Savanna swallowed hard. It didn't look like a scratch to her. Neither did all the gashes on his chest and arms.
"What about the others?" she asked, her gaze going to the entryway beyond the kitchen.
But even as she said the words, she saw the body sprawled on the tile floor. A piece of wood, similar to the kind Kaige had thrown at the other intruder, stuck out from the vampire's chest. Blood stained the front of his shirt and there was more on the floor around him. A lot more. There was no sign of the second vamp that Kaige had been fighting. Against her will, her gaze was drawn to the ever expanding pool of blood on the floor.
"Is he..." she began, the words trailing off.
Kaige put his arms around her again. "Yes."
She lifted her head to look up at him, her brow furrowed in confusion. "He's a vampire, right?"
Kaige's mouth tightened. "He was."
Her gaze went to the body on the floor again. "How come he didn't...you know...go poof...or something?"
"Because that only happens in the movies," Kaige said. There was no trace of teasing in his voice this time.
From where Savanna stood, she tried to see more of the entryway. "Where's the other one?"
"He took off when his friend went down," Kaige said. "I'm not sure, but I got the idea that they both thought they were invincible. When I killed the first one, the other vampire apparently thought better of continuing the fight."
She sighed with relief. She was just so glad that Kaige was okay.
Kaige cupped her cheek, his gaze searching her face. "The vampire who dragged you into the kitchen was the same one who attacked you outside the club, wasn't he?"
She nodded. "But how did he find me?"
Kaige shook his head, his mouth tightening. "I don't know," he said grimly. "I don't know what the hell he wanted with you, either."
Savanna shivered as she remembered what the other vampire had said as he'd tried to drag her out of the house. "He told me that I'd been claimed. What did he mean by that?"
Kaige's brow furrowed. "I have no idea." He brushed her hair back, his dark eyes intent. "But he's not going to get near you again, sweetheart. I promise."
She nodded. His words made her feel warm inside, like when she was with him nothing could hurt her. "What about him?" she asked, her gaze going to the dead vampire on the floor of the entryway again. "Since he's a vampire, we can't call the police, can we?"
Kaige shook his head. "No. I'll call Jensen. He'll know what to do." * * * * Jensen arrived thirty minutes later, along with two other vampires: a slender blonde female and a tall, curly-haired male. He introduced them as Hildi Richards and Andrew Blanton. Kaige had never met either of them before, but it was clear from the equipment they carried, and the way they began checking out the house, that the two vampires were security operatives who worked for the Counsel. They were the closest thing to cops in the vampire community, but they also served as a clean-up crew of sorts. They investigated serious violations of Counsel rules, as well as made sure no incriminating evidence was ever discovered that could cause problems for the vampire community.
As Hildi and Andrew began to check the place out, Kaige and Savanna went into the kitchen to give Jensen the rundown on what had happened.
"You're sure he said you'd been claimed?" Jensen asked when Savanna told him what the other vampire had said as he'd tried to drag her out of the house.
She nodded. "Yes. Do you know what he meant by that?"
Jensen shook his head. "No," he admitted. "But if he went to all this trouble to grab you, then he's probably going to try it again."
Savanna shivered at that, and Kaige tightened his arm around her waist, pulling her close.
"I don't think he wanted me for himself," she said quietly. "Though he didn't mention another vampire by name, he implied that he was here on someone else's orders."
Kaige frowned. "I don't like the sound of that."
"Neither do I," Jensen agreed.
"Do you think he was referring to the vampire who sired him?" Kaige asked.
"It's likely," Jensen said.
Hildi walked into the kitchen just then, a laptop in her hands, which she set down on the counter. "I ran the dead vamp's pic through our face-recognition software and he's nowhere in the system," she said.
"Damn," Jensen muttered. He glanced at Savanna. "You're sure you've never seen him before? He wasn't at the Goth club that night with the other vampire?"
Savanna started to shake her head as she gazed at the picture on Hildi's computer, but then her brow furrowed. "Wait a minute! I have seen him before. Two nights ago, he was outside the medical lab where I work."
Kaige looked at her in surprise. "What? Why didn't you mention it?"
She gave him a sheepish look. "I didn't think it was anything, just some guy standing across the street. He was there one minute, and gone the next."
"It doesn't matter now," Jensen said before Kaige could reply. "You two can't stay here while we figure out who these rogue vampires are and what they want. Why don't you come and stay with Kira and me?"
Kaige's mouth tightened. He would rather have hung around his condo and waited for the rogue vampires to come back, but it was more important to keep Savanna safe. He didn't like the idea of going to Jensen's place, though.
"I appreciate the offer," he said. "But I don't want to put you and Kira at risk. If these guys found us here, then they could track us to your place, too. We're going to need to go somewhere else."
Jensen thought a moment. "You're probably right," he agreed. "I have a better idea. The Counsel has a house up in Sonoma. No one but senior administrators know where it is and there are guards on it 24/7."
That sounded like a much better idea to Kaige. "What are you going to be doing?" he asked Jensen.
His friend sighed. "Getting this place cleaned up for starters," he said. "Hildi will take a sample of the dead vampire's blood and compare it against the DNA registry we have. It shouldn't be too hard to figure out who sired these bastards. That should give us a good lead on how to find them."
Chapter 9.
Leaving Jensen downstairs with the other two vampires, Kaige and Savanna went upstairs to change and pack. Since most of her stuff was still in the suitcase she'd brought from her apartment, and he didn't need very much, it didn't take either of them very long to get ready.
When they went back downstairs a few minutes later, Hildi was taking a blood sample from the dead vampire, while Andrew was soaking up the mess on the floor with absorbent pads. Kaige saw Savanna avert her gaze as they edged around the body and into the kitchen.
Jensen was on his cell phone when they walked in. Glancing at them, the blond-haired vampire told whoever was on the other end of the line that he would call them back and hung up.
"Everything's all set up at the house in Sonoma," he said, handing Kaige a piece of paper with the directions on how to get there. "The guards are expecting you, so getting in won't be a problem, but make sure you're not followed as you leave the city. I'll call you the moment I find out anything here."
Ten minutes later, Kaige and Savanna were heading for the Golden Gate Bridge in his SUV. He glanced in the rearview mirror several times to make sure they weren't being followed before finally looking over at Savanna. She was staring out the side window, her hands clasped tightly in her lap.
"Hey," he said softly. "You okay?"
She turned her head to look at him. "I can't stop thinking about what happened tonight."
Kaige reached across the console to take one of her hands in his. "It's okay," he said gently. "You're safe now. They won't be able to find us."
Savanna swallowed hard. "I know. It's just that I keep seeing you fighting with those two vampires. When you went over that railing, I thought you..." She stopped, her voice trailing off.
He squeezed her hand. "I know," he said. "But I had to get them away from you. Though that didn't work out so well since you came running down the stairs. I really wish you would have stayed upstairs where you were safe. I know you wanted to help, but you could have gotten hurt by putting yourself in the middle of the fight like that."
In the darkness, he saw her cheeks color at his gentle scolding. "I couldn't just stand there and watch while you fought both of them," she protested quietly. "I had to try and help. I was afraid for you. I didn't want you to get hurt."
Kaige rubbed his thumb back and forth soothingly over her hand. "I was afraid for you, too."
Terrified had been more like it. The image of that vampire advancing on her in the kitchen, with his teeth bared and undisguised hatred in his eyes, would be etched in Kaige's mind forever. If he hadn't run into the kitchen when he did...God, he didn't even want to think about it.
He gave her hand another squeeze. "We're safe now. That's what matters."
Savanna nodded, but said nothing.
Kaige glanced in the rearview mirror again. Despite the late hour, there were still a lot of cars on the road, but traffic gradually began to thin out on the other side of the bridge. He pulled a couple of U-turns, checking to see if anyone was behind them, but it seemed to be clear. Even so, he still checked frequently on the way up to Sonoma.
He was glad for the directions Jensen had given him. The house the Counsel owned was tucked deep in the middle of wine country and he would never have stumbled across it without them.
As Jensen had promised, the guards were expecting them. After checking Kaige's identification, the male vampire waved them through the gate, telling them to follow the main road up to the house. While no longer a working vineyard, Kaige could see why the Counsel had purchased the property. With its huge two-story house and guest cottage, it was an ideal place for them to meet when they came to the west coast.
"It's beautiful up here," Savanna said as they drove along the winding road.
Kaige silently agreed. In all the years he'd lived in San Francisco, he'd never been to Sonoma, but it was gorgeous country.
When they pulled up in front of the house, Kaige was surprised to see a male vampire waiting for them. Dressed in a three-piece suit, with gray hair and a kindly face, he looked like he was in his mid-seventies, though how old he was in vampire years was anyone's guess.
He gave them a smile. "Mr. Travers. Ms. Royce. Please come in."
Kaige put his hand on the small of Savanna's back, urging her into the entryway. If the house was impressive from the outside, that was nothing compared to the inside. There was marble and highly-polished wood everywhere. The decor screamed opulent elegance right down to the antique brass doorknobs.
"I'm Mortimer, the butler here," the vampire said in an English accent as he closed the door behind them. "Mr. Flynn told me of your situation. It sounds as if you've had a long night. If you'll follow me, I'll show you to your room. I'm sure you're tired."
Giving them a nod, he led the way up a sweeping set of stairs to a room at the far end of the hall. "I hope this will be to your liking," he said.
Kaige returned the other vampire's smile. "It's fine, thank you."
The butler nodded. "May I bring you something to eat? And some blood perhaps?"
After the fight earlier, Kaige could use both. He glanced at Savanna, who nodded.
"That would be great, thanks," Kaige told the butler.
Mortimer nodded. "And do you and Ms. Royce prefer your blood heated or over ice?"
"Heated please," Kaige said.
The gray-haired vampire inclined his head. "Very good."
As Mortimer closed the door behind him, Kaige turned to find a small smile curving Savanna's lips.
"Do you think he's always so formal?" she asked.
Kaige's mouth quirked. "I think it probably comes with the job description."
She walked over to the adjoining bathroom to look inside, then glanced at Kaige over her shoulder. "Do you think we'd have time for a shower before he comes back with the food?"
"Probably," Kaige said. He was sure that Mortimer would just leave the food in the bedroom if he thought they were otherwise occupied.
"Coming?" she asked, looking at him over her shoulder as she wiggled out of her jeans and stepped into the glass-enclosed shower.
Kaige stifled a groan. Even with everything that had happened that night, his body responded the moment he saw her naked. But he doubted Savanna would be in the mood to make love, so his cock was just going to have to behave. When he stepped into the shower, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She snuggled up against him for a few moments, but then surprised him by putting her arms around his neck and kissing him long and passionately on the mouth. Apparently, she needed comfort of another sort.
A moment later, she pulled back to look up at him from beneath lowered lashes. "Wash my back?" she asked.
Savanna didn't wait for an answer, but pushed the soap into his hand and turned her back to him.
His mouth curving in a small smile, Kaige lathered the bar between his hands. When he had enough, he set it down and slowly ran his soapy hands up her slender arms.
"Mmm," she breathed as he gently massaged her shoulders. "That feels good.
Beneath his fingers, her muscles were tight and he began to rub more firmly. The move elicited another moan from Savanna.
Kaige slowly moved lower, his thumbs making little circular motions as he did so. When he came to the silhouette of a bat that she had tattooed on her lower back, he stopped to massage there. The tattoo looked so cute that he just had to smile. He made a mental note to remember to ask her later when she'd gotten that. But right now, there were other things to focus on.
Savanna put her hands on the wall and arched her body. The position pushed her gorgeous ass out invitingly and he couldn't help but run his hands over her cheeks. They were so firm and delectable that it was all he could do not to kneel down and take a little nibble.
Resisting the urge, he instead let his hands roam around to the front, cupping her breasts. He took her nipples between his fingers, teasing them to a pebble hardness. She moaned, pushing her ass back to slowly grind against his hard cock. The feel of her wet, slippery asscheeks made his shaft throb, and it once again took every bit of self-control to not enter her immediately.
Instead, he slid one hand down her taut tummy to the curls at the juncture of her thighs. Finding her clit, he began to make slow circles round and around the little nub. Savanna moaned and let her head fall back onto his shoulder. She moved her hips in time with his fingers, continuing to grind against him.
Once he had her panting, he slipped his finger inside her pussy. She was already wet and ready for him.
Unable to wait any longer, he withdrew his finger out of her wetness and positioned the head of his cock at the opening of her pussy. Pressing his mouth to the curve of her neck, Kaige slowly slid into her and began to thrust gently.
The water from the showerhead poured over their joined bodies as he ran his hands all over her curves, teasing, touching, and pleasing her. Savanna pressed her hands against the tiled walls and let out one, long continuous moan as she pushed back against him.
"Harder," she breathed. "Fuck me harder!"
Kaige slid his hands down to grip her hips and gave her exactly what she needed. He pumped into her pussy fiercely, pulling her back against him so that his cock was buried deeply inside her with every thrust.
Savanna's moans quickly turned into cries of ecstasy. That only spurred him on and he pushed into her harder and harder. He held back until he felt her pussy spasm tightly around his cock. Only then did he let himself go. Groaning, he poured his hot cum into her as her screams echoed off the tiled walls of the shower.
Even after both of their orgasms had subsided, Kaige held her close, his cock still inside her. He would have been content to stay there all night, but he and Savanna could both use some sleep. He reluctantly eased out of her and taking one of the towels off the rack wrapped her in it as he pulled her close for a kiss.
When they walked into the bedroom later, it was to find a tray of sandwiches, two glasses of iced tea, and a carafe of blood, along with two mugs. They ate in bed, Savanna sitting cross-legged while he leaned back against the headboard. When they had finished, they curled up with each other beneath the blanket.