Kaige held onto her tightly. After what had happened earlier, having Savanna safe in his arms meant everything to him, and he promised himself that he would do whatever it took to keep her that way.
They slept late the next morning. Of course, that was probably because she and Kaige hadn't even gotten to the winery until four o'clock in the morning. Savanna had to admit that the lovemaking session in the shower also had a lot to do with how tired they were. Not that she was complaining. Having Kaige take her from behind, while warm water had poured over their naked bodies, had definitely been an incredible experience. It had been the perfect way to make her feel safe after an otherwise scary night.
She and Kaige were just finishing breakfast when Jensen walked into the dining room. He looked like he hadn't slept at all.
"I won't sugarcoat it. This whole thing is much worse than we thought," Jensen said as he sipped the coffee Mortimer had poured for him. "First, the bad news. We confirmed what we already knew from the face-recognition software. That dead vampire in your entryway is nowhere in the Counsel database. Worse, whoever sired him also isn't in the database. Which is really hard to believe since the genetic markers indicate that the sire is a male who is probably seven- or eight-hundred-years old."
"Shit," Kaige swore.
"What is it?" Savanna asked.
Kaige's mouth tightened. "For a vampire that old to not be in the Counsel's database means he's gone to great lengths to avoid detection. The only reason to do that is if you're up to something really bad." He turned his attention back to Jensen. "Okay, so what's the good news?"
Jensen lifted a brow as he picked up his coffee mug again. "Did I imply there was any? There isn't. Only bad and worse." He took a swallow of coffee before setting the mug back down on the table. "Last night, seven humans were attacked by vampires at the same exact time in different parts of San Francisco. All the victims had their throats savagely torn out. Four of them are dead, and the other three are in critical condition. There's no proof yet, but it seems pretty obvious the same clan that went after you is behind this. Which seems to indicate that there are a lot more of them than we thought. As you can guess, the press is having an absolute field day."
An image of her own attack flashed into Savanna's mind, and she unconsciously reached up to finger the faint scars on her neck.
"What are the cops saying?" Kaige asked.
Jensen shrugged. "Fortunately, the police seem to think that it was related to some type of gang initiation. They don't have any other way to explain why someone would brutally rip out another person's throat like that. They're focusing their investigation on three different major gangs, so that should keep them busy, and hopefully, give us time to track down these rogue vampires."
"Unless more bodies start showing up," Kaige said grimly.
Savanna couldn't suppress a shiver. "I don't understand," she said. "Why would they go out and attack all those people?"
"There could be only one reason. They're trying to get themselves noticed," Kaige said.
"Well, they've certainly done that. This has gotten the Counsel's full attention," Jensen said. "They're coming here to deal with this personally."
Kaige lifted a brow. "All of them?"
The blond-haired vampire nodded. "So, you two better enjoy the place while you have it to yourselves. By tonight, this whole house is going to be packed. Not just with the Counsel members themselves, but with all of the security operatives they'll be bringing." He glanced at his watch. "In fact, I need to get going. I've got a ton of stuff to do before they get here."
Savanna and Kaige walked Jensen out. After he'd left, she looked at Kaige. "I feel awful about those poor people who got attacked."
He reached out to gently brush her hair back. "I know. Me, too."
"I hope the Counsel catches these horrible vampires soon, before they can do this to anyone else," she said.
Kaige pulled her into his arms for a hug. "They will. I promise."
The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted them, and Savanna and Kaige both turned to see Mortimer standing in the entryway.
"Forgive me," the elderly-looking vampire said, giving them an apologetic look. "I didn't mean to intrude. I overheard Mr. Flynn saying something before he left about you enjoying the place while you have it to yourselves. Is there anything in particular you would like to do?"
Savanna's brow furrowed. She wasn't quite sure what he meant. "What kind of things do you have here?" she asked. "I thought this was just a house where they held meetings."
The butler smiled. "Actually, it's much more than that. Many of the Counsel members and the local senior administrators come here to relax. Our villa is completely outfitted for that purpose. We have horses for riding, tennis, indoor putting greens, a fitness center with a Jacuzzi and sauna, a well-stocked library, and of course, a swimming pool."
Savanna looked at him in surprise. "A swimming pool? Outside?"
"It's an indoor pool, actually," Mortimer explained. "But the windows have all been treated with the same Low-E coating as the rest of the house, so there's no need to worry about the sun if you and Mr. Travers would like to go swimming."
She sighed. She definitely needed something to get the thought of all those other people being hurt out of her mind. Hanging out by the pool sounded like the perfect way to do that. If only she'd thought to bring her bikini. "I would love to," she told the butler, "but I'm afraid we didn't bring any swimsuits."
Of course, if it were just her and Kaige, she wouldn't mind going skinny dipping, but besides the kindly butler, there were also the guards and several maids, as well as the cook to consider. She wasn't nearly that bold.
Mortimer merely smiled, though. "Not to worry," he said. "The Counsel always keeps swimsuits and such on hand, should any of our visitors need them. Everything is completely new, of course, if you would like to make use of it."
Savanna looked at Kaige, who nodded his head.
"Why not?" he said, and then added more softly, "I can't think of a better way to spend the day than watching you prance around in a skimpy bikini."
She blushed at his words. Her color only deepened when she realized that the butler's excellent vamp hearing had picked up everything Kaige had said. At least Mortimer didn't let on that he'd heard.
Savanna had expected the selection of swimsuits to be rather limited in both sizes and styles, but she was surprised to find that wasn't the case at all. They had one whole walk-in closet full of nothing but bikinis and swim trunks. Picking out a cute flower-print bikini and matching sarong in her size, she went into the bathroom to slip into it while Kaige changed in the bedroom. She gazed at her reflection in the mirror and thought she looked pretty hot. She hoped Kaige thought the same.
From the way his dark eyes hungrily caressed her half-naked body when she walked into the bedroom a few minutes later, it was apparent he did. He looked pretty tempting himself, she thought, though the simple, dark blue trunks he wore had nothing to do with that.
The back patio was completely enclosed in glass, making it seem like one huge sunroom, and right in the middle of it was a beautiful swimming pool. With all of the glass around it, she would have thought it would be really hot, but it was surprisingly cool. She assumed that must be a side benefit of the Low-E coating.
Savanna looked around the patio. There were tables and chairs gathered around a fully stocked bar, a large outdoor kitchen, and of course several lounge chairs. She picked one at random and lay back on it with a glass of iced tea in her hand. With the smell of chlorine in the air and the soft cushions under her, it was not hard to imagine that she was at some fancy island resort.
She let out a sigh. "I could definitely get used to this."
Kaige chuckled. He was stretched out on the lounge chair beside her, his swim trunks riding low on his hips. "One of the perks of being on the Counsel, I suppose," he said.
Savanna turned her head to look at him. "Do they have houses like this near every major city?"
"Probably not every city, just where there's a main administrative office. I'd guess there's something like this in LA and San Diego, too."
She sipped her tea. "Have you ever served on the Counsel?"
"Me?" His mouth quirked. "No. Can't say that I've ever had the urge."
Her brow furrowed. "Really? Why not? I would have thought that with your relationship with Jensen, you'd be involved in all kinds of administrative stuff."
He shrugged. "I don't know. I've never really gotten involved in the vampire community. I've always considered myself kind of an outsider, I guess."
Her frown deepened. "Why's that?"
Kaige hesitated for a moment before answering. "I think I told you before. I didn't really handle becoming a vampire all that well. I'd always been sort of a glass-half-empty type of guy and I tended to focus a little too much on the negative aspects of being a vampire. That made me stand out from the rest of the community."
Savanna looked at him incredulously, then laughed. "I can't believe you're serious. What negative aspects? Sure, you can't be a professional beach volleyball player, but in return you get to live for centuries. I think that's a pretty good trade-off."
He chuckled. "When you put it that way, I guess I'd have to agree. Maybe I just needed someone like you to point it out to me."
Savanna grinned. "Good thing I came along, then," she said, leaning over to kiss him.
They kissed like that for a while before deciding to try out the pool. The water was absolutely perfect and Savanna could have stayed in it all day, especially considering how hot Kaige looked with his wet swim trunks molding to his skin.
As they relaxed on the lounge chairs after their swim, Savanna had to control herself to keep from reaching out and running her hands up and down his wet body. It was then that she discovered the unintended consequence of the Low-E coating on the glass. The patio wasn't nearly as warm as it should have been. Now that they were wet, she was actually starting to feel a little cold.
"You're shivering," Kaige noticed. "Do you want to go back inside?"
She shook her head. "No, I'm having too much fun. I'm just a little chilly from being wet."
"Well, I know a way we can warm you up," Kaige said, giving her a grin.
She lifted a brow in surprise. "Right here? What if someone comes out?"
He chuckled. "While that sounds like fun, that's not what I was talking about. I meant that we could go in the sauna."
Savanna blushed. "Oh! That's what you meant." She smiled. "Sure, I'd love to."
She had to admit she was eager to try out the sauna. She'd never been in one before and she was curious to see what it was like.
The sauna was right off the patio, so it wasn't hard to find.
Savanna gave Kaige a sexy smile over her shoulder as they walked into the outer room. "So, what does one wear in a sauna?"
"A towel, usually," he said, then grinned. "Though if you wanted to go naked, that'd be just fine with me."
She laughed. "I'm sure. But what if someone decides to walk in on us, like the butler or one of the maids?"
"They're too discreet for that," Kaige said.
He was most likely right, Savanna thought, but decided they should probably go with the towel just to be on the safe side. Turning her back to Kaige, she undid the ties of her bikini top and dropped it on the bench seat before wiggling out of the bottoms. Deliberately keeping her back to him, she took a towel from one of the built-in shelves and wrapped it around herself. She tucked in the end, and then turned around to see that Kaige was wearing a towel around his hips. Regardless of the fact that he'd spent the past two hours in a pair of swim trunks, she still caught her breath. There was just something so sexy about a guy in a towel. Especially when the guy looked as good in one as Kaige did. He looked yummy enough to eat.
While the heat of the sauna warmed her body, seeing Kaige's muscles glistening with a light sheen of sweat was doing exactly the same thing for her sex drive. It was all she could do not to yank off that towel of his and climb on top of him.
Unable to control herself any longer, Savanna leaned over and, kissing the side of his neck, ran her hand up his bare thigh and underneath the towel.
Kaige sucked in a breath as her hand moved higher. "What about someone walking in on us?" he asked, his deep voice husky.
Savanna lifted her head to give him a sexy look. "Like you said; they're too discreet for that."
Chuckling softly, he slid his hand in her hair and covered her mouth with his. As his tongue tangled with hers, he ran his other hand up to tug at the corner of the towel she had tucked in. It came away easily at his touch, leavingher completely naked, and his hand roamed over her body eagerly.
With a groan, Kaige tore his mouth from hers to trail kisses along the curve of her jaw. Savanna arched against him, tilting her head to the side to give him better access to her neck. He took advantage of what she offered, nibbling his way down the smooth skin, lightly nipping her with his fangs. God, that made her so hot! Within seconds, she went from slightly aroused to burning hot. Oh, the hell with it. She had to have him. Right here, right now.
Sliding off the redwood bench, Savanna dropped to her knees in front of him. Looking up at him from beneath lowered lashes, she reached out and slowly undid the towel around his waist. Free of its confines, his thick, hard cock stood at attention. Kaige leaned back, spreading his muscular legs even further. The way he looked at her with those smoldering eyes made her want to please him more than she had any man before.
Wrapping her hand around the base of his thick shaft, Savanna bent and slowly ran her tongue up the length of it and over the head, licking the glistening droplet of pre-cum there. She moaned, savoring the taste of it on her tongue for a moment before lowering her head to take him completely in her mouth.
Kaige slid one hand in her hair, gently guiding her up and down. Too nervous to actually bite him, she teased him with her fangs, lightly running the tips along his shaft. But what she was doing seemed to drive him crazy all the same. So, she kept it up, first taking him deep in her throat, then licking on just the head. She put her fangs to good use, too, grazing them over the sensitive skin at the top of his cock, while her hands pumped up and down on his shaft. Every time she thought he was getting close, she would back off then take him deep in her throat again.
She was just getting ready to push him completely over the edge when his hand tightened in her hair. She lifted her head to look up at him questioningly.
"I'm close," he said hoarsely. "And I want to be inside you when I come."
Savanna's pussy spasmed at his words. She'd really wanted to make him come with her mouth, but at the urgency in his voice, she decided that particular pleasure would have to wait. If he wanted to come inside her pussy, then she was definitely okay with that. Giving his cock one more swipe with her tongue, she got to her feet and straddled his lap, one knee on either side of his well-muscled thighs.
Kaige put his hands on her hips, guiding her into position as she lowered herself down onto his hard cock. She let out a soft moan of pleasure as he filled her pussy completely.
"Ride me, baby," Kaige said softly.
Savanna obeyed his command, holding onto his shoulders as she moved up and down on his shaft ever so slowly. Lowering her head, she pressed a kiss to the side of his neck. She could feel his pulse beating strong and steady beneath her lips and she let out another moan. The urge to sink her fangs into Kaige's neck was so strong that it almost made her dizzy.
With a groan, she pulled away to look down at him. "I want to bite you so badly," she whispered raggedly, still moving on his cock.
His eyes glinted in the light. "Then do it. I trust you."
When she made no reply, Kaige tilted his head to the side as if offering himself to her. Savanna stared at the pulse beating at his throat, her own going wild. She ran her tongue over her teeth. What if she did it wrong? What if she liked it so much that she couldn't stop?
But the desire to taste his blood outweighed any nervousness she had and she found herself lowering her head. Gripping his shoulders, she gently sank her fangs into his neck.
Kaige groaned, but Savanna was barely aware of the sound as his sweet blood flowed into her mouth. With a moan, she began to move her hips faster. She'd never felt anything so amazing. She could actually feel his orgasm building within him and knew that he was going to explode at any second.
Kaige tightened his grip on her hips and began to thrust more fiercely. She felt the orgasm as it burst through him and even though she hadn't thought she was close to coming herself, her own climax exploded inside of her the moment she felt him come. Her orgasm felt wonderful, earth shattering even, but it was nothing compared to the ecstasy of experiencing his and knowing that she was responsible for giving him that much pleasure.
She didn't let go of his neck until they were both completely spent. Only then did she very carefully slide her fangs from his skin. She licked the small puncture wounds just like Kaige had done to her and noticed that they immediately stopped bleeding.
Savanna snuggled close to his chest, loving the feel of his cock deep inside of her.
"God, you're perfect," Kaige breathed, tilting her chin up to kiss her gently on the mouth. "I can't ever imagine being with anyone else."
At his words, Savanna felt something take hold of her heart and squeeze. She didn't know what it was, but she knew that she liked it.
He brushed her hair back from her face. "So, do you want to go back out to the pool again?"
Her lips curved into a smile as she looked at the tiny bite marks on his neck. "I think I'd rather go up to the bedroom," she said, lifting her eyes to his. "This whole biting-thing has given me an idea. I've decided there's one other place I'd like to bite you."
Kaige lifted a brow. "Just one?"
Savanna gave him a flirtatious smile. "Okay, maybe more than one. If that's all right with you."
He chuckled. "Lead the way."
They didn't bother to do more than hastily wrap the towels around themselves before they raced for the stairs at a run.
Chapter 10.