SINGLE WHITE VAMPIRE Page 0,54

on her neck. She had assumed he was giving her a hickey, maybe; hadn't cared, it had felt so good. "Dear God," she'd moaned. And "Don't stop." She'd even turned her head to allow him better access.

Her hands dropped to her sides. He'd bitten her. Not only was Lucern Argeneau a vampire, he'd had the balls to bite her!

Turning on her heel, she charged out of the bathroom.

"You bit me!"

Lucern's eyes popped open, and he sprang upright on the bed to stare at the woman in the doorway. His eyes were bleary with exhaustion. He hadn't slept at all well or long. A body couldn't take six hundred years of sleeping during the day and switch to sleeping at night just like that. He had lain in bed awake for most of the night, wondering if Kate was very pissed at him and when he would be able to get her into his arms again. Judging by her expression now, he wasn't guessing anytime soon.

Sighing, he flopped back on the bed with a groan. He didn't have the energy to deal with Kate at the moment. He had barely got a couple of sips out of Chris before she had returned, then had barely got a couple more out of Kate. He was hungry, dammit.

"Don't you ignore me, Lucern Argeneau!" Kate snapped, storming forward. "You bit me."

Her words made their way through his sleep-fogged mind and his eyes blinked open again. Damn. She'd noticed. He watched her approach, then noticed Chris hovering worriedly outside the door.

"Close the damned door," he snapped.

Kate turned in surprise to the door. Spotting Chris there, she looked at his neck. There were marks there, too.

Chris's eyebrows flew up at her angry expression. He grabbed the door handle and started to pull it closed. "I'll just close this."

"Just a minute. Let me see your neck," Kate demanded. She was at the door in an instant and jerking his head to the side. She stared at his throat for a minute, then whirled furiously on Lucern. "You son of a bitch."

"Geez, Kate. Take a pill. It isn't Lucern's fault. I cut my neck shaving."

She whirled back to Chris in shock. He was already closing the door behind him as he left.

The room was enclosed in darkness for a moment; then Lucern flicked the switch on the bedside lamp. Kate started toward him. "What did you do to him? How could you possibly make him think that is a shaving cut?"

Her incaution was foolish. She got too close and, just like that, Lucern rose up in bed, caught her by the arms and dragged her over him until she slammed down on the mattress. In the next moment, he moved to cover her.

"Get off of me." She had meant to sound commanding. Instead her voice came out weak and breathless. Kate scowled to try to reinforce her words. She wasn't scared exactly, but there was a quaver in her voice. Lucern's eyes had turned that silver color, though not in anger. He looked like a predator, and Kate was pretty sure she was the prey. The problem was, she wasn't sure she didn't want to be. Her body was already responding to the feel of him pressing down on her.

Lucern hesitated, then let his eyelids droop over his eyes. He looked like a sleepy lion. It really wasn't much better.

"I am sorry," he said in that proper English of his. Another clue to his vampirism, Kate thought unhappily. He was probably real old.

"What for?" she asked after several moments of silence.

"For biting you," he answered promptly, then added, "without your permission."

Kate scowled. "What about Chris?"

"It was just a nibble," he said with a shrug. "And you did say I should go to him if I needed anything."

"I didn't mean you should bite him!" Kate yelled.

Lucern had the nerve to grin. "And what should I have done?"

"You could have"

When she fell into a confused silence, he asked, "What? Said, 'Oh. Say, Chris, would you mind picking up a pint of blood while you're out getting peanuts? I'm a tad thirsty at the moment.' " He made a face. "You didn't put my name on the room, so the blood that was supposed to be delivered here was turned away. I was hungry," he explained simply.

Kate stared at him, her mouth gone dry. He really was a vampire. She suddenly realized that she hadn't really believed it yet. Now she did. Mostly. Shifting under him, she demanded, "Show me your