Sunrise at Sunset (15 page)

“So then, you’re busy tomorrow? How about Saturday then?” he persisted.

Katrina blinked and slowly but deliberately stepped towards him.

His eyes widened with surprise, and he asked, “What’s wrong, Katrina?” His pulse quickened, and he found an anxious tension rising inside him.

“Don’t go, Caleb,” she whispered to him softly. “Ask me anything, but don’t go yet.” She just wanted him to stay with her. She’d been so worried that he wouldn’t have wanted even to see her again, but was relieved that he was finally there.

Her left hand reached out to caress his cheek lightly with her fingertips. Her right arm subtly wrapped around the small of his back, and she moved in a fluid blur as her soft lips lightly brushed his.

He drew in a breath from the feeling of her warm lips tenderly touching his skin. He pressed his lips against hers gently, but with more force than she had, and kissed her passionately. The next thing he knew the room spun slightly, and he was lying on the couch with her on top of him. They continued to kiss for a time, and she ran the slim fingers of one hand through his hair and across his scalp, causing him to shiver slightly with appreciation.

She nestled her lips in the small of his soft neck and kissed him there. He murmured with satisfaction as she kissed him again. She felt strong desire rise in her, and her fangs began to extend slightly. The scent of his skin and the underlying blood beneath called to her, and she could feel his strong pulse against her lips as she kissed him.

She abruptly stopped, and her entire body froze in place.

“What’s wrong?” he whispered as he turned his head quickly to gaze at her. He saw her eyes glowing green back at him, and he jolted slightly.

“I’m sorry, but it’s not safe for you, Caleb,” Katrina insisted. It was so long since her last intimate encounter with a man. Her body was suddenly so alive with desire for both his body and his blood, and the dual urges in her threatened to overwhelm her like a tidal wave. It was all too much to process at once, and she feared for his life at that moment, afraid she would lose control.

Caleb’s mind raced with confusion. One minute, they were sharing a passionate moment together, and the next minute she suddenly stopped.
And what’s with her eyes
? he wondered.

She sensed his confusion and began to push away from him, but he reached out and pulled her against him in a strong embrace.

“No, Caleb,” she insisted more forcefully as she began to exert her extraordinary strength to disengage from him. “You don’t understand. You’re in danger right now. It’s too much for me.”

But he held on with all of his might and kissed the top of her head. “Then make it safe for me, Katrina,” he urged with sudden resolve. “You said that you didn’t want to hurt me, so mean it now.” His heart was racing at that moment as he wondered if he were about to die or not. He just knew he didn’t want to let her go, ever.

She concentrated intently on calming her hunger. At similar moments in her past with other men, a number of them had suffered because of it. For them, it had been the consequence of being with her. With her passion came the desire for blood, and one was rarely relinquished without partaking of the other. But Caleb was different. She needed to protect him.

With him holding her tightly to his body, her face was pressed against his neck, and she could feel his pulse throbbing through his skin. She realized it was so painfully long since she had rested in a man’s arms. “I want you so badly,” she rasped as her lips found the soft skin of his neck again. “I want you in so many ways.”

He held on to her tightly and whispered into her hair, “I want you, and I want you to have me too, Katrina.”

She shut her eyes tightly as she tried to focus on remaining calm.
He doesn’t realize what he’s saying to me. He has no idea!

“Stop,” she protested.

“No,” he insisted. “I’m yours.”

Oh Caleb
, she thought powerfully.
So trusting, so foolish.

Yet his sense of trust in her merely added to her desire for him, and Katrina made the decision to find the balance necessary to be with him safely. She struggled with the bloodlust in her body, fighting to control the feral emotions and urges within her. The self-discipline that served her so well in the past began to reassert itself, and she felt her body respond accordingly. The future was so uncertain, and he might someday die, but not at her hands that night.

“Hold very still,” she whispered with resignation as she kissed the soft skin of his neck. “Try to relax, but don’t move unless I direct you to.”

He swallowed hard and felt her lips move to the opposite side of his neck. She kissed him again on his soft skin. He felt her tongue as it sensually touched his skin, and wanted so very much to please her, to trust her implicitly and totally.

A new sensation occurred, although it was also somehow familiar. It was a numbness that spread on the area of his neck where she kissed him and where her tongue was pressed. He remained very still as she instructed him, and her right hand began to caress him. A satisfying shiver rolled through his body, and the numbness grew in his neck until he couldn’t feel her tongue against his skin anymore.

“Now freeze,” she whispered into his neck.

He felt a slight prick in his neck, not terribly painful. Her hand continued to caress and massage his body as she ran the fingers of her other hand gently through his hair in a soothing fashion. He felt himself grow slightly light-headed and thought he heard soft slurping sounds. He closed his eyes and patiently waited, while also appreciating the closeness they were finally sharing.

Katrina was in ecstasy. His blood was delicious to her as it flowed down her throat, but she was careful to draw on him gently. She felt so intimately connected with him, having created a life bond between them. She was partaking in much more than mere feeding. It was a form of consummation.

Moments later, he felt the numbness increase against his throat again, and she was once more kissing at his neck. He heard a subtle smacking sound and slowly opened his eyes to find her green gaze illuminated slightly as her tongue ran lightly across her lips.

“Oh, Caleb,” she cooed. “I do love you.”

She was so very pleased with him. He was so generous, so giving to allow her to do that. She had sensed his reservation, and she had even tried to warn him. But he had persisted, and despite the fact he was unsure of his fate, he still wanted to please her. That meant more to her than anything that evening. She laid claim to him, and in a singular moment of complete clarity she decided that he was to be her mate.

He smiled with a lopsided grin, and she bent to kiss him. He noticed a slightly metallic taste to her kiss. “I’m falling in love with you too,” he offered.

He knew that, despite the brief time they had known each other, he meant every word of his statement. He was so happy to have her in his life and didn’t care if she were a vampire or not. And most of all, he truly believed she meant him no harm. Everything she had done since he first met her was nothing but caring and considerate towards him. The feelings he felt for her were so much stronger than for anyone else before, and he realized it must be nothing short of love.

“And no need for worry,” Katrina offered softly with an amused grin. “You can’t be turned into a vampire from what we shared.”

She rose from the couch, and he started to join her, but she pressed her hand against his chest. “Stay,” she ordered as she slipped out of her shoes. “I’ll be right back.”

He settled back onto the couch, and she seemed to disappear from view. It startled him, and he saw lights in the hallway and entryway go out one by one.

Caleb heard a quick noise across the room, and the lights all suddenly went out. Only the glow of the outdoor lights filtered in through the windows in the room.

Suddenly, she was standing there before him. However, she was wearing only her silvery bra and panties, and her eyes were glowing slightly. Her hair was undone and hung like a mantle around her head. Her pale skin gave her a somewhat ethereal appearance in the dim light.
Like an angel,
he silently marveled,
but perhaps edgier.

“Now it’s your turn, Caleb,” she purred with satisfaction while moving to the couch and reaching to undo the buttons of his shirt. Her eyes narrowed slyly with anticipation.

In the end, she was a beautiful, sexy, green-eyed, red-haired demon that took him on a heavenly, erotic journey for the remainder of the evening.

Chapter 4

Rules

K
atrina lay against Caleb’s body on the large, four-poster bed in the second floor master bedroom. It was a bedroom she rarely ever used. Usually, she operated out of a hidden apartment-sized room in the basement portion of the house. The huge bedroom they were in at the moment was primarily for show, but she did keep part of her wardrobe, perfumes, and cosmetics stored there and in the adjoining grand-sized bathroom. And though it was rarely occupied, at that moment she was very happy to be making use of the room.

The darkness was solely broken by the glow from exterior estate lights emanating through the nearby window. It was well past two o’clock Friday morning, and Caleb draped one arm lazily across Katrina’s pale-skinned body.

His thoughts were filled with the bliss of being there with her. It seemed like something out of a dream for him, and he wanted it to last forever. She had brought so much happiness to him that evening, and he recalled the intimate closeness and intense passion they had shared twice already. Such closeness of body mingled with the taking of his blood was so foreign to him. It seemed dark and dangerous, and yet laced with affection. He recognized that a significant evolution had occurred between them, both emotionally and intimately.

She listened to the gentle rhythm of his heartbeat, while the sound of blood flowing through his veins generated a type of anatomical song in her ears. She could sense the contentment in him, and it pleased her greatly. She lightly caressed his face with her fingertips as she considered a sense of pleasure she hadn’t felt in so many years with someone. A humorous thought occurred to her, as she realized he knew so very little about her true nature. She wondered with mild amusement how many odd questions he had left unasked of her. The edges of her mouth upturned slightly, and she gazed up into his pale blue eyes from where she laid next to him. They were beautiful and projected a peaceful, innocent quality.

“That wasn’t so scary, was it?” she teased softly.

“You’re so full of energy,” he murmured.

“You meant to say ‘life’ didn’t you?” she admonished. “I am alive, you know. You didn’t just make love to an animated corpse. The movies have that all wrong, I’m happy to say. I breathe, and warm blood flows through my veins.”

She heard his heartbeat increase slightly and smiled. She’d hit the nail on the head, it seemed. She bent her face up to kiss his neck softly, and he chuckled. He wasn’t about to confirm her suspicion regarding his unspoken question, but was inwardly happy the answer was definitely a positive one.
Alive is so much better than undead
, he mused, and bent his head to kiss her softly on the forehead.

“No transforming into a bat, no sleeping in coffins, and I have absolutely no aversion to crosses,” she added for clarification in an amused tone.

“Glad to hear it,” he replied with approval. “I left my crucifix at home tonight just in case, though.”

She heard a loud growl from his stomach, and she giggled. “Somebody’s hungry,” she ventured.

“I was too nervous to eat before I came over,” he confessed.

Katrina smiled, and the realization struck her that she had no human food in the house, other than some Coca-Colas in the refrigerator and some wine in her basement. He was the first human guest to visit her home since establishing her residence in the Atlanta area.

“Hm. We’ve got a grocery problem here, I think,” she announced. “I’ll need to work on that sometime soon.”

He understood her reference immediately and chuckled. “I have an early class this morning anyway, so I’ll just grab something on the way home,” he said while stretching his lean, muscular body beneath hers.

“If you must,” she accepted with resignation as she rolled off of him to sit on the edge of the bed. She didn’t want for him to leave yet, but she understood why.

He propped himself up on one elbow and gently kissed her shoulder from behind. “You’re amazing, you know,” he offered reverently.

She turned her head to glance at him over her shoulder with a warm grin and saw the look of sincere adoration on his face. She loved it, and it immediately sent a satisfied feeling through her body. With a quick motion Katrina pressed her lips to his and nearly drew the breath from him in a passionate kiss.
So are you, my love
, she reflected.

Minutes later, he gazed at his reflection in a large full-length mirror as he dressed. He glanced at his neck where she’d bitten him, and his eyes widened slightly with surprise. Slowly rotating his neck towards the dim lamp light, he ran his fingertips across his skin as his eyes searched for anything resembling puncture marks, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
There’s no way I imagined that
, he insisted.

Katrina appeared beside him wearing a green fleece robe and a sly grin on her face. “Vampires have a technique that works marvelously. Our saliva can heal wounds.”

“That’s impressive,” he complimented as something else dawned on him. He raised an eyebrow and said, “I remember now the same numbness when you helped me with my cut forehead the night at the apartment. It healed completely in a couple of days. I thought it was the antiseptic.”

She distinctly recalled the night in question. “Well, if done properly I could’ve healed it even faster, but I had to be subtle at the time.”

His eyes darted to hers in the mirror’s reflection, and he turned to face her directly.

“What else can you do?” he asked.

Her gentle green eyes glinted playfully, and she reached up to caress the side of his face with the back of one hand. “Well, you already know I can move quickly,” she said.

“Extremely fast,” he agreed in a subdued tone.
Like a bolt of lightning, in fact.

“And considerable strength,” she said slyly. “Acute hearing and a keen sense of smell, which are both helpful.”

“And your eyes?” he asked intently. “Tell me about your eyes.”

She considered him for a moment. “I can see in the dark for the most part, but I can also focus on distances farther than humans.”
“But they glow at times,” he whispered.

She paused, kissing him gently on the lips. “It’s a reflection of intense emotion, passion, anger, excitement,” she explained while wrapping both arms around his waist and snuggling against him as she rested her chin on his shoulder. She wanted to keep her thoughts regarding mild hypnosis to herself for the time being.

He paused to mull over her revelations, and his heart rate increased slightly as he considered an important question. “Can you read minds?” he asked.

Katrina both heard and felt his increased heartbeat and gathered the question was important to him. “No,” she replied directly. “But I can read body language extremely effectively.”

“Hm,” he replied as his muscles relaxed somewhat. “The hearing, vision, sense of smell…pretty enviable qualities.”

She leaned into his ear and whispered, “Yes, Caleb, and all designed for hunting prey.”

He paused as the gravity of her statement sunk in. “People then,” he clarified as his body tensed again slightly. “As prey.”

She kissed his cheek to comfort him and sighed. “Anything on this planet with blood is prey,” she clarified. “Which, when you think about it, isn’t far removed from how most humans see other animals.”

“Am I prey to you?” he asked carefully. A small shiver ran through his body as the thought of being her next prey flashed in his mind.
Am I a mere moth flying into a bright flame?

Katrina reached up slowly to grasp his chin, turning his face to meet her gaze. Plainly detecting that he was unsettled by the query, she deliberately softened her otherwise serious expression to avoid projecting a threatening image.

“You are
not
prey to me,” she stated. “You could never, will never be prey to me.”

He was both grateful and relieved. The corners of his mouth upturned slightly as she took his face in her hands and kissed him firmly and passionately on the lips. The warmth of her kiss soothed the tension caused by the dark topics they discussed, and he felt a euphoric wave of affection flow through his body.

“Now go, Caleb,” she encouraged as she gently massaged his shoulders with her hands. “Get something to eat and get some sleep. I’ll come to your apartment after sunset tonight. We have more to discuss.”

Upon returning home, Caleb’s tired body slept, despite his mind’s lack of cooperation. He awoke on the cool November Friday morning to daylight shining through his sheer curtains. Due to the warehouse directly across from his apartment window, he rarely received direct sunlight until the sun was higher in the sky, but the ambient glow from the new day still filtered in.

The revelations from the previous night filled him with both awe and happiness. But with the light of day, he felt he was returning to an alternate reality. Daytime signaled his life as a college professor, while at night he became a lover, a partner, to a mysterious woman who had captured his heart and perhaps his soul. The surprising revelation was stark in his mind: he was in love with a vampire.

No
, Caleb corrected himself with a smile.
I’m in love with a beautiful, remarkable, caring woman who just happens to be a vampire
.

It was a typical Friday at the college. He taught two classes and held some midday office hours. He also visited with some of his peers and the division office staff, but his mind was frequently distracted with thoughts of Katrina.

He realized that he was obsessing a little over her.
But then, don’t all new couples obsess over each other, at least until they achieve a comfort zone and a routine?

Katrina spent the day lounging in the renovated basement level of the estate serving as her bedroom, den, and entertainment area. There were no windows breaking up the sheet rock that covered the brick-backed walls, but picturesque tapestries and paintings had been hung, colorful depictions of historical periods from ancient times to the Renaissance, including some outdoor scenes.

She wore comfortable cotton loungewear as she sat before her elaborate computer environment checking email, hoping for some word regarding the sudden disappearance of both Garett and Octavia in Europe. She read a message from Alton stating that his investigations in Paris had come to dead ends. However, he was in Trondheim, Norway, and had found Octavia’s estate residence in the countryside burned to the ground. Apparently, it was nearly a total loss to the fire, but no bodies had been found. Alton said that the below-ground safe room Octavia maintained as a sheltered residence during the daytime, much as Katrina did, was the focal point of the fire.

Katrina’s eyebrows rose suspiciously, and she replied to Alton’s message.

Alton,

It’s too much of a coincidence, so there’s little chance the fire was accidental. Somebody was after Octavia, and I suspect something ill has befallen Garett. We need to determine the commonality between the two events. How can I help?

Katrina

Her eyes narrowed as she clicked
send
.
Are we dealing with a kidnapping or a murder?
Either prospect was difficult against a vampire, except perhaps when aided by daylight or other UV-related sources.
That is, unless it were due to another vampire.
She didn’t like the idea of that. Twice before a vampire had become a foe to her kind, and it had not ended well on either occasion.

She glanced at the clock, realizing she had to begin readying herself for her evening with Caleb. Given the latest revelations regarding the missing vampires in Europe, she welcomed a pleasant diversion.

By Friday afternoon, Caleb was home and cleaning up his apartment in anticipation of Katrina’s visit. He thought about cooking dinner for them, but abruptly realized she didn’t need to eat food.

How odd
, he thought. They’d been to dinner together a number of times. She appeared perfectly ordinary, just like any other person, like any other human. And with the stroke of one revelation, many of the normal mannerisms and views of traditional dating were completely usurped in his mind.

Okay, so I’ll abandon the cooking idea. Should I eat before she arrives? Maybe I should wait and ask.
Finally, he decided to text her. She responded that she would accompany him to dinner that evening and added he should dress comfortably.

Time passed quickly, and before he knew it, dusk transformed to evening. He showered and changed into a new pair of blue jeans and a turquoise dress shirt before slipping on a black leather jacket. He could always change after seeing Katrina’s attire.