Love Bites

She’d forgotten yet another salient point. They were nocturnal creatures. That left plenty of hours of dark where she had nothing better to do than to prowl his house.

After the tenth time Sydney bumped into Kellan drinking the coffee she’d bought him—which he still had not reimbursed her for—at the kitchen counter, she decided a conversation couldn’t hurt. She barely knew him outside of bed. Besides, being friendly didn’t indicate she was ready to devote herself to the dark side.

“You really love that stuff, don’t you?” she asked, jerking a thumb at his empty coffee mug. He had to have drunk three or four cups already. Did caffeine affect full vamps? Did any drug? God, she had so many questions, and unlike Emily, she didn’t consider cozying up with a thick book her idea of fun.

“Yes. It’s delicious. Besides, this coffee led me to you.”

She cleared her throat and took a seat at the narrow kitchen table. It barely seated two people, as she saw when he sat across from her. His hands were inches away from hers, so she dropped hers in her lap. “Do you get a buzz? From coffee?”

His mouth curved. “I get my buzzes in a different fashion.”

When she sighed, he leaned back and regarded her seriously. “Caffeine gives us a pleasant jolt, but not to the extent of a human. I rarely feel tired to begin with, as long as I get a little sleep every few days. Surely you’ve noticed that, as well? Even though you’re not a full vamp, you must experience some of the benefits.”

“I never liked coffee, so I haven’t seen a change.”

“A barista who doesn’t like coffee. My, you are a contradiction.”

“It’s a job.” She shrugged. “I get to meet lots of interesting people.” Interesting vampires. Hmm, maybe she should’ve stuck to the much more wholesome juice bar across the street.

“What about other benefits?”

“Like needing to masturbate six times a day to avoid attacking any man within sniffing distance?” She pushed her forehead into her hand. “It’s not that bad, but—”

“Your attraction to other men is natural. I don’t blame you for your instinctive reactions, Sydney. Nor do they alter my feelings for you.”

“But you said once a vampire found their fated mate, the desire for others lessens.”

“It lessens, but it doesn’t disappear entirely. And there are other reasons people—and vampires—feel arousal besides the need to copulate. Emotional reasons. The need for connection is extremely strong. Affection often leads to sexual interest. And if you’re not sexually active with your mate, your needs remain. Vampires need sex. Not every six months or on special occasions, but regularly. Almost as regularly as we need blood.” He toyed with the handle of his mug, running his fingers up and down the curve. “You desired Lucas, did you not?”

“Yeah, but—”

“Would you sleep with him again?”

She shivered under his scorching, golden gaze. Sometimes it felt as if he could see into her soul. If she still had one. “He’s a handsome man. I like him. And he understands. The pool of available men has shrunk exponentially, unless I want to start chewing on my dates.”

“There are many of us in the world, Sydney. Many. In this town alone, we’ve encountered a number of our kind. You’d be surprised who walks among us.”

Sydney twisted her fingers together. Sometimes the sheer volume of what she didn’t know about her new condition made her head hurt. “What about you? You must feel urges, too.”

“I do. But I’ve also had much longer to learn to control them than you have.”

“What about Emily? I saw you checking out her breasts earlier.”

He let out a soft noise that almost sounded like a snort, except it was much more dignified. “You think I’d poach on Lucas’s mate?”

“He poached on yours.”

“At my urging. Ill-advised or not.”

“So let’s say he gave you the all-clear. You’re telling me you wouldn’t do her?”

“I seriously doubt he would do that, so the consideration is moot.”

“But you’re her sire now and—” She stopped, pieces clicking into place. “Wait a second. I thought you said each vampire could only turn one human or risk death. Does it make a difference if the vampire had no choice? Like with what happened with Emily? You had to save her or she would’ve died.”

His jaw tensed as he pushed his coffee mug around on the table. “The VRC’s not big on gray areas. The rule of one usually stands.”

“But could it be counted as my one turn?”