Dom returned and with his hand at the small of her back, he guided her across what appeared to be an expansive lawn, though she couldn’t be sure in the dark. Strings of draped twinkly lights illuminated the oyster-shell pathway and, as their feet crunched on the packed surface, the sound of the nearby surf intensified.
Before she could protest, Dom stooped in front of her and hoisted her up, piggyback style. A surprised squeak escaped her lips and with one little hop, her arms and legs wrapped comfortably around him as though she belonged exactly here.
When they reached the edge of the bluff, waves hit the beach in the darkness and she saw just the hint of white crests before they faded to black. If she focused on a point slightly away from the waves, didn’t look at them directly, she could see them better.
After passing three other cabins, Dom bounded up the steps of the last one. The interior was airy and clean with a wall of windows marking the view, framed by an automatic blind system similar to the one in his loft. The living room functioned as a great room, with the kitchen in the back and a small dining table off to the side. A short hallway ran next to the kitchen and two doors led to what were probably the bathroom and a bedroom.
“Why don’t you freshen up? It’ll do you good to wash away the night. I’ll see what there is for you to eat before I leave.”
“You’re leaving?” An invisible hand wrung out her insides.
And then he was there, wrapping his arms around her. His fingers slipped up into her hair, running across her scalp before he grabbed a handful and pulled her head back. Her parted lips tingled in anticipation of his kiss.
He abruptly dropped his hands and stepped away. “We’ll talk about this after you eat. Now go.”
Disappointed, she shuffled toward the bathroom. A shower did sound fabulous, but once inside, when she saw the large soaking tub, she opted for a bath instead. She turned on the hot water and peeled off her clothes. After dumping a few capfuls of bath salts, she climbed in and moaned with contentment. The heat melted away any remaining tension as the scent of lavender wafted up and she slid down deep.
Her mind was a jumble as she tried to sort through everything that happened to turn her world upside down in a matter of hours. Vampires? How completely crazy was that? She’d never have believed it if she hadn’t seen it herself. She had so many questions. But what she kept coming back to was that Dom had saved her life and had given her answers.
Leaning back, she closed her eyes. Only just for a minute. God, the water felt good. When had she ever felt this calm? So completely at peace? Hearing the clink of silverware from the kitchen, she knew it was because she was here with him.
She awoke with a start to hear a light tapping on the door. The water was tepid.
“You all right in there?”
“Yeah,” she called. “I must’ve dozed off. I’ll be right out.”
After drying off and finger-combing her hair, she realized she didn’t have a change of clothes to put on, so she donned one of the robes hanging from a peg behind the door and walked out.
The smell of tomatoes and spices made her mouth water. She didn’t realize how hungry she was. “Smells wonderful. Spaghetti?” she asked as she padded barefoot into the kitchen.
He glanced at her over his shoulder and paused. His eyes went dark for a moment and a little thrill tickled at her insides. She loved that his desire for her was so obvious and knew it was more than just her blood. “It’s nothing fancy. Jars and bags. Hungry?”
“Famished.”
Seeing a bag of prepared lettuce sitting next to a bowl, she tore it open along with the dressing pouch and tossed it all together with the tongs.
“So…a… You eat food, obviously, but do you still… I mean, how often…”
“What exactly are our dietary requirements?”
She nodded, making sure every piece of lettuce was evenly coated.
“Most of us feed from a live source once every few weeks. It may be a donor—yes, there are a few humans who know about us—or we may take it from someone whom we’ve put into a light hypnotic trance so as not to frighten or scare them. We don’t need much and we leave no