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It was a late-January Monday afternoon at Robert Fulton Coazed into theface with pale blue eyes and sandy brown hair He had lost a lot of sleep recently froh he was happy that the events of the previous s in the chair behind his modest desk, he smirked at how his lean, muscular frame fit comfortably in the small pocket office Only twenty-six years old, he was happy to be the newest history professor in the Social Sciences division It was his second semester of employ freshly hired out of graduate school Given the poor state of econo he had

Glass forrounds of the campus While the as cold and brisk outside, at least the sunny blue skiesCaleb had always enjoyed sunny days, but ht when the ultraviolet radiation was no longer a threat to those about whoh the official title was "s At least, that was her nae identities and localities, yet another of the s had to contend Katrina, whom he had affectionately nicknamed Kat, was the love of his life A rush of warht of her and of all shea silver chain froazed at the sterling silver heart-shaped pendant engraved with the inscription, Caleb belongs to Kat He warift She had a h inscribed differently When he had first viewed Katrina&039;s pendant, he had been shocked to see that hers was inscribed with Caleb is ape incredulously as he re-read his pendant&039;s inscription to note the seehed while flipping her pendant over, revealing the additional inscription, Kat belongs to Caleb He chuckled, recalling how much she had appreciated his initial shocked reaction to her little joke However, he was relieved the pendulu both ways

A knock sounded outside his open office door, and he turned to see a young, dark-haired student He could not recall the younghistory students Slipping the pendant back inside his shirt, Caleb greeted his visitor with a welco smile He recalled the recent memo fro that i demeanor from all faculty and staff While only the second week of the spring seun to advise students not to drop out fro their students to that end The econoia were especially poor, and the state&039;s colleges were fighting for i increases

The student, Tiuez, wanted soe requests that involvedsection to one of Caleb&039;s two evening sections Calebboth of his evening classes on Tuesday and Thursday night, giving his each week to enjoy activities with Katrina After advising Tim, he leaned forwards in his chair to sort his notes for the next day&039;s classes He failed to notice the light fading outside as the winter&039;s early sunset approached

Setting his notes aside, he raised his ar The caller was a stately lish vampire named Alton Rutherford, as both a close friend of Katrina&039;s and her former mentor Alton was not yet someone whom Caleb considered a close friend, but the vampire had earned his respect, admiration, and appreciation for all he had done for the Caleb on how to help Katrina through a tough e her battle with Chimalerous adventure in mid-December, just days prior to the Christ with that challenge as well

"Hi, Alton"

"Hello, Caleb I hope I haven&039;t called at an inopportune tilish accent, sounding entirely like a titled noble about Alton&039;s past, including how old the vaht be Alton had never actually indicated he was froh it was not a stretch to think he ht be When they had first met, Caleb had referred to him as Sir Alton, to which the vampire corrected, "Just Alton"

"Caleb?" Alton asked

Caleb broke from his reverie "Not at all, Alton," he stammered "It&039;s always a pleasure to hear from you"

The va to find out how your recovery is co much better, actually It&039;s just"

"Yes?"

"Well, we&039;ve been getting along fine It&039;s just that she&039;s stopped feeding froht she accidently attacked hts drifted back to when Katrina had been iressive and violent endeavors following the unexpected appearance of Chimal how he had been savagely bitten by Katrina as she experienced a disturbing night pain had been physical and emotional for both of them

"And sex?" Alton asked

"Well, that part&039;s okay, actually," Caleb replied with a grin

"I see Well, bear in mind that your near-death experience prior to Christinal plans to curtail Katrina&039;s renewed desire for violent activities," Alton explained

"I&039;ve been thinking about that lately," Caleb absently noted as his thoughts drifted to a past conversation Alton had told hie portions of her life pursuing violent activities, and the desire had been rekindled during their recent trials to stop Chimalma He had explained that Katrina was an alpha varessive activities, erous predators Having seen Katrina&039;s aggressions firsthand, he could only agree wholeheartedly with Alton&039;s assessment

"Do you recall what I recommended?" the vampire asked

"Of course," Caleb replied Alton had devised a two-phase process for his in a more positive ing Katrina with less aggressive activities, such as more displays of affection, appreciation, and intiuments and confrontations with her and told her how much he needed and appreciated her That had worked fabulously and was perfectly suited behavior for his peaceable, easy-going personality

Phase two involvedpursuits, and Alton had asked hiimen to improve both his muscular and cardio-vascular conditions However, he had been partially debilitated during his recovery fro of injuries sustained in the final battle with Chimalma

"Phase one worked well," Caleb said as he shut the door to his office, preventing his voice fro out into the hallway "In fact, my increased physical workouts haven&039;t raised Katrina&039;s suspicions at all She associates it with my recovery from last Decein phase two?"

While Caleb understood that he was expected to engage in hunting-styled activities that Katrina erous pursuits fro the details

"Sure, I&039; of the i activities that had increased his muscle tone and endurance

Alton fell silent, but so at that moment

"Excellent Shall we proceed?" Alton baited

"Uain?"

"Think of it as an aggressive forested "Approach it like a playful form of escape and evade"

Caleb silently nodded his head "Okay, I can do that Any suggestions?"

"Certainly," Alton continued "Find terrain that poses a challenge for her Preferably somewhere outdoors, such as a forest or national park After so Just try to avoid public places where the use of her vaht be noticed"

Caleb considered that for a moment "But wouldn&039;t a public place restrict her abilities andfor her?"

"Hm," Alton considered "You have a point"

Then Caleb frowned "I don&039;t stand a chance without getting a head start," he ventured "But I could pre-stage soive her a tiaze falls upon on ed"

"Also excellent points," Alton agreed "You&039;re actually better at envisioning this than I gave you credit for, young h, I don&039;t think hu vampires"

"Caleb," Altonto harm you This is all for Katrina&039;s amusement Besides, you rateful for your efforts There could be rewards forthco you haven&039;t even considered yet"

Caleb slyly sestion "That&039;s always nice"

"Let me leave you with some final advice," Alton interjected "Remember that Katrina can see much further than you and in the dark And since you&039;ll have to do this at night, you&039;ll be at a disadvantage Most of all, don&039;t try to hide fro She can hear your heartbeat when she&039;s near you She also has your scent imprinted, so she would locate you i As your mate, Katrina has finely tuned and honed her senses to your body&039;s signature"

Afterthose final pieces of advice, he replied, "Thanks so much, Alton I appreciate the helpful advice, and I&039;ll let you kno it goes"

"Good luck," Alton offered "Oh, and by the way, I extended an invitation to Katrina for the two of you to co break I hope you&039;ll decide to take me up on that offer"

"How could I possibly refuse? I&039;d be honored," Caleb said "I&039;ve never been out of the country before, and I&039;ve alanted to see Europe"

"Excellent," Alton confirely satisfied tone "I believe you&039;ll find it an interesting experience Well, Iventure And do call me if you have questions or concerns"

"Thanks, Alton," Caleb said before hanging up "Nice talking to you"

He leaned back in his chair toventure with Katrina Hide and Seek with a vampire?

The minutes passed as he lost track of ti it was getting late Katrina will be wondering about me

The drive home to Katrina&039;s estate in Mableton, just outside of Atlanta, took less tih the regal-looking front security gate to the exclusive Pine Valley addition in his older ht I&039;d ever live someplace like this?

He proceeded down the central dark road that wound through the remote, heavily wooded area Each property was at least five or more acres in area, and most of the homes were veritable mansions Each estate was a reflection of an owner&039;s taste, resulting in diverse styles of architecture However, most estates sat so far fro the private driveways leading onto each property In the case of Katrina&039;s estate, which had becoate blocked the entrance to the driveway

After he activated a button on his re open, and Caleb proceeded up the lengthy driveway to the four-car garage He still marveled at how expansive the six thousand square foot manor looked fro all of thea state-of-the-art security systeht to see Katrina&039;s black Audi sports car parked inside He longed to see her again after a long day at the college Despite thebeen chosen as her mate She could have picked any lanced down for only an instant to place the car in park, but when he looked up again he saw Katrina already standing next to his car She observed him with an endeared expression as he exited the vehicle, and he s into the back seat to retrieve his book bag to take in the nificent vision of his ner jeans and a crew neck sweater Her long red hair cascaded across her shoulders like a reen eyes see for someone who&039;s over five hundred years old, he mused as he took a moment to appreciate her nearly six-foot, lean physique, and the way her skin looked alh pale skin was a telltale indicator of a vampire, it didn&039;t imply that she was a corpse Vas with blood flowing through their veins Their inhuenerate fro speed, and heightened senses of sight, s, and terrible all at the sah their favorite prey is huazed at him with a curious expression "Welco concerned that so okay?"

"Sorry, Kat I got distracted doing things at the office I would&039;ve called if so the weeks of recovery from his December injuries, she had behaved more protectively around him However, in recent days, he sensed an added sense of attentiveness fro, of course Who wouldn&039;t want to be the center of attention to a loving valanced down to realize that, despite the cold concrete floor, she was barefoot "Let&039;s get those cold feet back inside"

She giggled in a char fashion "Silly boy, I&039;m nearly immune to extre a couple inches shorter than she, he tilted his head up to kiss her soft lips warry?" she asked as they e and into the house

He noted a sly smile on her face "Actually, yeah," he replied as the scent of fresh-cooked food wafted fros, and hash browns That&039;s strange, he thought I&039;m the only person in the house who eats food Not that vampires couldn&039;t consume hu except blood for sustenance to survive As he walked into the kitchen froe, he saw those very items on the stovetop

"You cooked those?" he asked as Katrina appeared at the stove in a blur and began serving up everything onto a large plate

She pulled a tray of biscuits from the oven, slipped two onto the plate, and placed the food on the kitchen counter before one of the barstools

"Guess what?" she asked in a giddy manner that was co so shows over and over on the DVR, and I think I&039;veto the floor with a thump and alternated stares between the plate and Katrina in alass of ice water for hi, he ht Zone or the apocalypse? "Wow," he said

She continued s and ushered hied excitedly "Give it a try and telland supper ti"

As he picked up the fork lying next to the plate, he glanced up at her with a smirk and teased, "What have you done with my normally somber vampire?"

Her smile faded, and she adopted a predatory expression "Eat, ririn "Now that&039;s my lethal lover"

Caleb tried each of the items and was astounded by the taste Truth be told, she nailed these perfectly

"These are terrific, Kat Honestly, this is wonderful I appreciate it, and not just because I&039;ry"

Her former smile returned, and she propped her chin on one hand while leaning on the counter next to him "Thank you," she cheerfully replied "I wanted to do so of ive to you I haven&039;t cooked in centuries"

His eyebrows rose "You never tried cooking for your previous mates?"

"Nope You&039;re the first since my human husband, Samuel," she replied with an endeared expression

Caleb beaiven how important Samuel had been in her life She hasn&039;t cooked since the early 1500s then, he realized

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed an overly stuffed large plastic trash bag sitting on the floor He frowned, recalling that he had taken the trash out thatto work

"So," he carefully ventured, "did you have to practicestill sitting nearby and innocently looked back at hiht have rocery store on rocers, he mused Last December when she had sequestered him in the house to protect hirocery chain that offered online ordering and delivery

"I see," he said with a s to take the trash out, and I&039;ll be back," she said

"I thought I took the trash out this s

"Oh, hush," she e

He s to eat

She returned in seconds and washed her hands at the kitchen sink "Alton called today," she mentioned as she dried her hands on a towel "He invited us to London when you go on spring break in March"

"Yeah, he called me earlier about that, as well," Caleb admitted "It sounds like fun"

Her eyes narrowed "Really? Did heelse?"

"Not so much," he replied elusively "Except to ask hoas recovering He wanted towell fro as she observed his reply

Caleb knehy Va and deception in the hu heartbeat, pulse, eye reaction, andlie detectors in an eerie way Fortunately, everything he said was true I wouldn&039;t try to lie overtly about anything important Trust was vital in a relationship, more so when yourquite a bit recently," she observed "Your dedication is impressive, and your muscle tone is better now than before your injuries"

His eyebrows rose slightly as he realized very little got past her "You noticed?"

She confirmed in a seductive manner, "You&039;re always a subject of focused study for htly, and his eyes darted fleetingly to her as he chewed his food Katrina had a way of unnerving hihtly when she wanted to, but always in a manner that he found both mysterious and pleasurable It&039;s a remarkable quality, he conceded

She walked behind hiernails playfully down the back of his neck A tingling sensation rippled across his skin, and she kissed him softly on the back of the neck Then she silently exited the kitchen and walked deeper into the house

"I&039;ll be in the sublevel roo our travel arrange to the lair?" he teased

He had playfully coined the phrase to describe the large room that was at one time an oversized basement, but had since been converted into a mini-apartment There were no s, and Katrina had added a full bathroom and walk-in closet Other additions included a wet bar, a wall-mounted LCD television with a surround sound syste-sized bed, and other bedrooe her vast array of computer equipment and the controller for the estate&039;s security system If Katrina had been a superhero, the sublevel room would be her secret hideout It did have an obscure entrance in the for frothe hall

Katrina stopped in the hallway and turned to stare at hiested with an edge to her voice

"That works, if you prefer," he said agreeably before lifting a forkful of food to his , she didn&039;t care for the nicknae into soht"

"Will do," he acknowledged

After he finished eating, he cleaned up the kitchen and washed the few dirty dishes and pans He proceeded to their chaed into a pair of khakis, but kept his blue dress shirt on He appreciated how gracious Katrina had been to allocate space in a chest of drawers and the walk-in closet for his clothes and belongings when he had moved in with her Fortunately, his former apartment had been ss he needed to h he still had trouble considering it his ho there with her

Maybe if she&039;d let me pay part of the bills, I&039;d feel better about it, hehis teeth

Katrina appeared behind him, which startled him, much to her a as he finished brushing

"Surprise," she offered with a sed into black slacks and a turquoise turtleneck cashle ponytail, accented with a sterling silver clasp

"You look great," he observed after rinsing

She grinned appreciatively "Thank you About ready?"

They e, and Katrina pulled the keys to the Audi from her small purse

"May I drive?" he asked tentatively "Please?" he added with a hopeful s that he loved driving her car Happy to indulge hientleman, he held the door for her and smirked on his way around to the driver&039;s side

He drove contentedly to the nearby highway, but then realized that he didn&039;t knohere they were going Katrina interpreted his frown and curious sidelong glance

"The chauffeur can proceed to the High Museum of Art, midtown just off of Peachtree Street," she offered with a slish accent, "Thank you, hway, so occurred to him

"Hey, isn&039;t the ht They&039;re pro a new exhibit that started last week It&039;s a special traveling gallery of select eighteenth century artwork"

He arched one eyebrow "Sounds intriguing"

After locating a don parking garage, they held hands on the walk to theof three pris As one of the premiere museums in the country, it was a key hub for special exhibits There were over three hundred thousand square feet of space in thelass panes along portions of the exterior for a thoroughly twenty-first century appearance

After they , Caleb scanned the interior while paying for their entrance fees The museum seemed well attended, but not overly crowded, for which he was thankful so as not to feel rushed while viewing the exhibits Theeach floor

They made their way leisurely to the newest exhibit area and browsed the collection They stopped at a particularly striking landscape painting called "Gainsborough&039;s Forest," also titled "Cornard Wood" It was labeled circa 1748 and credited to the English landscape painter Tho daily activities a a hilly and tree-strewn terrain accented by a nearby streaathered branches into a bundle, while two others appeared to be working beside a dirt road as another th and then looked at Katrina, as appreciating another work hanging a few feet away He contemplated that she had been a va, which seemed utterly surreal to him Ever since the past December when she had revealed that her huled to wrap his mind around the idea that she had experienced over five hundred years of hu at her

Her eyes darted to look at hiaze She smirked, moved to stand beside him, and snaked her left ar at ain," she whispered in his ear with a at the painting

"You knohat look," she challenged while tightening her grip around his waist "That faraway, doe-eyed expression that says, &039;I can&039;t believe she&039;s that old&039;"

He blushed over hoell she had been able to read his expression He had ly accurate ability since their initial courtship the past fall "Well, , that&039;s all"

She sighed and confessed, "I realize it&039;s a lot for a huiven your limited life span"

"Was it really like that in the 1700s?" he asked while staring at the painting

She considered the painting silently "Well, yes, actually Everyday life for the average person was rather le and interspersed with occasional moments of celebration or some personal noteworthy acco about those ti around to ensure that nobody was close enough to overhear their conversation

She considered his question at length Finally, she replied, "For the s so owns and dresses, as well as some of the lavish balls and parties Everyone is so casual in this day and age People rarely dress forently steered hi

She whispered in his ear, "Of course, during those days I would&039;ve been preoccupied withexperiences, so I attended very few formal events Blood banks didn&039;t exist yet, and I spent a lot of ti to secure my meals clandestinely I had to be discreet at forrew suspicious if someone abruptly disappeared fro class took the brunt of the average vampire&039;s focus"

Caleb contemplated that and asked, "Did you normally kill your prey?"

Katrina pulled hiainst his ear "I killed aniet a person plied with enough liquor so they would pass out Then I could have htheadedness after they woke That was particularly useful if I selected someone from the formal events we just spoke of It could all be attributed to their overindulgence of spirits Then perhaps I could revisit a previous target for future consu around to various people,process inconspicuous as well"

Though being a firsthand beneficiary of such ability, Caleb nevertheless shivered upon considering the leechlike behavior that vaiven the tender s, it wasn&039;t as if he was co on ether, he reflectedhis sudden physical trelanced down at him She placed her lips to his check and kissed hier than a si feeling of her soft lips and turned to press his own against hers before she pulled away from him

She used her arm, still wound around his waist, to lead hiuiding hilanced up at her, he noted her gaze was focused upon him fully

In the alcove, she turned her body away froallery and pulled his body close to hers Her lips pressed against his, and he gratefully and passionately kissed her in response As her left arht hand cupped the back of his neck, and she kissed him in a slow, deep manner

He felt completely mes he never tired of and one he greedily wished would never end But in a matter of moments, she withdrew her lips from his He elevated hihtened the grip on the back of his neck to hold hi him any pain or discomfort

"I want to kiss you so hihtly from the admission

She smiled slyly and promised, "Oh, I realize that, and I&039;ll accommodate your wish very soon, e of this rare artistic opportunity"

"Sorry, Kat," he apologized

Her emerald eyes locked onto his pale blue ones with sudden intensity, and she reassured hiize for that It makes my heart soar that you feel that way"

"I love you so "

The insistence in his voice spoke volumes, which pleased her "And I you, lance over her shoulder to scan the area and turned back to him to bend down and kiss him warmly on the lips for a few brief seconds At the last ainst one another, and he felt a momentary dizziness wash over his

I just love doing that to him

Their lips parted, and she held his waist firmly to steady his balance She slowly led the towards their location Seeing the, the aide stopped and diverted to another direction once they began s

Attentive staff, Katrina h the re aspects of various pieces As the mood struck him, Caleb took the opportunity to ask additional historical inforued how Katrina sea&039;s depictions as historically accurate It seemed as if he were accompanied by his own historical accuracy meter In turn, she reveled in both his pronounced interest and rapt attention, and they both thoroughly enjoyed the evening

The crowds thinned to the point that the gallery seemed nearly deserted by the ti the brief walk froain, Katrina per the the occasion when he had asked why she typically wanted to drive

"It&039;s not a reflection onskills," she had assured him "It&039;s merely that vampires have quicker reaction times, which is safer for both of us"

He had wisely conceded the logic of her argu for the keys fro at the estate, they had no sooner exited the car and walked into the house, when Katrina tugged on Caleb&039;s left arm from behind She spun him around to face her and noted that his eyes had widened with surprise As she adopted a sly sht his lips aggressively

She pressed her body to his, forcing him backwards into the dark hallway behind him Her hand quickly cupped the base of his head to prevent it fro the wall, and she kissed him with passion His arms reached out to encircle her waist as she wrapped her free arerly to her passionate kisses and felt her silky tongue press its way into his ues rew in each of theh hers was torn between both the desire for sex and the craving for his blood

It had been weeks since she had taken his blood, an episode she recalled ruefully and all too well It had been the second night following her and Alton&039;s return fro Chimalma Her reunion with Caleb went sea to nor beside hihtmare in which she had been attacked by assailants Then one assailant transfore of Chi her fangs into her But the real nightan when she tasted Caleb&039;s blood in herin the darkness next to her She had unconsciously bitten into his upper shoulder, and blood had streae her fangs by lurching away froes had been so severe that he still retained a small, faintpower of her saliva

Since that horrible, fateful night, Katrina vowed not to take blood from him Instead, she had shared and displayed her love and intimacy with hi In fact, she had not slept beside hih she had often lain awake in bed beside hi next to him while he slu the day and alhen he wasn&039;t beside her ht, sleep was the last thing on Caleb&039;s rew rapidly as they kissed lustfully in the hallway His breathing and pulse were both elevated significantly, a fact not unnoticed by his red-haired th with her arm around the small of his back to press hi roolow of the exterior eaves&039; lights through the sheer curtains He eagerly co attention to the path they took, but instead concentrating on the aled, interjecting a pause in their kissing, and Caleb felt a faint s felt comfortably familiar to her She instantly recalled the first time she had kissed him in the front entry rooh the kitchen

"What?" he whispered with confusion

"The first night we made love," she prompted "Re that night He had been so nervous, having deliberated for days following the abrupt revelation to hi his first experience when she drank his blood It had been both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time But in the end, he had felt bonded to her in a far more special manner than he had with any other person Most of all, it had et?

"I remember," he recalled "The first time we made love And the first time you drank from me"

"I knew then you were the one forhim warmly

Caleb&039;s smirk faded as the realization resurfaced that his lover had not taken blood fro he had been hesitant to bring up, not sure how sensitive a topic it was for her He was already aware of how guilty she felt following the accidental attack on hiiven her, particularly after Alton had helped hiressive nature, the unfortunate catalyst for the attack Still, he was encouraged that she was once again sleeping beside hi accidental attacks thus far

With sudden resolve, he withdrew his arms from around her waist Katrina looked down at him quizzically as he unbuttoned his shirt She took her arht of the roo his toned,silver pendant and chain

He reached down and pulled his shoes and socks froaze into her eyes, which were glowing likeeyes likely indicated either lust for sex, hunger for blood, or a combination His slacks dropped to the floor, and he stepped fro up to his chest, he took the heart-shaped sterling silver pendant between his thuer and lifted the pendant up towards her

"What does this say?" he asked boldly

She arched one eyebrow, not needing to look at the pendant to recall its inscription She had carefully crafted both their pendants&039; inscriptions

"Caleb belongs to Katrina," she stated possessively

He stood, suspending the pendant proudly before her "What does that mean?"

She snifies ourto me You&039;re my mate You are ht treh his body from the possessive tone in her voice It excited him and made him feel very wanted and loved It was an aspect to her assertive nature that never failed to captivate his to you?" he insisted

"Your love"

"And?"

"Your body," she added

"And?" he pressed