Vampire 101

MODERN DAY VAMPIRES: VAMPIRE 101 by

Paige Tyler

WHISKEY CREEK PRESS www.whiskeycreekpress.com

Published by WHISKEY CREEK PRESS Whiskey Creek Press PO Box 51052 Casper, WY 82605-1052 www.whiskeycreekpress.com

Copyright © 2009 by Paige Tyler Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 (five) years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

Names, characters and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. ISBN 978-1-60313-539-9

Credits Cover Artist: Rika Singh Editor: Sara Kent Printed in the United States of America

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT MODERN DAY VAMPIRES: VAMPIRE 101 “Absolutely delightful and wickedly tempting, Ms. Tyler has put a new spin on the vampire curse giving it a fresh look. Filled with deliciously sinful love scenes written to set the sheets on fire and characters that will make your mouth water and leave your eagerly flipping to the next page to see what happens next. Guaranteed to tease the senses, push you to the brink and leave you squirming in your seat. There is no way I will be missing anything Ms Tyler puts out next. My hats off to the author, a splendid job!” Long and Short Romance Reviews (Whipped Cream) 5 Cherries! “Vampire 101 is a well-written and entertaining book, a roller coaster ride of thrills and chills, extreme highs and very few lows. The reader is able to watch Savanna run through the gamut of emotions as she deals with Kaige, is he truly the man of her dreams, or even a real man at all? I love this author’s writing style; she has such a vivid imagination, inviting the readers into her world, initially mesmerizing us into complacently believing that this is a typical vampire tale when it is anything but that. Further reading shows a book filled with intrigue, mystery, adventure, and sensuous romance—everything a discerning reader needs to stay focused for hours of enjoyment. Ms. Tyler knows how to keep her readers on the edge of their seats till the very end of her book, which is the mark of a true storyteller. Pick up a copy of Vampire 101 you will not be disappointed.” You Gotta Read Reviews

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT ANIMAL ATTRACTION “Animal Attraction is paranormal romance writing at its finest. I really loved the interaction with Eliza and Hunter. They have this initial attraction that sizzles. Paige Tyler is an author with a knack

for creating a werewolf who is sinfully sexy and she kept me totally engrossed right from the beginning. I am hoping for an additional story featuring Hunter’s brother Luke. I also look forward to more offerings from Ms.Tyler in the very near future. I would recommend Animal Attraction to anyone who enjoys stories of werewolves and shifters!” Joyfully Reviewed “Animal Attraction is scorching hot. I blushed being witness to the sheer animalistic attraction shared by Eliza and Hunter. The love scenes were erotic but romantic, forceful but sensual, and naughty but playful.The feelings and depth of emotions were believable and so very sexy. I will never again look at a hot tub without remembering this risqué but thoroughly entertaining novel. Paige Tyler is now on my list of authors to watch for and I know that other readers will feel the same way!” Wild on Books Reviews

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT LIBRARIAN BY DAY “The first sentence of Librarian By Day captured my interest immediately, and every word that followed, delivered a delicious erotic tale, oozing with sensuality. This is a book that will make the most staid, reserved reader, want to beg their partner for a well delivered spanking, or—gasp—ask for permission to give one! Paige Tyler completely enthralled me with the blatant and yet innocent, gentle sexual fantasies of Jennifer, and Nik’s firm but loving deliverance of what she wants most. The wording and writing style, used by Tyler, is beautifully phrased and draws the reader in. I personally enjoyed the soft meshing of the focus, spanking, into the characters love story in a way that was both romantic and edgy at the same time. Tyler’s characters are fresh, entertaining and enjoyable to get to know, with dynamic byplay between them. Librarian By Day is one red-hot book! I will definitely be looking to add more of Paige Tyler’s work to my library.” Dark Angel Reviews

Recommended Read! “This book is ‘Hot’, just like Jennifer describes to her best friend Stacy: “Hot—Just like my bottom after Nik got done spanking me’. I had never thought that spanking was something that would interest me, but this book definitely kept me interested. The library scene where when Nik comes in after closing and acts out some of Jennifer's deepest held fantasies, on the tables and desks between the stacks is very stimulating to say the least. This is a fun story, enjoyable and a pleasure to read. It is well written and edited and a good story for those that are curious about spanking and light bondage play. This one is definitely highly recommended.” Long and Short Romance Reviews (Whipped Cream) 5 Cherries! “Librarian By Day definitely delivers by exploring fantasies that many women would never dare to admit to craving. Jennifer and Nik complement each other beautifully especially since they're both so willing to step outside their comfort zones and try something new. I admit I've often wondered how or even if spankings would be something I'd enjoy, however I also believe it would depend on the partner and so therefore, I'll live vicariously through Jennifer and Nik's story and keep my own deep dark desires hidden—for now.” Romance Junkies 4 Blue Ribbons “Librarian by Day was an enjoyable story exploring Jennifer and Nik's initial forays into kinkier lovemaking. I think most of us can relate to having a few naughtier fantasies that we might not have shared with a previous lover, so it was fun reading about Nik's initial reaction to spanking and how he showed Jennifer that he was willing to try something that clearly fascinated her. I also enjoyed Jennifer's shock and curiosity as to whether something she'd fantasized about for years would turn out to be as exciting as she'd hoped. Nik was well up to the challenge as he was very in tune with Jennifer's reactions and found to his surprise that he really enjoyed this activity, too. The sex scenes were detailed and well written and had a sense of novelty about them in that for these two,

this new form of foreplay really put some heat into everything that came afterward. There was also a scene featuring exhibitionism as Nik and Jennifer put on a show for another couple. If you've ever been intrigued with a spanking scenario, pick up Librarian by Day and enjoy.” JERR 4 Stars

Other Books by Author Available at Whiskey Creek Press: www.whiskeycreekpress.com Animal Attraction Librarian By Day

Dedication With special thanks to my extremely patient, understanding and wonderful husband, without whose help and support, I couldn’t have pursued my dream job of becoming a writer. You’re my sounding board, my idea man, my critique partner, and the absolute best research assistant any girl could ask for!

Chapter 1 Tall, dark, and handsome, with a side order of brooding. That’s exactly the type of man Savanna Royce was looking for. It sounded simple enough. So, why the heck was it taking her so long to find him? Maybe she was just looking in the wrong places. But it wasn’t as if she had a lot of options when it came to finding him. After plenty of attempts, she’d come to the conclusion that she wasn’t going to find him in the produce department of the grocery store, or in a spinning class at her health club, or hanging around the water cooler at work. Or at any of the other traditional places a woman went to meet a guy in San Francisco. So, she’d started going to clubs. But not just any clubs. Her desire to find a dark, mysterious loner had inevitably led her to the equally dark and mysterious subculture of the Goth club. She wasn’t really what most people would call a Goth girl. Sure, she wore a lot of dark clothes, but she wasn’t into the heavy make-up or the pale skin. She was sort of a “weekend Goth girl” she guessed she would say. But though she was generally welcomed at the clubs, and had dated a few of the cuter guys, she had quickly discovered they weren’t really what she was looking for. Just because she hadn’t found him yet that didn’t mean she wouldn’t. But lately, she was starting to think that maybe the kind of guy she was looking for didn’t really exist. Which was entirely possible considering that her perfect guy happened to be a fictional character on a TV show. She had spent years searching for her very own 1

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 real-life Angel. Not the kind with wings and a halo, but the hunky, vampire kind like on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Savanna had first started crushing on vamps in high school. She and her friend had been in her room channel surfing when they’d come across an episode of the cult classic. She’d never seen the show before, but one look at the dark, brooding, and mysterious, not to mention gorgeous, vampire, Angel, and she was hooked. From that moment on, she had been fascinated with everything and anything vampire. She’d devoured every vampire movie and TV show ever made. She had collected posters, books, magazines, anything to do with vampires. She even had a bat tattooed on a strategic part of her body. With all that time spent thinking about vampires, it was only natural that when she had started looking for a boyfriend, she had found herself being attracted to guys who made her think of Angel. But while she’d met a lot of men who were tall, dark, and handsome, even a couple who were a little bit brooding, none of them had ever come close to her ideal. And now, all these years later, at twenty-eight, she was still looking. She let out a sigh. Honestly, how tough could it be to find a gorgeous, mysterious, sensitive, damsel-in-distress-saving, I-only-like-to-come-out-after-dark kind of guy? Who knew? Maybe she would meet him tonight. Feeling her pulse quicken at the thought, Savanna flipped her long, dark hair over her shoulder and slowly made her way to the glossy black bar on the opposite side of the Goth club. As she walked past the various sitting areas, she glanced at the club’s patrons and was disappointed to see mostly regulars on the brocade sofas and tapestry-covered chaise lounges. Goths to their very bone, all of the men in the place looked like they’d just stepped out of an Anne Rice novel with their skintight black pants, ruffled shirts, and heavily made-up eyes. While she had to admit that the look worked for a lot of them, it didn’t exactly do the same for 2

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 her. She preferred a guy in a long, dark overcoat like Angel always wore. Slipping in between a woman dressed in a red, velvet gown and a guy with a spiky Mohawk, Savanna placed her evening bag on the highly-polished bar and waited for the server to come over. “What’ll it be?” the bartender asked, raising his voice to be heard over the band’s haunting music. Tall and lanky, he had skin so pale that it was almost white, and hair so black that it couldn’t possibly be his natural color. He had tattoos covering both of his arms, a stud in his nose, and a ring through his lower lip. “Red wine, please” she said. As she waited for the bartender to get her drink, Savanna did a quick sweep of the club. She got halfway around the room before her gaze settled on a tall, dark-haired man standing over in the corner. Though not what she would call classically handsome, he was still good looking, and from his expression he clearly came with that side order of brooding she went for. He looked really good in those tight leather pants and that long overcoat he was wearing, too. He was leaning casually against one of the columns that supported the club’s high ceiling, his hooded eyes taking in his surroundings. As if sensing her gaze on him, he lifted his head to look at her. Hmm, maybe her luck was looking up. If she were anywhere else, she would have given him a flirtatious smile and a come-hither look to let him know she was interested, but doing that kind of thing in a Goth club would just make her seem silly. She might not look like the typical Goth girl, but she still liked to fit in. So instead, she picked up her goblet that the bartender had set down and gave the guy in the overcoat a look over the rim that said, I’m interested, how about you? He returned the look with one of his own, his gaze intent as he took in her short skirt, lace cami-top, and thigh-high leather boots. She shivered in anticipation. Yep, things were definitely looking up. 3

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Wine goblet in hand, Savanna put her evening bag on her shoulder and slowly made her way over to him. **** Kaige Travers leaned back in the brocade-covered wing chair, a bottle of beer dangling loosely from his fingers as he surveyed the club’s patrons. He wondered what it was about Goth clubs that he found so interesting. Was it the dark clothes? The eerie music? The macabre atmosphere? Or was it simply their bizarre fascination with vampirism? While no one was sporting fake fangs or wearing a cape, a good portion of the club’s clientele was clearly into the whole vampire thing. Of course, no self-respecting vampire would wear half the things most Goths did. A couple hundred years of wearing nothing but black would get old pretty damn quick to any vampire. Hell, he should know. He was one, after all. Twohundred-forty years ago tonight, he’d been turned into a vampire. If he told the Goths that, though, they’d probably take one look at his jeans and T-shirt and laugh in his face. They were already giving him strange looks as it was. Probably wondering what he was even doing in a place like this. He wondered that same thing himself as he lifted the bottle to his lips and took a long swallow. God, he felt old. On the outside, he looked like your average thirty-eight-year old, which was the age he had been when he’d been turned. But on the inside, he felt every bit the two hundred and seventy-eight-year-old vampire he was. He wasn’t sure why, but he had just felt like coming to the club. Maybe just to be around people who didn’t think that being a vampire was such a horrible thing. Kaige let his gaze follow a dark-haired girl as she made her way around the dance floor and over to a guy dressed in an overcoat standing by one of the decorative columns. She was pretty, Kaige thought. With her long, silky, midnight black hair, and naturally creamy skin, she could have easily carried off the Goth look if she had wanted to. But her short skirt and high, black boots we4

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 ren’t anything like the traditional Goth style of clothing the other girls wore. Neither was her make-up. While she didn’t exactly look out of place here, she could just as easily have fit in at any of a dozen more conventional nightclubs in the city. As he watched her curvy hips sway, he felt his jeans tighten. Damn, it had been a long time since he’d been with a woman. Longer than he wanted to think about. Swearing under his breath, Kaige lifted the bottle of beer again, only to pause with the thing halfway to his mouth. On the far side of the dance floor, the guy in the overcoat was ushering the dark-haired girl out the back door of the club. That shouldn’t have been enough to make his vampire-senses tingle, but there was something about the way the girl’s companion threw a furtive look over his shoulder that made Kaige think the guy might be up to something. It sure as hell seemed like the guy was making sure that no one saw them leave together. Telling himself it was none of his business, Kaige turned his attention back to his beer, but as he tipped the bottle back, his gaze went to the door again. What the hell was it with him and rescuing damsels in distress? Saving some pretty girl’s life was the reason he’d ended up a vampire. Kaige swore under his breath. Think he would have learned. But no. A moment later he slammed the beer bottle down on the table, grabbed his leather jacket from the chair beside him, and headed for the back door. **** Savanna glanced nervously around the dark alley. When the guy had suggested they ditch Nighttown for a better club, she’d been all for it, but that was before he’d led her out the back door. He seemed nice enough, but maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea, after all.

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Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 As if sensing her hesitation, he jerked his head toward the mouth of the alley. “Come on,” he said. “We can grab a cab out there.” Savanna still thought it would have been easier to go out the front door than walk all the way down the dark alley, but she said nothing as she fell into step beside him. Halfway between the club’s back door and the main street, he came to an abrupt halt. Savanna stopped, too. She started to ask why he’d stopped, but the word’s came out in a rush of breath as he quickly pushed her back into the alcove of a door. Heart hammering in her chest, she instinctively opened her mouth to scream, but he silenced her with his hand. For a moment, Savanna swore she saw what looked like fangs protruding from beneath his upper lip. But she must have been imagining it. There was no way that could be possible. “No screaming,” he warned menacingly, pressing her back roughly against the corner of the alcove with his body. “Because that’ll get someone’s attention, and I don’t like to be interrupted when I’m feeding.” Savanna blinked, confused. Feeding? What the hell was he talking about? Then again, what the hell did it matter? She wasn’t hanging around long enough to find out. She tried to bring up her knee to ram it into his crotch, but before she could even move, he bent and buried his face in her neck. A moment later, she felt a stabbing pain as something sharp sank into her skin. She gasped, her eyes going wide as she realized what he was doing. My God, the jerk was biting her! **** Kaige had hoped to hell he was wrong, but the moment he walked out the back door, his gut told him something was off. The alley was dark, but with his better than average night vision, he should have seen them somewhere. They couldn’t have made it to 6

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 the street already. Eyes narrowing, he looked right, then left, but still didn’t see anything. Where the hell had they disappeared to? He was just debating which direction to go when he heard a noise. The sound was so faint that a human probably wouldn’t even have heard it, but with his extra-sensitive hearing, he had no problem picking it up. Or recognizing it. A woman moaning. Swearing under his breath, he raced down the alley toward the sound. Up ahead, Kaige could make out the dark form of the couple in the alcove of the building. The girl was pushing weakly against the man in an effort to get him to release her, but her struggles had little effect on him. Fuck, Kaige swore. His instincts had been right. “Hey!” he shouted, starting toward them. The thug in the overcoat immediately lifted his head and turned to look in his direction, hissing a warning as he bared a set of bloody fangs. Oh shit, Kaige thought. No wonder his radar had gone off. The asshole was another vampire. What the fuck did the bastard think he was doing? Feeding from humans like that was flat-out forbidden. Either the idiot must be have been sired by an even bigger moron, or he was just plain demented. The latter seemed more likely, considering the theatrical way he was hissing and flashing his fangs. The asshole probably thought he would scare Kaige off. Well, he was in for one hell of a rude awakening. As Kaige advanced on him, the other vampire stared at him in obvious confusion for a moment. Then, letting out what he probably thought was a terrifying snarl, he dropped the girl and leaped at Kaige. He moved fast, but Kaige was faster. The other vampire was still in mid-leap when Kaige darted forward and closed the distance between them, lashing out and catching him with a backhand across the face. 7

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 The blow knocked the vampire clear across the alley into the opposite wall. He landed on the pavement with a thud. He stayed there for a moment, surprise evident on his face, but then pushed himself to his feet with a snarl. Blood trickled down his chin and he gave Kaige a baleful glare as he wiped it off with the back of his hand. Kaige expected the other vampire to turn tail and run, but to his surprise, the male charged again. This time Kaige spun around and kicked the other vampire square in the center of his chest. The force of the blow sent him bouncing off the same wall again. When he pushed himself to his feet this time, albeit more slowly, Kaige opened his mouth and bared his fangs. A light of recognition flashed in the vampire’s eyes. Apparently, the dimwit had finally realized that Kaige was a vampire, too. He hesitated as if debating whether he should charge again, but then he hissed at Kaige one more time and took off down the alley at a run. For a moment, Kaige considered chasing after the male, but a quick glance at the dark-haired girl immediately changed his mind. She was in bad shape and if he didn’t get her help soon, she wasn’t going to make it. Jaw tight, Kaige dropped to one knee beside her. Shit. The bastard had made a mess of her neck. Instead of puncturing her skin with his teeth like he could have done, he had torn at her like he was some kind of crazed animal, and now she was bleeding out. Even if Kaige called an ambulance, she’d be dead before anyone got there. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t still save her. As if sensing his presence, the girl’s eyes suddenly fluttered open. It was impossible for him to tell what color they were in the darkness, but the beseeching look in them tore at his gut. Do it. Turn her now before it’s too late. 8

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 The girl opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. After a moment, she lifted her hand weakly, silently begging him with that one feeble gesture to help her. When he made no move to take her hand, it fell limply to her side again, her eyes fluttering closed. Kaige ground his jaw. God knew he didn’t want to do this; he had promised himself he never would. But he didn’t have a choice. He couldn’t just stand there and watch her die. Swearing under his breath, Kaige gently slipped an arm beneath the girl and lifted her so that she was lying back against his thigh. Cradling her in the curve of one arm, he lifted the other and sank his fangs into his wrist. As the taste of blood filled his mouth, he lowered his arm to hold his wrist to her parted lips. It would have been easier if she were aware enough to suck on his wrist. On second thought, maybe it was better she was out of it. If she were conscious, she probably would have tried to push him away, and if he didn’t get his blood in her quickly, she would die. After a few seconds, he saw her throat convulse rhythmically. Whether or not she knew what she was doing, the blood was going down. When he was satisfied that she’d ingested enough, he moved his wrist to the bite marks at her neck and let the blood run freely over the wound. Not only was it another way to mix his blood with hers, but it would also help seal the wound faster. In the darkness, Kaige held his breath as he gazed down at the girl and waited for some sign that her body had started to accept the change. Not everyone’s did. And since he didn’t have a hell of a lot of experience with what happened to a person when they became a vampire other than his own turning, which he didn’t remember much about, he wasn’t really sure what to expect. He was just wondering if he should give her more of his blood when she stirred in his arms. Relief coursed through him only to be replaced by alarm when she started to have convulsions. He 9

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 wrapped his other arm around her, holding onto her tightly. Shit. Was that normal? He had absolutely no idea. Feeling completely helpless, Kaige could do nothing but hold the girl and pray that her body had accepted his blood. If it didn’t, she would die an agonizing death; that much he did know. When she finally did go still, he was almost afraid to wonder if that was good or bad. But then he saw the spasm as her chest began to rise and fall. Thank God. She hadn’t rejected it. Taking off his jacket, he wrapped it around her, trying his best to hide the jagged wound in her neck. He looked down to see her purse lying there on the ground. He should probably take that, too. Grabbing it, he gathered the girl up in his arms and headed for his SUV. This was going to be one hell of a long night.

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Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101

Chapter 2 The smart thing to do would have been to take the girl to the vampire clinic, but instead Kaige found himself driving to his home in Nob Hill. When he got to his place, a two-story condo with a view of the bay, he went directly up to his room and gently set her down on the bed. Reaching out, he turned on the lamp on the bedside table. In the soft glow, he could see that she looked unnaturally pale, which, contrary to popular belief, wasn’t a good thing for a vampire. It meant that they needed blood and usually a lot of it. Kaige ran his hand through his dark hair. He was so out of his depth here it wasn’t even funny. As a vampire, he supposed he should have at least learned something about the process, but since he had never planned on turning anyone, he’d never bothered. Now that he had, however, he needed a vampire who had experience with this kind of thing. Like Jensen Flynn, the male who had turned him all those years ago. Keeping one eye on the girl, Kaige pulled his cell phone from his pocket and flipped it open, then quickly scrolled through his list of contacts and hit speed-dial. Jensen answered on the second ring. “It’s me,” Kaige said. “I need you to get over to my place.” “Hello to you, too,” the other man said dryly. “So, what’s up?” “I’ll explain when you get here. And Jensen,” Kaige added, “bring your med kit.” Jensen was there twenty minutes later, an oversized black duffel bag in hand. “So, what’s the big emergency?” the tall, blondhaired man asked as he walked in. 11

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Kaige closed the front door. “I turned a girl tonight and I don’t have a clue what to do next. I need you to check her out.” The other man lifted a brow. “You’re joking, right?” Kaige’s mouth tightened. “I wish,” he muttered. “It’s not like I did it because I wanted to. I didn’t really have a choice. The girl got attacked by a psycho vampire outside this Goth club I went to tonight. He really made a mess of her. If I hadn’t turned her, she would have died.” He didn’t know whether Jensen looked more surprised by the fact that Kaige had seen a fellow vampire attack a human or the fact that he’d been at a Goth club at the time. “Where is she?” Jensen asked. “In my room,” Kaige said, leading the way up the stairs. “This other vampire,” Jensen said as they made their way down the hall to Kaige’s bedroom. “Did you recognize him?” Kaige shook his head. “Never saw him before. But he wasn’t that strong, so my guess is that he’s been recently turned.” The girl was still lying in the same position she’d been in when he had gone downstairs to answer the door, Kaige noticed. She hadn’t so much as let out a moan since having those convulsions in the alley, and while he might not know much about what went on during the change, he didn’t think that could be good. His brow furrowing in concern, he followed Jensen over to the bed. “Take me through what you did,” his friend said as he took the girl’s wrist and checked her pulse. Kaige ran his hand through his hair. “Not much, really. After I chased off the other vampire, I gave her some of my blood. I put some on the wounds on her neck, too. I thought it might help.” Jensen released the girl’s hand to examine the jagged tears on her neck. “Savage bastard,” he muttered. He unzipped the duffel bag and pulled out a stethoscope, then glanced at Kaige as he put it in the earpieces. “How did she respond after you gave her your blood?” 12

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 “At first, she didn’t seem to have any reaction at all, but then she started to have convulsions,” Kaige said. “Is that normal?” Jensen placed the chestpiece over the girl’s heart and listened for a moment before answering. “Completely. The turning process is very hard on the body, so it’s not unusual for humans to convulse during it,” he said, taking off the stethoscope and putting it back in the duffel bag. “Her vitals are okay, but not great. She’s going to need a lot more blood.” Kaige stared down at the girl. “Is she going to make it then?” The other man shrugged. “It’s too early to tell, but her body doesn’t seem to be rejecting your blood, so that’s a good sign. Just keep her comfortable and well hydrated. I’ll set her up with an IV, so that’ll make it easier. You’ll need to alternate glucose and blood about every four hours or so for the next day or two, at least until she wakes up.” Kaige’s eyes narrowed as Jensen took out two bags of glucose solution from his duffel bag. “Wait a minute,” he said. “I thought you would take her back to the clinic with you.” The blond-haired man looked at him. “She wouldn’t be any better off there than she is here. It’s blood and rest she needs, nothing more. Which means you can take care of her here.” He paused. “Even you should know one of our most basic rules: You turn her, you’re responsible for her.” Yeah, he knew the rule. But he didn’t think it should apply in this situation. “But I don’t have any experience with this kind of thing, Jensen,” Kaige protested. “Besides, I can’t just drop everything and babysit some girl. I have classes to teach.” His friend shrugged and reached into the bag again. A moment later he came out with some IV equipment. “You’ll need to have one of your TA’s take over for you.” Kaige ground his jaw. “It’s not that simple.” Jensen fixed him with a hard look. “Then maybe you should have thought about that before you decided to turn her.” 13

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Kaige felt himself flush. “I couldn’t just let her die, dammit!” “No, you couldn’t.” His friend sighed. “Look, whether you like it or not, you’re going to have to teach her everything she needs to know. Considering you’re a college professor, that shouldn’t be too difficult.” “I teach Western European History, not Vampire 101, you know,” Kaige muttered. Jensen chuckled, but made no comment as he continued to unload various items from his duffel bag. Once he was done, he set up the first IV bag, going slowly so that Kaige could see how to do it. After that, he showed Kaige how to use the IV to draw his own blood. “She needs to have your blood until her transition is complete, which should be in a few days,” Jensen said when Kaige gave him a surprised look. “I don’t know how much blood you have on hand, but you’ll need to keep yourself well fed, so I’ll arrange to have some more delivered.” He zipped up the duffel bag. “If you can give me a description of this other vampire, I’ll notify the local authorities and see if they can track him down.” Kaige’s mouth tightened as he thought of the other male. After the way the bastard had attacked the girl, Kaige would have liked nothing better than to have gone after the scumbag himself, but he knew the vampire security operatives that worked for the local administrative offices were very good at this kind of thing. They’d find him and make the guy pay. He made no comment as he gave Jensen a quick, but detailed description, however. Jensen picked up the duffel bag from the bed. “You know where to find me if you need anything.” “Count on it,” Kaige told him. After walking Jensen out, Kaige stopped by the kitchen before going back upstairs. Opening the stainless fridge, he took out a bag of blood and poured the contents into a mug, then microwaved it on high for a couple of minutes. While some vampires preferred 14

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 their blood straight from the fridge, Kaige had never been able to stomach the stuff that way. While he waited for it to heat, he took out a glass mixing bowl and filled it with warm water. Though Jensen hadn’t specifically said anything about cleansing the wound on the girl’s neck, Kaige thought it might be a good idea to get her cleaned up. He didn’t want her freaking out when she woke up. If she woke up, he told himself grimly. Picking up the bowl of water, Kaige took the mug out of the microwave and went back upstairs. Setting them down on the bedside table, he grabbed a small washcloth from the linen closet in the adjoining master bathroom, and then walked back over to the bed. Sitting down on the edge of it, he dipped the washcloth in the bowl of water and gently wiped the blood off the girl’s neck. Though still jagged, the wound was no longer bleeding. With her body’s newfound regenerative capabilities, the bite marks would be no more than faint scars in a few days. When he was done, Kaige gazed down at her. She was even more attractive than he’d first thought. Actually, she was beautiful. Unable to help himself, he reached out and gently brushed her hair back from her face. She moaned and stirred at his touch, her eyes fluttering open. It had been too dark in the alley to see what color they were, but now he could see that her eyes were a gorgeous shade of blue. For a moment, he was so lost in their jewel-like depths that all he could so was stare down at her. He should say something to reassure her, he told himself, but before he could get the words out, her eyes fluttered closed and she drifted off into unconsciousness again. Great. He couldn’t even manage something as simple as telling her that she was safe, how the hell was he going to tell the girl that she was a vampire when she finally did wake up? He only hoped she took the news better than he had. Getting to his feet, Kaige was about to pick up his mug and go take up residence in the overstuffed chair by the window when he 15

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 remembered what Jensen had said about keeping the girl comfortable. Thinking he should probably take off her boots, Kaige carefully pulled off first one, then the other. As he did so, he couldn’t help but notice how long and shapely her legs were and he quickly pulled up the blanket to cover her. He should be worried about saving her life, not ogling her beautiful legs. Swearing under his breath, Kaige picked up his mug and walked across the spacious bedroom to sit down in the overstuffed chair by the window. As he gazed at the girl sleeping in his bed he couldn’t shake the feeling that his very orderly, very boring life was about to get a lot more complicated. **** Savanna came awake slowly. Eyes still closed, she pulled the blanket up to her chin and snuggled into the pillow with a sigh. God, she’d had a really strange dream last night. More like a nightmare, really. She had been at her favorite Goth club and there had been this cool looking Goth guy dressed in leather pants and an overcoat. In the dream, she’d gone behind the club with him for some reason. The next thing she knew, he had shoved her against the wall of the building and viciously bitten her on the neck. She’d tried to push him away, but he’d been so dang strong. And the bite had hurt like crazy. She couldn’t ever remember having a dream that vivid before. Beneath the blanket, Savanna slid her hand up to finger the side of her neck. What the heck? While there wasn’t a huge wound there, the skin was definitely tender and uneven feeling, like she had some kind of scar. Her brow furrowing, she pushed down the blanket and sat up, intending to go to the bathroom so she could examine her neck, only to stop and blink in surprise. Something was very wrong here. Not only was she still wearing the same cami-top and skirt from her dream, she was also sleeping in a bed that definitely wasn’t her own. 16

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Clutching the blanket tightly in her hands, she looked around the room. The thing was the size of her living room, and decorated in clean, modern lines. Everything from the huge king-sized bed to the art on the walls looked really expensive. She had definitely never been in this place before. So, apparently she had been at the club last night. Had she had a little too much to drink and hooked up with some guy she’d met there? For all her flirting, that was something she didn’t make a habit of doing. There were just too many weirdos out there for that. Of course, if the guy had been amazingly hot, then she supposed she might have made an exception. But if he had been that incredible, then shouldn’t she at least be able to remember sleeping with him? But wait, she still had her clothes on. Not her boots, but everything else. That was weird. What the heck had happened? Her frown deepened as an image of a man leaning over her and tenderly brushing her hair back suddenly flashed in her mind. Though the memory was fuzzy at best, she did remember that the guy had been gorgeous as hell, even if he weren’t her usual type. This was just too weird for words. Most of the time, she barely even remembered her dreams, and now the images were playing through her head like some bizarre movie. She closed her eyes and tried to sort them out. Things were starting to come back to her now. She vaguely remembered lying on the floor of an alley, remembered the man picking her up in his strong arms, remembered him setting her down gently on the bed, remembered him talking to her in a soothing voice, remembered him sticking a needle in her arm, remembered some thick, dark liquid slowly dripping from an IV bag… Savanna’s eyes flew open and she looked down at her arm. While there wasn’t an IV sticking out of her arm, there was a plastic catheter neatly inserted into her skin in the crook of her arm. She lifted her gaze to see an IV stand beside the bed. Oh God, it 17

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 hadn’t been a dream. What the hell was going on? Had she been kidnapped and drugged? Her stomach churned as another even more horrifying idea came to her then. Swallowing hard, she yanked up her skirt and breathed a sigh of relief to see that she was still wearing her panties. Okay, so she hadn’t been raped, but that didn’t mean the guy who had brought her here didn’t have something else nefarious in mind. The drugs he’d been pumping into her were proof enough of that. She had to get out of there, and quick. Taking hold of the plastic catheter with trembling fingers, she pulled it out and threw it on the bedside table, then pushed back the blanket the rest of the way and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Weak from whatever drugs she’d been given, it took several minutes for her to feel steady enough to put on her boots. God, why had she worn these? They took forever to get into. She was just shoving her foot into the second one when the door to the bedroom opened. Heart hammering in her chest, Savanna lifted her head to see a tall, dark-haired man coming into the room. Even as fuzzy as she was, there was no mistaking those rugged good looks. He was the guy she remembered leaning over her. “You’re awake,” he said. “That’s good.” His voice was deep and velvety, just like she remembered. Savanna jumped to her feet and backed away from him on wobbly legs. “Who are you?” she demanded. “Where am I?” The man held up his hand in a placating gesture. “Just take it easy. I’m not going to hurt you,” he said. “My name is Kaige Travers, and you’re in my house.” Savanna’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. What the heck kind of name was Kaige, anyway? Probably fake. “Why did you bring me here?” she asked, not bothering to return the introduction. 18

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Kaige regarded her thoughtfully for a moment. “How much do you remember about what happened at the Goth club?” he asked. Savanna’s pulse began to race. He couldn’t possibly be referring to that crazy stuff from her dream. “What are you talking about?” He hesitated. “You were attacked. I had to bring you here to save your life.” She frowned. “What do you mean, you brought me here to save my life? Why didn’t you just take me to a hospital? What kind of attack?” “The hospital wouldn’t have been able to do anything for you,” Kaige said. “That guy who dragged you into the alley…he was a…you were…” He sighed. “You were bitten by a vampire.” Savanna stared at him in disbelief. Okay, that did it. No more Goth clubs for her. She might like to dress all in black and pretend that vampires really did exist, but she knew enough to separate fantasy from reality. Unlike the handsome, but obviously insane, Kaige Travers. “Look,” he said. “I know it sounds crazy, but—” “It doesn’t just sound crazy, it is crazy!” she snapped. “Vampires aren’t real.” Kaige folded his arms across his broad chest. “Actually, they are.” She laughed. “Right. Next you’ll be telling me that I’m a vampire because I got bitten by one. Sorry, but I think you have your vampire and werewolf lore mixed up. In order to become a vampire, a person has to have their blood drained, and then they have to drink the blood of the vampire who bit them. Are you telling me that the guy who bit me gave me his blood?” The muscle in Kaige’s jaw flexed. “The vampire who bit you left you to die. I was the one who turned you.” Savanna blinked. “You?” she said incredulously. 19

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 He nodded. “After I chased the other vampire off, I gave you my blood.” “Please tell me you’re joking,” she said. “It was the only way to save your life,” he said. Savanna’s stomach churned. It was one thing to think vampires were sexy, but the idea of drinking blood was too disgusting for words. She swallowed hard. “So, you’re telling me that you’re a vampire?” He nodded. “Yes.” “Riiiiiight,” she said, drawing the word out. “Look, no offense. I mean you’re hot and everything, but you’re definitely not vamp material. Take it from me, I know.” She picked up her evening purse from the bedside table. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to go ahead and leave.” Alarm flickered in Kaige’s golden brown eyes. “You can’t leave yet. You’re still weak. You need more blood.” Savanna made a face at that, her stomach churning again. “What I need is a shower and a cup of coffee.” Giving Kaige a wide berth, she headed for the door. As she did so, she glanced at her reflection in the mirror over the dresser and immediately stopped when she saw the puckered red scars on her neck. She reached up to lightly run her fingers over them. “Now do you believe me?” Kaige asked. He had moved across the room to stand behind her and she met his gaze in the mirror. She was tall, but even in the high-heeled boots she was wearing, the top of her head didn’t quite reach his chin. She lifted her own a fraction of an inch. “No. If I were a vampire, I wouldn’t have a reflection. Neither would you.” He muttered something she didn’t catch under his breath. “You’ve been watching too many movies. Of course we have a reflection. We’re vampires, not ghosts.” 20

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Savanna spun around to face him. “You’ve got an answer for everything, don’t you?” His mouth quirked. “But unfortunately none of them seem to be enough to make you believe me.” “Because what you’re talking about is crazy,” she told him. “Vampires don’t exist.” Kaige lifted a brow. “You certainly seem to know a lot about vampires considering you don’t believe in them,” he said, folding his arms over his chest again. Savanna felt her face color. “Just because I’m into vampires doesn’t mean I think they’re real. Or that you’re one of them.” His eyes narrowed. “What if I could give you proof?” “What kind of proof?” she said. Kaige didn’t answer, but simply opened his mouth. As she watched, his canines elongated before her very eyes then retracted. Savanna backed up until she hit the dresser. Holy crap! “Where the heck did you find a dentist to do that?” He clenched his jaw. “I didn’t have a dentist do it. I’m a vampire. They come with the title.” She chewed on her lower lip. This guy really believed what he was saying, she realized. And while the fangs did look sexy as hell on him, the whole thing was still way too weird even for her. “I’m out of here,” she said, heading for the door. He followed her down the hall. “Look I won’t stop you from leaving, but if you start feeling weak, you need to come back here immediately.” She glanced over her shoulder at him as she hurried down the stairs. “Oh, sure thing. I’ll do that.” “And watch out for the sun,” he said when she yanked open the front door. She turned to give him a superior look. “Let me guess. Because I’ll burst into flames, right?” 21

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 His mouth tightened. “No, but you will get one hell of a nasty sunburn faster than you ever thought possible.” Savanna just shook her head. The guy might be gorgeous, she thought as she closed the door behind her, but he was also completely certifiable!

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Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101

Chapter 3 “That went well,” Kaige muttered to himself. He stood staring at the door, wondering if he should go after the girl, but decided against it. He could just imagine what she would do if he tried to get her to come back to his condo with him. She’d probably make a scene right there on the sidewalk and have his neighbors convinced he was some kind of freak. Kaige cringed at the thought. He liked his neighborhood and he’d hate to have to move because his neighbors thought he was a weirdo. Okay, so he would just wait until she came to her senses and returned. Of course, considering how skeptical she’d been when he told her that she was a vampire, he should probably expect her back about five minutes after never. Shit. This was exactly the reason he had wanted Jensen to take the girl to the clinic. He didn’t know the first thing about taking care of a new vampire and now he’d made a complete mess of things. Swearing under his breath, Kaige walked into the kitchen and took out a bag of blood from the fridge, then poured it into a mug and stuck it in the microwave. As he was waiting for it to heat, his cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and flipped it open without even bothering to look at the call display. “Yeah,” he growled. “Aren’t you in a good mood,” Jensen said. “Thought I’d call to see how things were going with the girl, but from your tone of voice, I can guess. She still hasn’t woken up?” 23

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 “She woke up, all right,” Kaige muttered. “And then she left.” There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment. Then, “What the hell do you mean, she left? You let her leave?” Kaige ground his jaw. “I didn’t exactly have a choice. It was either let her leave or tie her to the bed, and I didn’t think that would go over too well.” His friend sighed. “Did you at least tell her that she’s a vampire before she left?” The microwave dinged and Kaige took out the mug. “Why do you think she was in such a hurry to get out of here? I told her and she freaked out. Then she laughed at me. According to her, I don’t have the right look to be a vampire. Whatever the hell that means. She didn’t even believe me after I showed her my fangs. She thought I had some dentist put them in.” “Shit,” Jensen said. “My sentiments exactly,” Kaige agreed, lifting the mug to his lips. “Did you at least get her name?” the other vampire asked. Kaige’s brow furrowed at the oversight. “No,” he said. “She took off before I could ask.” “Great,” Jensen grumbled. “Now we have no way of tracking her down. You’d better hope she comes back when she starts craving blood. If she goes to the hospital, we’re screwed. Though I guess that could be the least of our problems.” Kaige let out a snort of derision. “What could be worse than her going to the hospital and them finding out that she’s a vampire?” His friend’s voice was sarcastic. “Oh, I don’t know. How about her jumping some poor unsuspecting human down at Fisherman’s Wharf and sinking her fangs into his neck while the rest of the tourists capture the whole thing on their cell phones for YouTube?” 24

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Kaige paused, the mug halfway to his mouth. God, he hoped the other vampire was exaggerating. “Yeah,” he agreed. “That would be worse.” “Well, hopefully she’ll figure out she really is a vampire and comes back before that happens,” Jensen said. Kaige hoped so, too. He knew from experience what it felt like when the craving for blood got to be bad enough. And he also knew cravings like that couldn’t be denied for long. **** Savanna breathed a sigh of relief as she walked into her apartment. God, she felt like crap. She had a splitting headache and her stomach was upset, too. Not that she should be surprised. That lunatic, Kaige Travers, had fed her his blood. She’d probably be sick for days thanks to him. She prayed to God she didn’t get some strange disease from his blood. Of course, having his blood in her didn’t explain why her eyes were suddenly hypersensitive to sunlight. In fact, they’d been so oversensitive that she’d had to squint and cover them with her hand the whole way home. That probably explained why she had a headache. It hadn’t helped that she’d had to walk for nearly ten blocks after leaving his condo before she had managed to find a cab. She pressed her hand to her forehead to see if she had a fever, but her skin didn’t feel any warmer than normal. If anything, it actually felt a little cool. Maybe she should go to the doctor. Then she remembered it was Sunday. She would have to go to the hospital if she wanted to have someone check her out, and she’d end up sitting in the emergency room for hours. It would just be a waste of time. Besides, she hated hospitals. Which was strange, considering she worked in the medical field herself. All she needed was some rest, Savanna decided. But first she needed some Tylenol and a shower, in that order. On the way to the bathroom, she stopped to check the messages on her answering machine. The first one was from her mother reminding her about 25

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 coming to dinner that weekend. The other was from a friend at work. “Savanna, it’s Michelle. Where the heck are you? I covered for you at work, but you’ve been out two nights in a row and I’m starting to get worried. Call me.” Savanna’s brow furrowed. What was her friend talking about? She hadn’t missed work. Had she? The thought that she might have spent more than just one night with Kaige Travers had her checking her email just to see what day it was. Her eyes went wide as she stared at the date on the most recent messages. According to her computer, it was Wednesday. Which meant that she’d been unconscious for two whole days. Savanna shook her head. This whole thing was getting creepier by the minute. Maybe she should go to the hospital and have herself checked out. And call the cops, too. That jerk at the club had bitten her, after all. But both could wait. Right now, she really needed that shower. Going into the bedroom, she pulled off her boots then took off her clothes. Naked, she padded into the bathroom, took two Tylenol and stepped into the shower. The combination of the acetaminophen and the warm water did wonders for her. By the time she stepped out of the tub, she was feeling much better. Maybe she didn’t need to go to the hospital, after all. Taking a towel off the rack, she wrapped it around herself then wiped the condensation from the mirror with her hand. She leaned closer, examining the marks on her neck, only to blink in surprise. When she’d seen them in the mirror at Kaige’s house, they’d been red and angry looking, but now they were only slightly pink. If she didn’t know better, she’d think they were years old. But that was impossible. Savanna took a step back and stared at her reflection in the mirror. She was trying to understand how her neck could possibly have healed that fast when she realized she had a light sunburn on 26

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 her face and arms. How the hell could she have gotten sunburn? She’d only been outside twenty minutes. She swallowed hard as she remembered what that Travers guy had said about getting a nasty sunburn. What if he hadn’t been as crazy as she’d thought? What if she really were a vampire? She stopped herself. Now she was just being ridiculous. Even so, she found herself leaning forward to check her teeth in the mirror. No fangs, thank God. She let out a sigh of relief, shaking her head at her own foolishness. She realized there was no way she could go to the cops and file a complaint about someone biting her on the neck, not when there were barely any scars. They’d end up thinking she was a psycho. Telling herself to just forget the whole thing had happened, Savanna dried off and brushed her teeth. She set the alarm clock for four p.m. and slipped naked into bed. She must have fallen asleep right away because the next thing she knew, the alarm was going off. God, was it already time to go to work? She lay in bed for a moment, trying to determine how she felt, and realized that while she was still more than a little tired, she actually felt much better than she had when she’d gotten home. She crawled out of bed and got dressed, then stood staring at the contents of her fridge for a few minutes. Though she was hungry, nothing really appealed to her, so she decided to skip it and just go to work instead. She’d grab something there. When she got to the medical lab a little while later, her friend Michelle looked more than a little relieved to see her. “Are you okay?” the other girl asked. “You look like crap.” Savanna nodded. “I’m just feeling a little under the weather, that’s all.” She had no desire to tell her friend about the strange weekend she’d had. There was no way she could explain it that would make sense. Instead, they made small talk for a few minutes before she headed to her lab to get to work. 27

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Try as she might, though, Savanna couldn’t seem to focus on work. Usually, she enjoyed her job of testing and analyzing blood samples, but every time she picked up a vial of blood to take out a sample for crossmatching, her stomach cramped up so much that if she hadn’t been perched on a stool at the time, she probably would have doubled over. Thinking that a snack might help, she made her way down the hall to the small break room. Michelle was at the counter and she looked up as Savanna walked in. “I’m having a bagel,” the redhead said. “You want one?” Savanna shook her head. “No thanks,” she said. The thought of eating a bagel made her queasy. “I’m just going to grab a yogurt.” Walking over to the fridge, she opened the door and was just about to reach inside for one of the containers of yogurt she kept there when Michelle yelped. “Ouch!” Savanna looked around the door. “What happened?” “I cut my hand with the damn knife,” the other girl said. Savanna closed the refrigerator door, immediately concerned. “Is it deep?” Michelle shook her head. “It’s just a little nick,” she said, holding up her hand so that Savanna could see. “It’s bleeding like crazy, though, but I’ll be fine.” Savanna stared at the blood on other girl’s finger as if transfixed by it. Suddenly, it was like nothing else in the world existed but that small amount of blood running down her friend’s finger. She’d never seen a more beautiful color in her whole life. And the coppery smell was more tantalizing than any food she could imagine. In fact, the smell was absolutely…scrumptious. Abruptly, Savanna felt a sharp sensation in her mouth. She winced and was about to reach up and see what it was, but for some reason, she found herself reaching for Michelle’s finger instead. The blood was drawing her closer like a magnet. What the 28

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 hell was she doing? Shaking her head, Savanna forced herself to stop. Oh God, in another minute she would have had Michelle’s finger in her mouth! Startled by what she’d been about to do, Savanna stumbled back in horror. Fortunately, the other girl didn’t see because she had already turned toward the sink to wash off her hand. Mumbling something about needing to go to the ladies’ room, Savanna turned and practically ran from the room. To her relief, the women’s bathroom was empty and she leaned back against the door gratefully. What the heck had happened back there? It was like she’d been possessed or something. Trembling, she walked over to the huge mirror above the row of shiny, porcelain sinks and hesitantly opened her mouth. Her eyes went wide. Oh, God. She had fangs. Long, pointy, fangs! Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap! “Savanna, you okay?” At the sound of Michelle’s voice, Savanna whirled around, her hand instinctively going up to cover her mouth. Her friend frowned, coming toward her. “Savanna?” Savanna took a step back. “I-I’m not feeling well,” she said from behind her hand. “Could you tell Karl that I decided to go home early?” The other girl nodded, her brow furrowing even more. “Yeah, of course. But are you sure you’re okay to drive? You look really pale. Maybe I should take you.” “No!” Savanna said quickly. “I’m fine. Really. I have to go. I’ll call you.” She hurried out the door without waiting for a reply, leaving the other girl standing there with a perplexed look on her face. As she made her way down the hall, Savanna kept her hand over her mouth, afraid that if she didn’t, one of her co-workers would be sure to see her fangs. “Hey Savanna.” 29

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 She looked up to see a tall, lanky, bespectacled man dressed in a lab coat coming down the hall, a clipboard full of papers in hand. “Hey Bob,” she murmured, the word muffled by her hand. He stopped in mid-step to eye her in concern. “Are you feeling okay? You look horrible.” Even though she knew she should have kept walking, she stopped, too. “Not really. I’m going to go on home.” Bob nodded. “Good idea. Get better soon.” As she watched him walk away, Savanna couldn’t help fixating on his neck. She suddenly had to fight the urge to push him up against the wall and sink her teeth into him. She could literally hear the blood pumping in his veins. Oh God. If she didn’t get out of there soon, she really might bite someone. With a groan, she ran down the hall and into the small employee locker room. Taking off her lab coat, she shoved it into her locker and grabbed her jacket and shoulder bag. As she hurried into the parking garage a minute later, Michelle’s words came back to her. Maybe her friend was right; maybe she shouldn’t be driving. But the thought of all the people who would be riding the BART made her decide against taking the subway. Even taking a cab was too risky. She couldn’t trust herself to be near anyone right now. The sooner she got back to her apartment, the better. When she got to the stop sign that led out of the parking garage, though, she hesitated. If she turned left, she’d be home in ten minutes. But what good would it do to go to her apartment? She had freakin’ fangs! What was she going to do with them? Give them a good brushing and hope they went away? Just then another cramp seized her. It was so painful that her knuckles turned white where she gripped the steering wheel. That decided it for her. Instead of turning left, she turned right and headed toward Nob Hill. **** 30

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Kaige stared unseeingly out at the bay. The view from the living room window was one of the reasons he’d bought the place years ago, but tonight he couldn’t be less interested in it. All he could think about was the girl. At this point in the transition, she would be feeling all the urges of a vampire. She just wouldn’t know what they meant. If she went too long without blood, her body would begin to shut down and she would die. If that happened, it would be his fault. He swore under his breath. Why the hell hadn’t he thought to ask her name? Hell, if he’d any sense at all, he would have just checked the ID in her purse. She’d been passed out in his bed for two days, after all. It wasn’t like he hadn’t had the chance. The doorbell rang suddenly, interrupting his thoughts. His heart began to pound. God, please let that be her. He hurried into the entryway. Kaige yanked opened the door, relief flooding him when he saw her standing there. Her face looked drawn and she was even paler than she had been that morning. She must be really hungry. “You’re back,” he said. She swallowed hard. “Can I come in?” He took a step back, silently chiding himself for his thoughtlessness. “Yeah, of course.” Arms wrapped protectively around her middle, she walked into the entryway and nervously looked around. After a moment, her gaze swung back to him. “Everything you told me this morning was true, wasn’t it?” she said in a small voice. “You really are a vampire.” He nodded. “And so are you.” She shook her head, her brow furrowing. “But how can vampires be real? I mean, I thought they were just things people made up to scare kids, like werewolves and zombies.” Kaige felt a smile tug at the corner of his mouth. “I’ll explain everything later, but first you need to feed.” 31

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 She chewed on her lower lip thoughtfully. “You mean blood, right?” He nodded. “Let’s go into the living room and sit down.” When she made no move to head in that direction, Kaige put his hand on her back, gently guiding her into the room. She went willingly, taking a seat on the leather couch. She leaned over, her arms clutching at her stomach. She was cramping up even worse than he’d thought. “So, when you say I need blood, does that mean we have to go out and bite someone?” she asked when she finally straightened up. He shook his head. “Not quite. We don’t go around biting people anymore.” She sighed. “That’s good. I don’t think I could bite someone. So, you use an IV then?” He gave her a small smile. “No. Actually, we normally just pour bagged blood into a glass and drink it. I had to give you an IV while you were unconscious because that was the only way to get my blood into you. But unfortunately, bagged blood isn’t going to work for you right now. You’re not far enough along in the change to handle any other blood but mine. It would be too hard on your system,” he explained. “Of course, if I’d been thinking, I would have had some of my blood waiting for you. But honestly, I wasn’t too sure you were going to come back. So, we’re going to have to do it the old-fashioned way.” Her blue eyes filled with panic. “You mean I have to bite you? Look, I know you’re trying to help, but like I told you before, I don’t think I could do that.” He grinned. “You’re teeth beg to differ.” She blinked as if in surprise then reached up with her fingers to feel her fangs. Though not nearly as large as his, the tips still peeked out from between her lips, he noticed. Damn, he’d never seen a sexier pair of fangs on a female and he’d seen a bunch. “I still don’t think I can bite you,” she said quietly. 32

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Kaige couldn’t help but laugh. “At least that means I don’t have to worry that you accidentally bit anyone else today,” he said. “Okay, we’ll do this another way then. Close your eyes.” She eyed him nervously. “Why?” “Trust me,” he said softly. She hesitated, but then obediently closed her eyes. Lifting his arm to his mouth, Kaige brought out his fangs and bit into his wrist. As the smell of his blood filled the air, the girl’s nostrils flared. “Open your mouth,” he ordered softly. She obeyed without hesitation, her lips parting invitingly, and he gently pressed his wrist to her mouth. She was tentative at first, her lips gently closing over his wrist, her tongue barely touching his skin, but then her vampire instincts took over and she began to drink more urgently. He hadn’t noticed how sexy her mouth was before, but as she drank from him, he saw that her lips were full and pouty and perfectly shaped. The kind of lips that a man dreamed of kissing. Kaige swore silently. Where the hell had that thought come from? But he was distracted from wondering any more about it as the girl suddenly lifted her hand to his arm, holding his wrist more firmly in place while she drank from him. A moment later, she let out a little moan. The sound was so erotic that it was all Kaige could do not to let out a groan of his own. Damn, what she was doing felt good. Actually, it felt more than good. It felt exquisite. Sexual, even. The realization made his cock immediately go hard inside his jeans and he had to clench his jaw to stifle another groan. He’d shared blood with other female vampires before, even during sex, but the pleasure had never been this intense. Unable to help himself, Kaige slid his hand in the girl’s long, silky hair, silently urging her to take more. She didn’t need any fur33

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 ther encouragement, but closed her mouth tightly around his wrist and sank her teeth into his wrist. Kaige didn’t even bother to stifle the groan that escaped his lips this time, but simply closed his eyes and gave in to the pleasure of what she was doing. God, he hadn’t felt anything this incredible in his very long life. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Kaige knew he should stop her before she took too much, but what she was doing felt too intoxicating. He couldn’t stop her if he tried. It was the girl who finally pulled her mouth away, though not before running her warm tongue over the bite marks. Kaige opened his eyes to look down at her. She gave him a shy look as she wiped a drop of blood from the corner of her mouth with her finger. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I didn’t mean to take that much.” “You didn’t,” he said, his voice sounding strangely hoarse. His legs suddenly felt wobbly and he sat down on the couch beside her. “Are you feeling better?” She nodded. “Yes. Thank you,” she said, but then winced as her gaze went to the puncture marks on his wrist. “What about you? Do those hurt?” He shook his head. “A vampire’s saliva has a slight anesthetic effect, so a gentle bite like that doesn’t really hurt and the bite marks will be completely healed by tomorrow.” She blinked in surprise at that, but made no comment. A moment later, she lifted her hand to her mouth to hide a yawn. Even with her hand there, he could see that her fangs were still extended and covered with just the slightest tinge of blood. Damn, he couldn’t remember ever seeing anything sexier than that. Despite the fact that he’d told Jensen that he didn’t want to have anything to do with teaching the girl what she needed to know, Kaige suddenly found that there was so much he wanted to tell her. But it was obvious that she was too exhausted right now. 34

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Just giving her that little bit of blood wouldn’t change that. Now that she’d fed, she needed to sleep. “It would probably be best if you stayed here tonight,” Kaige said. “That way we can talk in the morning. There’s a lot you need to know about being a vampire, but I think you’re probably a little too tired to talk about it right now.” She hesitated, but then gave him a small smile. “I am a little tired.” He got to his feet. “Then if you don’t mind sleeping in my bed again, I’ll walk you upstairs.” She stood, too, chewing on her lower lip again. Her fangs had finally retracted, he noticed. “I don’t want to put you out,” she said. “I can sleep on the couch.” The corner of his mouth edged up. “You’re not putting me out. Besides, I’m not sleeping on the couch. I have a guest room.” Her cheeks colored. “Oh,” was all she said. As they made their way upstairs a few minutes later, a thought suddenly occurred to Kaige. “I still don’t know your name,” he said. Her brow furrowed as if in confusion, but then she laughed. “That’s right. I never did introduce myself this morning, did I? It’s Savanna,” she said. “Savanna Royce.” Savanna. Kaige silently repeated the name in his head. It was beautiful. Like her. Outside his bedroom, they both stopped. As he stood there gazing down at her, Kaige had an almost irresistible urge to kiss her. He cleared his throat instead. “I’m glad you came back tonight,” he told her. “Me, too,” she said. “I feel a lot better already.” He stood there in silence for a moment, and then cleared his throat again. “I’ll say good night, then. If you need me, I’ll be right down the hall.” She nodded. “Good night.” 35

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Kaige waited until she went into his bedroom and closed the door before slowly making his way down the hall to the guest room. He was suddenly tired himself, but as he got ready for bed, he knew he was too keyed up to sleep right away. He couldn’t stop thinking about what had just happened between him and Savanna downstairs. A single bite on the wrist from a female he barely knew had aroused him more than he’d been in what, a hundred-and-fifty years? How was that possible? As he threw himself onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling, he let that question roll around in his mind. But he still had no answer hours later when sleep finally claimed him. **** Savanna leaned back against the door with a sigh. Just that morning, she hadn’t been able to get out of Kaige’s house fast enough, and now she contemplating yanking open the door and tearing his clothes off. It was amazing how nibbling at a guy’s wrist could change a girl’s outlook, she thought with a smile. She had expected to be repulsed by the act of feeding, but she’d been far from disgusted. From the moment Kaige had put his wrist to her mouth, her entire body had felt like it was on fire. His blood had been sweet and heady, its coppery taste so intoxicating that she couldn’t help but sink her teeth in just a little. The reaction had startled her at first, but then her new vamp instincts had taken over and she had found herself giving in to them. Savanna closed her eyes, remembering how her heartbeat had seemed to merge with his as she’d fed. She’d never experienced anything so amazing, or so sexual, before. If Kaige had swung her up in his arms and carried her up here to his bedroom afterward, she wouldn’t have protested. Even though she normally didn’t jump into bed that quickly with a guy, there was just something about him that had her ready to do just that. She was a little surprised at how strongly her body had reacted to him. Just the 36

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 thought of making love with him had her body feeling warm and tingly all over. What was it about him that had her reacting like this? Sure, he was completely gorgeous, but he was also a complete stranger. Even though she knew it sounded like a goofy romance book cliché, she swore she had some sort of connection with him. One that she’d never had with any other guy before. Her brow furrowed as she considered that for a moment. Maybe it was all just a side-effect of her being a vampire now. Was she just so hot over him because he had turned her? While that was certainly possible, she found herself hoping that wasn’t the case. She’d rather believe that she and Kaige were just in the grasp of some incredible chemistry. But how was she going to know which it was? Letting out a sigh, Savanna continued to think about it as she got ready for bed. By the time she’d pulled off her clothes and crawled beneath the blanket, she still didn’t have an answer. Maybe she’d figure it out in the morning. As she burrowed down into the big, soft pillows, she inhaled a wonderful fragrance. Pulling it in even deeper, she smiled, knowing it must be Kaige she smelled. Even his scent was intoxicating. As she drifted off to sleep, her mind was filled with images of the hunky vampire sleeping just down the hall.

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Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101

Chapter 4 Savanna woke to the aroma of bacon and eggs the next morning. As she lay in Kaige’s bed blinking sleepily up at the ceiling, it occurred to her that she probably shouldn’t be able to smell breakfast cooking downstairs all the way up in the bedroom, especially since the door was closed. Just one more bit of proof that she was a vampire, she supposed. As if she needed any. Throwing back the blanket, she padded naked into the adjoining bathroom, putting her hair up as she went, and then stepped into the glass-enclosed shower. While she’d never envisioned a vampire living in the ritzy Nob Hill neighborhood, she had to admit that with its sleek lines and state-of the-art décor, Kaige’s condo was really nice. He obviously had very good taste. Savanna couldn’t help but smile at that as she stepped under the spray. Yesterday, she’d thought Kaige Travers was a complete nut-job, and today, she thought he was absolutely the most fascinating man she’d ever met. Funny the difference a day could make. As she ran her soap-covered hands over her body, Savanna found herself wondering about Kaige. How old was he? Where was he originally from? What did he do for a living? Her brow furrowed at that. Did vampires even have jobs? Suddenly impatient to get the scoop on her fellow creature of the night, Savanna quickly finished showering and toweled off. After applying a light coat of mascara and a touch of lip gloss from her purse, she ran a brush through her long hair, then went back into the bedroom. Rather than putting on the jeans and graphic print T38

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 shirt she’d worn the night before, however, she instead found herself reaching for the button-up shirt Kaige had left draped over the back of a chair. For some reason she couldn’t explain, she suddenly found herself wanting to wrap herself in his scent again. While she didn’t know the layout of the condo, Savanna had no trouble finding the kitchen when she went downstairs a few minutes later. All she had to do was follow her nose. When she walked into the room, Kaige was just setting the table and he looked up at her entrance. His dark eyes caressed her slowly, lingering on her bare legs. Her pulse fluttered. She didn’t consider herself an expert on men, but it seemed obvious that he was interested in her. “I hope you don’t mind that I borrowed your shirt,” she said softly. He shook his head. “No, of course not. I was just going to come wake you up.” At the words, an image of Kaige waking her up by pulling back the sheet and slowly kissing his way up her naked body flashed into her head, and Savanna felt herself blush. “I’d probably still be in bed if I hadn’t smelled breakfast cooking,” she laughed, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear as she pulled out a chair and sat down. She usually didn’t eat anything more than a piece of whole wheat toast with cereal and some fruit for breakfast, but her mouth watered at the sight of the scrambled eggs and bacon. “This looks delicious.” Savanna helped herself to some eggs, and then took two pieces of bacon. Across from her, Kaige did the same, though the portions he took for himself were much bigger. She picked up her fork, all set to take a bite, but then her brow furrowed as a thought suddenly occurred to her. “Wait a minute,” she said. “We still eat food like everyone else?” Kaige looked up from sprinkling pepper on his eggs, his mouth quirking with amusement. “Blood isn’t a substitute for food. 39

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 We just need it to survive, like a supplement. Food still provides the energy, nutrients, and vitamins for us just like it does for everyone else.” Savanna nodded and took a bite of bacon. As she chewed, she considered something else. “Are we monsters?” On the other side of the table, Kaige almost spit out his orange juice. “Monsters? No, of course not! We simply have a…condition.” “A condition?” She didn’t think she’d ever heard vampirism referred to as a condition before. He sighed. “I’m not the best person to explain all of this. My friend, Jensen, could do a much better job.” “Jensen?” she said. “Is he a vampire, too?” Kaige nodded. “Yes. He’s the one who turned me. Now as I was saying—” “Wait,” she said, interrupting him before he could continue. “When did he turn you?” Kaige frowned, clearly perplexed. “When did he turn me?” She nodded and reached for her orange juice. “I want to know how old you are.” “Two hundred and seventy-eight.” She blinked. Damn, he looked good for his age! “Now back to what I was saying,” he began, but she interrupted him again. “Where are you originally from?” she asked. He sighed and picked up his toast. “England.” Savanna sipped her juice. “I’ve always wanted to go there,” she said. “You don’t have much of an accent, though. Not that you would, I suppose. I mean, you must have lived in lots of places in two hundred and seventy-eight years, right?” “A couple.” “So, what do you do for a living?” she asked, lifting a forkful of scrambled eggs to her mouth. 40

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 “I’m a professor at the university,” he said, picking up a strip of bacon from his plate and biting into it. A college professor? He had to be joking. With those looks and that body, he should be modeling for Abercrombie and Fitch, not spending his time in some stuffy old classroom. “What do you teach?” “History.” She should have known. “Of course.” The corner of Kaige’s mouth edged up. “So,” he said when she made no other comment, “is there anything else you want to know, or can I get back to what I was saying before?” Savanna gestured with her toast. “Please,” she said, then added, “If I think of anything else, I’ll just interrupt you again.” Kaige chuckled. “Okay, as I was saying, we basically carry a very contagious form of anemia. The condition was transmitted to you when I gave you my blood.” “Anemia? Really?” She chewed on a piece of bacon while she considered that. “Are there a lot of us with this condition then?” He shrugged. “I wouldn’t say a lot.” “More than a few?” she persisted. “Less than a dozen?” He frowned. “In San Francisco? There are about a hundred vampires or so, I guess. Obviously more in the entire state of California. Now back to what I was saying—” “Wait a minute,” she said, leaning forward in her chair. “How can you be sure how many vampires live in San Francisco? There could be a lot more than a hundred, right?” “Not really,” he said. “I mean, I haven’t read the census report in a while, but the last time I looked, there were only about a hundred or so.” Her eyes went wide. “There are census reports for vampires? You’re joking, right?” He shook his head, his face serious. “No. How else can the proper services be provided?” 41

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 She stared at him aghast. “Services? What kind of services?” Kaige put down his fork. “Look, I had this whole conversation all planned out. If we can get back to the part about the anemia, then I’ll get to the part about the census…” Savanna held up her hand. “Wait,” she said. “Who takes the census? More importantly, who provides these services? Wait a minute. Are vampires part of some shadow-government that controls the world from behind the scenes?” He regarded her for a moment in silence, and then burst out laughing. “Okay, maybe I’d better talk about that part first. I’ll try to make this as understandable as possible,” he said. “First off, we are definitely not part of any shadow-government. Humans don’t even know we exist. Each vampire community is served by a local administrative office. These offices receive their guidance from a governing body called the Counsel. Representatives on the Counsel voluntarily serve for a period of twenty years at a time and make decisions based on the good of all vampires.” Her brow furrowed. “So, the Counsel is kind of like Congress then?” He shook his head. “It’s not really a political organization. There are no elections, no agendas or grand schemes for the future. Definitely no plans to take over the world or anything like that. The Counsel simply sets and enforces some basic rules to ensure everyone’s safety, including that of the human race.” She nodded, trying to take it all in. This was completely different than how she’d thought it would be. It seemed so…ordinary. “Okay, so what are these services you were talking about?” He sipped his coffee. “Blood delivery, medical and administrative services, employment—” Savanna blinked. “Blood delivery?” Kaige set down his mug. “That’s how we get the bagged blood I mentioned to you.” 42

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 “Oh,” she said. “But you didn’t always have bagged blood, right?” “No, but bagged blood is much better. There’s no muss, no fuss, no strange bite marks to explain, no angry villagers with torches and pitch forks.” She had the impression he spoke from experience, and she couldn’t help but shiver a little at the thought. “Okay, but what does blood delivery have to do with the census?” “The Counsel uses the census data to tell them where to locate the distribution centers, as well as where to send the automatic deliveries,” Kaige explained. “Automatic deliveries?” she said, forgetting all about the angry villagers he’d mentioned earlier. “You’re kidding me, right?” He shook his head again. “No. The distribution centers are pretty good at calculating how much blood a vampire needs, based on height, weight, and age. And with the automatic delivery system, they have no problem keeping up on the shipments. You can even go online and put a shipment on hold, or forward it to another address, say if you go on vacation.” Savanna laughed, sure he must be teasing her this time. “Internet? Vacations? You go on vacation?” He shrugged. “Not in a while, but everyone needs a vacation now and then. Even a vampire.” She shook her head. “This is just too weird,” she muttered. “Okay, what about these other services? And if you say that this vampire Counsel runs its own travel agency, I’m going to know you’re making it up.” Kaige chuckled. “No, no travel agency. Though that would be a good idea,” he said. “The Counsel also sets up and runs emergency medical facilities for vampires.” Her brow furrowed. “Vamp hospitals? Don’t tell me I can still get a cold or the flu!” 43

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 He gave her a suffering look. “If you had let me start at the beginning like I wanted to, you’d know the answer to that question,” he said in what she imagined was his best professor voice. “But no, you won’t be getting the common cold anymore.” Savanna relaxed. “That’s good to know,” she said. “Maybe you should go back and start at the beginning. Sorry I interrupted. It won’t happen again.” Kaige lifted a brow. “Somehow, I doubt that,” he said dryly. “As I was saying, vampirism is a genetic condition with the number one symptom being acute anemia. There are a lot of other sideeffects to the condition, but the anemia sort of drives the train. You see, a vampire’s body can’t produce its own red blood cells. That leads to all of the problems you’d expect a person with severe anemia to have—pallor, weakness, excessive sleeping, and in extreme cases, death. If that were the end of the story, vampires would have died out a long time ago. But the same genetic mutation that created the anemia gave us a way to overcome it. The first vampires discovered that they had the ability to absorb the red blood cells from the food they ate. Our stomachs, our whole digestive system in fact, is completely different from a human’s.” He shrugged. “How those first vampires figured out that their bodies could digest and process human blood is anyone’s guess, but according to our history it was pretty common knowledge by the fifth century. “The really unusual thing about the condition,” he continued, “is that it can be transmitted to another person. Basically, it’s contagious. Once my blood got into you, it changed your body, making you like us. That’s why you were unconscious for two days. Your body needed time to make all of the physical changes necessary to turn you into a vampire." She was silent for a moment. “So, being a vampire has nothing to do with demons or evil or anything like that? It’s a bloodborn…disease?” 44

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 “We like to think of it as a condition,” he corrected. “Most vampires would be offended if you called it a disease. We don’t like to think of ourselves as sick, just different.” Politically correct vampires. Who would have thought? She was silent for a moment, then frowned. “So, what does any of that have to do with us not getting sick? I mean, you’d think having anemia would make us less resistant to disease. And where do the fangs come into this?” Kaige nodded. “I’m getting to that,” he said. “The fangs apparently developed so that vampires could feed more efficiently. Of course, since we get our blood from a bag, there’s not really much need for fangs now. And like with most things in the human body that aren’t needed any more, fangs are slowly starting to become less and less prevalent.” “Like wisdom teeth, you mean?” “Exactly like that,” he agreed. “Some newer vampires never get fangs.” Savanna made a face. “That would just suck.” He lifted a brow. “Why would that suck?” “Because that would be like being Superman, but without the x-ray vision.” Kaige chuckled. ‘I never thought of it like that, but I guess you’re right.” “Besides,” she said. “The whole fang-thing is sexy.” He leaned forward in his chair. “You think so?” Savanna caught her breath at the suddenly intent look in his dark eyes. “Don’t you?” He regarded her for a moment, and then gave her a slow smile. “Actually, I do.” Her pulse started to race so fast that she was sure he must be able to hear it, but whether he could or not, she’d never know because at that moment, his cell phone rang. 45

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Kaige let it continue to ring for a moment, but then pulled it out of his pocket. He glanced at the call display then back at her. “I have to take this,” he said. Savanna nodded. She licked her lips, listening to his conversation with half an ear. It was probably a good thing his phone had rung. Another minute of gazing into those soulful dark eyes and she might have crawled across the table and onto his lap. Even as she blushed at the thought, she couldn’t help but wonder if maybe Kaige had been using some kind of vamp mind control on her, mesmerizing her with his eyes. Definitely not, she decided as she let her gaze run over his broad shoulders and muscular chest. It was pure masculinity that drew her to him, not any form of mind control. Across from her, Kaige flipped his cell phone closed and shoved it back into the pocket of his jeans. “Sorry about that. It was my teaching assistant. He’s covering my classes for me,” he explained. “So, where were we? Fangs, right?” She nodded, her pulse quickening as she wondered if he’d pick up where they’d left off. But to her disappointment, he didn’t. “So, the fangs are just a minor side effect of the mutation,” he said. “The other part you asked about, the immune resistance response, has a more far-reaching, long-term effect. It turns out that in the process of absorbing the red blood cells from blood that we ingest, we also receive large quantities of white blood cells and other things in the blood, like platelets.” Savanna thought about that for a moment. “That actually makes sense. The white blood cells control our body’s immune response. By upping the WBC count, our immune system must be more effective at fighting off infections. And the increased platelet count would aid in faster blood clotting and make for less scarring. It would also explain why you don’t look two hundred and seventy-eight.” 46

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Kaige seemed surprised that she knew so much about blood. “That’s right, actually. We’re not immortal, but our immune system does a good job of keeping us young for a long time.” He looked at her appraisingly. “You seem to be picking this up pretty fast.” She smiled. “I’m a hematologist. I work with blood at one of the labs near the hospital.” “Jensen will be interested to hear that,” Kaige said. “He’s a doctor, so he’s always looking for people to help him out with medical services.” Her brow furrowed. ‘There you go mentioning medical services again,” she said. “If we don’t get sick and we heal so quickly, then why do we need a vamp hospital?” He took a swallow of coffee. “Mostly for secrecy’s sake,” he explained. “If a vampire gets in an accident and is really hurt, we don’t want them going to a regular hospital. It might cause a problem if human doctors take a close look at us. Even something like a CAT scan would reveal how different we are. Which is why we take care of our own.” She nodded. “That makes sense.” Kaige regarded her thoughtfully for a moment. “I have to say, you’re really taking this well. I would have thought you’d be freaking out about now.” Savanna laughed, her face coloring. “Actually, this is a little embarrassing to admit, but I’ve always had a thing for vampires,” she said. “Why do you think I was hanging out at that Goth club?” He chuckled. “And here I struggled with whether I should turn you into a vampire or not that night.” She looked at him in surprise. “You did? Why?” He shrugged and looked away. “Not everyone is necessarily thrilled with the idea of becoming a vampire. Some people react quite badly, in fact.” 47

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 The way he said the words made her wonder if he’d been one of those people. But thinking that it might be something he didn’t want to talk about, she changed the subject. “So, when do I get my lessons on how to use my powers?” she asked. His brows drew together. “Powers?” he asked in confusion. Savanna nodded eagerly. “Yeah. You know…powers. Like flying and shape-shifting. Oh, and levitating and teleporting, too. And I can’t wait to learn how to read minds.” When Kaige only stared blankly at her, Savanna’s heart sank. “You mean we don’t have any powers? I can’t fly or turn into a bat or anything?” He gave her a small smile. “Sorry,” he said. “We don’t have any powers like that. But during the turning, certain parts of your body were optimized for…well…even though we don’t have to do it anymore…hunting. You’ll find that your hearing, eyesight, and sense of smell have all improved, and they’ll continue to get even better over the years. You’ll be stronger and faster, too, so don’t feel too bad. But as far as flying or turning into a bat goes, that only happens in the movies.” She lifted her chin. “How do you know? Maybe no one bothered to teach you.” He lifted a brow. “Right, that’s probably it,” he said. “They just forgot to teach me. Of course, it’s just a coincidence that in two hundred and forty years as a vampire, I’ve never noticed any of my friends turning into a bat and flapping off into the night.” She gave him a pout. “I think you’re just laughing at me now.” Kaige chuckled. “Maybe a little,” he admitted. “But there’s a lot I still have to teach you, and since I sired you, it’s my responsibility.” “What kind of things?” He shrugged. “Mostly how to hide what you are and how to blend in with humans. That can be even more difficult in our mod48

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 ern information-age. With the IRS and all the various databases of information, it can be dangerous if someone notices that you’ve been paying taxes at the same address for a hundred-and-fifty years. I’ll also teach you everything you need to know about feeding.” He was silent for a moment. “Look, speaking of that, and I don’t want to pressure you, but it would be easier to do all of those things if you spent the next couple of days here.” Savanna chewed on her lower lip as she considered his suggestion. She’d already spent the past several days at his condo anyway, so was spending a couple more there really that big of a deal? She certainly felt safe with him. Besides, it would give her a chance to explore this connection she thought was going on between them. Who knew? Maybe she might get a chance to nibble from his wrist again. And maybe a few other delectable parts of his body, too. As her imagination began to run wild with that idea, she was suddenly glad that vampires couldn’t read other people’s minds or she’d be blushing even more hotly than she was now. Realizing that Kaige was still waiting for an answer, she nodded. “Okay, but I’ll need to get some clothes and other things from my place.” “No problem,” he said. “I can drive you over. That will give us a chance to stop by the local Counsel administrative offices and the clinic that Jensen runs. That way you’ll know where they are.” As they were finishing breakfast, Savanna glanced out the window. It looked like a beautiful, sunny San Francisco day. That made her frown. “I assume that I don’t have to worry about bursting into flames when I go out in the sun,” she said. “But then why did I get sunburn after only a few minutes outside the other day?” “That’s one of the inconvenient side-effects of our condition,” he told her. “Our skin is extremely sensitive to sunlight. We’ll get sunburn unless we wear a hell of a lot of sunscreen. There have even been some cases of vampires getting trapped outside who have 49

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 died from exposure. That’s what led to all of the folktales about vampires not being able to go out during the day. Even now, there are a lot of vampires who still don’t like to go out in the daylight. Which explains why most vampire-run establishments are open at night and closed during the day.” That made sense, Savanna decided. It was a good thing she’d always been a night person. After breakfast, Savanna went upstairs to change and put on sunscreen. It wasn’t difficult to find, since Kaige had a whole linen closet full of the stuff. They stopped by the clinic first, where she met Jensen Flynn. Tall, blonde and handsome, he was completely charming. “It’s good to see you up and about,” he said with a smile. “Kaige was very worried. He hardly left your side.” Savanna looked at Kaige in surprise, but he only shrugged sheepishly. “Not all humans make it through the turning. I wanted to be sure you were okay.” Though he said the words casually, she thought she detected something else in his tone and it warmed her all the way down to the tips of her polished toes. As Kaige had predicted, Jensen was very interested to hear that Savanna had a background in medicine. “I’m always looking for experienced vampires to work with me. And the blood distribution center could use your expertise as well,” he told her as he showed them around the facility. “Maintaining blood quality is always a problem for us. I definitely think you could help us out with that. No pressure, just think about it.” Savanna was impressed by the clinic. She had expected it to be small and minimally staffed, but instead it was large, full of hightech equipment, and had people running around all over the place. Halfway through their tour, Jensen’s cell phone rang and he apologized for the interruption before moving off to the side to put it to 50

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 his ear. When he returned several minutes later, he gave them a smile. “My wife,” he explained. “She wanted to remind me to pick something up at the store on the way home.” Savanna blinked. “Vampires get married?” The blond-haired man nodded. “Some of us,” he said. “If we’re fortunate enough to find a mate we can see ourselves spending the rest of our very long lives with.” “Your wife is a vampire, too, then?” Jensen gave her a smile. “Humans tend to notice when they start to age and their mates don’t.” Her brow furrowed. She hadn’t thought of that. When it came to being a vampire, she hadn’t thought about quite a lot of things apparently. “So, can you get married in a church?” she asked as they began walking down the hallway again. Beside her, Kaige chuckled. “Savanna is still trying to reconcile the fact that we’re not the soulless monsters the movies make us out to be.” Savanna glared at Kaige, her face coloring with embarrassment. “You’re making fun of me again.” He only grinned. Jensen laughed. “Don’t let Kaige fool you. Ask him to tell you about the first fifty years or so he spent as a vampire sometime,” he said. “But to answer your question, yes, those of us who are religious get married in a church.” She nodded. “So how exactly do vampires meet? Do you have vamp personals or something?” That brought another round of laughter from the men. “No,” Jensen said. “The vampire community is small, so we get to know one another fairly well. Though, to tell the truth, you’re not the first to mention the idea of vampire personals. My 51

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 wife has wanted to open up a dating service for vampires for quite a while.” Before they left the clinic to go to the Counsel’s local administrative offices, which were in the next building over, Jensen reminded her about the job he’d offered her. She smiled and told him that she’d think about it. The offices resembled those of most government agencies, Savanna thought as Kaige led her down the hallway and into a room. There was a lot of stone and the floors were highly polished; all in all, it was very industrial looking. Once inside, he explained to the female vampire behind the counter that Savanna was newly turned and was there for orientation. Savanna had to admit she was a little nervous about that part, but she felt better with Kaige there to guide her through the registration process. The first thing she had to do was fill out paperwork. There was the standard stuff like name, date of birth, social security number, address, telephone number, email, and occupation, but after that, it got tricky. “They want to know if I was bitten and turned into a vampire against my will,” she said to Kaige. “I was bitten against my will, but if you had asked me if I wanted you to turn me, then I would have agreed, so what should I put?” “Say that you were attacked by a rogue vampire and that I turned you to save your life,” Kaige said. She did, only to frown at the next question. “Were you informed about what becoming a vampire entailed before you were turned, and did you sign the implied consent form?” she read aloud, then looked at Kaige, her pen poised above the page. “Write, see above,” he told her. Savanna did, then moved on to the next question. What blood type do you prefer? It was followed by a list of the different blood types. Too bad Kaige’s name wasn’t listed somewhere on there, 52

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 she thought with a naughty smile. She much preferred the taste of his. She looked at him. “What’s your blood type?” “A positive,” he said with a smile, obviously knowing why she asked. Savanna marked the block for A positive, and then continued. After filling out the forms, which seemed to be endless, she went into another room to get her picture taken, then have her blood drawn. Becoming a vampire hadn’t changed the fact that she was squeamish about needles, but again, she felt better with Kaige there. “Why do they need my blood anyway?” she asked him after the lab-tech had left the room. “The Counsel keeps a record of every vampire’s bloodline,” he explained as they walked back down the hallway to the main registration room. “While you’re from my bloodline because I’m your sire, your blood can also be traced to Jensen, who is my sire, as well as that of the vampire who sired him, and so on and so on.” “Wow,” Savanna breathed. “So, they can actually isolate each vampire’s blood separately?” Kaige nodded. “Pretty amazing, huh?” “I’ll say. I might just have to take Jensen up on that job he offered me,” she said as they walked back into the main registration room. Savanna wasn’t sure what else she had to do as part of the registration process and was relieved when the woman behind the counter told her that she was done. She was more than a little surprised, however, when the woman handed her a thick vampire handbook before she and Kaige left. “Aren’t they afraid that this might get into the wrong hands?” she asked Kaige. He held open the door for her. “Not really,” he said. “It’s not like anyone is going to think it’s real.” 53

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Savanna supposed he was right about that. As she thumbed through the pages while Kaige drove, she couldn’t quite believe it was real herself. Not only did it give detailed information about the Counsel, but it had an entire section on what a vampire should do if he or she felt the urge to bite someone. Contact your sire right away and explain the situation, the book said. If you are not able to reach him or her, then immediately contact the hotline at the number provided. Guess the vamp who attacked her hadn’t read the handbook, Savanna thought wryly. Then again, if he had, she would never have met Kaige. “If the Counsel has all these rules in place, and all vampires drink bagged blood, then why did that vampire in the overcoat attack me outside the club the other night?” she asked. Kaige glanced at her as he made a right-hand turn. “Every once in a while, a vampire will turn rogue and decide he prefers the old ways,” he said. “But don’t worry. He’s not going to come after you again. And even if he wants to, the Counsel will find him before he can.” “I’m not worried,” she said with a smile. “I know you won’t let him get near me again.” He looked surprised by her words for a moment, but then he grinned. “No, I won’t.” When they walked into her apartment twenty minutes later, Savanna noticed that the light on the answering machine was blinking. She considered ignoring it, but then decided that Michelle, her friend from work, might have called to check on her. Tossing her purse on the couch, she walked over to the answering machine and pressed the play button. She’d been right. The first call was from Michelle. The other two, however, were from her mother, reminding her yet again about coming to dinner. Savanna groaned. 54

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 “Let me just call my mom and tell her that I won’t be able to make it,” she said, picking up the cordless phone. From where he was standing by the couch, Kaige frowned. “Why?” “Because having dinner with my mom and dad is never just about us getting together for some quality time,” she said. “It’s always about her trying to set me up with some guy.” “Ah,” he said, and then shrugged. “Well, I could go with you, and then they wouldn’t have to worry about setting you up with anyone.” Her heart did a little flip-flop. “Really? You wouldn’t mind?” He smiled. “Not at all.” Savanna considered that. She was sure he was just offering to be polite, but that didn’t stop her heart from hammering wildly with excitement anyway. Or her fingers from trembling a little as she dialed the phone and put it to her ear. “Hey Mom, it’s me,” she said when her mother answered. “I’ve been trying to call you for days, dear,” her mother said. “I was starting to get worried when you didn’t return my calls.” Savanna chewed on her lower lip. “I…um…I’ve been busy with work,” she lied. “You are still coming to dinner, aren’t you?” her mother asked. “I have this really nice guy I’d like you to meet. He bags my groceries all the time at the store. But I want to make sure you’re coming before I invite him.” “I’m still coming,” Savanna said. “But I don’t think you need to invite him. I’m going to be bringing someone with me.” There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment. Then, in a resigned voice, he mother said, “Oh Savanna, please don’t tell me you met him at one of those dreadful Goth clubs you go to.” “Actually, I did,” Savanna said, a smile curving her lips as her gaze slid to Kaige. “But I think you’ll like him.” 55

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 She and her mother spoke for a few more minutes before Savanna hung up. Remembering that her friend Michelle had also left a message, she called her next. Not wanting the other girl to worry, she told her that was feeling better and would be back at work that night. Telling Kaige to make himself at home, Savanna went into her bedroom to grab her things. Not one to ever pack light anyway, she knew she was probably bringing way too many clothes even as she put a few extra Tee's in the bag, but she wanted to make sure she had enough. As she added several pairs of skimpy bikini panties and matching bras to the bag, she couldn’t help but get excited at the thought of Kaige seeing her in them. She wasn’t sure if the relationship with a sire was supposed to be platonic, but after what had happened between her and Kaige when she’d fed from him last night, it was difficult not to have sexual thoughts where he was concerned. Zipping the bag, she found herself wondering if all vampires got sexually excited if they fed from each other. The mere thought of drinking from Kaige again had her dizzy with desire. Savanna let out a little moan as she picked up her bag and left the room. Kaige was sitting on the couch flipping through a magazine when she walked into the living room. At her entrance, he tossed it on the coffee table and stood up. “Did I hear you say that you’re going to go to work tonight?” he asked. She nodded as she set the bag down on the floor. “That’s okay, isn’t it? I mean, I just fed last night, so I shouldn’t be tempted to bite any of my coworkers, right?” She could just imagine having to call the vampire hotline because she couldn’t get in touch with Kaige. His mouth twitched. “Probably not, but just to be on the safe side, you’d better feed before you go to work.” 56

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Savanna’s pulse quickened at the thought of nibbling on his wrist again. Even more, she felt a little tingle of arousal between her legs. Wow, she had it bad. “Oh…okay,” she said. “Do you want to do it here?” He nodded. “Why don’t you sit on the couch? That seemed to work well when we did it like that last time.” Savanna said nothing as she walked over to the couch and sat down. She wiped her suddenly damp hands on her jeans. Would Kaige expect her to bite his wrist this time, or would he do it himself again? But he was already lifting his arm to his mouth. She caught her breath at the sight of his fangs. At the sound, Kaige paused to look at her. “You might want to close your eyes.” She shook her head. “I’m okay.” He hesitated, as if debating whether he should insist, but then with his eyes still on her, he sank his fangs into his wrist. Savanna breathed in deeply as the scent of Kaige’s blood filled the room. She ran her tongue over her lips in anticipation and was surprised to feel the sharp tips of her own fangs. She hadn’t even realized they’d come out. She parted her lips eagerly as he held his wrist up to her mouth. Kaige’s blood was hot on her tongue and just as intoxicating as she remembered. Savanna let out a little moan and closed her lips more tightly around his wrist, drinking deeply from him. He slid his hand in her hair, his fingers slowly massaging as she gently sank her teeth into his skin. As his blood flowed through her, Savanna felt the tingle increase between her legs. She squeezed her thighs together, hoping to ease the ache there, but it only seemed to intensify it. Dear God, it was all she could do not to slide her hand down and touch herself. Not wanting to take too much, she tenderly pulled her mouth away. Slowly running her tongue along the inside of Kaige’s wrist, 57

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 she lifted her gaze to look up at him. His dark head was thrown back, his eyes closed, the expression on his face one of pure ecstasy. As if just realizing that she had stopped drinking from him, Kaige opened his eyes. He gazed down at her for a long moment, his eyes dark and smoldering with a look so intense that she caught her breath. The next thing she knew, she was in his arms and he was kissing her. If she’d thought Kaige’s blood was intoxicating, that was nothing compared to the feel of his lips on hers. His tongue swept into her mouth and slid over her fangs, making her whole body tremble and she melted against him. Eager to see what his fangs felt like, she thrust her tongue into his mouth and almost lost her mind at the feel of the sharp tips caressing her teasing tongue. He lifted his head with a groan. “You have no idea how much I want you right now,” he rasped. Savanna let out a husky laugh as she slid her hand between them to the bulge straining at the front of his jeans. “I think I have a pretty good idea, actually,” she said against his mouth. Kaige groaned again, the sound a deep growl within his throat as she cupped him firmly in her hand. “What time do you have to be at work?” he asked hoarsely. She kissed him again. “Not for an hour.” “Thank God,” Kaige breathed, lowering his head to kiss her again. Savanna hadn’t known it was possible to kiss and undress each other at the same time, or maybe she’d never wanted a man badly enough to try before, but she and Kaige managed to do both quite well. She fumbled with the buttons on his shirt, almost yanking them off in her haste to get him naked. But if she were in a hurry, then Kaige was even more eager. The moment his shirt was off, his hands were beneath the hem of her snug-fitting shirt and he was 58

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 pushing it up with an urgency that had her dragging her mouth away from his so he could take off her top. By the time he reached around to unclasp her satin demi-bra, his mouth was on hers again. She tugged at his belt, then went to work on the buttons of his jeans. She’d always thought the button-fly kind were sexy as hell on a guy, but right then she would have preferred a zipper. The things were giving her fits! Kaige had better luck, his finger deftly undoing her tightfitting jeans with amazing ease. A moment later, he was pushing them over her hips and down her legs, leaving her wearing nothing but a tiny pair of black bikini panties. Rather than take them off like she’d expected him to, however, he gave her a hand with his jeans instead. When they were off and he was gloriously naked, Savanna wasted no time pushing him back onto the couch. She was so bold; what had gotten into her? As she wiggled out of her skimpy panties, she decided she didn’t care. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. She took a moment to gaze at him in appreciation. With that chiseled chest, those broad shoulders, and six-pack abs, he was every woman’s fantasy. She didn’t think she’d ever seen a guy with such a gorgeous body. Or so well-endowed. Stepping out of her sopping wet panties, she placed her hands on his shoulders and straddled his lap. Kaige put his hands on her hips, guiding her into position even as she sank down on his hard cock. She gasped as he filled her pussy, her hands clutching his shoulders, her fingers digging into the hard muscles there. “Ride me,” Kaige commanded softly. Savanna didn’t have to be told twice, her hips undulating as she slowly moved up and down on his thick shaft. Damn, he felt so perfect inside of her. Kaige slid his hand up her back, pulling her close, and she arched against him as he pressed his lips to the hollow behind her ear. He nibbled his way down her neck, the tips of his fangs gently 59

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 scraping against her skin as he went. Savanna tilted her head to the side, wondering breathlessly if he would bite her. The thought both frightened and excited her at the same time. But to her chagrin, he only continued to kiss and nibble. Not that she was complaining. She was more than thrilled with what he was doing. Savanna clutched at his shoulders, holding on for dear life. Her neck had always been one of her erogenous zones, but tonight it seemed even more sensitive. She wondered absently if it was because she was a vampire now. But as Kaige’s teeth brushed against her skin again, she decided she’d think about that later. Right now, all she could focus on was what he was doing to her. She and Kaige were so out of control that she knew neither of them could last for very long. She rode him harder and harder, taking his cock deeper inside of her with every motion. God, he was touching her in places she’d never been touched before. When she came, it was like every orgasm she’d ever had in her life had all been rolled into one. It was cliché, but she swore she could see stars as she threw her head back and screamed. It only got better when Kaige groaned and pumped his hot cum into her. It warmed her insides and made her feel as if she were going to melt. Afterward, all Savanna could do was collapse against him and rest her head on his shoulder as she tried to catch her breath. “Oh my God, that was incredible,” she breathed. She pressed a kiss to the side of his neck. “Is it always like this? Sharing blood, I mean. Is it always such a sexual experience?” Kaige gently smoothed her hair with his hand. “Only with you,” he said softly. For some reason, his words pleased Savanna immensely.

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Chapter 5 Savanna barely made it to work on time that afternoon. After the amazing sex they’d had, it had been more than a little tempting to say the hell with her job and spend the night in bed with Kaige. Somehow, though, they had both managed to control themselves. So, after a quick shower and a bite to eat, Kaige had dropped her off at the lab. She’d told him she could have just taken the subway, but he had said that was silly. He even insisted on picking her up when she got off from work. She hadn’t admitted it to him, but she really liked his chivalrous gesture, and she found herself walking into the lab with a bounce in her step. Her coworkers must have noticed the change in her, too, because several of them commented on her appearance, saying she looked like she was feeling a lot better. Savanna merely smiled and told them she was, but that reply wasn’t enough to satisfy Michelle. “You look amazing,” her friend said as they had lunch together. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’d been on vacation. Or that you spent the afternoon in bed with some guy.” Savanna tried to hide her blush by concentrating on her nearly empty container of yogurt, but the redhead saw it and immediately pounced. “No way!” Michelle gasped. “Who is he? When did you meet him? More importantly, why didn’t you tell me about him?” Savanna shrugged, trying to make the whole thing appear more casual than it was. “I met him at the club I went to the other 61

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 night,” she said as she scraped the inside of the plastic yogurt container with her spoon. The other girl blinked. “And you’re already sleeping with him? That’s fast. He must be a real hottie.” “Hot” didn’t even begin to describe Kaige, but Savanna only smiled as she lifted the spoon to her mouth. She supposed the other girl was right, though. While she was by no means a prude, she didn’t normally sleep with a guy quite that quickly. But it had just felt right with Kaige. Besides, she’d been so damn hot for him that she couldn’t have stopped herself even if she had wanted to. “Let me guess,” Michelle said as picked up the other half of the sandwich she was eating. “He’s tall, dark, handsome, and wears an overcoat, right?” Savanna licked the last of the yogurt off the spoon. “You forgot brooding,” she said as she set the empty yogurt container down on the table. “Actually, he is tall, dark, and handsome. Not brooding, though. And he was wearing jeans and a T-shirt the first time I saw him.” Her friend’s eyes went wide. “Now I’m really intrigued,” she said, leaning forward in her seat. “Sounds like a complete departure for you. Tell me everything!” Savanna took a sip from a bottle of water as she considered the best way to describe how she and Kaige had met. Deciding a slightly modified version of the story might be best, she told Michelle that she’d gotten herself into a “tight spot” at the club and that Kaige had “come to her rescue.” “I wasn’t really feeling too well after that and he was nice enough to take me home,” she said, not bothering to add that it had been to Kaige’s home that they’d gone or that she’d ended up staying there for a couple of days. “I hadn’t really planned on sleeping with him tonight. It just kind of happened. We’d just had a sexy, romantic…dinner, and before I knew it, we were making out in my living room.” 62

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Michelle let out a sigh. “And to think that I spent my afternoon doing laundry and giving myself a pedicure,” she said as she sipped her iced tea. “So, what does he do for a living?” Savanna opened the container of grapes she’d brought with her and popped one in her mouth. “He’s a professor at the university.” The redhead lifted a brow. “Really? What does he teach?” “History,” Savanna said. “That’s not the type of guy you normally go for,” Michelle observed. Savanna grinned. “I know, but I think I may have been limiting my prospects too much.” The other girl sat back in her seat. “So, when are you going to see him again?” “He’s picking me up after work,” Savanna said. “Oh, and he’s going with me to my parents’ house for dinner tomorrow night.” She didn’t feel it was necessary to mention that she was already staying at his house. Her friend looked even more incredulous at that. “Picking you up from work and going with you to your parents’ house for dinner? Girl, that’s some serious boyfriend material you’ve got there,” she said. “He doesn’t have a brother by any chance, does he?” Savanna laughed. “Afraid not.” She and Michelle spent the rest of their lunch break talking about guys and how difficult it was to find a good one. Savanna agreed. While she didn’t want to get ahead of herself, she was already starting to think that Kaige was definitely a keeper. Now that she thought about a little more, she decided that Kaige actually was the vampire she had always been looking for. He was tall, dark, and handsome, and while he wasn’t exactly what she would call brooding, he had come to her rescue just like Angel had always come to the rescue of the girls on the TV show. What else could she ask for? 63

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Savanna couldn’t help but smile. She had spent a good part of her life drooling over make-believe vampires and now she was actually involved with a real-life one. She kept waiting for someone to come in and tell her that it was all a big joke. But it wasn’t, and she knew it. Kaige was real and so were the things she was beginning to feel for him. **** Though Kaige should have gone to the university to catch up on some paperwork after he dropped Savanna off at the lab, he found himself going to the clinic to talk to Jensen instead. After what had happened between him and Savanna at her apartment, he needed someone to talk to, and his sire was really the only person he felt he could confide in. Kaige found the blond-haired vampire in his office reading some reports. “Where’s Savanna?” his friend asked as Kaige sat down in one of the chairs in front of the desk. Kaige rested his ankle on his knee. “At work.” Jensen lifted a brow. “Is she ready for that?” Kaige nodded. “I don’t see why not,” he said. “She’s dealing with being a vampire very well. Much better than I did.” The other vampire let out a snort. “That’s not saying much. But from the time I spent with her, I’d have to say you’re right. She seems to be doing fine.” Better than fine, Kaige thought, which still amazed him. He had expected her to react much differently. “Besides,” he said to Jensen. “I made sure she fed before she went to work.” Jensen was silent for a moment, as if considering that. “She had no problem with the bagged blood?” “We haven’t tried that yet,” Kaige said. His friend’s brow furrowed. “You’re still giving her an IV then?” Kaige shook his head. “She takes it from my wrist.” 64

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Surprise flickered in Jensen’s eyes. “She’s okay with doing that? I mean, she’s not put off at all by the whole concept of drinking blood from the vein?” Kaige shrugged. “Like I said, she’s dealing with being a vampire very well.” Jensen sighed. “I admit, when you first told me that you had turned the girl, I wasn’t sure you’d be very good at mentoring her, but you obviously did a damn fine job. I have to hand it to you.” Kaige shrugged again. “I really didn’t have much to do with it,” he told the other man. “It seems Savanna grew up with a pretty positive image of vampires, so she’s actually not that upset to be one of us.” His friend gave him a rueful smile. “If only you had accepted being a vampire as easily.” “Things were different back then,” Kaige said. “Besides, I wasn’t that bad.” The other man laughed. “Except for the part where you tried to throw yourself off the roof of the church after discovering that drinking holy water wouldn’t turn you back into a human again.” 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.”

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Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 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.” 66

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 “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.” 67

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 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. 68

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 “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 relation69

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 ship, 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. 70

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 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 71

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 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?” 72

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 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 73

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 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?” 74

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 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 75

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 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. Then he was settling himself between her legs and sliding his hard cock all the way inside of her with one perfect thrust. As her pussy spread wide to accept him, she wrapped her legs tightly around him, drawing him in as deep as he could go. As her arms went around him, his mouth came down and captured hers. But rather than thoroughly explore her mouth with his, he teased her lips with butterfly kisses while he began to slowly pump his hard shaft into her. Savanna moaned against his mouth, lifting her hips to meet his urgent thrusts.

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Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 With a groan, Kaige broke the kiss to lift himself up on his arms. In that position, he could thrust even harder, and Savanna savored each and every one of them. “Harder,” she demanded. “Fuck me harder!” Kaige obeyed, pumping into her so fiercely that the bed shook. This time, her orgasm began deep inside of her, at the exact place where his cock touched when it was at its deepest. She dug her nails into his shoulders, throwing her head back on the pillow as her climax spun through her. She squeezed her legs so tightly around him that she wasn’t sure how he kept thrusting, but he did, driving her pleasure on and on. “Come with me,” she begged. Kaige did just that, throwing his own head back with a hoarse groan, and she cried out as his cum poured into her. As both of their orgasms subsided, Savanna pulled Kaige down to her and wrapped her arms around him. Keeping her legs tightly around him, she held him close to her body, feeling his heart beat in time with hers. As perfect as this moment was, she couldn’t imagine ever letting him go.

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Chapter 6 Kaige woke up later that morning to find Savanna curled up against him, one arm thrown possessively over his chest, her head half on his pillow, which she must have commandeered sometime during the night. While he’d had his share of lovers through the years, it had become less and less frequent. Actually, it had been a very long time since he’d woken up beside a woman. But as he gazed at Savanna, something stirred in his chest and he knew that this was about more than just great sex and waking up in a woman’s arms. He felt so damn alive with her that all he wanted to do was lay there and revel in the sensation. There was no doubt about it; there was something absolutely amazing about Savanna Royce. Last night had been incredible. Actually, it had been more than incredible, but he simply didn’t possess the words to adequately describe it. He couldn’t believe he was so lucky. After the first time they’d had sex, he hadn’t been quite sure what to expect next. He hadn’t wanted to read more into the situation than was really there. After all, her passion earlier in the evening could easily have been attributed to the bloodlust that many vampires succumbed to after feeding. He hadn’t wanted to push her, even if he had been fantasizing about being with her every second she was at work. When they had gotten to the bedroom and she had let him know in no uncertain terms that she’d been just as interested in a repeat performance as he’d been, he’d almost shouted for joy. 78

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Kaige turned his head to study her face again. Damn, she was sexy as hell. Just lying there with the tips of her little fangs protruding from beneath her lips was enough to make his cock start to stiffen. When he remembered how those fangs had felt scraping against the skin of his neck last night, he went from semi-aroused to rock-hard in seconds. He could only imagine how good it would feel if she bit him while they were making love. Not wanting to wake her, but unable to resist touching her, he reached out and gently brushed her long, silky hair back from her face. Savanna stirred at his touch, a soft little moan escaping her lips as her eyes fluttered open. She blinked at him sleepily for a moment then her lips curved into a smile. “Good morning,” she said. “Or is it afternoon?” Kaige chuckled. “Still morning, I think,” he said, kissing her gently on the mouth. Savanna sighed and kissed him back, her lips soft and pliant under his. She tasted good in the morning. When he pulled away a moment later, she lifted her arms over her head and stretched. The blanket slid down her body, almost exposing her bare breasts, but she caught it and pulled it back up before it could, much to his disappointment. She must have caught his crestfallen look because she stretched again, this time letting the blanket slide all the way down to her waist. She gave him a sly smile. “Is this better?” she asked. He grinned. “Much.” She could read him like a book. Kaige leaned over and began to kiss his way down her neck to those perfect breasts. He paid special attention to her nipples, letting his fangs graze the tender nubs as he suckled on them. She shivered at his teasing and let out a little moan. Once he had her writhing all over the bed, he began to nibble his way down her body. He loved watching her taut stomach muscles tighten and relax as he moved past her belly button and continued on. 79

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 He threw the blanket aside and repositioned himself between her legs. He resumed his kissing, this time concentrating on her inner thighs. He couldn’t believe how soft and smooth her skin was beneath his lips. Every once in a while, he would punctuate his kisses with a slight nip from his fangs. Not enough pressure to puncture the skin, of course, but enough to ensure that she felt it. From her moans, it was quite obvious that she enjoyed what he was doing. Even though he was sure she would have liked him to bite her a little harder, he controlled himself. But it was definitely difficult. He could feel her blood pulsing just beneath the skin and the nearness of it just about drove him crazy. Patience. He didn’t want to scare her. Instead he trailed his love bites up the inside of her leg until he finally found the object of his desire right at the junction of her thighs. He teased her a bit by peppering little kisses along the sensitive skin on either side of her pussy. Only when she was practically groaning in frustration, did he slip his tongue into the slick folds. Savanna slid her hands into his hair and tried to guide him to where she wanted him, but he refused to comply. Instead, he ran his tongue up one side of her delicious pussy and down the other, making sure he kept completely away from her clit. “Stop teasing me, dammit!” she protested. Kaige couldn’t help but smile at her feisty demand. “Whatever you say,” he murmured, leaning forward to wrap his lips around the tender bud of her clit. Above him, Savanna moaned her approval. He started with slow circles around her clit, pushing her excitement to its limits. When he felt that she was right on the edge, he moved his tongue faster until he felt her body begin to undulate wildly. “Don’t stop,” she begged. “Please don’t stop!” The thought never entered his mind. He flicked his tongue even more quickly and was rewarded as she began to scream out 80

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 her pleasure. Savanna was writhing so much that Kaige had to slip his hands underneath her asscheeks and pull her close so he could keep licking her. Only after her moans had completely subsided did he lift his head to look up at her. She appeared so sated and languid lying back against the pillow that he couldn’t help but smile. “You know, I could stay down here all morning,” he said. She smiled down at him. “And I could let you. But right now, I think I’d like a different kind of pleasure.” As she spoke, Savanna reached down and urged him up between her legs. Kaige didn’t need her to elaborate. He knew what she wanted. His cock was hard as a rock and more than ready to slide inside of her. Of course, he couldn’t help teasing her a little more first. Bracing himself on his arms, he ran the head of his cock back and forth over her clit until she was literally growling at him. Only then did he slip his cock into her pussy. He moved slowly, entering her inch by inch. When he was completely inside of her, she wrapped her legs around him and held him firmly against her. Savanna began to rotate her hips, grinding her clit against him. He held himself at arm’s length, letting her pleasure herself. But for all his supposed discipline, it soon became impossible for him to control himself anymore and he began to slowly thrust inside of her. He shifted his position, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her neck as he continued to pump into her. He began to nibble at her neck, and soon her moans started to fill the room. God, he was so close already. But he didn’t want this to end. Sliding one hand down to her cup her ass, Kaige pulled her close and rolled over onto his back, taking her with him. She came up smiling at him. “That was a neat trick,” she said. 81

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 He chuckled. “I thought you might like it.” She clenched her pussy tightly around him and began to ride up and down on his hard shaft. “Oh, I like it all right.” He cupped her asscheeks with both hands, holding onto her tightly as he thrust up into her. If he had expected this position to help him last longer, he was sadly mistaken. The amazing vision of her beauty hovering above him, her midnight hair tumbling over her breasts as she moved up and down on him, was more than he could take. He gritted his teeth and held off for a few moments longer until he felt her pussy begin to spasm around his cock. Only then, as she threw her head back and screamed, did he allow himself to explode inside of her. Kaige didn’t know how it was possible, but this orgasm felt even more intense than the other two times they’d had sex. It was like he was emptying his entire soul inside of her. It wasn’t until she’d collapsed against his chest that he realized he was hoarse from the groaning he must have done. She was incredible. And he couldn’t imagine ever meeting another woman like her. They lay like that for a while until Savanna rolled off and snuggled up beside him. He would have been content to just lay like that forever. Savanna blinked at the sunlight streaming through the window, a frown creasing her normally smooth brow. “I just realized something,” she said. “If I could get sunburn after only twenty minutes outside, how can you have all these windows in your house? Aren’t you worried that you’ll sleep in and wake up as a piece of toast?” Kaige’s mouth twitched. “All the windows are treated with tinting and Low-E coating,” he told her. “It’s a thin layer of metallic oxide that prevents the UV rays from passing through the glass. It’s expensive, but worth it. Of course, it wasn’t readily available until 82

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 the 1980’s, so up until that time, we had to do things the oldfashioned way.” “Sleep in a coffin, you mean?” she said. He laughed. “You really do watch way too many movies.” “Very funny.” Her lips formed into a pout so sexy that Kaige almost forgot what they were talking about. Savanna got them back on track, though. “So, what did you do before they came out with Low-E coating and sunscreen?” she asked, propping her head on her hand. “Slept in basements, mostly,” he said. “And made sure that if we went out at all during the day, which we didn’t do a lot, we covered up as much as possible.” “That must have made it a lot more difficult to blend in with humans back then,” she said. “It was,” Kaige agreed. Savanna was silent for a moment. “What was it like, living back then?” “The ‘80’s?” he asked. “Oh, it was horrible. Disco was on the way out and grunge was on the way in. You ever try to do the hustle to Nirvana? It’s impossible.” She smacked him on the shoulder. “You know what I mean! I’m talking about way back in the 1700’s.” He chuckled. “Way to make a guy feel old.” Savanna lifted a brow. “So? What was it like?” Kaige folded one arm behind his head as he considered her question. He didn’t really talk much about his past. He knew lots of vampires who loved to sit around and talk about the “good old days,” but he wasn’t one of them. Sure, he could talk about history, but that wasn’t the same thing as “his” past. He had always tried to put that part of his life behind him. He liked to tell himself that it was better to live in the present, but in reality, it had more to do with the fact that he didn’t really have many fond memories to look 83

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 back on. But Savanna’s expression was so earnest that he couldn’t bring himself to ignore her. “It was pretty much the way the history books describe it,” he said. “There was no indoor plumbing, no electricity, and no public education. Pretty much what you would imagine.” “I know that part,” she said. “I want to know about you. Were you a teacher back then?” Kaige couldn’t help but smile. She wasn’t going to let him get away with generalities. She wanted to talk about him. “No. I was a silversmith for most of my early life.” She lifted a brow. “Really? Like Paul Revere?” He chuckled. “Exactly like that. Though not as famous.” Savanna laughed. “Did you have a family before you became a vampire?” she asked. “No, not really,” he said. “I was born on a farm into a really big family and was apprenticed off to a silversmith when I was very young. By the time I grew up, my parents had sold the farm and moved away. I never found out where they went.” She looked shocked at that. “They just left without saying anything?” He shrugged. “I had eleven brothers and sisters. There’s no way they could feed all of us. So, most of us were sent out to learn a trade. It was just the way things were done back then and it was probably the best my parents could have done for me. They likely didn’t even know exactly where I was in London. Just that I was with a silversmith. Regardless, they probably thought I had a much better life than they had to offer.” She sighed. “That’s sad,” she said. “The silversmith, was he good to you?” He shrugged again. “He worked me hard, but he treated me fairly. He fed me and kept a roof over my head.” Savanna was silent for a moment. “So, how did you become a vampire?” 84

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Kaige hesitated. He’d never talked about his turning with anyone other than his sire, but for some reason he couldn’t explain, he suddenly found himself wanting to share that part of himself with Savanna. “How much do you know about the history of England?” he asked. She gave him a sheepish look. “Only what I read about in historical romance books, I’m afraid.” He couldn’t help but smile. “Well, this part is rather obscure, but I assume you never heard of the London Riots of 1768?” Another sheepish look, this time followed by a shake of the head. “Well, there was this journalist-slash-politician named John Wilkes who was making quite a name for himself at the time by writing rather snide articles about King George III,” Kaige explained. “The king, in a royal snit, put him in prison. Wilkes’s supporters took to the street to protest his arrest. There was a confrontation and a group of the king’s soldiers ended up opening fire on them.” Her eyes went wide. “They shot them?” “Things were different back then.” She chewed on her lower lip. “Were you one of the protesters?” “No. I was safely standing back in the alcove of a door watching the drama unfold,” he said. “But there was a girl, maybe sixteen or seventeen, just standing there frozen in the middle of the street—right between the protesters and the soldiers. She would have been killed, if not by a bullet, then by one of the soldiers’ horses. I moved without thinking. I pulled her out of the way in time, but ended up getting shot myself.” A look of horror crossed Savanna’s face. “Oh God,” she breathed. 85

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 “Jensen saw the whole thing and decided to turn me,” Kaige continued. “He said that he’d seen enough good men die as heroes, and that he wasn’t going to stand by and watch while another one died.” “So he saved your life,” she said. Kaige sighed. “I didn’t think so at the time. I thought he’d turned me into some kind of unholy monster and had condemned my soul to the furthest reaches of hell.” He gave Savanna a small smile. “Though I like to tease you about all the misconceptions you have about vampires, the fact is you’re like an encyclopedia compared to what I knew then. I hate to admit it, but I made Jensen’s life hell for a long time.” Savanna kissed him gently on the mouth. “Well, I’m glad he was there that day.” Kaige caressed her cheek. “Me, too,” he said, and realized that for the first time in his life, he honestly meant it. They stayed like that for a moment, gazing into each other’s eyes until Savanna’s stomach let out a loud growl. He chuckled. “I guess someone’s hungry.” She gave him an embarrassed look, blushing. “Yeah, I guess I am.” He tucked her hair behind her ear. “I’ll see what I can throw together then. Want to join me in the shower? If we share, we’ll get done faster so you can eat sooner.” She leaned close to kiss him again. “I’d love to join you. Though, I somehow doubt we’ll be any faster that way.” “You might be right,” Kaige agreed, chuckling as he took her hand and led her into the bathroom. **** Two hours later, Savanna was perched on the kitchen counter flipping through her vampire handbook while Kaige made breakfast. Lunch, she corrected herself with a smile. Despite having just made love in the bed a few minutes before, she and Kaige had been 86

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 all over each other the moment they’d stepped inside the glassenclosed shower. Of course, she’d known that was going to happen when he had suggested showering together. It was like they couldn’t get enough of each other. She certainly couldn’t ever remember wanting any man like she wanted Kaige. Even now, it was all she could do not to toss the vampire handbook on the counter and jump him. Resisting the urge, Savanna turned her attention back to the handbook, forcing herself to focus. She needed to know this stuff. She was reading through the section on personal appearance when she came to a part that made her brow furrow. “There’s a whole thing in here about vampires being discouraged from getting cosmetic surgery,” she said to Kaige. “What’s up with that? It’s not like vamps need to get Botox.” Kaige smiled as he slid the spatula under one of the pancakes and flipped it over. “Just because vampires don’t need Botox, that doesn’t mean all of them like the way they look. If they wanted their nose smaller or their breasts bigger when they were human, it wouldn’t change simply because they’d become vampires.” Savanna considered that for a moment then decided that made sense. While a vampire’s body changed on the inside, their physical appearance stayed the same as the day they were turned. “Okay, but I still don’t understand why vamps can’t get cosmetic surgery if they want to. I mean, I know why a human doctor couldn’t do it, but why couldn’t a vamp doctor do it? ” He gave her a frown as he transferred the pancakes to a plate. “You weren’t thinking about getting anything done, were you?” “No,” she said. “I was just curious.” “Good,” he said, his gaze caressing her slender figure. “Because you’re perfect the way you are.” Savanna blushed, pleased he thought so. She hopped off the counter as he carried the stack of pancakes over to the table. “So, 87

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 why can’t vamp doctors do a nose job or a boob job?” she asked as she sat down. Kaige pulled out the chair opposite hers. “First off, it’s not completely prohibited, just discouraged. Some procedures work better than others. For example, breast implants are a big problem. Our immune system attacks any foreign object in our bodies, including implants. Though I’ve never actually talked to anyone who tried it, Jensen’s told me that the procedure can be very messy. You see, as the body rejects the implant, it’s pushed—” She looked up from the pancake she was placing on her plate to make a face at him. “Ewww. I don’t need a visual, thank you.” He looked genuinely confused in the way that guys always did when they were saying something gross. “Oh,” he said. “Sorry.” “No problem,” she said. “What about the nose job?” “Again, it’s discouraged,” he said. “It can be done, and it will work just fine, but it’s been discovered that since vampires heal so quickly, they tend to fall in love with having procedures done over and over again. It can become rather addictive. So, most vampire doctors don’t like to do it unless there’s a really good reason. It’s sort of a vampire mental health thing.” She thought a moment. “Okay, well the handbook also stated that cosmetic dentistry isn’t allowed, either,” she said as she handed him the serving dish. “Why would a vamp even need cosmetic dentistry?” Kaige looked up as he placed several pancakes on his plate. “Remember that thing I told you about some vampires not having fangs?” She nodded. “Well, some of them get a severe case of fang envy and end up going to a dentist to try and have the problem corrected,” he explained. “A couple of years ago, there was a mini-craze where vampires started having bigger and bigger fangs implanted. The 88

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Counsel had to step in and write the rule before we had a bunch of saber-tooth tigers walking around.” Savanna laughed. While she’d always gone to the dentist regularly, she’d absolutely hated every minute of it. Now that she was a vampire, though, she wouldn’t need to do that anymore. Or would she? “Do I still need to go to the dentist?” she asked. He nodded. “A vampire dentist. Our immune system doesn’t have anything to do with cavities. You won’t get them as quickly, but you can still get cavities.” She made a face at that. One more vampire benefit shot to hell. As she bit into a perfectly cooked piece of bacon a moment later, however, she frowned. She’d been making a lot of assumptions about the benefits of being a vampire. She had naturally assumed that as a vamp, she wouldn’t have to worry about gaining weight. What if she was wrong about that, too? When she mentioned it to Kaige, he laughed. “Of course vampires can gain weight,” he said. “What made you think they couldn’t?” She thought a moment. “I don’t know. I guess I just assumed that since vampire DNA keeps our bodies in peek condition, we wouldn’t be able to gain weight.” He gestured with his fork. “Extra calories are extra calories. Your body stores them just like it did before you became a vampire.” Savanna shook her head. “That’s just so wrong,” she muttered. She gazed longingly at the second piece of bacon she’d taken, and then let out a sigh as she put it back on the serving plate uneaten. After a moment, she scraped off the huge pat of butter she’d put on her pancakes and settled for just using syrup instead. Across from her, Kaige obviously had no such concerns about gaining weight because the huge stack of pancakes on his plate was practically swimming in butter. 89

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 “I assume cholesterol isn’t a problem, though,” she said, gesturing to his plate. He smiled as he dug into his food. “Nope. Anything above normal levels in the blood gets consumed by the white blood cells, including excess cholesterol.” As they finished eating a little while later, Kaige announced he had a class to teach that afternoon. “I’ll be back in plenty of time to pick you up and we can head over to your parents house for dinner,” he told her. She looked at him over the rim of her coffee mug. “Would it be okay if I sat in on your class instead?” Kaige shrugged. “Sure,” he said, grinning. “Though I warn you, it might be kind of boring.” But Savanna wasn’t bored at all. In fact, she was captivated. Kaige had a great teaching style. As he discussed what it was like to live in a small English town in the 1800’s, she felt like she was really there. As did most of his students, she was sure. She was a little shocked to discover that the class was almost ninety percent female, though. Not that she should really be surprised, she supposed. Kaige was gorgeous, after all. It pleased her to see that he didn’t seem to take any special notice of the girls. Not even the ones who deliberately wore low-cut tops or extra short skirts to try and get his attention. Kaige’s gaze did stray to the back of the room quite a few times to where Savanna sat, however. Though he didn’t do more than make eye contact with her, the warmth in his gaze made her heart practically melt. After class, they stopped by his office just long enough for him to drop off his book then went back to his place for a quick change of clothes before heading over to her parents’ house. “My dad’s really easy going. As long as you have a job and don’t have a rap sheet, he’ll like you,” she explained as they pulled into the driveway half an hour later. “My mom is a different story, 90

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 though. I haven’t brought a lot of guys home, but she hasn’t thought much of the ones I have, and if she doesn’t like you, she doesn’t make a secret of it.” Kaige reached across the console to give her hand a squeeze. “Stop worrying,” he said, leaning over to give her a kiss. If her mother were watching from the window, which she probably was, then Kaige had already scored big points by coming around to open her door, Savanna thought as they walked up the sidewalk and onto the front porch. Her mother opened the door before they could even ring the bell. Tall and slender with dark hair and blue eyes, the other woman was an older version of Savanna. Behind her, Savanna’s father was tall with graying hair and wire-rimmed glasses. Both of her parents greeted them with warm smiles. “Savanna, dear, come in,” her mom said, embracing her in a hug before pulling away to look at her. “Look at you! I haven’t seen you with this much color since you were twelve. Is that actually a tan I see? And that dress you’re wearing looks beautiful on you. It’s not even black!” Savanna opened her mouth to reply, but her mother had already turned her attention to Kaige. Savanna held her breath. “And this must be your new boyfriend,” she said, giving Kaige a warm smile as she held out her hand. Though Savanna gave Kaige what she hoped was an apologetic look as she made the introductions, she couldn’t help but smile herself. So far, so good. “It’s nice to meet you,” her mother said to Kaige. “Though, I have to admit, you’re not exactly what I expected.” “Mom…” Savanna began. But the words trailed off as Kaige slipped a reassuring arm around her waist. “I hope you’re not disappointed,” he said, giving her mother a smile. 91

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Her mother laughed. “Good heavens, no! I’m pleasantly surprised, actually. You should see some of the boys my daughter has brought home.” Savanna colored to the roots of her hair. “Mom, please!” Her mother waved her hand. “Now, you know I’m only being honest, dear.” Savanna cringed, sure her mother was going to elaborate, but to her relief, her father came to her rescue. “Honey, why don’t I help you get dinner on the table while Savanna gives Kaige a tour of the house?” he said to her mother. Giving Savanna a wink, he nudged her mother in the direction of the kitchen before the other woman could reply. Savanna gave Kaige an embarrassed look. “Sorry about that,” she said. “My mom can come on a little strong.” He brushed her hair back from her face. “That’s okay. It’s obvious she just cares about you.” He smiled. “And she’s right. You do look beautiful in that dress.” Savanna blushed. Sleeveless and floral print, the dress was one of the few pieces of clothing in her closet, other than jeans, that wasn’t black. She was glad she’d worn it. Still blushing, Savanna took Kaige’s hand and led him into the living room. Built in the 1800’s, the house had a lot of history to it, which fascinated Kaige. As they came to her old bedroom, however, Savanna once again found herself blushing with embarrassment. Her mom hadn’t changed it since Savanna had been a teenager, and she was mortified by the posters of The Lost Boys, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and several Goth bands that covered the walls. It didn’t help that Kaige teased her about them. Eager to get him out of there before he could kid her any more, Savanna led him up to the third floor. The main space was reserved for a large, turreted room that had tall windows and bookcases lining the walls. The view of the bay and the Golden 92

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Gate Bridge was almost as amazing as the one from Kaige’s bedroom. Kaige wrapped his arms around her waist and Savanna leaned back against him with a sigh. “This room was my favorite place in the whole house when I was a kid,” she said softly. “I used to spend hours up here reading.” Behind her, Kaige murmured something she couldn’t hear as he pressed his lips to the curve of her neck. Savanna tilted her head to the side with a sigh, only to let out a startled little gasp when she felt the tips of his fangs lightly caress her skin. Kaige lifted his head with a chuckle. “Sorry,” he said. “Being near you brings them out.” Savanna waited for him to do it again, and when he didn’t she turned in his arms to see that his fangs were already back in. “You didn’t have to stop,” she said, looping her arms around his neck. “I liked it.” Chuckling, he dipped his head back down and grazed her neck with his fangs again. It made goose bumps come up all over her body as shivers ran down her back. When he lifted his head to gaze at her with a heated look a few moments later, she frowned. “Hey, I just realized something,” she said. “You can make your fangs slip in and out any time you want. Why can’t I?” He chuckled again. “Because you’ve only been a vampire for a week. Be patient. You’ll pick it up soon enough.” “Good,” she said, “Because as soon as I do, I’m going to see if I can make you get those goose bumps!” Kaige bent to kiss her. “I’m looking forward to it.”

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Chapter 7 Having dinner with her parents turned out to be a lot more fun than Savanna had thought it would be, even if she did spend most of it blushing from embarrassment at the things her mom said. If the other woman wasn’t relating some horrifying childhood experience of Savanna’s, then she was describing some “peculiar” boyfriend Savanna had brought home. Of course, Savanna’s mother was especially thrilled when she learned that Kaige was a college professor. “Finally,” her mother said, giving Savanna a pointed look. “Someone with a real job.” Her gaze went to Kaige. “And you two met at a Goth club?” He smiled. “We bumped into each other outside, actually.” That seemed to make more sense to her mom for she quickly launched into another embarrassing story from Savanna’s youth. Kaige didn’t seem to mind her mother’s stories at all. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying himself. “Did Savanna tell you that she wanted to be a vampire when she was younger?” her mother asked as they were having dessert. Savanna almost choked on her cake. Beside her, Kaige’s mouth twitched. “You know, I don’t think she did,” he said, his dark eyes teasing as he gave her hand a squeeze under the table. Her mother nodded. “Oh, yes! She was fascinated with the whole idea. She even tried to convince me to have the dentist put 94

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 caps on her teeth so it would look like she had fangs. Of course, I wouldn’t do it. Thank goodness.” Though Savanna gave Kaige an embarrassed look, she couldn’t help but laugh along with him. Savanna could just imagine what her mom would think if she discovered her daughter really had become a vampire, fangs and all. On second thought, maybe it would be best to keep that to herself. Her mom would be dragging her down to the dentist to try and have her fangs “fixed.” As they were getting ready to leave a little while later, her mother pulled her off to the side while Kaige was talking to her father. “That boyfriend of yours is a real catch, dear,” her mother said in what she probably thought was a low voice. “Your father and I definitely wouldn’t mind having him for a son-in-law, I can tell you.” Savanna’s eyes went wide. “Mom, we just met!” she protested. Her mother waved her hand. “Nonsense! I saw the way you two looked at each other. Kaige is already head over heels for you.” Savanna shot Kaige a look, sure he must have heard. But if he had, he gave no indication of it. She turned back to her mother. “Mom, please!” But the other woman continued as if Savanna hadn’t spoken. “Now, I’m not saying you have to rush into marriage or anything, but there’s no harm in talking about it,” she said. “I saw the most beautiful gown on the cover of one of the bridal magazines when I was at the grocery store the other day. Why don’t you come over during the week and I’ll show it to you?” Savanna sighed. She knew her mother meant well, but this was not the time to be having this conversation. “Good night, Mom,” she said.

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Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Giving her mother a hug, Savanna hurried over to where Kaige was standing with her father. “Ready to go?” she asked, slipping her hand in his. Even though he was, it was another ten minutes before they finally left. Much to Savanna’s chagrin, her mother reminded her about their earlier conversation as she and Kaige stepped out onto the porch. “Think about what I said, dear,” the other woman said in a conspiratorial whisper. “If you don’t grab him, someone else will,” she added, giving them a smile and a wave as they walked down the steps. “Ignore my mother,” Savanna said to Kaige as they walked to the SUV. Kaige chuckled, slipping his arm around her waist. “I don’t know about that. She said I’m a real catch, so I have to assume she knows what she’s talking about.” She shot him a look. “You heard that?” “It was impossible not to,” he said. “I would have been able to hear what she’d said even if I weren’t a vampire. But don’t worry about it. I think she’s great. Your father, too.” Savanna gave him a smile. “I think they really like you a lot, too.” Despite how embarrassed she was by her mother sometimes, Savanna was secretly pleased that her parents liked Kaige. And while she told herself it was definitely way too early in their relationship to be thinking about marriage, she couldn’t ignore the fluttering in her pulse. He was definitely the kind of man she could imagine spending her life with. When they got back to Kaige’s condo a little while later, he didn’t close the garage door right away, saying that there was a delivery at the front of the house. Rather than wait in the garage, Savanna walked outside with him. As he grabbed the box off the front step, she saw a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. Her 96

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 brow furrowing, she turned to look across the street just in time to see a shadowy figure disappearing around the corner. She kept watching, but the figure never reappeared. It was probably just a neighbor. But if that were the case, why did she suddenly feel so creeped out? She wrapped her arms around her middle, but it didn’t keeping her from shivering. “Savanna?” She jumped at the sound of Kaige’s voice. Dragging her gaze away from the houses across the street, she turned to see him regarding her in concern. “What is it?” he asked. “Did you see something?” She shook her head, giving him an embarrassed smile. “Nothing.” Kaige looked across the street, his eyes searching the shadows, but apparently he must not have been able to see any more than she had because he slipped his arm around her waist and suggested they go inside. By the time they walked into the kitchen a few minutes later, Savanna had forgotten all about whatever she’d seen outside as she focused her attention on the white, plastic-covered Styrofoam box Kaige was holding. “What’s in the box?” Savanna asked as he set it down on the counter. She supposed she shouldn’t be so nosy, but she couldn’t contain her curiosity. Kaige, however, didn’t seem to mind. “Blood,” he said as he took off the outer plastic. Savanna moved closer, frowning at the sender’s name on the shipping label. “Midwest Prime Steak Distributors?” she read. His mouth quirked. “What did you think it would say? Pacific Coast Vampire Blood Distribution Center? That might raise a few eyebrows, don’t you think?” She made a face at him. “You’re teasing me again.” He chuckled. “Only because it’s so much fun.” 97

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 She watched as he took out a cardboard box that had been packed in dry ice. It was labeled with the same name and a warning implying severe consequences if it were opened by anyone other than the addressee. Opening the box, he took out the bags of blood and put them in the refrigerator. “I was going to have some,” Kaige said as he set the empty box on the floor. “Want to join me?” Savanna chewed on her lower lip thoughtfully as she eyed the bag in his hand. “I’d rather just have some of yours.” He laughed. “I certainly wouldn’t mind that, but we need to get you used to drinking bagged blood.” Her brow furrowed. “Why can’t I just drink from you?” “Okay, time for some more Vampire 101,” he said. “Any blood you get from me has already been slightly depleted. Remember, my body is consuming the red blood cells and everything else it needs to survive. Which means you’re basically getting what’s left over. That’s okay sometimes, but as a steady diet, it’s not healthy for you. And to tell the truth, it’s probably not healthy for me, either.” She formed her lips into a pout. “But it’s so much fun drinking from you.” He leaned forward to kiss her on the lips. “I didn’t say we couldn’t do it. I just said you need to drink bagged blood, too. I’ll let you bite me any time you want to.” She moaned against his mouth. “You always say the sexiest things.” Kaige kissed her again, then walked across the kitchen to grab two mugs from the cabinet. Opening the bag, he poured an equal amount of the thick, red liquid into each of them, and then handed one to her. “I drink mine warm, but some vampires prefer it straight from the bag or over ice,” he said. “Try it this way first and see what you think.” 98

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Savanna eyed the mug in her hand. It smelled tasty enough, she supposed. And from the way her fangs slid out, they certainly approved. Hesitantly lifting the mug to her lips, she took a small sip. And promptly made a face. “Okay, that’s just disgusting,” she said, holding the mug out to him. Kaige chuckled. “So, you don’t like it cold then. Let me put it in the microwave.” She watched as he put both mugs in the microwave and turned it on. “What if I don’t like the taste of it warm, either?” He shrugged. “Then we’ll figure out something else. Like mix it with hot chocolate maybe. I’ve heard that some vampires even like to put barbecue sauce in it.” Savanna considered that idea. She loved chocolate, so that might work, but the whole idea of putting barbecue sauce in it was just foul. When she sipped the warm blood a moment later, though, she was surprised to discover that it actually tasted pretty good all on its own. “Well?” Kaige asked as he took a swallow from his own mug. “Much better,” she said. “Not as delicious as drinking yours, though. It’s sort of like drinking champagne from a plastic cup instead of a champagne flute. Presentation is important, you know.” He laughed and took another swallow from his own mug. “So,” he asked after she’d finished and set the empty mug down on the counter a few minutes later. “Do you think you’ll be able to get used to drinking bagged blood?” Savanna nodded. “Yeah, I think so. But it will never be as much fun as drinking from you.” She reached out to toy with the buttons on his shirt before looking up at him from beneath her long bangs. “I know this is going to sound a little kinky, but I really get turned on when I bite you.” She paused, and then added, “Do you ever get the urge to bite me?” 99

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Kaige’s mouth curved into a smile. “Only about a hundred times a day.” Her pulse quickened. But though she was excited by his confession, there was something else she had to know. “Would it hurt if you did?” He reached up to gently brush her hair back from her face. “No. Not when it’s done in a loving and gentle way, like you do when you bite me. Done that way, it would be the most exquisite thing you’ve ever felt.” Her heart started to race. “Does it feel like that when I bite you?” His eyes smoldered. “Mmm-hmm,” he said softly. “And I have no doubt you’d love it, too. About the only thing that would make it better would be if I was inside of you when I did it.” Savanna’s pussy quivered at the imagery. God, she so wanted what he was offering. Without a word, she wrapped her hand around the back of Kaige’s neck and pulled him down for a kiss. He groaned and slid his hand in her hair, tipping her head back. His tongue invaded her mouth, claiming hers, and she sighed with pleasure. Damn, he could make her dizzy just with a simple kiss. If his mouth felt this good now, she could only imagine what it would be like when he bit her. Suddenly eager to find out, she pulled away and reached around to find the zipper at the back of her dress. Sliding it down, she slipped the straps from her shoulders, letting the garment fall to the floor around her feet. Since the dress wasn’t particularly underwear friendly, she hadn’t bothered to wear a bra, and she heard Kaige’s sharp intake of breath as her bare breasts came into view. He gazed down at her for a long moment. Then, as if she weighed nothing, he put his hands on her waist and lifted her up onto the center island. Sliding his hand into her hair again, he covered her mouth in another intoxicating kiss 100

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Gently cupping her breasts in his hands, he kissed his way along the curve of her jaw and down her neck. As his fangs glided over her skin, Savanna caught her breath, wondering if he would give her neck just a little nibble as foreplay, but Kaige simply continued on his way without so much as pricking her skin. He was such a tease! As he took one of her nipples into his mouth and began to suckle on it, she decided she could wait a little longer to feel those fangs of his. What he was doing now felt absolutely wonderful and she certainly didn’t want to rush him. She arched her back, thrusting her breasts higher, encouraging him to continue. Kaige took his time making love to her breasts. He held one in his palm, teasing the nipple with his thumb and forefinger while he paid attention to the other with his tongue and fangs. The combination of his soft tongue and hard fangs was almost enough to drive her crazy just by itself. When Kaige finally lifted his head from her breasts, it was to kiss her again. This time, though, he gently urged her back so she was lying down. She gazed up at him through lowered lashes, waiting breathlessly for him to take off his clothes and join her. But Kaige didn’t undress. Instead, he gently lifted her leg until it was straight up in the air. Then he slowly began to kiss his way along the curve of her calf and up the inside of her thigh to tease her pussy through her silky panties. Savanna caught her lower lip between her teeth, waiting to see if he would use his fangs to tear off her panties like he had the other night. But instead he hooked his fingers in the waistband and slowly wiggled them over her hips and down her legs. A moment later, his tongue was on her pussy. As he licked her, Savanna threaded one hand in his dark hair and gripped the edge of the countertop with the other. God, he was so good at that! It was like he knew exactly what pleased her 101

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 without her ever having to say it. Maybe vampires really could read minds, she thought. Kaige teased the orgasm out of her slowly. Yet when it came, it was as powerful as anything she’d ever felt in her life and she didn’t even try to hold back her cries of pleasure. She felt hoarse by the time he finally pulled his tongue away. Afterward, Savanna could only lay there, her breathing ragged as she watched Kaige take off his clothes. Graceful and sleek as an animal, he climbed up on the island and settled himself between her legs. Bracing himself on his powerful arms, he slid his cock deep inside her pussy in one smooth thrust. She wrapped her legs tightly around him, her arms going around his neck. He kissed and nibbled her neck, his fangs grazing her skin as his cock seemed to plunder her very soul. If he didn’t bite her soon, she was going to go crazy. She couldn’t wait another second. With a moan, she tightened her grip on his hair and pulled him in tight to her neck. “Kaige, please!” she begged, the words a desperate whisper. “Bite me!” Savanna had spoken so softly that she wasn’t even sure if he’d heard her, but then she felt a pricking sensation as his fangs sank into her neck. It was like a bolt of lightning had shot through her body. She pulled him in tighter with her arms and legs, crying out as the incredible sensation raced all over her. It was like her entire body was having one huge orgasm. She screamed out again, writhing beneath him, sure that she would shatter into a million pieces. It was absolutely perfect. It felt like she and Kaige were completely connected—like their very souls were one. And then, even though his mouth was still on her neck, he let out a deep groan as he came. Savanna clung to him fiercely. As impossible as it seemed, it felt like she was experiencing his orgasm 102

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 along with her own as he pumped his hot cum inside of her. It made her climax even more intense. Only after Kaige slowly withdrew his fangs did her orgasm begin to subside. It had been the longest and most beautiful orgasm she’d ever had. He ran his tongue over the marks his teeth had made, and then lifted his head to look down at her, his breathing ragged. Savanna reached up to brush his hair back. “That was better than exquisite,” she said softly. “That was absolute heaven.” Kaige’s mouth curved into a smile. “It was for me, too.” “So, when can we do it again?” she asked. He chuckled. “Just as soon as you’re ready.” Savanna kissed him on the mouth, her tongue grazing the tips of his fangs. “In that case, I’ll be ready by the time you take me upstairs,” she said. “But this time, I want to be on top.”

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Chapter 8 Savanna wasn’t sure what woke her, but when she opened her eyes, she saw Kaige braced up on one elbow beside her in bed, his head cocked to the side as if listening for something. She opened her mouth to ask him what he’d heard, but he held his finger to his lips, warning her to keep silent. She tensed, but did as he commanded. In the silence, her breathing sounded loud and ragged in the big bedroom. A moment later, a noise came from downstairs. She shot Kaige a look, her eyes wide. “What was that?” she whispered. “There’s someone in the house,” he said softly. “Stay here.” Savanna was so stunned at the thought that someone had broken into the house that she couldn’t do anything but sit there as Kaige grabbed a pair of pajama bottoms and quickly put them on. She snapped out of her daze when she saw him head for the door, though. Abruptly realizing that he intended to go downstairs and check it out, she pushed back the blanket and started to follow. Seeing her out of the corner of his eye, Kaige motioned with his hand for her to stay put. Right. Savanna waited until he walked out of the room, then jumped out of bed. Grabbing her short robe on the way to the door, she slipped it on and tied the sash, then stepped out into the hallway. Kaige must have heard her because he stopped in mid-step to give her a cross look over his shoulder. Savanna returned the look 104

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 with an apologetic one of her own. She was just motioning that she would stay by the bedroom door when a blur of movement on the stairs behind him caught her eye. She opened her mouth to warn Kaige, but it was too late. The intruder was already slamming Kaige back against the wall. Savanna screamed. At the sound, the man pinning Kaige against the wall turned to hiss at her, his elongated fangs flashing white in the darkness. Her eyes went wide. He was a vampire? Kaige and his attacker were struggling with each other viciously when suddenly another vampire sailed over the balustrade to come down on the landing with a thud. Savanna blinked in astonishment. Had he just leaped all the way up to the second floor from the entryway below? She hadn’t even known that was possible! She watched in horror as the second vampire went after Kaige as well, fangs flashing. Despite the fact that he was outnumbered, Kaige shoved the two vamps across the landing and up against the balustrade. For a moment, Savanna thought he would be able to push them over, but at the last second, they latched onto him and all three of them went crashing through it to the tiled floor below. Horrified, Savanna let out another scream. She tried to move, but for some reason her feet seemed stuck to the floor. All she could think about was how far it was to the hard floor below. Kaige couldn’t be hurt; he just couldn’t be. Forcing herself forward, she darted over to the part of the balustrade that was still intact. She looked down hesitantly, fearing the worst. Below her, though, Kaige had already gotten back on his feet and was squaring off with his two attackers. Indecision warred within her. Should she go down and help Kaige fight them off? Or should she call the cops? She shook her head. What the hell was she thinking? They were vampires. She couldn’t call the cops! 105

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Swearing under her breath, Savanna raced down the steps. By the time she got to the bottom, Kaige and the two vampires were lashing out at each other so fast that she could barely see them move. Suddenly, all three hit the floor in a tumble. Kaige ended up trapped beneath them. His two attackers began to punch at him savagely and it was all Kaige could do to protect himself. Knowing she had to do something, Savanna hurried over and kicked at one of the vampires as hard as she could. She wasn’t sure what kind of damage she could do since her feet were bare, but there was no way she was going to let Kaige fight them alone. Most of her kicks went wide of their mark, but she was finally able to connect with one really solid blow. There was a satisfying sounding crunch and a howl of pain from the vampire. That had done some damage! Unfortunately, it also pissed off the vampire. Letting out a hiss, he leaped to his feet and came after her. Savanna backpedaled wildly, her heart pounding in her chest. Oh crap! She needed a weapon. Quick. Her eyes darted to one of the broken balusters lying on the floor, but the vampire must have guessed her intent because he lifted his arm and backhanded her hard across the face. The blow flung her back, knocking her to the tiled floor so hard that she slid across the slick surface until she banged up against the far wall. She held her breath, waiting for the explosion of pain that she was sure was coming. But it never did. Her cheek stung from the slap and her derriere felt a little numb where she’d fallen on it, but other than that, she didn’t seem to be hurt at all. She supposed she had her new vampire DNA to thank for that. Abruptly remembering the vampire who had smacked her, she lifted her head, expecting to see him advancing on her, but he had already turned his attention back to Kaige and the other vampire. While the first one had been busy with her, Kaige had gained the upper hand and gotten to his feet. As she watched, he drew back 106

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 his fist and punched the second vampire so hard that he went flying across the entryway. With that vampire out of the way, at least for the moment, Kaige turned his attention to the one who had backhanded her. Even in the darkness, Savanna could see the fury written clearly on her lover’s face. Eyeing the broken pieces of railing that littered the floor, she pushed herself to her feet and silently moved toward them. She figured if she could find a piece that was heavy enough, she could smack one of the vamps over the head while he was focused on Kaige. She was just moving by the doorway to the kitchen when arms suddenly reached out from the darkened room and wrapped around her, trapping her in a vice-like grip. Oh God, there was a third vampire! Savanna shrieked and struggled to free herself. But the vampire holding her was too strong and began to drag her into the kitchen. She beat at him with her fists. “Let go of me, you bastard!” “Stop it!” he hissed in her ear. “You’re coming with me! There’s no use fighting!” Like hell. Bringing her arm forward and then back, she jabbed it into her captor’s ribs with every ounce of strength she had. He grunted, loosening his grip around her waist as the breath rushed out of him. Seizing the opportunity, Savanna jerked free of his grasp and ran for the entryway and Kaige. But she didn’t get more than a few feet before the vampire grabbed her arm and spun her around. Her eyes went wide as she recognized him. It was the vampire in the overcoat who had bitten her outside the Goth club! He yanked her close, his lip curling into a sneer, his fangs extended. “Didn’t expect to see me again, did you?” Savanna tried to pull her arm free of his grasp, but his grip was like iron. “Let go of me, you asshole!” 107

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 He leaned close. “If it was up to me, I’d finish what I started in that alley, bitch, but you’ve been claimed, so that means I have to let you live. So, why don’t you just make this easy on both of us and come quietly?” Not waiting for a reply, he began to drag her across the kitchen toward the back door. She didn’t know what the hell he’d meant about her being claimed, but she did know that she’d never get away from him if he got her outside. So, Savanna did the only thing she could think of. She lifted her free hand and raked her nails down the side of his face. It was then that she discovered another perk to being a vampire. One, her nails were a hell of a lot stronger than they used to be. And two, her hands were more powerful than they’d ever been before. Which meant that her nails dug into the vampire’s face much deeper than they would have if she’d been human. He released her with a howl of pain to grab his bleeding face. Savanna spun around and ran for the entryway. As she did, her foot caught in the leg of a stool and she tripped, falling to the floor with a thud. Heart pounding, she looked over her shoulder to see the vampire bearing down on her, his dark eyes full of hatred, the claw marks on his face ragged and red with blood. “You’ll pay for that, bitch!” her attacker snarled. “I don’t care what the fuck he wants.” Desperate to get away from him, Savanna scrambled backward with her hands and feet on the floor, even as the vampire advanced on her. Suddenly, something whizzed through the air over her head. Overcoat Vamp stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide with shock. Savanna could only stare in disbelief at the piece of wooden railing embedded in his shoulder. Stunned, she looked over her shoulder to see Kaige standing in the doorway of the kitchen, prepared to throw another piece of the balustrade that he held in his hand. 108

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Overcoat Vamp growled in rage and reached up with his hand to pull out the shard of wood, but it wouldn’t budge. Apparently realizing he had only seconds before Kaige put another one into him, he turned with a hateful glare and smashed through the kitchen door, one arm cradling the other. Breathing a sigh of relief, Savanna scrambled to her feet and threw herself into Kaige’s outstretched arms. He hugged her to him tightly. “Are you okay?” For a moment, she was too shaken to do anything other than hold him, but then her eyes went wide. She pulled back. “You’re hurt!” she said, reaching up to tenderly touch her fingers to his bruised cheek. “It’s just a scratch,” he said softly, brushing her hair back from her face. “I’ll be fine.” 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?” 109

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 “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 110

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 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. 111

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 “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 112

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 hard to figure out who sired these bastards. That should give us a good lead on how to find them.”

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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?” 114

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 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 115

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 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 threepiece 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 décor 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.” 116

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 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 117

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 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. 118

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 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 119

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 while he leaned back against the headboard. When they had finished, they curled up with each other beneath the blanket. 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?” 120

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 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 bring121

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 ing.” 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 122

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 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 flowerprint 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 123

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 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?” 124

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 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?” 125

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 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.

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Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 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, leaving her 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 127

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 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 wellmuscled 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.” 128

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 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. 129

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 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.

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Chapter 10 It wasn’t until she and Kaige were cuddling in bed after making love for a second time that Savanna finally put a name to the emotion she’d been feeling down in the sauna. She was in love. For the first time in her life, she was in love. With the gorgeous, sensitive, mysterious, damsel-in-distress-saving, I-only-like-to-comeout-after-dark kind of guy she’d always wanted. Savanna could hardly believe it. They had only known each other for a week, but she couldn’t deny what she was feeling. Somewhere in between waking up in his bed that first time and making love in the sauna that afternoon, her heart had decided that Kaige was absolutely perfect for her. And she didn’t see any reason to go against what her heart was telling her. She idly ran her finger up and down his bare chest, wondering if she should tell Kaige how she felt. According to Cosmo, it would be way too early in their relationship to declare her love. But she and Kaige didn’t exactly have an ordinary relationship. Besides, she couldn’t think of a more romantic time to tell him than after making love. She took a deep breath, all set to say it, when a knock sounded on the door. Startled, she lifted her head from Kaige’s shoulder to give him a curious look. “It’s probably just the butler,” he said. Pushing back the blanket, he got out of bed and pulled on his jeans, then walked over to the door, running his hand through his dark hair as he did. 131

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Blanket clutched to her breasts with one hand, Savanna pushed herself into a sitting position as Kaige opened the door. While she couldn’t see the butler with Kaige’s broad shoulders blocking the way, she could hear the man’s cultured voice saying he wanted to let them know that the Counsel members had arrived. “That was fast,” she said to Kaige when he closed the door. He lifted a brow. “You heard?” She nodded and pushed back the blanket with a sigh. She had been all psyched to tell him how she felt, but she supposed her declaration of love would have to wait until later. “I guess we should go down and introduce ourselves then.” Though Kaige agreed, the look on his face as he swept her naked body with that heated gaze of his told her that he’d much rather stay in bed. So would she. Maybe she and Kaige could say their “hellos,” and then slip back up to their room without anyone noticing. **** When they walked into the living room ten minutes later, they found it filled with vampires. Though it was impossible to tell how old any of them were, in appearance, they seemed to vary between their late twenties and early fifties. At their entrance, conversation ceased and everyone turned to regard her and Kaige appraisingly. Jensen immediately came over to greet them, a tall, slender female vampire at his side, whom he introduced as his wife. Pretty with long, blond hair, Kira had an easy way about her that made Savanna immediately like the other female. As Jensen made the rest of the introductions, Savanna tried to keep all the names straight, but it was no use. In addition to the two female and three male Counsel members, there were half a dozen security operatives, as well as some administrative assistants. Since there weren’t enough bedrooms in the house for everyone, it was decided that the assistants would stay in a nearby bed and breakfast. While there wasn’t any room for the security opera132

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 tives, either, they needed to be close by, so some cots would be set up in the cottage for them. While the assistants were milling around, grabbing up their bags and figuring out which vehicles they were going to take, one of the security operatives came over and introduced himself. “I’m Zane Bradford,” he said. “I’m the team leader for this mission. Jensen gave us a short briefing on what happened at your place. I just wanted to say that I’m impressed with how you two handled yourselves.” Savanna gave him a rueful smile. “Kaige did all the real fighting. All I was doing was trying to stay alive.” Zane shook his head. “Don’t put yourself down. Staying alive is the most important thing. It sounds like you did what you had to do. I know a lot of vampires who couldn’t have done half of what you two did.” They talked for a little while longer before Zane had to leave to get the other operatives set up in the cottage and work out the guard rotation schedule. By then, all of the assistants had gathered their belongings and left for the bed and breakfast. Everyone else had come back into the living room where drinks and hors d’oeuvres were being served. Realizing she and Kaige wouldn’t be able to slip back up to their room unnoticed, Savanna resigned herself to spending the evening with the Counsel. Though they had all been cordial when Jensen had made the introductions, Savanna wasn’t sure how they’d feel about having a newly turned vampire sit in on their meeting. But as it turned out, since she and Kaige had been the target of the rogue vampires’ attack, the Counsel members were eager to get their take on things. Over a dinner of delicious roast pheasant, she and Kaige told them everything, starting with the attack outside the Goth club and finishing with the break-in at the condo. They left out the more intimate details, of course. 133

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 “Are you sure the vampire who tried to drag you away said the word, ‘claimed’?” asked a dark-haired vampire named Brent. Savanna nodded. “Yes. Do you know what it means?” Brent shared a look with the other Counsel members, before turning his attention back to her. “Possibly,” he said. “It’s a very old word, one that hasn’t been used in a long time. It means that the vampire who has been siring these rogues follows a very old code of tradition and has invoked a special privilege reserved for what we used to call clan leaders. In the very early days of our kind, the clan leader would designate one particular female as his special chosen property, so all other vampires would stay away from her.” Beside her, Savanna felt Kaige stiffen. “His property,” she said. “Like hell I am!” Gabriella, the pretty redhead across the table from Savanna, nodded. “My sentiments exactly.” “Wait a minute,” Kaige said. “How the hell did this bastard even figure out who Savanna is?” “We have no way of knowing,” Gabriella said. “The vampire who attacked Savanna could have seen you turn her and reported it to his sire. Something about her must have piqued his interest.” Kaige swore. “Well, he’s not getting anywhere near her.” “He won’t,” Brent said firmly. “Once we figure out who he is, he’ll be dealt with. Harshly.” Two hours later, however, the Counsel still hadn’t come up with an idea on how to track down the rogue vampires. While it was horrible to consider, Savanna was beginning to think that the only way the Counsel was ever going to get a good lead on these rogue vampires was if they attacked again. Hopefully, they could follow the vampires back to their hideout after that. The Counsel members were still throwing around ideas when the lights suddenly went out, plunging the entire house into darkness. Savanna jumped, startled, and she felt Kaige’s arm around her 134

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 waist tighten protectively. In the dark, she saw Jensen move across the room to look out the window. “The power is out in the cottage, too,” he said. “Actually, it looks like the power is out in the whole area.” Alton, the tall vampire standing by the fireplace pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. After a moment he frowned. “Zane’s not answering his cell, but I have lousy reception, so that could just be the problem.” Gabriella muttered something Savanna didn’t catch, but from the tone of her voice, the female vampire was clearly worried. “I’ll go and check it out,” Kaige volunteered. “I’ll go with you,” Jensen said. Kaige started to get to his feet, but Savanna caught his arm. “Are you sure you should go out there?” she asked. “What if it’s some kind of trap set by those rogue vampires?” He reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear. “They don’t even know about this place. Besides, we have plenty of security patrolling the grounds. I’ll be fine.” He was probably right, but she still didn’t like the idea of him going out there. She swallowed hard. “Be careful.” Kaige’s mouth curved. “Always,” he said, pressing his mouth gently to hers. Savanna chewed on her lower lip as she watched him walk out of the room with Jensen. The moment they had disappeared from sight, she got up and walked over to the window. She watched nervously as Kaige and Jensen made their way across the lawn to the guest cottage. “They’ll be fine,” Kira said from beside her. Savanna glanced at Jensen’s wife. Despite the female vampire’s reassuring words, Kira looked just as nervous as she did about the men going to check out the guest house. Savanna looked out the window again to check on Kaige, but he and Jensen were nowhere in sight. She turned to Kira, but be135

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 fore she could say anything, there was a loud noise from the entryway. Alarmed, Savanna whirled around to see what it was, only to jump when she heard gunfire. A moment later, half a dozen male vampires came into the room, automatic weapons in their hands. Savanna’s stomach clenched. Oh God. What about Kaige? “No one moves, and no one gets hurt,” one of the vampires said. Savanna glanced nervously at the Counsel members and was surprised to see that they looked remarkably calm. “Where is your sire?” Alton asked. The vampire who had spoken earlier smirked. “He’ll be here.” He lifted his hand and spoke into a microphone clipped to his sleeve. “Objective secure, Master,” he reported to someone on the other end. He paused, listening to something coming through an earpiece. “Yes, she’s here, Master.” His gaze slid to Savanna as he said the words and she took a nervous step back. This “Master” he was talking to was the one who had “claimed” her, she realized. Just then, the lights went back on. Savanna squinted her eyes against the sudden brightness for a moment. When she opened them again, it was to see a tall, dark-haired vampire coming into the room. Savanna stared at him in disbelief. If she weren’t so terrified, she might have laughed. Dressed in a black suit and wearing a cape, he looked like he’d come straight out of some Dracula movie. There were two other male vampires with him, including Overcoat Vamp. Though the scratches on his face had healed somewhat, they were still raw, and the hateful look in his eyes as he glared at her told Savanna that he hadn’t forgotten what she’d done. “You must be the one who sired this clan of thugs,” Alton said. The vampires with the Dracula look-alike bared their fangs at the insult, but he merely smiled. 136

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 “I am Darac, yes.” He paused, as if waiting for Alton or one of the other Counsel members to say something. When they didn’t, he continued. “That you do not recognize my name only confirms your ignorance. I am the most ancient and revered of all vampires,” he said. “I sired generations of our kind before you and your Counsel were ever a thought.” As he spoke, he walked slowly around the room, going from one Counsel member to the next. Savanna watched him warily. “You should be ashamed of yourselves. You have turned your back on your vampire heritage with your foolish Counsel rules and regulations. It’s disgusting,” he continued. “Vampires are far superior to any human on this planet, yet you and your Counsel have them hiding their true nature like common criminals.” He stopped in front of Gabriella to regard her with a sneer. “You even allow females to rule. It is a violation of the old ways.” Gabriella flushed and opened her mouth to reply, but Darac had already moved on to stand in front of Alton. “I allow my vampires freedom to be the hunters and predators they were meant to be, while you have our kind feeding from bagged blood instead of hunting their food like they should. You go out during the day, living and cavorting with the human cattle. It is reprehensible.” He regarded Alton with disgust. “But with me in charge, all of that is going to change. We are going back to the old ways.” “You think the vampire world is just going to follow you?” Alton asked. Darac’s lip curled. “Not at first perhaps,” he said. “But with their precious Counsel out of the way, they will have no choice but to fall into line. When there isn’t any more bagged blood for them to drink, they will do what comes naturally. Sooner or later.” He shrugged. “Of course, I had not planned to take control at this point, but after what happened the other night, I knew the time 137

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 had come. So, I ordered the attacks on the humans, knowing it would draw the Counsel members out of hiding.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Take them down to the wine cellar. I will enjoy dealing with them one at a time at my leisure.” At the command, the armed vampires quickly moved forward to obey. When one of them grabbed her arm, Darac motioned with his hand. “Not her,” he said. “She stays here.” Savanna watched helplessly as Kira and the Counsel members were dragged from the room. She was so focused on them that she didn’t even realize Overcoat Vamp was heading her way until he was right in front of her. She tensed, eyeing him nervously. If he took one more step toward her, she was prepared to claw up his face again. But he must have known what she was thinking because he quickly grabbed her arm and dragged her into the center of the room to stand in front of Darac. The old vampire regarded her appraisingly. “You are even more beautiful than your photo,” he said, reaching out one bony hand to run a finger down her cheek. Savanna jerked away from his touch to glare at him. “Don’t touch me, you pig!” Darac smirked. “And you have fire. I like that.” He reached out to grip her chin, tightening his fingers and holding her in place when she would have pulled away. “You have stirred desires in me that I thought had been long gone, things I haven’t felt in hundreds of years.” Her lip curled. Just the thought was disgusting. “Well, all I feel for you is revulsion!” “Maybe,” he said, releasing her. “But that will change once you become my queen.” “Your queen?” she scoffed. “Sorry, but I’m already in a relationship.” “Oh yes, your sire.” Darac laughed. “Since your hearing has not improved very much due to your immaturity, I doubt you 138

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 heard it. But just a few minutes ago, there were dozens of gunshots from the cottage behind the house. That was my vampires dispatching the Counsel’s security team. And your sire, too, I’m sure. So, my dear, you can stop worrying about your relationship with him. He is quite dead.” Savanna’s heart seemed to stop in her chest. No, that wasn’t true. Kaige couldn’t be dead. She would know if he were. Somehow, she would know. Kaige was not dead! But just the thought of this bloodsucking bastard’s minions trying to hurt Kaige infuriated her. That’s all it took for her fangs to slide out. With a cry of rage, she jerked free of her captor’s hold and hurled herself at Darac, teeth bared. Darac grabbed her easily and shoved her back toward Overcoat Vamp, who caught her in a tight grip. Savanna struggled against his hold, but it did no good. He had her arms pinned behind her back and all she could do was stand there helplessly while Darac approached her. He ran his finger down her cheek. “I’d prefer to have you willingly at my side, but willing or not, I will have you.” “Go to hell!” she spat. Darac’s jaw tightened. “I think it’s time to teach you a little respect.” Reaching out, he grabbed a handful of Savanna’s hair and yanked her head back. She tried to fight him, but he was too strong. Her neck was completely exposed and there was nothing she could do. The bastard was going to bite her. She struggled even more, but between Overcoat Vamp holding her and Darac’s grip in her hair, it was impossible to get free. His breath was hot and foul on her neck, and she closed her eyes, helpless to do anything but wait for him to sink his fangs into her. **** Kaige and Jensen had barely left the main house when they saw armed figures moving through the darkness. At first, Kaige 139

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 thought they were the normal guards just checking on the power outage, but by the time he and Jensen got to the cottage, he realized how mistaken he was. They arrived just in time to see the Counsel’s security team being held at gunpoint by at least a dozen rogue vampires. Even as he and Jensen watched from outside the window, Zane and his team were herded toward the back of the cottage. “Shit,” Kaige swore. His first instinct was to get back to the main house as fast as possible. If there were rogue vampires here, then they were certainly there as well. Even now, Savanna could be in their clutches. But common sense told him it would be worthless to try and rescue her without a weapon. He needed the security team and the firepower they’d brought with them. He looked at Jensen. “We need to get in there before those bastards kill them. Is there a back way into the cottage?” Jensen nodded. “Follow me.” They made their way to the back of the cottage, careful to keep to the shadows. All Kaige could think about was what was happening to Savanna up in the main house. She had to be okay. He couldn’t lose her, not when he’d finally found happiness after all these years. He promised himself that the moment she was safe, he was going to tell Savanna exactly how he felt about her. Jensen led him to the back door of the cottage. They slipped in quietly, Kaige going first. He could hear voices coming from the front room. It sounded like the rogues were arguing. He slowly made his way through the kitchen and cautiously looked around the doorjamb, only to quickly jerk his head back. There was a rogue vampire in the hallway with his back to Kaige. From the way he was standing in front of one of the doors, it looked like he was on guard duty. The security team must be in that room. Up to that point, Kaige hadn’t been too interested in what the rogue vampires were arguing about, but suddenly what they were 140

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 saying registered. Most of them wanted to kill the security operatives immediately. Only one of the vampires disagreed. “The Master told us to wait until they take the main house,” he said. “We wait until we get the signal. It should be coming any minute.” Kaige exchanged a look with Jensen. His friend nodded. They both knew they didn’t have time to waste coming up with a complicated plan. If the rogue vampires got the signal from the house, those Counsel operatives were dead. Kaige turned and started down the hallway without even bothering to look first. He just prayed the vampire standing guard would be so distracted by the argument that he wouldn’t hear him coming. The vampire didn’t, at least not until Kaige was a few feet away. As the rogue vampire turned to investigate the sound coming from behind him, Kaige punched him solidly across the jaw. When the vampire slumped, Kaige caught him and dragged him back toward the kitchen. Once there, he relieved the other vampire of his assault rifle and pistol, handing the latter to Jensen. They went back out into the hallway and carefully made their way to the door the vampire had been guarding. Kaige stood guard in the hallway while Jensen went in to free the security team. Zane Bradford came out of the room first. He exchanged a quick look with Kaige, and then gestured for his team to head to the kitchen. Kaige and Jensen followed. They would have been out the back door with the rest of the security team if one of the rogue vampires hadn’t picked that moment to check on the guard they had stationed in the hallway. He came barreling into the kitchen, shouting over his shoulder that the prisoners were escaping. Zane stepped forward and quickly took the rogues down, disarming him as he did so. He’d barely gotten the weapon away from him before the rest of the rogue vampires came charging into the room. 141

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Kaige immediately took cover and started firing. Jensen and Zane did the same. They were outmanned, but it helped that the rogue vampires were so wild and out of control that they ended up shooting some of their own men in the back as they all tried to exit the cramped confines of the hallway. As fast as it had started, the fight was over, with the last four rogues throwing down their weapons and surrendering as soon as it appeared things were no longer in their favor. Zane’s team swept in and while half of them tied up the rogues, the others collected up weapons. Leaving two of Zane’s team behind to guard the prisoners, the rest of them ran for the main house. One look in the living room window confirmed Kaige’s worst fear and he tightened his grip on his weapon. The vampire who had attacked Savanna at his condo was holding her captive while an ancient-looking male ran a gnarled finger down her beautiful cheek. Neither Kira nor the Counsel were anywhere in sight. “Where the hell are the Counsel members?” Zane asked quietly. “I don’t think they would have taken them upstairs to the bedrooms.” He looked at Jensen. “Is there anywhere else they could have taken them?” Jensen thought a moment. “There’s a wine cellar just off the kitchen. If they’re not upstairs, that’s the only place large enough to hold all of them.” Zane nodded. “Show us how to get there.” He looked at Kaige. “Do you need me to leave one of my team with you to take care of them?” Kaige shook his head. “They’re mine.” Zane gave him an appraising look. “I thought you might say that. Good luck.” With a nod, Zane and his team followed Jensen around to the back of the house. Kaige didn’t watch them go, but quickly made his way to the front door and entered the house. To his relief, the entryway was unguarded and he hurried to the living room. What 142

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 he saw made his blood go cold. The old vampire had Savanna’s head pulled savagely to the side and was about to bite her. There was no way in hell Kaige was going to let that happen. **** “Take your fucking hands off her or I’ll shoot you right now, you bastard!” Kaige! Relief swept through Savanna at the sound of his deep voice. She knew he wasn’t dead. She just knew it! Darac shifted so quickly that Savanna didn’t even see him move. One second, he was in front of her preparing to bite her neck, and the next, he was standing beside her with his nasty, clawed fingers wrapped around her throat. “Put down the gun or I’ll tear out her throat,” he said to Kaige. Kaige ignored him, lifting the rifle he held and aiming it directly at the old vampire. But when he sent a quick glance her way, Savanna saw hesitation in his dark eyes. He ground his jaw and turned his attention back to Darac. “I’m not letting you walk out of here with her.” Darac regarded him in silence for a moment. “It would seem we are at an impasse. But I like your courage. It isn’t found in many of these bag-fed creatures that dare to call themselves vampires. You would have done well in the old days. Because of that, I’m willing to make you an offer. Throw down your modern weapon and fight me for her. Hand to hand, vampire against vampire, as it was done in centuries past.” Kaige hesitated. Savanna’s blood went cold at the look in her lover’s eyes. He couldn’t actually be considering Darac’s suggestion, could he? But to her shock, Kaige tossed the gun on the floor. Oh God. What if Darac had a gun underneath his cape and shot Kaige now that he was defenseless?

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Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 But apparently, Darac had been serious about fighting Kaige hand to hand because he released his grip on her and reached up to untie his cape. “Hold her,” he said to Overcoat Vamp. “I’ll finish this quickly.” As he spoke, he whipped off his cape with a dramatic flourish and tossed it on the couch before turning to Kaige. With a hiss, he slowly began to advance on Kaige. Savanna held her breath as she watched. Suddenly, Darac launched himself at Kaige in a jump that took him halfway across the living room. They came together quicker than her eyes could even follow. Darac might have been old, but he was fast. And strong. Savanna had to bite her lip to keep from screaming as Kaige was thrown completely across the room. He landed with a crash that splintered a coffee table, but was back on his feet immediately, much to her relief. Kaige and Darac threw themselves at each other again. Darac used his nails and fangs as weapons, trying to cut and bite, while Kaige threw punch after punch. Many of the blows found their mark, but had little effect on the older vampire. Savanna could hardly breathe. What could Kaige do against such an ancient vampire? He seemed invulnerable. Suddenly, Darac raked his nails down Kaige’s shirt, shredding the material and leaving four long claw marks deep in his muscular chest. Blood began to flow freely from the wounds, and Savanna felt fear grip her. Behind her, Overcoat Vamp let out a laugh that infuriated her. She only wished she could smash in his smug, arrogant, laughing face. All of sudden, the sounds of gunfire echoed in the house. Darac stopped for a moment to give Kaige a superior look. “That will be my vampires finishing off that despicable Counsel scum down in the wine cellar.” 144

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Kaige smirked. “Actually, that would be the Counsel’s security team taking your thugs down like the common criminals they are. You didn’t really think I’d come into this house by myself, did you?” That seemed to take Darac by surprise. He recovered quickly, though, and threw himself at Kaige again, but he was clearly rattled. Kaige took advantage of that. He side-stepped the old vampire and swung his fist right into Darac’s face. Since the older vampire was in mid-leap at the time, he couldn’t avoid the blow. Kaige’s fist struck him squarely in the nose. It crunched with a sickening sound and the old vampire hit the floor with a thud. For one wild moment, Savanna thought that it might be over, but then Darac wiped the blood away with the back of his hand and got to his feet. He glared at Kaige with hatred in his eyes and advanced on him once more. Kaige’s punch had definitely taken something out of him. Even though the ancient vamp still tried to slash at Kaige with his nails, he wasn’t moving nearly as fast as he had been. Kaige quickly gained the upper hand, ramming his fist into Darac’s face again and again. The blows drove his opponent relentlessly back across the room. It was almost over; Savanna could feel it. Kaige was going to win. She felt herself relax, only to immediately tense again when she felt Overcoat Vamp tighten his grip around her waist and start to drag her from the room. Evidently he had recognized that things weren’t going Darac’s way and must have decided it was time to go solo. She feared to think what he had in mind for her once he had her alone. Heart pounding, Savanna struggled frantically to free herself, but his arms were like steel bands around her. Not wanting to distract Kaige, but not knowing what else to do, she shouted his name just as her captor pulled her into the entryway. 145

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 She tried to dig her heels in as he dragged her down the hallway, but it did no good. Not about to give up, she tried to jab her elbow into his face. “Let go of me!” “I still owe you for what you did to my face, bitch, and I’m going to make sure you pay!” he snarled in her ear. As he spoke, he made a sharp turn, pulling her through the formal dining room and into the kitchen. She craned her neck to look over her shoulder and was horrified to see that he was heading for the back door. She couldn’t let him get her outside. But how was she going to stop him? Every time she tried to grab hold of a doorjamb or countertop, he just savagely ripped her loose. Savanna looked around wildly, desperately trying to find something she could use as a weapon. Suddenly, she caught sight of a hanging pot-rack positioned over the island. Normally, she hated the things—probably because they were always in some horror movie or other—but now she was thinking that the kitchen accessory might just save her life. As her would-be kidnapper pulled her past the island, she reached up and grabbed the first thing she could reach: a cast-iron skillet. For a moment, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to get it off the hook, but to her relief, it came free in her hand. Using every bit of strength she had, she twisted around and brought the heavy pan down as hard as she could on the vampire’s head. He released her with a curse, his hands going to his injured head even as he stumbled backward. Savanna had hoped the blow would knock him out, but no such luck. As a vampire, he had the strength of ten men, not to mention a damn hard head. Ignoring the blood pouring down the side of his face, he bared his fangs and lunged at her. “You’ll pay for that, you—” Her hands tightening on the skillet, Savanna swung it at him again. This time, it connected with his fist. The vampire howled and pulled back his damaged hand, cradling it with his good one in 146

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 obvious pain. She wasn’t a doctor, but she was pretty sure she’d just broken his hand in a few places. He lifted his head to give her a murderous look. “I’ll kill you for that!” Her hands trembling, Savanna lifted the cast-iron skillet, all set to hit him with it again, but just then, Kaige rushed into the room and slammed into the other vampire. The two went down hard on the tiled floor. With the way Overcoat Vamp was trying to protect his broken hand, the fight was over almost before it started. Drawing back his fist, Kaige delivered two hard punches that left the other vampire unconscious. For a moment, Savanna wasn’t sure Kaige was going stop pummeling the thug that had tried to kidnap her yet again, but with a curse, he shoved the unconscious vampire away. Breathing hard, Kaige pushed himself to his feet and turned to look at her. Even as bruised and bloody as he was from the fight, Savanna thought he was the most handsome man she’d ever seen. With a sob of relief, she dropped the skillet she was holding and ran over to him. He met her halfway, his arms going around her as she threw herself into them. “I was so afraid for you,” she said, the words muffled against his shirt as she pressed her face into his chest. He smoothed her hair with his hand. “I know, baby. But it’s over now.” He put his hands on her shoulders and took a step back so he could look at her. “Are you okay? That bastard didn’t hurt you, did he?” Savanna shook her head. “No, I’m fine.” She reached out to gently run her fingers over the deep scratches on his chest. “But you’re hurt.” He reached up and tenderly brushed her hair back from her face. “It’s nothing. Just some scratches.”

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Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 She wasn’t sure she’d agree, but at least it looked like Darac hadn’t done any worse damage. She frowned as she abruptly remembered the other vampire. “What about Darac?” His brow furrowed in confusion at the name. “Who?” “The old vampire,” she said. “Is he…” “Dead?” Kaige supplied when her voice trailed off. “Yes. I didn’t want it to end that way, but he really didn’t give me any choice. He and his clan won’t be hurting anyone else.” Savanna nodded. “What about Kira and the Counsel members? Are they okay?” Kaige opened his mouth to reply, but then grinned at something over her shoulder. Savanna turned to see Jensen and Kira coming into the room along with all the members of the Counsel, as well as Zane and another operative from the security team. None of them look like they’d been harmed, much to Savanna’s relief. There were hugs all around, after which Zane explained how Jensen had led the team into the wine cellar through a secret escape route. There had been another shootout, but the only injuries that had occurred were on the enemy side. As Zane’s security team began to clean up the mess a little while later, he eyed Savanna and Kaige appraisingly. “You know, you two handled yourselves really well. We could always use operatives like you working for us. Have you ever thought of working for the Counsel?” Savanna looked at Kaige, who slipped an arm around her waist to pull her close. “No thanks,” she said, giving the head of the security team a grin. “I don’t think I could do this on a regular basis.” “Besides,” Kaige added. “We have more important things to take care of. Like planning a wedding.” She looked at him in surprise. “Wedding? You mean…” He grinned. “Of course. If you think I’m going to let you get away after all of this, you’re crazy.” He tilted her chin up and kissed her gently on the mouth. “I love you more than I thought I 148

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 could ever love anyone, Savanna. If you’ll have me, I’d like to spend the rest of my life proving to you just how much.” Savanna’s heart began to do the Snoopy Dance at his words and for a moment, she didn’t know if she were going to laugh or cry. She ended up doing both. “Of course, I’ll have you.” She reached up to brush his hair back. “You’re the most absolutely perfect man in the world for me. You’re the gorgeous, sensitive, mysterious, damsel-in-distress-saving, I-only-like-to-come-out-afterdark kind of guy that I’ve always wanted. So, you set the date, and I’ll be there.” Before he could reply, she tugged him back down for a kiss, only to blush and pull back with an embarrassed laugh when everyone around them began to applaud.

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Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101

Chapter 11 Savanna let out a little moan of pleasure each time she came down on Kaige’s hard cock. She slid her hands up his washboard abs to his well-muscled chest, leaning forward slightly as she slowly continued to undulate. Kaige tightened his hold on her hips, guiding her up and down. “Oh yeah,” he said in a husky voice. “Ride me just like that, baby. Don’t stop.” Even as she complied, Savanna couldn’t help but smile at his words. She and Kaige had made love practically nonstop since they’d left San Francisco and boarded the Counsel’s private jet to London the night before. They’d gotten in late and hadn’t left their hotel room since. Not that she was complaining. Making love to her new husband was way more fun than sightseeing. Savanna leaned forward and pressed her lips to the side of his neck. She could feel his blood pumping beneath the skin. The intoxicating scent of it was almost enough to make her dizzy, and she sighed as she felt her fangs slide out. Holding on tightly to his shoulders, she gently sank her teeth into his neck. Kaige’s hoarse groan of pleasure ignited a fire within her and she let out a little moan of her own. His hands tightened on her hips, urging her to ride him faster and faster as he began to thrust even harder into her. It was impossible to tell which one of them came first because their orgasms were so completely intertwined. Savanna wasn’t even sure if what she was feeling was her pleasure 150

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 or his. All she could do was cry out against his neck from the ecstasy of it. “So, Mrs. Travers,” Kaige said a little while later. “What would you like to do today?” Savanna was snuggled up beside him with her head pillowed on his shoulder. She smiled at the sound of her married name. “Besides more of what we just did?” Her husband chuckled. “Besides that.” She laughed as she ran her finger up and down his bare chest. “How about a walk along the Thames then lunch at a traditional English pub?” she suggested. “Sounds good to me,” Kaige agreed, tilting her chin up to kiss her on the mouth. Now that she and Kaige had decided to finally leave the room and explore the city, Savanna was suddenly impatient to go sightseeing. As they were pulling on their clothes, however, Kaige’s cell phone rang. Her husband glanced at the display. “It’s Jensen,” he said as he flipped it open. “I won’t be long.” While Kaige talked to the other vampire, Savanna went out on the balcony to take in the view. It had been gorgeous the night before, but in the light of day, it was absolutely breathtaking. From where she stood, she could see Trafalgar Square, the Houses of Parliament, and just beyond that, the Thames. When Kaige had suggested going to London for their honeymoon, she had eagerly agreed. Of course, she’d been so thrilled with the idea of becoming his wife that she probably would have agreed to go anywhere. But the city really was the perfect place for a honeymoon. Though she knew it would obviously look different now, she was eager to see where he had grown up. Savanna’s lips curved into a smile as she looked down at the diamond rings on her left hand. Their wedding had been absolutely beautiful. They had gotten married in her parents’ church then dri151

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 ven up to a country club in Napa for the reception. To both Kaige and Savanna’s surprise, the Counsel had insisted on paying for everything from the honeymoon to the designer gown her mother had mentioned seeing on the front of that bridal magazine. Gabriella had told Savanna and Kaige that it was the Counsel’s way of repaying them for what they’d done. Though they had gotten married only a month after the episode at the winery, her mother had approved of the rather quick wedding. “You have to grab him before someone else does,” she had told Savanna again. Of course that hadn’t kept her mother from pulling her to the side to make sure Kaige wasn’t marrying her just because she was pregnant. She had hastily assured her mother that wasn’t the case. Her father, on the other hand, had been more put out that someone else was paying for the wedding than he was with how fast it was happening. But when he got a look at the size of the guest list, he had capitulated without another word. Besides her family, the list had included all of her friends, Kaige’s colleagues and students, the Counsel members, Zane’s security team, and even the various administrative staff that had registered her on her first official day as a vampire. Altogether, there had ended up being more than four hundred people at the wedding. Jensen had been Kaige’s best man, while Kira had been her matron-of-honor and Michelle had been her bridesmaid. Even now, thinking about how wonderful the wedding had been brought tears of happiness to Savanna’s eyes. Kaige came out onto the balcony, interrupting her thoughts, and Savanna laughed as he slipped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck. She turned in his arms to drape her own around his neck. “So, what did Jensen want?” she asked. Kaige shrugged. “He just wanted to make sure we got in okay.” 152

Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101 Savanna lifted a brow. “You were on the phone a long time for that.” When her husband said nothing, she sighed. “Okay, what did he really want? You know I’m just going to hound you until you tell me.” Kaige sighed. “Jensen wanted to know if we could swing by the Strand district while we’re out sightseeing. Apparently, there have been some rumors of a rogue vampire attacking tourists down there.” Her brow furrowed. “What did you tell him?” “That we’re here on our honeymoon, not to chase after some rogue vampire.” She had no doubt that Kaige had said that for her benefit. If he had been on his own, he probably would have gone to check it out, but he didn’t want to put her in harm’s way. While she loved him for it, she couldn’t help but think about how badly she would feel if some poor, unsuspecting tourist got bitten. Back in the room, Kaige grabbed the camera while she picked up the tourist guide from the desk. As they walked out of the hotel a few minutes later, Savanna thumbed through the book. He glanced at her. “So, where do you want to go first?” “Actually, I’d like to check out the part of town just northeast of here,” she said as they started down the street. “It looks like there might be some interesting sights.” He eyed her suspiciously. “Really? If I remember correctly, they call that area the Strand.” Savanna gave him a smile. “You know, I think you’re right.”

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Paige Tyler is a full-time writer of erotic romance. She and her research assistant (otherwise known as her husband) live on the beautiful Florida coast with their easygoing dog and their lazy, I-refuse-to-get-off-the-couch-for-anything-but-food cat. When not working on her latest book, Paige enjoys reading, doing Pilates, going to the beach, and vacationing with her husband at Disney. She loves writing about strong, sexy, alpha-males and feisty, independent heroines. All of her books have romance, adventure, humor, and of course, lots of hot sex!

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