Page 8 (1/2)

Caleb woke in their hotel suite a few hours following their return from lunch with Alton The elder vaht, combined with the food and wine, had caused him to feel incredibly exhausted He rolled over onto his back and immediately stared into Katrina&039;s beautiful eyes

She s on one elbow next to him "Welcoertips tenderly brushed against the side of his cheek, causing hi

She half-shrugged "You&039;re the best view in the hotel"

He shook his head "I don&039;t know, there&039;s always London through the s"

"I&039;ve seen London I can&039;t get enough of you," she said si me Badly," he warned

She smirked playfully and teased, "Don&039;t worry, I&039;ll put you in your place if you get out of hand"

He rolled his eyes at her and glanced at his atch It was already early evening "Wow, I slept five hours!"

"Just in ti, actually," she offered

He shook his head slightly at the late hour and asked, "So, are you ready to go out on the town for soreen for a second and she replied, "Once I&039;m done with you"

"Done with ot your sleep Noant blood and uard, it took very little motivation to interest him for more amorous prospects He was amazed by the level of passion she raised in him, alnetis before the sun: blissful warot too close But it was a blissful burning, the kind that you wanted to yield to and embrace So he did, and ti sensation for with sweat He was still catching his breath as he subtly felt Katrina&039;s fangs pressing into him It wasn&039;t painful, thankfully,in his neck He heard the telltale slurping sounds indicating that she was feeding fro Coe He let his mind wander on a euphoric tide, which ended ainst his chest, herhis skin, he opened his eyes and wrapped his arms around her

"I so love you," he whispered

She kissed his chest with soft lips and murmured, "My love My reason for existence"

They relished the preciousa shower and changing into fresh clothes, they headed downstairs to begin their excursion into London The weather was still cold and cloudy, but at least the rain had ceased, allowing the Caleb&039;s ca to view fro, it was another thing entirely for Caleb actually to walk through it The city was alive at night, transforwith people fro Their view from inside the London Eye was impressive Of course, while the stores were still open, they also did soet Caleb so to eat at a popular don restaurant named Bankside, not far from Southwark Cathedral Katrina contentedly watched hi

Afterwards, they went through parts of the city to view key sights such as Buckingha Ben, and the Thames River itself Katrina even posed a couple of ti to snap the photos for the,Caleb&039;s reactions and sharing in the excitement of his experiences It was so easy to see how enuine happiness

It hile appreciating his interest in a granite-ton on horseback that she caught the gli out of the corner of her eye Her keen vampire vision focused on a palethem from about a hundred feet ahile partially concealed in the shadow of a nearby building However, once the figure realized he had been sighted, he quickly disappeared from view

I wonder if he&039;s one of Alton&039;s vampire staff? Katrina wondered with a narrow-eyed expression Caleb looked up at her curiously, but she s had happened Instead, she made a point to stay close to hi her httime excursion was pleasantly uneventful

As they gled into his ar a nuers

All in all, it&039;s a perfect evening, Caleb mused as he closed his eyes to rest

This has been wonderful, Katrina thought happily as she scanned the train car&039;s nearest passengers in precautionary fashion

As soon as they carried their ar purchases into the suite, they freshened up, and Caleb collapsed into bed Katrina lay beside hie bedrooht and out onto the city Her mind recalled the events of their excursion, but also played back the brief discovery of the er&039;s actions hadn&039;t seemed hostile, merely curious Probably one from Alton&039;s cadre of employees I&039;ll ask him about it to upon hilance out the bedrooht drizzle However, it didn&039;t detract fro up in London

"Morning, Kat," he offered with a sleepy grin

"Good , my love," she replied warmly

She started to kiss him, but he held up his hand to cover his mouth and shook his head

"Oh, not yet," he protested and quickly rolled out of bed to patter into the bathrooarded him with a raised eyebrow

A few moments later he returned to bed and offered her atheir kiss and shook her head Always so thoughtful, she mused

"Fresh breath for a fresh day in London," he quipped "What&039;s on today&039;s agenda?"

"Well, there&039;s a couple of museu, so perhaps you can visit those today We&039;ll see other sites together this evening," she offered

He glanced outside again before returning his gaze to her "I&039;ist, but isn&039;t it safer for you on cloudy, misty days like today?"

She smirked "Somebody needs to watch more Weather Channel Despite the clouds, the sun projects very powerful ultraviolet radiation that penetrates thee me It&039;s an easy misperception by most people UV radiation isn&039;t in the visible spectrum for humans, but vampires can sense it quite readily infrom an oven"

"Oh," he replied sullenly He hated the idea of spending the day without her, but he certainly didn&039;t want her to be injured, either

She reached out to caress the side of his face with her fingers in soothing fashion "It&039;s okay, my love I don&039;t want you to be cooped up here in the hotel all day Besides, I&039; before you know it There&039;s a lot to see, and we&039;ll only be here a week Please, go enjoy, okay?"

"Well, okay But I won&039;t enjoy it as ed appreciatively

He wished that he could do so nice for her before he left, but it wasn&039;t as if he could order breakfast in bed for her An idea struck him, and he smiled slyly She frowned at him with a curious expression as he lay back down onto the bed and turned his head slightly away froet ready?" he offered

She sesture Her eyes briefly flashed, and she advanced upon him to kiss hiiving, especially of himself

Her mouth moved from his lips to the side of his soft neck, and she kissed hiently a nuue pressing against his skin He waited patiently as the nuhout his neck

"Thank you, my love," she whispered "You fulfill ainst his skin for another brief s into hih her as his blood trickled past her lips, into her mouth, and down her throat She caressed his scalp with her fingertips soothingly and deliberately controlled the rate at which she drew blood frohtseeing, she h to fulfill herThere were feords she could use to describe the satisfaction that partaking in hiht to her Huiven freely and with love The time passed all too quickly, and she carefully retracted her fangs and used her saliva both to seal and heal his bite marks so nobody would be the wiser

Despite his aversion to the idea of touring London alone, the day passed quickly for Caleb as he visited two museums close to the hotel He ate in one of the museum cafes and continued his perusal until later that afternoon He was amazed by the diversity of people that he saw as he walked around the exhibits and quickly understood how popular the city was for tourists By four o&039;clock, he hurried back to the hotel Upon entering the suite, he found Katrina sitting on the couch watching television and using her notebook computer

After he freshened up, he and Katrina went out on the town They went to a different local restaurant so that he could eat dinner someplace new and afterwards took in a play at the Her Majesty&039;s London Theater It was a rendition of Andrew Lloyd Webber&039;s Phantom of the Opera, and they had a wonderful ti various sites of interest and walking ar each other&039;s coht, Katrina redirected theht&039;s sleep And though it felt like a brief evening out for a vath

The next day was Monday, and Caleb woke very late in theto find himself alone in bed He stretched, yawned, and happily reflected on the previous night&039;s events Despite the closed the bedroo room beyond

"he just woke up, in fact," he heard her co said

Okay, so I&039;

A few moments later, Katrina appeared in the rooust of air actually blew his hair around slightly before she appeared at the bedside

"Gooda soft kiss on his lips

"Hey,breath alert," he warned, but was too late to make a difference

She o, there wasn&039;t any such thing aswith breath was a good "

He pursed his lips as he considered the historic logic of her states in perspective"

She gave hiet up and around; breakfast will arrive soon" She noted his curious expression and explained, "Alton thought you would appreciate an authentic English breakfast Oh, and he made an appointment for you"

She explained that Alton had scheduled for hi He hoped that the accomplished vampire psychiatrist would be able to unlock his blocked childhoodthose memories, he still felt a sudden rush of anxiety at the prospect But I&039;et cold feet, that&039;s for damn sure

He shaved and dressed and was ready to eat the breakfast that had arrived just azed upon the large platter containing eggs, bacon, sausages, fried bread, mushrooms, and baked beans

He wrinkled his nose and looked up at her with shock "This is a traditional English breakfast? Mushroohed so hard from his semi-horrified expression that tears streas, bacon, and part of the sausages and picked at the rest just to be polite

Overall, not too bad, he reflected

He passed the ti the local shops and interests within a block of the hotel while Katrina spentwith Alton about his new European project intended for the upco arrived, Katrina would accompany him to see Dr Guilhelm

Much as Caleb expected, and as was typical when he was apprehensive about so, the afternoon passed rather quickly By the ti arrived, he returned to the hotel suite to find Katrina sitting on the couch channel-surfing He put down a small sack of novelties he had purchased and plopped down on the couch next to her After a quick exchange of kisses, he glanced at the television and pointed to the screen as the channel changed

"Hey! Wasn&039;t that a Doctor Who episode?" he asked excitedly

She peered at him curiously, shook her head and replied, "Not sure And anye don&039;t have time for-- uot to head across town for your appointged "Okay"

The journey was expedited via the London Tube, and they arrived nearly thirtywas actually used for a variety of businesses, which included small medical practices Dr Guilhelm&039;s office was on the fifth floor and reas, actually Chi last fall&039;s adventure The s room outside of the doctor&039;s main office was eerily sireeted theed their appointment and asked them to sit in some chairs on the other side of the room

Caleb looked up at Katrina with a frown andHer expression turned serious as she whispered, "Soain I pro with your hed with his ar arm across the back of his shoulders as they sat next to each other After a few minutes, the doctor&039;s interior office door opened, and a tall figure with teal eyes and silvery blond hair looked at Caleb with an inviting expression The fellow appeared to be in his late forties and had gaunt features and a lean body Aside fro at his true nature was that his eyes appeared sohter than normal

"You must be Caleb," he ventured calmly "I&039;m Dr Guilhelm, and I&039;m pleased to s, I presume?"

"Katrina," she offered as she rose to shake his hand firestured towards his dimly lit office "Please come in, Caleb Would you ?"

He looked up at her, and she smiled supportively and nodded her affirht outside if you need me," she assured hireement

"And Ms Prescott, you may clock out now," Guilhelm politely instructed his aide "I won&039;t need you back here until toular tied with a respectful tone "Good night"

"Good night," he replied as Caleb walked past him to enter the office

A few e of a brown leather couch placed against the back wall of the office A series of forest photographs was displayed in three large fra chair sat across fros crossed Caleb scanned the office and noticed thebehind the doctor&039;s large oak desk looked out upon a nighttime view of the city beyond Overall, it was as&039; office and far

"Kind of a classic look in here, Doc," he offered with a hint of anxiousness "Do all psychiatrists use the sa? Or maybe it&039;s a standard layout?"

The doctor smiled, briefly and nodded "Chapter three of the psychiatrist&039;s hed and s nervous, Caleb?" Guilhel expression

Caleb sed "No Well, actually, yes But I&039;m okay"

"Ah, but if you really were okay, you wouldn&039;t be here, would you?" the varin

Caleb looked up with a surprised smirk and chuckled despite himself "You&039;re not a real psychiatrist, are you?"

The doctor grinned reassuringly "Actually I ahtens the mood, and you seereed good-naturedly as he absently rubbed his fingertips against each other "And yeah, I like huood So, why not tell ed "And then a little about what it is you&039;re trying to recall"

Caleb described his background at a cursory level, but soon found hi into further details about his childhood and abusive father He was surprised how easy it was to talk to the doctor, and he effortlessly described his introduction to Katrina last fall, including the occasional flashes ofat odd occasions He described the flashbacks after having discovered the old photograph of his mother and Katrina, then Amber, at the company banquet Occasionally, the doctor asked simple questions for clarification or additional details, but mostly listened patiently By the end of his recollections, Caleb found hi

"Caleb, have you ever undergone hypnosis therapy?" Guilhelm asked once Caleb had finished

"Nope, never"

"Well, I&039;htforward and pain-free," the doctor began "It&039;s just to gauge how significantly your memory may be blocked And if the conditions are viable, I&039;ll see what I can do beyond that Perhaps I can nudge them free for you All you need do is sit back and relax"

Caleb nodded, and the doctor stared at hilowvoice, "Now just stare into my eyes, Caleb And don&039;t be nervous My eyes are cal"

Withinon Guilhel, and it made him feel a little sleepy Suddenly, he saw only teal eyes before hi him to think about his childhood Random memories from his youth flooded his uide hiain, the teal orbs filled his vision, blocking out everything else And the memories continued to flash in his mind

He described his visions in a subdued voice, explaining the scenes and recollections playing out in his mind But at so aloud, or , or both Yet the h hisnew froly appear before his eyes At least, the vision seenize the scene, which included a sunny day in his old backyard in Ohio Was it su was so vivid in the vision I played withup dust in the field near our house A door opened and slae next to the house I ran to investigate Caleb watched events play out through his own eyes as he entered the arage, and I think I heardsomewhere Was it an animal? The sound came from the tarp-covered old car that Dad worked on sometimes I knelt on the floor and peeked underneath the oily old tarp Caleb gasped I saw a person, or so that looked like a person! There was a stinky, burnt s wo under the car? Then additional flashes of conversation with the woel? From heaven? And she needs help soon! I ran back into the house for a pencil and soel Angel A series of nuet to a phone and call the nuel on the other end of the phone some more numbers What were all the numbers for? Did God use all those numbers too?

I waited for a truck to arrive God sent a truck? The delivery angel, Angel Bruce, although he looked like an ordinary el need for els know everybody? I rushed the box to the garage for Angel A with toys, watching television, and eating lunch Then Moel Ary after work, and he drank ain Lots of shouting, and Mo about Mo, I think

I went into the garage and wanted to see the angel, but I&039;el Amber asked ! He looked angry, and I was scared Ow! My ar in front of el Ael Ato hit the angel with a big rabs Dad by the neck, and he falls onto the floor Angel A She kisses it, and it feels funny, but better She says the angel ic will fix it She wants reen eyes I feel sleepy Then I&039;el carrying soh the easped as he fell back against the cushion of the leather couch, still staring into Dr Guilhelht it ht burst from his chest

"Are you okay, Caleb?" Guilhelm asked quietly with a concerned expression "How are you feeling?"

Caleb blinked once and nodded dumbly "Um, yeah," he stael na&039;s still so fresh

Guilhelel Amber was Katrina," Caleb mumbled almost to himself "She killedShe saved ain "Caleb, you found so that was hidden away inside your h valid, are as you would have interpreted them as a child They are yours either to eest that you patiently take the tio over them in your mind"

"They&039;re so vivid, like they just happened," Caleb rambled

"In essence and to your conscious awareness, they just did," the doctor explained "What are you feeling right at this moment?"

Caleb rubbed at his eyes and felt wetness on his face Guilhelm handed him a box of tissues, and he blew his nose

"I&039;an unsteadily "I&039;h Forever"

"Caleb, your memories can be very powerful, and I want you to think about your feelings surrounding theest and may want to consider further visits with me I&039;ll be more than happy to help," Guilhelm offered

"What next?"

"Most of all, you should talk to Katrina about your memories openly and honestly I also want you to call ht" Guilhelm handed him a business card "I put my personal cell phone on here, and you shouldn&039;t hesitate to call me anytime After all, I&039;m a vampire, and I don&039;t sleep much"

Caleb smirked at the quip and took the card Guilhelm rose from his chair, butto step out for a few minutes so you can collect yourself in quiet," he explained "But I&039;ll be outside with Katrina if you need me or her"

Caleb nodded, and the doctor quietly slipped from the office

Katrina rose as soon as Guilhelm exited She had an expectant expression on her face, and the doctor motioned for her to remain quiet Once he pulled his office door to, he whispered, "We&039;re done for now He see hi histhat you blocked But time will tell, and he may need to visit with me in the future I told his and to talk to you about theive you one too, just in case Call "

"Can I see him now?" she asked with concern My God, it&039;s been nearly three hours!

He held up his hand tentatively and suggested, "Give him a few more minutes alone Then you can peek in on hian a little unsteadily Herwith concern for Caleb

"No," Guilhelm countered "This one&039;s pro bono Alton told me a little about your circumstances, and I&039; suspicious, but why?" she asked carefully

Guilhelm smirked "I see what Alton meant when he warned me about your protective and cautious nature Not that I&039;, mind you"

She scowled Alton, you blabber- man I&039;m sincerely pleased to help you, actually Alton conveyed how very iet to see many vampire hypnosis patients, particularly vampire mates This was a sort of professional opportunity for ood job, by the way But I&039;d stay away fro huhed and shook the doctor&039;s hand "Yeah, I found that out the hard way"

Guilhelhtful being for a vaot to hand it to you, doctor," she said "You&039;re a first in my book, as well"

"First vampire psychiatrist?"

"No, first time I met a psychiatrist who does pro bono work," she teased Fortunately, a hopeful feeling began to replace the anxious ones of a few o

Guilhelm shook his head and smirked "Cute Tell you what, I&039;ll o in to check on hi into the office She slipped into the office and noticed Caleb rubbing at his eyes while sitting on the couch He&039;s been crying She suddenly felt anxious, wondering what his first reaction would be to her following the restoration of his memories He&039;ll know for certain that I&039;m the one who killed his father

He blew his nose into a tissue and looked up at who entered, thinking it was Dr Guilhelain Instead, he saw Katrina, only this tiure in his nized His ree of astonishel Amber," he whispered as he rose from the couch He had seen the photo of Katrina as a short-haired brunette, but now the face in that picture was actually real to hiel Caleb I remember that, too," he added

She sel"

"You saved el Amber"

Katrina felt a tear slip from the corner of her eye, but it ept aside by the velocity of her movement as she lurched towards him She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him to her in a warm ely It was a far better reception from him than she could have hoped

"I love you," he whispered into her ear as his arms encircled her waist

"Oh, how I love you too, Caleb," she whispered "Completely and forever"

It was very late by the time they left Dr Guilhelet so that he wasn&039;t very hungry Instead, they rode the Tube back to the hotel During the journey, he kept glancing at her furtively, though she only regarded hiether His expression was ato discern so

Caleb wondered about the vivid nature of his new memories and how the woman in them was both different and familiar to him The freshness of his visions coupled with the current ti te to reconcile both periods in his s Equally confusing was the host of feelings acco mix of shock, apprehension, wonder, appreciation, and love

They sat together quietly on the couch once back in the suite, holding hands as Katrina leaned her head against his shoulder Sometime later, Caleb&039;s storowl Katrina ser, fries, and Coke for hi it would serve as a form of comfort food Later, she quietly watched him eat with her chin propped up on her upraised pal area table He smiled wanly at her and seelanced up at her thoughtfully

"You seeer bites

She sh I&039; to eat

After dinner, he took a shower, and Katrina called Alton to fill him in on the details from the session with Dr Guilhel her to keep an eye on Caleb and to try to make him comfortable Yeah, like I need another opinion on how to look after Caleb

"Did you check with your va us the other night?" she asked, quietly changing the subject

"I checked, and nobody has seen you in town, nor have they sought you out," Alton replied "But that doesn&039;tin the city didn&039;t just happen upon you London&039;s an old, populated city, and it&039;s conceivable that there are a nu in the vicinity," he added

Katrina conceded the plausibility, but experience had taught her that a little paranoia was healthy "Well, thanks for checking, anyway"

"Listen, Calebthe day Perhaps I could offer two of my best hureat opportunity for hiuidance of locals who also happen to be accomplished in the area of security Not that anyone is particularly seeking him out, mind you," he ventured

She frowned, but conceded the viability of the idea "Hh," she insisted "I don&039;t want hiuarded"

"Rob and Lynne Fuller are an unassu agents on ht welcoested "I think that Caleb would like the ed

"Ah, but they ell together," he countered "And I rounds"

"Very well," she replied guardedly "But I want to meet them before Caleb does"

He chuckled "Fine, fine You can interview the Just call me when you&039;re ready"

"Thanks, Alton," she offered sincerely "Untilup the phone and listened to the sound of Caleb&039;s shower, she appreciated that Alton was trying to be helpful Then her thoughts turned back to Caleb, and she wondered if the past were finally on its way to being reconciled between the two of the, Caleb woke to Katrina&039;s ar into his eyes as he glanced over to her, and she sreeted with a sleepy expression His freed childhood ht&039;s session with Dr Guilhelrinned and patted hi, my love," she replied

"This is nice," he et used to all the roo the world, not tomoney No worries, no limits, and complete freedom It&039;s surreal for et what day of the week it is"

"It&039;s Tuesday, and I can make this come true for you every day if you want," she baited with a raised eyebrow "Just say the word and it&039;s yours"

He chuckled and rubbed his sleepy eyes "Don&039;t tempt me"

She stared into his eyes intently "Just say yes, and I&039;ll make it happen," she whispered

"Kat," he stammered with a serious expression, "I can&039;t justI mean, I have a job, a career to nurture There&039;s retireonna need a new car, for Pete&039;s sake You can&039;t just --"

She raised an eyebrow "Oh, but I can And I will Just tella moment to conte out of a Hollywood film or fantasy novel He considered the thrill of it all and the freedom But he would feel terrible, like the world&039;s worst reedy leech of a person It&039;s herAs much as he wanted to say yes, he simply couldn&039;t with a clear conscience

"That&039;s very kind," he replied "But I can&039;t"

"Why not?"