accept blood from another vampire. The only problem he found with that rule was that Katrina had allowed Paige to give her blood to him to save his life after he had given too much of his own blood to heal Katrina’s injuries.
Obviously, exceptions exist.
The last two rules seemed ominous to him. Rule six: he must never ask to become a vampire. That effectively prevented him from joining Katrina for eternity. It was painful to think that he had to endure a vulnerable, finite lifespan that would ultimately set her free from their mate-bond. The very thought was nearly painful to contemplate. Finally, rule seven: he must never lie to Katrina in matters concerning any of the aforementioned rules.
And that was it in a nutshell: the seven rules he was bound to and had sworn an oath to Katrina to uphold. He sighed and realized Tanisha was staring at him intently.
“Caleb? Are you okay?”
He blinked. “What?” he asked. “Sorry, I was distracted by something you said about your brother. That must be tough being stuck in a warzone twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week until you’re given permission to rotate out.”
Tanisha nodded with a curious expression. “Listen Caleb, I’ll be happy to drop you off at Arabia Mountain if you’ll just answer one question for me.”
He raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “Okay.”
She stared directly into his eyes and drew out each word carefully, “Are you in a happy and healthy relationship with Katrina?”
He was taken aback by the nature of her question, and he blinked once as her question fully registered in his mind. What an odd question. He wasn’t exactly sure what constituted healthy, but he was happier than he had ever been with someone his entire life. Healthy? Katrina makes me feel loved, protected, and encouraged. She’s someone who’s willing to accept me just as I am without condition. And I feel desired and needed by her.
A sincere smile formed on his lips as he looked back at her with a determined expression. “Tanisha, I can answer you with a resounding yes to both qualifiers. My relationship with Katrina is the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I’m completely in love with her.”
The sage-looking professor merely sighed. “Okay, Caleb. You’ve secured your ride for tomorrow. And I’m happy for you regarding Katrina. But if you come to work with two black eyes someday, I’m calling the cops on your behalf.”
His smile faded somewhat, and he wondered how to respond as his pulse increased slightly.
But before he could speak, she winked at him with a grin. “I’m just having fun at your expense, Caleb.”
Relief surged through him, and his grin quickly returned in earnest. After providing Tanisha with the details for Friday, he taught his two evening classes and headed home.
During the drive to the estate, he kept thinking about the conversation he had had with Tanisha. The woman had a knack for keen observation, and he sighed with the realization that he would have to be careful regarding both what and how he spoke with her regarding Katrina. He began to realize the full impact and weight of Katrina’s rules and how difficult befriending other humans could become. Since meeting his mate, he had only maintained sparse contact with his old friends, all of whom had either moved away or returned to other parts of the country following college. Tanisha was the first human he had formed a close contact with since college, and he already felt wary and pensive about it. His closest relationships since meeting Katrina had been formed exclusively with vampires, although that didn’t bother him in the slightest.
When he walked into the house from the garage, he heard Katrina’s voice coming from the kitchen. She was talking on the phone while sitting at the kitchen counter, looking cute in her cotton sweats and thick, fuzzy socks. She smiled at him and quickly kissed him on the lips while listening to the phone.
Caleb continued through the kitchen and casually mentioned, “I had a nice chat with Tanisha Browning this evening. She said if I come to work with black eyes, she’s calling the police on you.”
“Excuse me?” Katrina demanded abruptly.
“I’m going to take a shower,” he muttered as he walked down the hallway wearing a mischievous grin, knowing full well he would have to explain himself later, but wanting to have some fun first.
He heard Katrina ask irritably, “Just what the hell’s so funny, Paige?”
Later that evening, Caleb slipped beneath the cool