proudly thought, my love. However, he was simultaneously concerned by her current demeanor. My unhappy vampire.
“Remember our arrangement, my love?” Katrina chastised. “If you’re injured, our game stops.”
Their game was called Find Caleb, invented by Alton, a friend of Katrina’s who had been helping Caleb establish a way to channel her need for hunting into a sport that did not kill or harm anyone. Unfortunately, though not surprisingly, he endured occasional minor injuries. Still, he easily dismissed such inconveniences in lieu of his foremost goal: pleasing her.
“C’mon, it’s just a scratch, Kat,” he countered using the nickname he had given her soon after they met. He had been amazed that she allowed it, because she hated pet names, much less nicknames. Only their mutual friend Paige usually got away with it.
He reached back with his right hand to touch the spot on his left arm where his shirt was torn. However, this time he felt something warm and sticky to the touch, and his arm stung when his fingers touched his skin. As he retracted his hand, he strained through the darkness to stare at his blood-covered fingertips with a wide-eyed expression.
“What the..?”
“See? How did you think I found you so quickly?” she interrupted pointedly. “Your blood scent was easily carried on the breeze to me, just as freshly-cooked hamburgers on a grill would to you.”
“Yeah, I see what you mean. Sorry about that,” he sheepishly offered. “I guess I’m the hamburger tonight, then.”
She stared down at the handsome, twenty-six-year-old man standing before her. He was precious to her. In fact, she loved him more than life itself. And his pale, blue eyes and athletic body were simply beautiful to behold. It pleased her that he had maintained a steady exercise regimen since winter, which had only enhanced her already considerable physical attraction towards him. But it was his sincere, kind nature and caring demeanor that had captured her heart.
“More like a hot dog,” she quipped.
A smile touched his lips.
Her expression softened, and she reached out gently to grasp his left arm. “Turn towards me, my love,” she beckoned with a sigh. “You’re so accident-prone sometimes.”
“I try my best,” he innocently countered.
Katrina beamed with satisfaction and conceded, “I know you do.”
He’s actually made great progress in a short time, she thought. But I suppose that when vampires play rough with humans, accidents will tend to happen.
She examined the cut on his arm and saw the blood beginning to seep into his shirt. Deftly ripping open the remainder of his sleeve, she bent down to lick the blood from his arm. Its fresh scent elicited a strong desire in her, but she forced it under her control. No, it’s not a desire, she temporized, it’s a dark hunger, a ravaging thirst. And it wants to be quenched soon.
“Ouch,” he muttered under his breath as the stinging sensation continued in his arm. “Stupid thorns.”
“If it’s due to some of the brambles that I saw further back in the forest, then it’s the poison in the thorns that’s causing your discomfort. Let me fix that for you.”
She pressed her tongue against his injured skin and held it in place for a few moments. He quickly felt the build of a soothing, numbing sensation. He was forever grateful that vampire physiology was so handy for first aid. Their saliva could both numb, and summarily heal, wounds. Such an ability enabled vampires to feed on humans, or other animals, relatively painlessly, if they so desired. Wounds healed in mere minutes, leaving no trace of offending fangs.
“There, better?” Katrina asked. She certainly felt better just from tasting his blood, which she found both addictive and irresistible.
He appreciated the lingering numbness in his arm and reached back to the wounded area, feeling no cut or abrasion.
“Good as new,” he gratefully replied.
“Good,” she said and bent her head down to kiss his lips warmly.
He responded in kind and reached out to interlace the fingers of his hand through hers. Not wanting to break the moment, he gently snaked his free arm around her waist and pulled her towards him. Her soft lips were intoxicating, and he wanted the kissing to last forever. Granted, while Katrina might be an alpha vampire, the most dangerous and violent variety, she was also a passionate woman. Added to that, she was so kind, caring, and attentive towards him. Even in her most ominous of moods, he knew that she loved him. Of course, that’s not to say she didn’t intimidate him on