Her scent carried on the evening air. He had been
following her for days now, learning her routine, her habits. The time was now.
Ghosting along the path, he picked up the scent of
two males, their pheromones making it obvious what they planned to do to Gracie.
Lovely Gracie Bennett. His perfect mate. He had to
protect her. It was required of a male of his species to protect his female.
The augurs had told him she was his. The last few days have proven it. She was
feisty, kind, helpful, and most of all, still a virgin. A rarity in this day
and age.
Drawing nearer, he realized Gracie had no idea she
was being followed by predators. Not just him, but the two men who meant her
harm. Deciding quickly that it was best to leave her ignorant of the evils that
went bump in the night, he cast his thought to the two men following her.
You do not
wish to do her harm. You will leave the park and never do harm to another
living being again.
The men stopped, shaking their heads. As one, they
turned and made their way to the nearest park entrance.
Raul continued along the path, following Gracie as
she made her evening circuit of the running trail. He drew no interest from
anyone. Why should he? He had taken care to dress as everyone else was on this
cool autumn evening. Maybe a little more upscale and fashionable than some, but
still, his clothing fit the area.
Her scent grew stronger, flavored with the sweet
aroma of her sweat. His desire to have her flared, causing him to struggle to
control the beast within.
He had been a vampire for close to five hundred
years. He had almost lost hope of finding his mate, and here she was, within
reach. He had waited this long, he could wait a few hours more.
Glancing up at the rising full moon, he realized
he didn’t have as much time as he thought. Tonight was the last night of the
Blue Moon. It was the only chance he had to convert her from human to vampire
and have it be painless. He had to act now.
Gracie had stopped at a coffee kiosk, ordering
some complicated grande café. He shook his head at this silliness. In his day,
coffee was a luxury, reserved for only the highest echelons of society. He had
not qualified as such until the last two centuries.
Stepping up to the kiosk, he carefully ordered the
same drink she had, making sure to let her hear his order. Similar tastes were
surely still a good ice breaker, right?
He moved away from the counter to wait for his
order to be made.
“Wow, I thought I was the only person who liked a
soy latte with a double shot of expresso,” Gracie commented as he came to stand
next to her.
It worked!
He exulted. “I had thought the same thing.” He gave her a careful smile, taking
care to not let his fangs show. They could be disconcerting to many.
“I’m Raul Canet. And you are?” Raul was pleased to
see her slight flush as she heard his accent.
“Gracie, Gracie Bennett. You seem familiar,” her
voice trailed off. Raul realized she was holding her hand out to him. Grasping
it, he gave it a gentle squeeze, barely able to control his reaction as he felt
an electric shock travel between them.
Gracie’s eyes widened as she gasped. Jerking her
hand back, she shook it slightly.
“This fall air, it makes everything have a static
charge.”
Raul smiled in agreement. “It does indeed. It is
my favorite season, however.”
The barista called their orders ready and Raul
quickly went to the counter and retrieved them.
“Walk with me?” he suggested as he handed her
coffee to her.
He almost thought she was going to decline as she
hesitated, then nodded. Turning, they made their way back down the path they
had just traveled, chatting casually about anything that came to mind.
Reaching the edge of the park, Gracie held her
hand out once more.
“It was nice meeting you, Raul.”
“If it is not too forward, perhaps we could go to
dinner?”
“Now?” Gracie squeaked.
“It is the right time for it,” he gave what he
hoped was a charming grin.
Gracie looked down at her outfit and back at him.
“You don’t want to change or anything?”
“Having found such a fascinating woman, I am not
eager to part from you.”
“You have such a curious way of speaking.”
“I must confess, English is not my first language.
It makes for a somewhat, ah, different speech pattern,” he explained away.
“Oh, well, I suppose that would do it,” she
agreed.
“So, dinner?” he pressed.
“That would be nice,” she replied. “That is, if
you can find us a place where we won’t offend anyone.”
“I know just the place,” he said, gesturing for
her to accompany him down the street.
The tiny bistro was the perfect setting for their
first meal. Conversation flowed as easily as if they had known each other for
years. Finishing the meal, Raul helped her from her seat.
“Thank you. This has been an enchanting evening,”
Gracie told him.
“Come, I will see you home.”
Knowing it was risky, Raul rested his hand on her
waist. Even through the fabric of her running outfit, he could feel her heat,
her vibrancy that called to him like a siren.
Making her way up the steps to her brownstone
townhouse, Gracie paused at the landing. She turned to him, her keys in her
hand.
“I, um, I’d really like to see you again,” she
whispered.
Raul stepped in close to her, crowding her into
the shadowed corner of the landing.
“You shall,” he said, his voice hypnotizing her.
Gracie trembled but stood her ground. It was another thing he had come to
appreciate about her. Dipping his head, he inhaled her heady scent, now
intertwined with the fragrances of the wine and food they had just consumed.
Unable to hold back any longer, he slipped his
hand around her waist, pulling her to him. Gracie’s head fell back, almost
naturally offering her neck to him. He kissed her jaw, nipping her gently
before lowering his head further, dragging his fangs along her skin.
Goose bumps broke out across her skin as he licked
the trail of blood beading up in the wake of his teeth. He had her. She was
surrendering to him. He drew back, gazing into her eyes once more before he
bent back to her sweet skin. The slight taste he had of her blood had inflamed
his senses. He was becoming aroused by nothing more than a taste of her.
Gently, taking care to not scare her, he opened
his mouth against her skin, sucking slightly before he shifted, positioning
himself to make that first, all important bite.
Her scent changed, her arousal palpable now. Blood
flowed into his mouth, the slightly sweet, metallic taste of his mate filling
him.
A sound disturbed him. Someone was intruding on
his moment, and his irritation grew. Barely restraining himself, he licked her
skin, sealing the bite before he turned to face the rude person clearing their
throat behind him.
“So sorry,” he apologized with a remorse he didn’t
feel.
“Well, just take it inside, buddy. There’s kids on
this street that don’t need people giving them ideas.” The officer chided them.
Nodding, Raul took the keys from Gracie’s numb
fingers, unlocking the door and ushering her inside.
