Page 5 (1/2)

Rules

Katrina lay against Caleb&039;s body on the large, four-poster bed in the second floor master bedroom It was a bedroom she rarely ever used Usually, she operated out of a hidden aparte bedroom they were in at the moment was primarily for show, but she did keep part of her wardrobe, perfurand-sized bathrooh it was rarely occupied, at thatuse of the roolow froh the nearbyIt ell past two o&039;clock Friday , and Caleb draped one arhts were filled with the bliss of being there with her It see out of a dreaht so , and he recalled the intimate closeness and intense passion they had shared twice already Such closeness of body n to hierous, and yet laced with affection He recognized that a significant evolution had occurred between theentle rhythh his veins generated a type of anato in her ears She could sense the contenthtly caressed his face with her fingertips as she considered a sense of pleasure she hadn&039;t felt in so ht occurred to her, as she realized he knew so very little about her true nature She wondered with mild amusement how es of her azed up into his pale blue eyes from where she laid next to him They were beautiful and projected a peaceful, innocent quality

"That wasn&039;t so scary, was it?" she teased softly

"You&039;re so full of energy," he murmured

"You meant to say &039;life&039; didn&039;t you?" she admonished "I am alive, you know You didn&039;t just make love to an ani, I&039;h htly and smiled She&039;d hit the nail on the head, it seemed She bent her face up to kiss his neck softly, and he chuckled He wasn&039;t about to confir his unspoken question, but was inwardly happy the ansas definitely a positive one Alive is so much better than undead, he mused, and bent his head to kiss her softly on the forehead

"No transfor in coffins, and I have absolutely no aversion to crosses," she added for clarification in an amused tone

"Glad to hear it," he replied with approval "I left h"

She heard a loud growl frory," she ventured

"I was too nervous to eat before I came over," he confessed

Katrina smiled, and the realization struck her that she had no human food in the house, other than soerator and souest to visit her ho her residence in the Atlanta area

"Hrocery problem here, I think," she announced "I&039;ll need to work on that sometime soon"

He understood her reference i anyway, so I&039;ll just grab so his lean, muscular body beneath hers

"If you nation as she rolled off of hie of the bed She didn&039;t want for him to leave yet, but she understood why

He propped hiently kissed her shoulder fro, you know," he offered reverently

She turned her head to glance at hirin and saw the look of sincere adoration on his face She loved it, and it ih her body With a quick motion Katrina pressed her lips to his and nearly drew the breath from him in a passionate kiss So are you, azed at his reflection in a large full-length lanced at his neck where she&039;d bitten hihtly with surprise Slowly rotating his neck towards the diertips across his skin as his eyes searched for anything rese out of the ordinary There&039;s no way I iined that, he insisted

Katrina appeared beside hirin on her face "Vampires have a technique that works marvelously Our saliva can heal wounds"

"That&039;s i else dawned on him He raised an eyebrow and said, "I remember now the saht at the apartht it was the antiseptic"

She distinctly recalled the night in question "Well, if done properly I could&039;ve healed it even faster, but I had to be subtle at the time"

His eyes darted to hers in the mirror&039;s reflection, and he turned to face her directly

"What else can you do?" he asked

Her gentle green eyes glinted playfully, and she reached up to caress the side of his face with the back of one hand "Well, you already know I can reed in a subdued tone Like a bolt of lightning, in fact

"And considerable strength," she said slyly "Acute hearing and a keen sense of smell, which are both helpful"

"And your eyes?" he asked intently "Tell me about your eyes"

She considered him for a moment "I can see in the dark for the most part, but I can also focus on distances farther than hulow at tiently on the lips "It&039;s a reflection of intense eer, excite both arainst him as she rested her chin on his shoulder She wanted to keep her thoughts regarding

He paused to htly as he considered an important question "Can you read minds?" he asked

Katrina both heard and felt his increased heartbeat and gathered the question was important to hie extremely effectively"

"H, vision, sense of smellpretty enviable qualities"

She leaned into his ear and whispered, "Yes, Caleb, and all designed for hunting prey"

He paused as the gravity of her statement sunk in "People then," he clarified as his body tensed again slightly "As prey"

She kissed his cheek to co on this planet with blood is prey," she clarified "Which, when you think about it, isn&039;t far removed from how most humans see other animals"

"Am I prey to you?" he asked carefully A s her next prey flashed in his ht fla his face tothat he was unsettled by the query, she deliberately softened her otherwise serious expression to avoid projecting a threatening ie

"You are not prey to me," she stated "You could never, will never be prey to rateful and relieved The corners of his htly as she took his face in her hands and kissed him firmly and passionately on the lips The warmth of her kiss soothed the tension caused by the dark topics they discussed, and he felt a euphoric wave of affection flow through his body

"Now go, Caleb," she encouraged as she gentlyto eat and get soht We havehome, Caleb&039;s tired body slept, despite his mind&039;s lack of cooperation He awoke on the cool Noveh his sheer curtains Due to the warehouse directly across froht until the sun was higher in the sky, but the alow from the new day still filtered in

The revelations froht filled hiht of day, he felt he was returning to an alternate reality Daytiht he became a lover, a partner, to a mysterious woman who had captured his heart and perhaps his soul The surprising revelation was stark in his mind: he was in love with a vampire

No, Caleb corrected himself with a s woman who just happens to be a vaht two classes and held some midday office hours He also visited with some of his peers and the division office staff, but his hts of Katrina

He realized that he was obsessing a little over her But then, don&039;t all new couples obsess over each other, at least until they achieve a co in the renovated base as her bedroo up the sheet rock that covered the brick-backed walls, but picturesque tapestries and paintings had been hung, colorful depictions of historical periods fro soewear as she sat before her elaborate coarding the sudden disappearance of both Garett and Octavia in Europe She read a ations in Paris had come to dead ends However, he was in Trondheim, Norway, and had found Octavia&039;s estate residence in the countryside burned to the ground Apparently, it was nearly a total loss to the fire, but no bodies had been found Alton said that the below-ground safe roo the daytime, much as Katrina did, was the focal point of the fire

Katrina&039;s eyebrows rose suspiciously, and she replied to Alton&039;s e

Alton,

It&039;s too much of a coincidence, so there&039;s little chance the fire was accidental So ill has befallen Garett We need to determine the commonality between the two events How can I help?

Katrina

Her eyes narrowed as she clicked send Are we dealing with a kidnapping or a ainst a vaht or other UV-related sources That is, unless it were due to another vampire She didn&039;t like the idea of that Twice before a vampire had become a foe to her kind, and it had not ended well on either occasion

She glanced at the clock, realizing she had to begin readying herself for her evening with Caleb Given the latest revelations regarding thevampires in Europe, she welcomed a pleasant diversion

By Friday afternoon, Caleb was ho up his apartht about cooking dinner for them, but abruptly realized she didn&039;t need to eat food

How odd, he thought They&039;d been to dinner together a number of times She appeared perfectly ordinary, just like any other person, like any other human And with the stroke of one revelation,were completely usurped in hisidea Should I eat before she arrives? Maybe I should wait and ask Finally, he decided to text her She responded that she would acco and added he should dress comfortably

Time passed quickly, and before he knew it, dusk transfored into a new pair of blue jeans and a turquoise dress shirt before slipping on a black leather jacket He could always change after seeing Katrina&039;s attire

The doorbell rang after 7 pm, and his pulse quickened in anticipation as he opened the door with a s a pair of black denih black leather boots Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail like the night before She was definitely dressed to kill, in a ainst his chest as she stepped forith a playful grin, deh the peephole, my love What if I were a robber?" She handed histore as she walked past hilanced at it curiously One side of his mouth upturned in a partial smile as he shut the door behind her "Well, if you were a robber, you&039;d probably be waiting forlot, wouldn&039;t you?"

"H to have to work on security issues with you, I see," she noted absently before leaning into his lips with her own, kissing him warmly, yet all too briefly

"I missed you today," he whispered as his hands went to her hips to prevent her fro away frohtly at him "I missed you too," she confessed "Daytime is hard when all I want to do is be with you"

He considered that for a ht recently I take both the day and night for granted, I suppose"

"As all hu hi away to sit on one of his kitchen bar stools

So in the way she said that bothered him, but he wasn&039;t sure why Rather than press the topic, he sat on a stool facing hers as he looked into the drugstore sack she had handed hi a container of iron suppleeneral vitamin supplement for men

She smiled at hier "You&039;ll need to keep your constitution strong if you&039;re going to have a varinned "Is that what I&039;arded him fondly "It&039;s the term my kind likes to use It&039;s an important position of endearment and commitment"

He smiled with satisfaction at the title as the red-haired vampire observed his reaction closely He was flattered that he had lance into her eyes, he noted that she see the day when the rest of us huhed at his question, recalling how much she had enjoyed the daytime as a human But rather than lament to him about that, she replied, "A lot of Internet-related activities , and there&039;s always email"

"Email? To other vampires?" he ventured with a raised eyebrow He was so focused just on her that thinking beyond the scope of one vaether new concept for him to tackle

Katrina smiled at his curious tone "Of course, silly You didn&039;t think I was the only one, did you?"

Honestly, I haven&039;t considered the topic ht

"Do you have very many vampire friends?" Caleb inquired

She considered hian carefully "There&039;s so you need to know about your role ininto her eyes Have I already done so his hands in her own and holding theently They arm to the touch, and she sensed a tension in him

"It&039;s okay, my love," she reassured him "It&039;s important that you realize there are certain expectations you need to be diligent about with us It&039;s a round rules?" he asked

She shook her head at hiround rules Now, just relax and stare into my eyes while we discuss this, okay?"

Katrina peered into his eyes intently and held his gaze while literally willing him to pay attention He felt cohtly with beautiful green intensity

"Your eyes, they&039;re like beautiful e her explanation froht "You&039;re upset?"

She released his hands and pressed her forefinger against his lips "Sh No, Caleb," she adently "Please, just listen"

He fell silent and nodded, still drawn to her lury at all In fact, he felt a peace wash over hi off to sleep

She had no intention of trying to force suggestions into his thoughts, merely to compel his attention for the i to discuss While she couldn&039;t read his thoughts, she kneould beany attempts at evasive responses

Her expression softened, and she studied his features until her eyes locked onto his She loved to stare into his pale blue eyes She saw a gentleness in them, as if his very spirit were filled with innocence and sincerity His eyes melted her primeval heart

She moved her stool closer to his until their knees almost touched as she sat across from him She took each of Caleb&039;s hands in hers and placed theether atop her own knees "I don&039;t , but you need to knoe&039;re about to discuss some important matters," she explained, "conditions that are very important for you to honor"

His eyebrows rose with curiosity Wow, heavy topics already, he mused

He nodded and remained silent as he stared into her eyes He was already fully committed to this journey with her He cared for her deeply and was quite honestly falling in love with her She was so different from other women he had dated She had a maturity about her, tee about her personality, so beneath the surface that wasn&039;t necessarily threatening to hi with her I feel protected and secure around her No, it was so dark But still, there was no way he was about to turn away fro prospects her otherworldly nature revealed to hiht be the one for hi

As for Katrina, she committed to the decision that she wanted him in her life She had been drawn to him for some time, and her love for him already felt fir in her h to know the difference between s of devotion associated with love Though both were important to her, she felt that Caleb e all the vital areas in her life Perhaps she still recalled the innocent, caring child who showed no fear to help her Or maybe it was all she observed of hi watched or listened to

Great, I&039;m a stalker for sure, she silently chastised herself before focusing on the task at hand

"There can be no deviations from these, Caleb," she insisted

"I understand," he replied simply

"Are you ready?"

"Yes," he said with a nod

"First, you must never reveal the true nature of my existence to anyone, nosuch an inclination"

She paused to ensure that he absorbed the requiree or suspicion of anyone who ht have determined my true existence or nature"

Another pause

"Third, you ive or submit yourself to another of my kind," she continued "I tend to be mildly possessive, my love, and I insist on this"

His eyes widened only for a ly aze

"Fourth, you may only have my blood when I offer it to you"

He froith sudden curiosity "But ould -"

Again, her finger pressed against his lips and her eyes flashed ain and nodded as she reh he marked the topic for future query

"Fifth, never accept blood froaze and noticed no discernible change in his eood, she mused

"Sixth, you will never ask to become one of my kind," she said with emphasis

His eyes widened momentarily, and she felt his hands twitch in her own for only a second He&039;s going to be really curious about that one, she decided

Karina&039;s mind recalled the past experiences with partners in her life as a vareedy prospect of conversion to her kind She could see the obvious temptations, but there was more to it than what they each saw Ies, as she had learned painfully over the so she met Caleb as a child, when she had tried to seek her own finality in the ive life another try

"Seventh andany of the aforeravely

Finally, she blinked, and her eyes returned to their norree to respect and abide by these seven rules?" she asked

Caleb nodded "I love you, Katrina, and I&039;ll follow therow in her, and she insisted ly than she intended, "Please, Caleb I know you can do this for ? I won&039;t let you down"

Her eyes adopted a sad expression, and she sighed deeply Then her eyes closed, but when she reopened theain they were less h simple, have been breached in one way or another by a previous partner," she explained

He nodded with understanding "They betrayed your trust You had to abandon theaze It was rihtly with surprise, and he blurted, "Died?"

"They died," she repeated simply

"You mean died, as in they couldn&039;t bear the pain they caused you? Couldn&039;t bear to live without you?" he insisted urgently, although a sinking feeling in the pit of his storaver conclusion

"No, I couldn&039;t bear the danger and pain they caused me They died, and all by my hand, save one He was a suicide," she explained in a sorrowful tone

His pulse raced until it felt as if his heart would explode out of his chest So, she will kill me if I break one of these rules?

In the silence around the and saw his pupils dilate It was painful to know she was causing him such intense distress

He sed hard, and histo say

"Are you okay, ?" she asked carefully as she observed his body language, and she listened to his breathing and heart rate

"I&039;m scared as hell, that&039;s what I am," he replied anxiously

"You mustn&039;t fear me, Caleb" Her eyes appeared softer to him

"Too late," he replied sorin

"Caleb," she cooed soothingly

"It&039;s a lot to take in at once In fact, I&039; a arded him with a sympathetic expression "Don&039;t worry I&039;ll help you This will be a learning experience for both of us," she encouraged before adding wryly: "Although arded her warily He didn&039;t want to be the next victim in her list of previous failures

"Here&039;s my commitment to you, Caleb," she offered as she reached out for his right hand

He allowed her to take his hand between both of hers before she continued

"I proan "I will cherish you and all you give to me I will be respectful of you, and I&039;ll be honest aboutto iement After a moment and sorateful that she was at least trying to be supportive

"And I will never take blood from you without your consent or offer," she added soleested that he didn&039;t realize how iven him "Traditionally, a vampire takes blood from their mate at their own discretion," she added

His eyes quickly h he knew very little about her kind, he considered for a being that placed a high value on blood, such a stipulation seenificant

He considered the roller coaster of eh his head in the past few days, and at tiest at once Still, he kneas in love with Katrina He was smitten with her But her revelation about previous fatal relationships had certainly instilled a sree of fear Perhaps it&039;s a healthy response by a human to a vampire However, he hoped it would dissipate as their relationship grew, because he truly didn&039;t want to fear her

She regarded him with a hopeful expression, but she could sense, al inside of hiht see to a potential partner, but they were in place for a reason Experience had taught her the importance of the rules for both her and hireed as he stared into her eyes "But you&039;re not allowed to let me down either"

She took his face in her hands and kissed him deeply His arms folded around her waist, and he pulled her towards his body As her lips parted froainst hers again with more passion A moment later, he reluctantly allowed her to pull away froazed at him intently as she sat back from him, and her eyes sparkled slyly with approval

"Done, and sealed with a kiss," she said siotiation had been completed She recalled his earlier question before she had covered her list of rules

"By the way, I have a number of contacts who are fellow vampires," she said "Some I even consider to be close friends, and two in particular are like faly wondered if he would ever have the chance to h the thought also sent a pang of anxiety through hiht now, he conceded