Keepers of the Flame (Trilogy Bundle) - By Melissa F. Hart Page 0,9

need Katrina's disapproving glance to feel bad. What was wrong with me? I wasn't normally that unpleasant, but he brought out the worst in me. With a sigh, I stood up.

“Where are you going?” she asked, picking up the remote control.

“To apologize.”

She nodded and turned back to the TV.

I sighed again and made my way to the kitchen. I found him busy over the stove, frying bacon and eggs.

“We've come a long way as a race,” he said without turning to look at me.

“Huh?”

“I mean, look at us. We are almost human. We're even eating bacon and eggs and we're a far cry from the vampires the humans are still obsessed with.”

I studied him from beneath my eyelashes and went to pour myself a cup of coffee from the coffee pot, which had been brewing. “It's called evolution,” I said simply. “They're not the only ones who evolved. We just took several centuries to do so.”

“Yeah,” he grunted and didn't say anything else.

I leaned against the counter and sipped from my mug as he emptied the contents of his skillet onto two plates. Ah, he'd already discovered that Katrina didn't take breakfast. He looked up then as though he could read my thoughts, and then looked down again, busy with what he was doing. And maybe he could read my thoughts. I couldn't be certain. Most vampires had that ability but we also could block our thoughts from each other and I’d learned how to do that at a very early age.

“Look I wanted to apologize about that comment I made. I didn't mean to make you feel bad, it was uncalled for.”

He looked up again and I could see the surprise in his expression before he quickly masked it. “Would you like to go out tonight?” he asked instead.

I felt excitement stir inside me, but quickly tamped it down. “What's the point? I've tried every night for the past two nights and there's a protective shield around the house. I can't get out; I'm well and truly trapped.” I shrugged like it didn't bother me much but he must have seen through to my frustration because he flashed a smile then.

My heart went still, then began to beat in my chest. I couldn't understand what was happening to me. I stared at him as though mesmerized and it was only after I noticed him frown in concern that I realized he'd been speaking to me. I shook the haze from my head and lowered my eyelashes to hide my confusion.

“S-sorry, I mean I didn't hear you because you did say something, right? I mean I should have heard you b-but...” I trailed off as I realized that I was beginning to babble. OMG, I thought in dismay. This was worse than I thought. I took a deep breath and raised my eyes to meet his with difficulty. “I'm sorry, I was lost in thought,” I said more calmly.

He studied me for a few seconds. “I was saying that I put the protective shield up so no one could get in. I'm sorry it's keeping you from getting out, but your safety is my primary concern. However, if you don't mind my company, we could go out later in the night.”

“Talk about Hobson's choice,” I mumbled and was shocked right to my toes when he laughed outright.

It was the most fascinating sound I'd ever heard. It started deep in his chest, and then came out in a nice-sounding rumble. I felt it right to my toes and couldn't help smiling back in return. This time, he was the one who froze. He stopped mid-laugh and just stared at me.

“Hey, are you all right?” When he didn't reply, I decided to try again. “Dylan?” This time I got a reaction.

He blinked slowly and our eyes met across the kitchen. It was like the air around us suddenly went still. All my senses sharpened and beyond the aroma coming from the eggs and bacon, I could smell his very essence. I felt as though I was losing air and took a deep breath. A blend of maleness and fresh pine hit me. I could hear his heart beating and knew he could hear mine as well. I was drowning in his gaze and it looked like he was equally drowning. From where I was standing, I felt his longing, tasted his loneliness and it echoed the longing and loneliness in my heart. Suddenly, I felt swamped with fear and I blinked. Just