A Vampire for Christmas - By Michele Hauf Page 0,4

carried it. But it was hardly a deterrent to a revert, a vampire who gave in to the bloodlust of their ancestors. The urge for blood was a powerful one and once activated, it was not easily controlled. No, he decided, self-defense techniques wouldn’t have worked on those two.

Over the past year, there’d been many times when he’d ached to see her, wanted to drive past her house to see the light on in her kitchen window. The thought had even crossed his mind to “casually” bump into her from time to time. In line at her favorite Starbucks. At the bakery where she bought her bread. At the pet store where she bought Augustus’s special cat food. He could’ve easily inserted himself back into her life, but he hadn’t. He’d remained true to his promise, his pledge to stay away. Until now.

He recalled the way she’d looked at him under the streetlights. She’d been leery at first, frightened. Yet there she was in her car. Waiting for him.

Doubt nagged at the back of his mind. Maybe the memory wipe hadn’t been deep enough. Could she have remembered him on some level, enough to know that he wasn’t a threat?

Impossible, he decided as he tugged at his already-loosened tie and headed across the lot. He’d been thorough and very careful. Others he’d worked with over the years in the Agency may have been reckless and foolhardy, but not him.

As he approached Charlotte’s car, he tried not to think about how long it’d been since he’d last seen her. Tonight, she was simply a stranger he’d helped, not someone with whom he’d once had a passionate affair.

Yes, just a stranger.

He knocked on the driver’s side window.

Charlotte jumped, her eyes widening before she rolled it down halfway. Holy hell, she looked good. Twin spots of color formed on her cheeks, her skin just as smooth and touchable as he remembered.

“Did you—”

“What the hell are you still doing here?”

Her jaw dropped as if he had slapped her. “You told me to wait, didn’t you?”

“And you always do what a stranger tells you?” Things would’ve been so much easier if she had left. He didn’t want to deal with her. He just wanted to forget her.

Why did I ask her to wait then?

Irritated with himself, he wanted to pound on something again. Split-second decisions for a vampire among humans, especially a Council member, had to be the correct ones. Slipups and mistakes could be costly. Why did he always forget who he was and what his responsibilities were when he was around this woman?

Her chin jutted out indignantly. “I couldn’t just leave. Not without knowing what happened.”

“Why? You don’t know me.”

“Well…I…” For a moment she looked flustered, unsure of herself. Then, just as quickly, her expression darkened. “If I think the stranger is a cop, then yeah, I listen. I might need to give a statement or something. I don’t know how these things work. It’s not like I’ve ever been the victim of an almost-mugging before.”

More like an almost-murder, he thought bitterly. “A cop would identify himself. I didn’t.”

“Yeah, I get that now.” With a shaky hand, she tucked her chin-length raven hair behind an ear.

“You’re way too trusting,” he growled.

“Gee, thanks for the insight.” She grabbed the keys, sucking a hissing breath through her teeth as she tried to turn the ignition.

“What’s wrong? Did they hurt you? I thought—” If he knew those two bastards had touched her, he wouldn’t have arranged for a pickup. He’d have staked them then and there and watched their bodies turn to ash.

“I’m fine,” she said curtly. “Thanks for coming to my aid.”

No, she wasn’t. “Let me see your hand.” He opened the door and leaned in.

She gasped.

Damn. He was being too forward with her, forgetting that he needed to act as if she were a stranger to him. To make himself less intimidating, he knelt so that he had to look up at her face.

The faintly vanilla scent of her skin filled his nostrils, bringing back all sorts of memories. Talking. Laughing. Long walks through the city. Burying his nose in her hair as he made love to her.

He ground his teeth together and forced those thoughts from his head. Relationships with humans were frowned upon, especially for a Councilperson who was supposed to set an example for others to follow. Although matings between vampires didn’t always produce offspring, those with a human never would. Maintaining their population, especially given that its numbers were so