused upon him fully.

In the alcove, she turned her body away from the main gallery and pulled his body close to hers. Her lips pressed against his, and he gratefully and passionately kissed her in response. As her left arm encircled his waist, her right hand cupped the back of his neck, and she kissed him in a slow, deep manner.

He felt completely mesmerized as his pulse increased dramatically. It was a feeling he never tired of and one he greedily wished would never end. But in a matter of moments, she withdrew her lips from his. He elevated himself up on the balls of his feet to pursue her, but she tightened the grip on the back of his neck to hold him in place, though without causing him any pain or discomfort.

“I want to kiss you some more,” he whispered in an almost pleading fashion, causing him to blush slightly from the admission.

She smiled slyly and promised, “Oh, I realize that, and I’ll accommodate your wish very soon, my love. But first, we need to take advantage of this rare artistic opportunity.”

“Sorry, Kat,” he apologized.

Her emerald eyes locked onto his pale blue ones with sudden intensity, and she reassured him, “You never have to apologize for that. It makes my heart soar that you feel that way.”

“I love you so much,” he whispered fervently, “More than anyone or anything.”

The insistence in his voice spoke volumes, which pleased her. “And I you, my love.”

She cast a quick glance over her shoulder to scan the area and turned back to him to bend down and kiss him warmly on the lips for a few brief seconds. At the last moment, she drew her breath in sharply as their lips sealed against one another, and he felt a momentary dizziness wash over him as his breath was abruptly pulled from his lungs.

I just love doing that to him.

Their lips parted, and she held his waist firmly to steady his balance. She slowly led them from the alcove, noting a dapper museum aide walking towards their location. Seeing them departing, the aide stopped and diverted to another direction once they began moving towards other paintings.

Attentive staff
, Katrina mused with a smirk.

They enjoyed browsing through the remaining exhibits and periodically paused to discuss appealing aspects of various pieces. As the mood struck him, Caleb took the opportunity to ask additional historical information related to the eighteenth century and was intrigued how Katrina seamlessly elaborated upon or validated a painting’s depictions as historically accurate. It seemed as if he were accompanied by his own historical accuracy meter. In turn, she reveled in both his pronounced interest and rapt attention, and they both thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

The crowds thinned to the point that the gallery seemed nearly deserted by the time they left the museum. They held hands during the brief walk from the museum grounds to the parking garage. Once again, Katrina permitted him the satisfaction of driving them home in the Audi. Halfway home, he smiled while recalling the occasion when he had asked why she typically wanted to drive.

“It’s not a reflection on my confidence in your driving skills,” she had assured him. “It’s merely that vampires have quicker reaction times, which is safer for both of us.”

He had wisely conceded the logic of her argument. However, it didn’t stop him from asking for the keys from time to time.

Upon arriving at the estate, they had no sooner exited the car and walked into the house, when Katrina tugged on Caleb’s left arm from behind. She spun him around to face her and noted that his eyes had widened with surprise. As she adopted a sly smile, a wave of passion crashed over her, and she sought his lips aggressively.

She pressed her body to his, forcing him backwards into the dark hallway behind him. Her hand quickly cupped the base of his head to prevent it from smacking the wall, and she kissed him with passion. His arms reached out to encircle her waist as she wrapped her free arm around the small of his back.

He responded eagerly to her passionate kisses and felt her silky tongue press its way into his mouth. Their tongues met as they continued to kiss deeply. A longing grew in each of them, though hers was torn between both the desire for sex and the craving for his blood.

It had been weeks since she had taken his blood, an episode she recalled ruefully and all too well. It had been the second night following her and Alton’s return from battling Chimalma. Her reunion with Caleb went seamlessly, and she had felt as if their lives were returning to normal again. However, while sleeping beside him, she had a horrible nightmare in which she had been attacked by assailants. Then one assailant transformed into the visage of Chimalma. In her dream, Katrina attacked Chimalma by sinking her fangs into her. But the real nightmare began when she tasted Caleb’s blood in her mouth and awoke to hear him screaming in the darkness next to her. She had unconsciously bitten into his upper shoulder, and blood had streamed from the gouges formed as he had tried to dislodge her fangs by lurching away from her. One of the gouges had been so severe that he still retained a small, faint mark on his upper left shoulder, despite the healing power of her saliva.

Since that horrible, fateful night, Katrina vowed not to take blood from him. Instead, she had shared and displayed her love and intimacy with him in the traditional human manner of sexual coupling. In fact, she had not slept beside him until just a couple of weeks ago, though she had often lain awake in bed beside him to share at least in the intimacy of being next to him while he slumbered. Her sleep was attended to via naps taken during the day and always when he wasn’t beside her merely to avoid any accidental recurrences of nightmare-induced attacks.

However, that evening, sleep was the last thing on Caleb’s mind. His desire grew rapidly as they kissed lustfully in the hallway. His breathing and pulse were both elevated significantly, a fact not unnoticed by his red-haired mate. She used a proportional amount of strength with her arm around the small of his back to press him in the direction of the mostly dark living room, where the only available light emanated from the glow of the exterior eaves’ lights through the sheer curtains. He eagerly complied as they kissed, not paying attention to the path they took, but instead concentrating on the amorous application of his lips to hers.

Katrina giggled, interjecting a pause in their kissing, and Caleb felt a faint smile form on her lips. The moment they were sharing felt comfortably familiar to her. She instantly recalled the first time she had kissed him in the front entry room, not far from where she had herded him through the kitchen.

“What?” he whispered with confusion.

“The first night we made love,” she prompted. “Remember?”

He rolled his eyes and smirked, easily recollecting that night. He had been so nervous, having deliberated for days following the abrupt revelation to him of her true vampire nature. He recalled that night, marking his first experience when she drank his blood. It had been both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. But in the end, he had felt bonded to her in a far more special manner than he had with any other person. Most of all, it had made him feel special and desired.
How could I forget?

“I remember,” he recalled. “The first time we made love. And the first time you drank from me.”

“I knew then you were the one for me,” she whispered before kissing him warmly.

Caleb’s smirk faded as the realization resurfaced that his lover had not taken blood from him in over a month. It was something he had been hesitant to bring up, not sure how sensitive a topic it was for her. He was already aware of how guilty she felt following the accidental attack on him that December evening. He had long since forgiven her, particularly after Alton had helped him understand the difficult truth about her aggressive nature, the unfortunate catalyst for the attack. Still, he was encouraged that she was once again sleeping beside him, and there had been no recurring accidental attacks thus far.

With sudden resolve, he withdrew his arms from around her waist. Katrina looked down at him quizzically as he unbuttoned his shirt. She took her arms from around his body as she watched him in the dim light of the room. He removed his shirt and t-shirt, revealing his toned, muscular chest adorned only by his sterling silver pendant and chain.

He reached down and pulled his shoes and socks from his feet, never breaking his penetrating gaze into her eyes, which were glowing like miniature beacons. He hesitated, recognizing that her glowing eyes likely indicated either lust for sex, hunger for blood, or a combination. His slacks dropped to the floor, and he stepped from them wearing only underwear. Reaching up to his chest, he took the heart-shaped sterling silver pendant between his thumb and forefinger and lifted the pendant up towards her.

“What does this say?” he asked boldly.

She arched one eyebrow, not needing to look at the pendant to recall its inscription. She had carefully crafted both their pendants’ inscriptions.

“Caleb belongs to Katrina,” she stated possessively.

He stood, suspending the pendant proudly before her. “What does that mean?”

She smirked and answered in a firm, passionate tone, “It signifies our mutual commitment. You belong to me. You’re my mate. You are mine.”

He beamed with satisfaction even as a slight tremor ran through his body from the possessive tone in her voice. It excited him and made him feel very wanted and loved. It was an aspect to her assertive nature that never failed to captivate him.

“What specifically belongs to you?” he insisted.

“Your love.”

“And?”

“Your body,” she added.

“And?” he pressed.

“Your blood,” she stated emphatically.

He nodded his head slowly and demanded, “Then take it. Take my blood, Kat.”

Her eyes flashed brightly for a moment as the desire for his blood soared. Her ever-present thirst wanted to unleash itself, but she constantly strove to control it, bending it to her will. As an alpha vampire, control was one of her requisite skills. But the memory of her nightmare-induced attack on him replayed in her mind, and she frowned.
I can’t risk hurting him again
.

He noted her consternation and anticipated the nature of her thoughts. “Don’t you want my blood?” he asked.

“Of course I do,” she reassured him, and she bent towards him, seeking a kiss.

But he backed away from her, dropping the pendant against his bare chest, and challenged, “Are you going to drink from me?”

“Caleb, please,” she murmured while reaching out to him.

“There’s a special bond we share when you take my blood,” he continued. “Now it’s missing, and I want it back for both of us.”

She regarded him with a frown while contemplating his earnest appeal. She had never wanted to make him feel undesired, unloved, or unwanted. And she certainly felt the desire for his blood at that moment, despite having consumed a packet of blood from the basement refrigerator that afternoon.

“You’re the love of my life, Kat,” he explained affectionately. “But I won’t demand that you take what you no longer want.”

He turned away from her as she stared down upon the man she loved even more than her own life. She swallowed hard and came to an immediate decision. While stepping behind him, she wrapped her left arm around his lean waist. Her grip tightened around him as she reached up from behind with her right hand and firmly grasped his chin between her fingers. Using gentle but deliberate pressure, she tilted his head up and firmly placed her lips against the supple skin of his neck.

Caleb breathed in sharply as his pulse increased, and she smiled into his neck while slowly, passionately kissing near his jugular vein. His hands grasped her arm tentatively as it tightened around his waist. His body was guided backwards as she pulled him against her, his head lolling back against her left shoulder. Her body’s warmth felt soothing against his bare skin.