Katrina pulled the car into the garage, and her eyes quickly darted to his. “Actually, me too,” she offered. She understood that Paige’s arrival at the estate was instrumental in helping to mend her relations with Caleb. There were so many reasons why Paige was an important part of their lives.
Caleb unbuckled his seatbelt and looked at Katrina, who had turned off the ignition and remained in the driver’s seat staring out through the windshield as if transfixed on something before her.
“Kat?” he asked. “Are you okay?”
She broke from her reverie and turned to glance at him with a smile. “Me?” she asked innocently. “I’ve never been better,” she replied.
“You sure?” he asked as he opened the door and started to exit.
Her expression turned sly, and she challenged, “Sure. That is, sure I’ll have your blood tonight if I beat you to the door into the house.”
He grinned broadly and spurted from the car, racing towards the door leading to the interior of the house. She moved in a blur, pursuing him like a cat chasing a mouse. As he nearly reached the door knob before her, her hand darted out at the last second and firmly grasped his wrist. She deliberately spun him around before her and caught him in her arms as he slightly lost his balance. Then she leaned down and kissed him with passion.
“Got you,” she declared.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he replied before wrapping his arms around her waist and applying a warm kiss of his own to her lips.
They were lying together in the sublevel chamber by the time Paige and Gil finally returned to the estate. Katrina had made the impromptu arrangements for a charter flight to California on Sunset Air for them and left the boarding information on the dresser in the room Paige and Gil shared.
Katrina heard Gil question Paige about the abrupt return, but he seemed relieved to be leaving. The two of them slipped out just prior to dawn to make their way to the airport. Fortunately, Sunset Air took elaborate measures and precautions to ensure that their vampire clients wouldn’t be threatened by daylight if the flight arrived after sunrise.
Katrina deliberately let Caleb sleep through their departure per Paige’s wishes. The young vampire was never one for long goodbyes, and the nature of Caleb’s conflict with Gil the previous night had suggested that such plans were for the best.
Once Caleb woke, dressed, and went upstairs, he knew that Paige and Gil had already left to return to California, but part of him still felt disappointed to discover the house so quiet and empty. He gave Katrina a big hug as she made his brunch, clearly her favorite and most accomplished meal to prepare for him, and she tried to offer upbeat conversation to occupy her mate’s thoughts. She was all too aware of how Paige had quickly formed a prominent presence in their lives, making the youthful vampire’s absence all the more poignant.
They spent the day doing laundry, reading alongside each other on the couch, and generally appreciating their shared companionship. As the evening approached, Caleb sat at the dining room table sorting through his materials for Monday’s classes. He looked over to the couch where Katrina was comfortably reclined and prompted, “Kat, I wonder how Paige is doing.”
“She’ll call or text us when she can,” Katrina replied as she lay on the couch reading a novel. “But I need to warn you, we probably won’t be hearing from her for some time. No email, texting, or phone calls. And I suggest you refrain from contacting her as well.”
He looked up with surprise. “Why?”
“It’s a delicate matter she has to address, my love,” she replied in a dark tone. “Think about it. If there’s an investigation of some kind, she needs to avoid any communication trails leading up to, or following, the event. It’s for our protection, really.”
He stared at her as the weight of his Saturday night thoughts returned to the forefront of his mind. He was momentarily surprised that those thoughts hadn’t preyed upon him before that and wondered if he had subconsciously blocked them out until then. His musings were followed by a degree of embarrassment at seeming so dense regarding the topic. “Oh, sure,” he replied sheepishly. “That makes sense, of course. Sorry.”
There was a rush of air near him, and suddenly Katrina was standing next to him. He started slightly, and she placed a gentle