In the Dark (27 page)

Or maybe he wouldn't have.

There was a large part of him that was glad for the rain, grateful for any chance to spend another night with her, and that cared not at all that an even bigger part, the saner part, knew it for an ill-considered, unnecessary indulgence. He was making a huge mistake, any fool could see that.

You're vampire,
and she should be nothing more to you than a convenient form of sustenance. Do you imagine she falls in love with every scrap of bread she eats?

Choosing a couple of shirts at random, he pulled them from their hangers. “I'm afraid you'll have to make do with one of these,” he said as he exited the closet. The sight of her, standing stark naked in the middle of the room, stopped him in his tracks. Pale skin accentuated the dark areolas that surrounded her nipples, and drew his eyes to her breasts. Was it his imagination that made them appear more lushly rounded than he'd recalled, that made her figure seem fuller, more ripe, more womanly? Or was that simply his body's way of reminding him that there was more to life than food?

“Perhaps you'd like to take a bath, to warm up?” he suggested. Getting her behind closed doors could only be a good thing. Out of sight, out of mind. Maybe he'd go and roust Armand while she was soaking, make
him
deal with her for the rest of the evening. It was his fault she was here, after all. Why shouldn't he have the pleasure of resisting her enticements?

Assuming he
could
resist them. What if he couldn't?

No
. Conrad's body objected strenuously to the idea. His muscles grew tense at the very thought of Armand getting anywhere near her tonight.
Mine.

“I don't want a bath.” Crossing to where he stood, she took the shirts from his hand and tossed them in the direction of the bed. “There are better ways to warm someone up, aren't there?”

“This is not what I had in mind for tonight,
chérie
,” he protested but she was already pressing closer, going up on her toes. At the first brush of her lips on his, he was lost.

Mine
, his body insisted again, even louder than before. Growling in satisfaction, he caged her in his arms and kissed her back voraciously. Knowing he would never get enough of the taste of her, knowing this would likely be the last night they would ever spend in each other's arms, he decided to throw caution, common sense and all his scruples to the wind. He would make the most of their time together. He would make love to her as she had never been made love to before.

He'd picked her up and was headed for the bed when she stiffened suddenly, a muffled exclamation bursting from her lips.

“What's wrong?” he asked, pulling back to look at her.

She pointed over his shoulder. “I can see you. Look, there in the mirror. I thought vampires didn't have reflections?”

Conrad shook his head. “Don't believe everything you've heard about us,
chérie
. Very little of it is true.”

“Like what?” she asked as he deposited her on the bed. Curling up on her knees, she gazed at him curiously as he began to undress.

“Well, as you can see, I have yet to explode in sunlight, for one thing. I don't die again each day at dawn. Crucifixes bother me not in the slightest, nor does holy water.”

“How about things like wooden stakes?” she inquired, bringing a teasing smile to his lips as he dropped his pants to the floor.

“I do not believe that I am the one who needs to worry about being impaled here tonight,
mignonne
.”

She blushed and dropped her gaze. “Stop it. I'm being serious.”

“So am I.” Climbing into bed beside her, he took her hand and wrapped it around his erection. “Very serious.”

Her fingers trembled as she tightened her hand on him and shyly stroked up and down the length of his shaft. “So, you're saying things like that really don't hurt you either?”

Sighing, he leaned into her and softly kissed her lips. “Yes, my curious one, I'm sure it would
hurt
to be stabbed through the heart, or to be set on fire, or any of the many other equally unpleasant things you can, no doubt, imagine. Many things can hurt me. For the most part, however, only something that destroys my heart, severs my head, or leaves me drained of blood would likely be fatal. Other than that…” He shrugged dismissively. He'd been wounded on numerous occasions over the course of his lifetime. To live at all was to know pain, in one form or another. But pain, like pleasure, was a transitory thing. One endured and moved on.

“Will you really live forever?” she asked as he drew her down beside him. “And never grow old?”

“Forever is a long time,
chérie
, and there are always accidents waiting to happen. I suspect that, sooner or later, something will occur to put an end to my life. But, it will not be tonight.” He rolled on top of her then, settling himself between her thighs, wrapping her legs around his hips. “Tonight we are both safe and the only ‘death' either of us need worry about is
la petite mort
, the little death.”

“What's that mean?” she asked, pushing at his shoulders until he'd raised his head. Her eyes were wide with dismay.

Conrad grinned wickedly, enchanted anew by her innocence. “Have you really never heard the term? Then relax, my sweet, and I will show you.”

She gazed back at him, still uncertain but eager, willing, warm. Her hands tightened on his shoulders as he bent his head and kissed her once more, making love to her mouth with slow, thorough sureness. Just as though they had all the time in the world to enjoy one another, rather than only a single night—as his mind insisted, and his heart reluctantly agreed.

He focused all his attention on igniting her passion; mouth on mouth, hands roaming, touching, stroking, memorizing every inch. He rocked his hips slowly, steadily, against her, his cock sliding along her slick nether lips, nudging repeatedly at her swelling clit until she pulled her mouth away to whimper, “More. Please, Conrad. I want all of you. Inside me. Now.”

“Look at me,” he ordered as he propped himself up on his elbows, wanting to watch her eyes as he filled her.
Mine
, his body insisted as he thrust into her, felt her wet warmth engulfing him.
Mine
, his heart echoed in agreement as she gasped beneath him, heat flooding her face, eyelids fluttering as she struggled to hold his gaze.
Mine—for now
, his mind grudgingly assented as she came undone for him and the pulsing of her sex pulled him under as well.

He clenched his jaw and threw his head back as he came, resisting the urge to sink his teeth into her throat. There was no sense in further complicating this thing between them and he did not entirely trust himself to stop when he should.

The need to taste her didn't dissipate quickly, however. Even after he'd brushed a final kiss across her lips and pulled away from her he felt it, thought about it, wanted it. Even after he'd rolled to the side and buried his face in his pillow, the lure of her blood, the memory of its flavor—so sweet, so hot, so temptingly close at hand—haunted him.

She didn't make it any easier when she sat up to ask, “So, you're saying you have to drink blood then. Is that right?”

Suppressing a groan, he nodded. “Yes.”

“And have you…have you tried
not
drinking blood?”

He laughed at that. For was he not trying—even now—to do that very thing? Swallowing his urge as best he could, he rolled over on his back and smiled up at her. “I can still eat other food, if that's what you're asking, but I get very little enjoyment from it and, since it no longer does anything to sustain me, I rarely bother. Without blood I would die.”

“Do you like it? Blood, I mean. Do you like how it…how it tastes?”

“Very much.” He could feel his heart start to race as he thought about it. “Especially yours.”

“Show me.”

She shyly held out her arm and offered him her wrist. Conrad's eyes widened in surprise. “Thank you, my dear,” he said, pushing it gently aside. “But, I can go for quite a while between meals and I don't need to feed tonight.”

She bit her lip. “But, I want you to. Please?”

“Why?” he rasped in annoyance as temptation caused his fangs to pulse in orgiastic spasms.

“Because I…I want to see you do it.” Heat rose once again in her cheeks. Excitement danced in her eyes. “I want to understand what it's all about, what it's like for you, who you are.”

Maybe she wasn't intending to seduce him but, all the same, she was. The desire to prove himself something other than a monster, to pleasure her in ways no mortal could and to slake his own thirst at the same time, was nearly overwhelming. Definitely he didn't mean to fall victim to her spell but, all the same, he did. When she offered herself a second time, he gave in.

He took hold of her arm with trembling hands, sighing with pleasure when she curled her fingers around his, as though seeking reassurance in the touch. He licked slowly over her silken skin, thrilling to the scent of her, his stomach muscles rippling in anticipation of her taste.

“Well?” she murmured softly, teasingly, trustingly, when he lifted his eyes to meet her gaze, to gauge her mood. “What are you waiting for?”

Opening his mouth wide, he exposed his fangs. Giving her every chance to see, to understand, to change her mind. She held her breath, watching, waiting. Still willing. He slid his teeth in cleanly, smoothly, puncturing her skin as swiftly and painlessly as possible. Then he bit down harder, closing his jaws upon her wrist to release the venom, watching her eyes widen, her pupils dilate, as the shock of it hit her system.

“Oh,” she gasped, surprise mingling with recognition on her face. “So
that's
what that is.”

He nodded once in acknowledgement before seeking his own pleasure and filling his mouth with her rich, coppery essence. He drank her in until he'd just barely satisfied the worst of his need. Then he stopped. Breathing hard, he forced himself to let go. He used his tongue to clean and heal the wounds he'd made until only the smallest of marks remained.

When he released her, she lifted her wrist and studied it curiously. “It's like…magic, or something,” she murmured pensively.

“Or something,” he agreed as he drew her close.

“I like it.” She curled into his embrace, pliant and relaxed, still gazing at her arm. “It feels good. Does it feel like that to you, too?”

He shook his head. “Not exactly. A lot of the pleasure you're feeling right now comes from the venom that's released when I bite you. I only feel that when another vampire bites me. So, no, not quite the same.”

Frowning now, she transferred her gaze to his face. “Well, that doesn't seem fair. So, then…it's not just
human
blood you drink…is that right?”

Conrad shuddered. He couldn't keep his lip from curling in disgust. “It is possible to do so, yes. There are…animals…whose blood would sustain us for a time, perhaps in an emergency. But the subject is distasteful. We do not discuss it.”

She shook her head. “No, silly. I didn't mean animals. That would be weird. I meant other vampires.”

“Oh. Well, that's quite a different matter.” Relaxing again, he propped himself up on one elbow and grinned at her. “It's not always about sustenance, you know. Certainly we bite each other, upon occasion.” Leaning into her, he nipped playfully at her shoulder. “And, under certain circumstances, yes, we might even drink each other's blood. In fact, there are times when it can be beneficial. If one of us is very weak, for example, it can act as a restorative—sort of like your medicine. But two vampires stranded on a deserted island with nothing to feed upon but each other would eventually both perish. We need fresh blood—fresh human blood—on a regular basis, in order to replenish ourselves. Now,” he said as he lightly peppered her face with kisses. “Tell me. Why all the questions?”

She kissed him back. “I was curious. I needed to know.” Then she pulled away a little, far enough to meet his eyes. “I missed you
so
much. I thought about you all the time while I was gone and I just…I just really
missed
you.”

Conrad nodded tiredly. “I know,” he said, successfully fighting down the impulse to say more. It was the third time tonight she'd mentioned the fact but, this time…

This time, her voice throbbed with an intensity that made his heart twist. The pitch of her voice, the gleam in her eyes, the way her fingers clutched at his arms, made the words take on a new meaning, their true meaning. This time, he finally heard what it was she was trying to tell him.

He pulled her to him once again. “
Ah, ma petite
.
Oui.
Je t'aime, aussi.
”

“Wh-what does that mean?” she whispered, sounding breathless, sounding hopeful, sounding scared.

Conrad sighed. He kissed her softly on the cheek and surrendered to his own stupidity. “It means ‘I love you, too'.”

“Good.” Lips trembling, she gazed up at him. “Conrad, there was another reason I came here tonight. I came because…because I want to be with you.”

Let her down gently
. Smiling sadly, Conrad met her gaze. “I know,
mignonne
, but, trust me, it's far better if we don't—”

“No.” She cut him off with a shake of her head. “No, you don't understand. I want to be with you
forever
.”

Conrad's smile dissolved. He sat up against the headboard, his head spinning, his heart a welter of conflicting emotions. “What are you saying? You don't even know what it is you're asking for.”

“Yes, I do. I'm asking you to turn me. I want you to make me a vampire. Like you.”

Chapter Fourteen

“You want to be a vampire?” Conrad gazed at her askance. “What nonsense is this? Before tonight, you didn't even believe vampires existed. Now, you wish to become one?”