I hope you don’t mind my not asking if you wanted to go.”
“Uh, no. Not on my to-do list,” he replied tersely.
She nodded and pulled his hand up to her face to rub the back of his hand against her cheek, which elicited a brief smile. She hoped she was making the right decision regarding the mysterious Devon Archibald.
After she went back upstairs, Caleb showered, shaved, and changed into a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. He went upstairs to the kitchen where Katrina had just finished preparing his food. She laid out a plateful of turkey bacon, wheat biscuits, and a tasty-looking cheese omelet. There was also a jar of black raspberry jam and a steaming mug of Darjeeling tea, a blend she had introduced to him that had become one of his favorites.
He wrinkled his nose at the turkey bacon as he sat before the kitchen counter and sniffed at a piece before nibbling tentatively on one end.
Katrina rolled her eyes. “It’s healthier than pork with fewer calories and less fat, but supposedly just as tasty as regular bacon.”
He shrugged and adopted a playful smirk as he offered a slice of the bacon to her. “Oh, really? Care to try some?”
She grimaced and stated emphatically, “Not on your life. I just cook it. The grocer was the one who said it was as good as pork. It’s all just stinky dead meat to me.”
“Thought so,” he replied knowingly and tried a bite of the omelet. “That’s really good, Kat,” he offered. “You’re getting pretty good at cooking breakfast.”
She smiled and watched him eat for a few minutes before glancing at her watch.
“I need to call Alton before I go, and there are some emails I need to respond to,” she explained before hastily kissing him on the cheek.
He frowned. “Still getting fan mail?”
She sighed. “Yes. Like you, I’m starting to wonder just how many other vampires there are in the world. And we’re apparently a lot more social than I gave us credit for.”
“Why are they interested in you all of a sudden?” he asked while taking a bite out of a jam-slathered biscuit.
She paused to contemplate his question. “Well, this is the first time in decades that a vampire has gone on a killing spree of their own kind like this. The last time was, of course, also by Chimalma. She was viewed in the same way that humans would a serial killer.”
“Oh,” he replied while thoughtfully considering her comparison.
Her eyes sparkled as she added, “But some of the vampires are intrigued about you, as well. It seems word got around about my mate contributing significantly to Chimalma’s demise, as well as sacrificing his life to save me.”
His eyes rose to stare at her intently, and his fork remained suspended in midair on its journey to his mouth. “And just how is word getting out about that?” he inquired suspiciously. Great, that’s all I need, more vampire attention.
Katrina shrugged. “I mentioned it to only a couple of vampires in confidence. One must have spread the details to others.”
He frowned and set his fork back down on the plate. “That’s not the kind of attention I’m excited about, Kat.”
She patted him on the back. “No offense, my love,” she began gently, “But I suspect most of my kind aren’t specifically interested in you for the most part. Many probably view you as ’that devoted human of hers.’ Everyone thinks that I was the one who issued the killing blow and rid our community of a scourge of sorts. However, I’m happy to set others straight on your important role in that fight. If you’d chosen not to pick up my late husband’s sword and come running to aid me...”
She let her voice trail off as she contemplated the horrible consequences of losing to Chimalma. Likely, she would have hunted Caleb down and tortured him just for spite. But then, perhaps Alton and Paige would have been able to hide him away. She was happy things turned out the way they did. No, she was ecstatic.
Caleb nodded and noted her distant expression. He tried to refocus his anxious feelings by picking up his fork and continuing to eat.
Katrina broke from her reverie and watched him in silence, wondering what he was thinking. “You know, a few of my kind are jealous by the level of sacrifice and commitment you showed to me,” she said proudly. I’m a very lucky vampire, she thought with satisfaction while playfully running her fingers