Kaige's mouth quirked at the memory. "Okay, so maybe that was a little extreme," he admitted. "But I thought I was some kind of monster with no soul."
Of course, if he'd been thinking clearly at the time, he probably would have realized he wasn't a demon when he hadn't burst into flames the moment he stepped inside the church.
"Then there was that drinking binge you went on. I had to track you down at a different pub every night for a month and drag your sorry ass out before the sun came up," his friend continued. "And if you'll remember, you didn't handle your first feeding too well, either. I practically had to force you to drink from the girl I got for you."
Kaige remembered. How could he forget? The girl's face had haunted him for decades. Even now, more than two-hundred years later, he could still see her long, curly hair and big brown eyes.
Afraid to let Kaige anywhere near alcohol during his bender, Jensen had ventured into the pub alone to find a human girl for him to feed on. Unable to do anything else, he'd been forced to wait in the alley, too weak to do much more than lean back against the wall while his stomach had ached with the need for blood. By the time Jensen had come out with the girl, Kaige had been almost doubled over with pain. Even though the girl had been more than willing to let Kaige feed from her, as many women had been back then, he still hadn't been able to bring himself to bite the girl's neck. So his sire had done it for him, and then physically put his mouth to the girl's neck. Though he'd known Jensen would never have let him take too much blood from the girl, Kaige had been terrified he would kill her. But he hadn't.
After that first time, it had gradually gotten easier to feed on humans. Even so, Kaige would force himself to wait until his body couldn't take it anymore and he had to have blood. Only then did he feed, and only from women who gave it freely. But he'd always taken as little as possible, even if that meant he'd had to feed again even sooner. He had driven Jensen crazy.
"Okay, so maybe I was that bad," Kaige conceded. "But Savanna doesn't seem to be having any problem. As far as I'm concerned, she can feed from my wrist, or any other part of my body for that matter, any time she wants." Even now, just thinking about it had his cock hardening. He'd never met a female like that.
Behind his desk, Jensen arched a brow. "Since when did you become a fan of sharing blood?"
Kaige's mouth twitched. "Since I discovered it could feel so damn good."
"You must have shared blood with other female vampires before."
"Yeah, but this was different. More intense."
"Intense, how?" the other man asked curiously.
Kaige thought a moment. "I'm not really sure how to describe it," he said. "It was like my entire body was on fire. Like every nerve ending was tingling. It was...sexual...but more than that, too."
Jensen chuckled. "I'll be damned. I always thought that was just an old wives' tale."
Kaige's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"There's this urban legend about a perfect connection between two vampires, a blood bond, if you will," his friend explained. "I've never actually met anyone who has experienced it, but I've always heard rumors about it. As I understand it, when two vampires share this bond, they are transported to a place of incredible pleasure whenever they feed from each other. I've always thought it was a crock, but apparently, I was wrong. If the stories are to be believed, then this means that you and Savanna are destined to be together."
Kaige let out a derisive snort. "What? Like soul mates?"
"Is that so crazy?" Jensen asked, leaning back in his chair.
"Hell yeah, it's crazy," Kaige said. "I barely even know Savanna. There's no way we're soul mates. I mean, sure, we click, but soul mates?"
"Doesn't sound that crazy to me. I've certainly never seen you act this way about another female, human or vampire."
Kaige got to his feet and walked over to the window. He stood looking out at the busy street below for a moment then turned to face the other man. "Even if there is this blood bond between us, or whatever you call it, that doesn't make us soul mates," he said. "And it wouldn't matter if it did. I'm not really good with relationships, remember?"
"With human females," Jensen reminded him. "Savanna is a vampire."
Kaige folded his arms and leaned back against the windowsill. "I see your point. But even if we are somehow a perfect match for each other, that doesn't mean we're going to somehow magically fall in love. We just met. We don't need to be putting any carts before any horses." He sighed. "Enough about me and my love life. Let's change the subject. Have you had any luck tracking down the vampire who bit Savanna yet?"
The other man frowned. "Unfortunately, no. It's like he's a ghost. There's no male matching his description in any of the Counsel records. We have operatives from every administrative office as far north as Seattle down to San Diego and even as far east as Denver, and still I haven't heard anything about him."
It was Kaige's turn to frown. "What are you saying? That he's an unregistered vampire?"
Jensen shrugged. "Could be."
"How the hell is that even possible in this day and age?"
"There could be only two reasons," his friend said. "He could have accidentally gotten infected with vampire blood and was turned without anyone knowing. Or his sire purposely didn't register him, either because he didn't care or because he didn't want to."
Kaige considered that for a moment. "So you think his sire could have taught him to feed off humans?"
"Or he's taken it upon himself. Either way, it's a frightening thought," Jensen said. "We haven't had anyone do anything that stupid in a long time."
Stupid because it brought all sorts of unwanted attention to the vampire population. When people were found with puncture wounds in their neck and drained of their blood it usually raised more than a few eyebrows, not to mention a whole hell of a lot of questions.
"Most likely, the bastard is scared shitless and has already headed for the hills with his tail between his legs," Jensen said.
"Probably," Kaige agreed. He hoped so. He didn't like the thought of the rogue vampire luring another unsuspecting girl out into the alley behind some Goth club. He liked the idea of the asshole running across Savanna again even less.
Kaige pushed away from the windowsill. "I'd better get out of here," he told Jensen. "I'm picking Savanna up after her shift and I still have to swing by the university to get some work done myself. Call me if you hear anything about that rogue vampire."
"Will do," the other man said. "And Kaige?"
Kaige paused, his hand on the doorknob.
"Think about what I said. About you and Savanna," the other man said. "An eternity is a long time to spend alone."
"I'm hardly alone," Kaige protested. "I have friends."
"I used to think the same thing before I met Kira," Jensen said, referring to his wife.
As Kaige drove to the university a few minutes later, he replayed the conversation he'd had with his sire over in his head. The idea that he and Savanna had some sort of blood bond was crazy. The notion that she was his soul mate was even more ludicrous. Jensen had way too much time on his hands if he was buying into urban legends now.
Kaige shook his head. Sure, he and Savanna had chemistry together. The sex they'd had earlier proved that. But to think it could ever be any more than that would be the worse kind of wishful thinking. Like he'd told Jensen; he was really crappy at relationships. At least since he'd become a vampire. What was the point in getting involved with a woman when he'd have to hide what he was every day of their life together?
But as his sire had pointed out, Savanna was a vampire, which meant Kaige wouldn't have to hide anything from her. He'd been down that road with other female vampires before, though. And while he wouldn't call what he'd had with any of them a relationship, it was probably the closest he'd come to ever being in one. But in the end, they'd always gone their separate ways.
So what made him think it would be any different with Savanna?
Because maybe this time, he wanted it to be different. Savanna was special, there was no doubt about it. And if there were anyone he could see himself spending his life with, it would be her. Of course, that didn't necessarily mean that Savanna would feel the same.
He shook head, amazed at his own foolishness. Regardless of what Jensen said, it was way too early to be having any of these thoughts. He just needed to take things one step at a time and see where they led.
But even as he told himself that, Kaige found himself looking at his watch to see how many hours it was until he had to pick Savanna up from work.
Savanna decided to wait out on the sidewalk outside the lab, so Kaige wouldn't risk getting a ticket for double-parking. She'd left work a few minutes early, so he hadn't gotten there yet.
As she waited for him to arrive, she let her gaze wander across the street and was surprised to see a man standing there. It was past midnight and it was unusual to see anyone out at all. He was leaning against the wall of a building and even though it was dark, she could see that he was staring at her. Apparently, her night vision was already starting to improve. Savanna's hand tightened around the strap of her shoulder bag nervously. Though there was nothing necessarily menacing about him standing there, for some reason, she still felt uneasy. He just seemed a little creepy.
She was just about to go back inside the lab to wait for Kaige when she saw his SUV coming down the street. She breathed a sigh of relief and hurried out to meet him.
Pulling up to the curb, Kaige got out and walked around to open the door for her. "You weren't waiting long, were you?" he asked, his brow creased with concern.
"Nope. You're right on time," Savanna said with a smile. "I left a little early."
She started to get in the SUV, but then stopped, her gaze going across the street again. The guy who had been standing there was gone.
"What is it?" Kaige asked.
She shook her head. "Nothing."
Chiding herself for being such a scaredy-cat, Savanna put the guy out of her mind as Kaige pulled out onto the street.
"I appreciate you coming to pick me up, but I really could have taken the subway, you know," she said.
"That's silly. I was doing some work at the university anyway." He gave her a sidelong glance, his gaze lingering on her a little longer than it probably should have considering he was driving. "But even if I weren't, I still would have come to pick you up."
The way he said the words made a silly grin spread across her face and Savanna was too caught up with calming the flutter in her tummy to speak for a moment. "So, doesn't campus security ever wonder why you're at the university at all hours of the night," she finally asked.
He chuckled. "They think I have insomnia. And since I teach mostly night classes anyway, that's not difficult to pull off," he said, then added, "When you're a vampire, you have to learn to get really creative."
She laughed. "So I'm finding out."
When they got to his condo, Kaige asked if she wanted something to eat. Savanna eagerly agreed, thinking he meant blood, and was disappointed when he took out a loaf of bread, some peanut butter, and a jar of jelly. As she bit into the sandwich a few minutes later, however, she was surprised to discover she'd been hungry for food after all. The sandwich tasted great, but she discovered she was still hungering for something else. Right then, she wanted nothing more than for Kaige to pull her into his arms and have his way with her. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to be picking up on her silent yearnings, and she wasn't bold enough to brooch the subject herself, at least not with her mouth full of peanut butter.
After they ate, Kaige offered to bring her suitcase up to the bedroom for her. As he set it down on the floor, Savanna found her gaze straying to the huge bed and her mind began to fill with all kinds of naughty thoughts about what they could be doing in it. She couldn't let him walk out of the room, not with the way she wanted him.
"I feel really bad about kicking you out of your own bed," she said, giving him a sidelong glance.
She could tell from the hungry look in his eyes that he was more than ready to jump into bed with her, but it was obvious he wasn't going to do it unless she gave him a signal. That was what happened when you dated a guy who was over two hundred years old, she supposed. They were so old-fashioned.
He looked away and took a deep breath, as if he were trying to get himself under control. "That's okay. The bed in the guestroom is just fine."
Savanna chewed on her lower lip. She was going to have to stop being subtle if she wanted him in her bed tonight. She stepped closer to him. "It's probably not as comfy as this one, though. And it seems like such a shame to waste all this space. There's plenty of room for two." When he looked at her, she him a teasing grin. "Or are you afraid that I might bite?"
Kaige regarded her appraisingly for a moment before closing the distance between them. Suddenly, his masculine scent enveloped her and she felt her knees go weak. "Would you bite?"
Her heart began to beat so wildly that she was sure he must be able to hear it. "Would you mind if I did?"
He gave her a slow, sexy smile. "Not at all. In fact," he said, gently running his fingers down her neck, "it might be fun."
Savanna caught her breath, but before she could reply, Kaige lowered his head and covered her mouth with his. Thank God he'd finally gotten the hint.
While the kiss was just as passionate as the ones they'd shared in her apartment, it had none of the same urgency. Which was just fine with Savanna. She melted against him, sliding her hands up the front of his shirt to hold onto his shoulders as she parted her lips. Kaige slid his hand in her hair, tipping her head back as his tongue plunged into her mouth to explore hers.
Savanna murmured her pleasure against his mouth. She'd been kissed by a lot of guys, but Kaige was definitely in a class by himself, she decided as he took her lower lip between his teeth and gently suckled on it. He seemed to know exactly the way she liked to be kissed. He was aggressive one minute, retreating the next, encouraging her to chase after him.
He left her mouth to kiss his way along the curve of her jaw and down her neck. She shivered as she felt his teeth scrape lightly across the skin there. When had his fangs come out? More importantly, would he bite her? The thought made her heart pound even harder with excitement. But while the tips of his fangs grazed her neck as Kaige continued his teasing nibbles, he didn't come close to breaking the skin. Savanna wasn't sure if she was disappointed or relieved.
But in the next moment, she forgot all about what he was doing to her neck as she felt him slide his hands underneath the hem of her shirt. She held her breath, waiting breathlessly for him to take it off, but he teased her by pushing it up inch by inch. His hands glided up her ribcage, his thumbs moving over her tummy to caress the underside of her bra, and she shivered at his touch.
Savanna bit her lip, tempted to just grab her shirt and take it off herself, but then Kaige was doing it for her. He gazed down at her for a long moment, his dark eyes full of desire as they caressed her satin-covered breasts. Her nipples hardened beneath the silky fabric, begging to be touched, and she let out a little moan when he finally reached out to cup her breasts in his hands. He made little circles around the taut peaks with his thumbs, teasing them through the thin material. She clutched his shoulders, arching against him.
"Do you like that?" he said.
"Mmm," she sighed. "Though I'd like it even better if you took off my bra and did it."
He chuckled softly. "Impatient, aren't you?"
She caught her breath as he gave her nipples a gentle squeeze. "One of my many flaws, I'm afraid."
"From where I'm standing," he said, "you don't seem to have any flaws."
As he spoke, Kaige reached around to unhook her bra. Finally released from their confines, her breasts spilled eagerly into his waiting hands. Savanna let out a little sigh of pleasure as he took her nipples between his fingers.
"Better?" Kaige said.
"Oh yes," she breathed.
"What about this?" he asked, bending to take one of the nipples in his mouth and suckle on it gently.
Savanna could only moan. Lifting her hand, she buried her fingers in his thick hair, holding him in place while he swirled his tongue round and round the taut peak. Then he drew her nipple even further into his mouth, making her knees almost give out.
Though she certainly would have liked him to keep doing that forever, she suddenly had an overwhelming desire to see what that wonderful tongue of his felt like on another part of her anatomy. Pulling his head away, she stepped back and began to quickly unbutton her jeans.
He smiled at her and slid his hands down her hips to help. "We are eager, aren't we?"
As soon as her jeans hit the floor, she reached for her panties, but he caught her wrists in his hands, stopping her. "I'll do that, if you don't mind."
Gazing at her hotly, he nudged her back on the bed and quickly followed, trailing tiny kisses up her legs even before she lay back on the pillows. Savanna closed her eyes and enjoyed the sweet torture as his lips moved higher and higher.
She gasped as she felt his fangs graze the sensitive skin on the inside of her thigh, almost screaming in frustration when he once again moved on without actually biting her. Even though part of her was a little nervous about what his fangs would feel like, another part of her was dying to know.
But her disappointment was short-lived as she felt his tongue begin to caress her pussy through her panties. The sensation of being licked through the silky material was so amazing that all she could do was moan and writhe on the bed. She'd never had a guy do that to her before. The touch of Kaige's tongue was enough to drive her crazy, but not enough to send her over the edge.
As good as what he was doing felt, though, she decided that the teasing had gone on long enough. She was just about to push down her panties when she heard a ripping sound. Surprised, she looked down to see him holding her torn panties in his hands, a wicked smile on his face.
Her eyes went wide. How had he done that so quickly? Then she smiled. His fangs, of course. They had all kinds of intriguing uses, didn't they?
Savanna was still pondering the possibilities when Kaige buried his face between her legs and began to lick her pussy. She gasped as he ran his tongue along her slick folds. His touch sent shivers of pleasure coursing through her body, and she clutched at the sheets. It only got better when he began to make slow, delicious circles directly on her clit. She bit her lip to stifle a moan and was surprised to feel the tips of her fangs. She hadn't even realized they'd come out.
But as Kaige continued to lick her, she forgot all about her fangs and simply enjoyed what he was doing instead. She writhed beneath him, on the edge of the abyss, sure there could be no better sensation in the entire world. As if to prove her wrong, he slid one finger just inside her pussy and began to tease her opening. That sensation, combined with what his tongue was doing was almost enough to make her hyperventilate.
She reached down and threaded her fingers in his hair, pulling his mouth even tighter to her pussy. Oh God, she was going to explode, she just knew it!
The orgasm seemed to start right beneath his tongue and by the time it spread over the rest of her body, she was screaming with pleasure. Wave after wave of ecstasy spiraled through her, making her feel as if she was on the verge of passing out.
Somehow, she didn't, though, but when he finally pulled his mouth away to look up at her, she felt limp with post-orgasmic bliss.
Savanna lay back on the pillows, watching from beneath lowered lashes as Kaige undressed, and her pulse quickened again at the sight of him.