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Once they were close to the bed, she pulled hi him warmly on the lips He appreciated her display of affection, but hisbeen baited earlier

"Why won&039;t you tell ed between kisses "I&039; to know all about you and your past"

I love you, and I&039; my trust with you, but please be patient with me, she wanted to tell him I&039;ve already been hurt and betrayed by toovulnerable kept her frohts to him at the moment Instead, she sirl can&039;t give all of her secrets away at once"

Hardly a girl, but a powerful fehed with resignation that ht, although she effectively distracted hiain with additional slow kisses

"I&039;ht, ," he replied sincerely

"Better yet," she noted presciently and with a satisfied s, Katrina rose well before Caleb woke She showered, dressed in jeans and a black sweater, and quietly left hie concerning their final plans

Later thatwhen Caleb finally stirred, he noticed with a start that Katrina was gone He yawned and looked over to find a glass of ice water on the nightstand, along with a note from Katrina

Dearest Caleb,

I didn&039;t want you to be disturbed while you slept I&039;ll be back to check on you before breakfast Please drink the glass of water Rehed with resignation, put the note back on the nightstand, and drank the glass of water, leaving only the unmelted ice He iulp of water had gone down his throat

He stretched and went into the nearby bathroom to shower, shave, and brush his teeth Afterwards, he slipped on a pair of jeans and a Georgia State sweatshirt Forgoing shoes, he padded up the stairs to the sealed exit door leading into the rest of the house He was unable to slide the door open and looked at the keypad next to the door fra the door as locked

"Oh, for Pete&039;s sake," hethat he couldn&039;t even use a phone to call her for help because the phones were disabled by a code And Katrina still had possession of his cell phone

He irritably smacked the door with the flat of his palm and proceeded down the stairs over to the couch set before the large, wall-mounted TV He plopped down to conte with the whole security arrangement he had endured lately He felt a little like a prisoner in a gilded cage Finally, he lay on the couch and channel-surfed for a time

Within an hour, he heard the door at the top of the stairs behind hi h back of the couch Seeing nobody, he tilted his head slightly

Strong arms enveloped him frohtened around him and he saw the profile of Katrina&039;s face peer around froht He turned his face to hers, and she kissed hireeted in a sloeet voice "Sorry it took so long, ," he replied as his irritation subsided froave him

She effortlessly pulled him from the couch and onto the floor so that he stood before her, and he turned towards her and kissed her again

"Did you have to lock the door?" he asked suspiciously

"I didn&039;t want you to be disturbed," she said s a word of it "Why won&039;t you just tell ?" he arded him sympathetically before her s to be nice, but fine We were discussing so or getting involved in Does that make you feel better?"

He considered her explanation and conceded, "No, not better But at least it&039;s an honest answer"

She nodded, and asked, "Are you angry withto aggravate you, she considered silently

He folded his arry, just a little disappointed, that&039;s all"

"We talked about this once before, Caleb," she gently tried to reive up control, but you have to trust uilt as she realized that trust was hard for her as well

He recalled the conversation, or rather confrontation, Katrina referenced all too well, having been on the losing end of it "I know, I know," he retorted offhandedly while walking past her to go upstairs to get breakfast "Alpha vaht now Got it"

She smirked as she watched hi

He walked into the kitchen and noticed Paige standing at the kitchen counterscene as she stood in her khaki capris, floral cotton shirt, and sandals and cut the sandwich in half The fact that she had seeht before suddenly seee pulled a handful of potato chips fro and casually dropped them onto the plate, which she set on the counter near hiers as she walked to the refrigerator and filled a glass with ice water

She sat the glass near the plate of food and offered with a sly sh to lunchtime, and since I don&039;t cook, I hope you won&039;t mind the sandwich"

He stared at her with near shock at the completely unexpected circumstances She seemed to appreciate the expression on his face because her sested

He raised an eyebrow as he sat on a barstool at the counter "Thanks, but to what do I owe this particular honor?"

She s Besides, Katrina said you&039;d probably be hungry because she left you for longer than she intended It was her idea, really"

His eyebrow rose curiously

"Honestly, I think she&039;s just trying to kick-start things with us a little bit," she added with a conspiratorial whisper

"Nice start," he replied with a smirk He picked up the ha that it had his favorite garnish, ry he really was, he began alternating between bites of sandwich and potato chips He was particularly aware that the short, blonde-haired va him

"Wow, you can really put it away, can&039;t you?" she noted with a grin

His face flushed a little as warmth rose to his cheeks while he chewed That seemed to amuse her even further He decided to break his silence by asking how she liked Los Angeles He had never visited the west coast hih," she answered fondly "It&039;s a place where both the strange and unusual can feel at hoh"

He almost chuckled, but was politelyat the time

She described the wonderful scenery and plethora of diversions that she enjoyed in southern California, including rock concerts, parties, clubs, shopping, and a host of other activities that he hadn&039;t considered, such asparties

As he finished eating his sandwich and chips, Alton cleared his throat from the kitchen entrance behind hi hilanced over his shoulder

"Oh, hi, Alton," Caleb greeted as he reached for his water glass

The tall vampire moved to sit on a stool next to him and asked, "Would you ed and took a final bite of his sandwich He was beginning to like the stately vaentry, those aristocratic gentlemen of property from Jane Austen novels, but without the characteristic air of superiority He fleetingly anticipated that his English accent was likely popular with the ladies "Sure," he agreed ae nodded to Alton and e," Caleb said

"Aw, you&039;re welcoht

Caleb was happy for his pleasant reintroduction to Paige He liked the version that he had started getting to know that

Alton silently paused for a fewman "So, Katrina told me about your brief experiences with Chimalma, but I&039;d like to hear your recollections firsthand It hts that may have been overlooked initially"

Caleb nodded and recounted his experiences, including any dialogue with Alondra and Maddox, to the best of his ability The process took a little longer because Alton interjected occasionally to ask for clarifications and further details Caleb noted once again how politely and congenially Alton presented himself When he had finished, Alton sat silently for a few minutes in contemplation But Caleb had a question of his own to ask

"I&039;m a little curious about when Alondra, um, Chimalma mentioned that Katrina was possessive in her past," he ventured carefully

Alton murmured, "Mm, yes Well, vampires are possessive at times with their mates, particularly the human ones"

Caleb nodded

Alton stared at him intently "But don&039;t confuse possessive with protective, Caleb Katrina cares for you more than you likely realize And as a human, you&039;re particularly vulnerable if another vaht occurred to him as the restaurant conversation between Katrina and Chimalma replayed in his mind "I told Chimalma about how much Katrina meant to me before she arrived to retrieve me," he absently recalled "Then Chimalma told her to &039;keep an eye on her pet&039;"

Alton nodded "She was deliberately pushing Katrina&039;s buttons," he ventured "Theyou, the less she can focus on Chie and I arrived e did"

Katrina and Paige silently appeared in the kitchen entryway froh Caleb realized that he probably wouldn&039;t have noticed if he hadn&039;t already been facing in their direction

"I&039;lad you&039;re here to help protect Katrina in all of this," he coht Katrina&039;s eyes

But Alton&039;s features reflected ahtly, while Katrina arched an eyebrow at her former mentor Caleb looked at Alton with a puzzled expression

"My dear boy," Alton corrected him, "I&039;m not here to protect her She&039;sherself She&039;s the heavy artillery in thisthe hunt, as well as to provide assistance where needed"

Caleb turned to stare at Katrina and de about?"

But Alton spoke up before she could respond "Your mate happens to be one of the most lethal vampires I&039;ve ever known She&039;s earned quite a re our kind, actually"

Katrina frowned She was unco the levels of violence that she was capable of She didn&039;t want Caleb to be afraid of her, either What can I say? she wondered

Caleb&039;s eyes widened as his gaze shot back to Alton, and he recalled, "But you&039;re her ht And you just said that you and Paige arrived at just the right time"

One of Alton&039;s eyebrows arched as he explained, "Youher the safest practices of a vampire, and I helped shape her ht her the art of sword fighting to broaden her skill set She was an expert in her own right in other forms of melee coon time, I merely meant that Chimalma&039;s trail will be easier to follow since her appearance was so recent"

Caleb wasn&039;t sure how to react to Alton&039;s revelations

"What we plan to do is find Chie," Alton continued

"You&039;re going hunting," Caleb ventured with chilling insight

"A predator seeking a predator," Alton ventured as he glanced at Katrina "And the fiercest one I know is yourseen her firsthand with Maddox, you should realize just how deadly she really is"

Caleb shivered slightly while looking at Katrina, and his heart rate increased noticeably

"Alton," Katrina sharply interrupted "That&039;s enough" Da him, she tried to convey with a steely expression at her forht as the recent steak house conversation with Katrina resurfaced in hissharks then He thought that she had been exaggerating when she erous nature of vampires

Katrina was concerned as she took in his expression

All three va heard the noticeable increase in his heart rate He sed once and decided to leave the room rather than be the center of such rapt attention He slid off the stool and started to walk into the hallway leading to other parts of the house But as he began to pass Katrina, she extended one ar her ar him to her

"Remember what I said about fear, Caleb," she azed into his pale blue ones

"A little fear is good," he replied, having recalled their past conversation at the steak house

"But not from me," she amended, "or this won&039;t work between us"

As abeen made

"Come here," she whispered, "but not in fear" She re it to her side

He paused before slowlyto wrap his arently enfold him in response, and she bent her head doards to nestle her nose into the side of his warht with relief

His eyes scanned the rooe, but they had already quietly disappeared from view

Katrina breathed in his scent, heard his heartbeat, and felt his pulse against her soft lips She kissed him softly once, twice, a third time

He considered her affectionate nature, coupled with her propensity to be soht-hearted ti and appreciating each other&039;s coht at the restaurant with Chimalma and the attack from Harry Maddox There were so many dichotomies in Katrina&039;s personality The distance between her caring nature and her violent nature seemed threadbare at ti to realize just how much she loved him as well

The two of them stood in each other&039;s arms as time seemed to stand still

But tih for either of them before she reluctantly released him to attend to additional preparations for what lay ahead

Eventually, the afternoon gave way to evening,of a clock fro himself with a filery fro-hts focused on what Katrina was planning to do next To his aggravation, the three vampires overtly left him out of those conversations The event led to another brief, heated exchange with Katrina earlier that day after his lunch chat with Alton, resulting in his current sulk in the theater roo rooe issued froht

He stopped the movie and proceeded down the hallway to the front of the house

"You rang?" he quipped froestured towards the couch He plopped down and stared inquisitively at Alton, who sat in a high-backed reading chair with one leg crossed over his knee

Alton steepled the fingertips of opposing hands against each other while gazing at Caleb with an introspective expression "How to begin," henot to feel unnerved by the sober-looking vampire&039;s close inspection of him

"You&039;re an unusual selection for Katrina," Alton co more to himself than Caleb

"How so?" Caleb asked as his eyes darted to the vampire&039;s

The corner of one side of Alton&039;s htly in a wan smile "She was surprised by her attraction to you, actually," the va with a raised eyebrow, "But then, thewas rather unusual, so she had ued with you at another level"

Confusion immediately spread across Caleb&039;s features as his ue co through a college class so unusual? He was likewise jealous of Alton&039;s e of Katrina

"Typically, Katrina has selectedher own disposition," Alton observed with a distant expression, as if recalling events long since past "But they were inevitably a poor fit for one reason or another," the vampire continued before Caleb could inquire further "They challenged her authority or tried endas"

"Katrina mentioned that eventually she killed the her brief revelation

Alton&039;s eyebrow rose "That&039;s true in all but one case"

Of course, the suicide Caleb remembered what Alondra, or rather Chimalma had said about that, as well "Katrina&039;s had rotten luck picking ain, I&039;ve had rotten luck picking girlfriends in the past, he considered Katrina broke that streak for h lately our relationship see under unique circumstances, perhaps even for a vampire

Alton frowned as he watched e man&039;s face "Granted, her suitors were ill-fated Yet her past selections were based upon understandable criteria for a vampire: blood, sexuality, wealth, influence, and power These were all qualities that brought so to the table that she either craved or needed for her own agenda Quite sirew troubled while considering those criteria, realizing thata very humble lifestyle financially and had no i to the table He certainly wielded no power as a faculty e However, he had blood to offer and felt that he was a good sexual partner to Katrina At least, he thought so

Alton seemed almost amused by Caleb&039;s introspectiveman&039;s eyes darted back to the vampire

"It&039;s possible that you&039;re a better fit for her," Alton offered with a hint of encourage a more peaceful, sincere element into the mix You&039;re a new dynamic for her, Caleb"

Caleb&039;s facial expression became more hopeful

Katrina&039;s icy voice suddenly announced, "New dynamic? Not entirely true My human husband was similar to Caleb"

Caleb&039;s eyes darted to the rooainst one side of the door fra particularly displeased However, Alton failed to seeed her with a partial wave of one hand

"Alton," Katrina warned "I don&039;t appreciate you airing my past so openly without my consultation" Please don&039;t push my life story on him before I&039;," Alton replied crisply "Itbetween the two of you recently"

"There hasn&039;t exactly been time," she retorted with annoyance

"You should&039;ve made time That is, if you want someone left to care if you return home or not," Alton retorted with a e with so that i to the surface

"And why are you suddenly so interested?" she demanded hotly "You&039;ve never bothered before" Where were your concerns years ago when all the other e of me? she fu in et involved?

"This one&039;s different He actually makes you happy," Alton noted pointedly "And you haven&039;t experienced happiness in some time, I recall"

"I&039;ll thank you not to play matchmaker in my mate selections," she admonished

"Oh, I don&039;t knohy I bother," he noted while throwing his hands in the air

Katrina&039;s expression softened somewhat, and she took a deep breath She appeared by Alton&039;s chair in a blur to lay a hand across one of his shoulders "Because you care," she offered with resignation "And I appreciate your efforts" It&039;s hard to hold a grudge against you, dear friend, she conceded Good friends are hard to come by for a vampire

Alton smiled and reached back to pat her hand with his own

Caleb relaxed as he s were beginning toman has promise," Alton noted, as if he weren&039;t in the rooe of the couch next to Caleb and wrapped her arm around his shoulders affectionately "I know," she said while sht I love hilanced at his atch "Ti to have him, you need to make haste"

Have him? Caleb wondered

Katrina noted his confused look and leaned over to whisper in his ear, "I want you now"

Caleb&039;s eyes darted to hers, focusing on the sly sreen eyes that he loved so ry withsince their er between us," she quietly replied Soon, they would be engaged in a venture fros went badly

Caleb sed hard, and his eyes darted to see Alton staring at them with an amused expression His eyes darted back to Katrina in ti before his He felt her soft lips touch lightly upon his own

He pulled away froazed back at hi away froan to froith a degree of uncertainty Where are you going? she wondered

"If you can catchout of the room and up the stairs to the upper level of the house with all of his speed

Alton laughed in the background as Caleb was ale yelled from somewhere nearby

Caleb felt an arm around his waist, which spun him around as he was propelled up the stairs in a blur The breath was nearly taken frouest bedrooainst his in a war away He stared up at her slightly glowing green eyes and grinned

"Caught you You&039;re mine," she whispered slyly

"Well, a deal&039;s a deal," he ainst the soft skin of his neck What he really wanted to say was, I&039;lad that I&039; his taste and scent

He felt her war of a nuhtly for easier access, he felt Katrina&039;s fangs extend to his skin

The bedrooently closed behind theot to close the door behind the down the staircase to the first floor

The time with Katrina passed quickly for Caleb Oneeach other, and then it was the nextto his watch He was even httio It was , and he ith a start as Katrina pulled away froether in bed

Caleb&039;s hand darted out at her froed to catch her ar faster," she noted slyly

"Don&039;t go yet," he pleaded in a sleepy voice

She sighed and leaned over to kiss hiot to shower, and then it&039;s tiuest bed and into the nearby bathroom

He watched her beautiful, pale-skinned body depart andpacking Caleb began packing things too and was surprised that nobody was trying to stop hiain, the clock seeain But unlike the earlier part of the day, there was a palpable tension in the air It was nearly tie near the front entry area, while Caleb brought his suitcase to the sitting room immediately adjacent to the front door

Both Alton and Katrina were dressed in business casual attire, and each wore sober expressions Caleb looked down at his blue jeans and blue deni clothes However, he was afraid that if he left the roos would proceed without hie stood nearby in a pair of black jeans and a red turtleneck sweater While her face was neutral, she was nervously nibbling at the tip of one fingernail

Caleb stood defiantly before Katrina, squaring his shoulders, and staring up into her green eyes One corner of her h her eyes were steeled with deter here," she said flatly before he could say anything

"You&039;re not leaving me behind," he insisted with narrowed eyes "I&039;ll only end up following you once you&039;ve left"

Her eyes flashed green for only ato their normal state She took in his defiant stance, as if ready to take on all three vale-handedly Her eyes played across the detere of ad moment, Caleb reo All of the qualities were there: a gentle nature, caring and coent, and utterly handsome

A satisfied expression played across her face, and Caleb froith ain

Alton watched with a see appeared somewhat sad They both knew that his battle was lost before he ever fought it

"That&039;s why Paige is staying behind with you," Katrina issued plainly "She will keep you here and keep you safe"

"Operation Babysitter ready for action," Paige offered with a playful grin

A split-second look of surprise crossed Caleb&039;s face He froith confusion, unaware that all three vaether And it was then he belatedly realized that Paige didn&039;t have any luggage prepared He exchanged quick glances between Paige and Katrina "Babysitter? No, you need all of us for this You can&039;t afford to leave anybody behind"

"Katrina and I can handle this," Alton reassured in a steady, convincing tone of voice "We&039;re well suited for this task"

Caleb&039;s pale blue eyes were iain, but Katrina had noticed his flash of confusion froe offered with a hopeful expression "We can watch movies, play some chess, and ether!"

Caleb just looked at Paige as if she weren&039;t in her rightto be distracted by the short, blonde-haired vampire, he shook his head and returned his co with you," he issued slowly and deliberately in a steady, confident voice as he folded his arms before hie of adoration flow through her "I love you too much to let that happen," she whispered

His eyes widened slightly as she wrapped her right arrasp the base of his neck She pulled hian to kiss hierly returned it He felt the breath practically being drawn fros as her lips locked onto his , his hands hastily tried to push her away, but she held hirip, drew a frantic breath in through his nose, and tried to break the seal of their kiss She pinched his nose closed between her fingers whilea sharp intake of breath over his mouth, and within seconds it was all over His body went liathered hiently on the nearby couch It pained her to have to do that to hiered by acco them Perhaps someday he&039;ll understand, she hoped silently

She took a moment to take in Caleb&039;s peaceful features as he lay unconscious on the couch "Take good care of hiers affectionately caressed the side of his face

"You knoill," Paige pro to be upset when he rouses," Katrina warned "So, please don&039;t hurt hiood babysitter, and I&039;arded her with a slightly amused expression and ht-hearted a personality the vae&039;s difficult beginnings as a vaetic quality about her It was one of the reasons that Katrinaafter her turning She se and bent down to kiss Caleb on the forehead

"It&039;s tio," Alton offered with a hand on Katrina&039;s shoulder

Katrina nodded, and they turned to depart