Bittersweet Blood (The Order #1)

“That was amazing,” Tara said as she let them into the house.

She’d been silent on the way home, deliberately not thinking about all she had learned earlier in the evening. Instead, she’d concentrated on the pleasure of just talking with ordinary people. They’d all been so nice, and in the end, a group of them gathered around the table, chatting and laughing. She’d learned more about the village and its inhabitants tonight than in the twenty-two years she’d lived there. She’d also come away with two invitations to dinner.

Christian had been perfectly behaved, silent for the most part. No doubt he’d wrapped himself in some sort of vampire invisibility thing. Still, dinner with Jean and Bill might stretch his normal abilities beyond the breaking point.

Tara unwrapped her scarf, took off her coat, and turned to find Christian studying her. His half-closed eyes gleamed in the dim light and for a brief second, he allowed her to see his hunger for her.

Heat washed through her, and she swallowed, hard.

Okay, maybe she’d already stretched him too far because he appeared way beyond normal now. His smile revealed a brief flash of fangs, and the blood thickened in her veins until she could feel it thundering through her body.

His gaze still on her, Christian shrugged out of his coat, unbuckled the shoulder holster, and hung it over the back of one of the chairs. His movements were graceful but gave the impression of leashed power, barely controlled, seething just below the surface. What would he be like if he released all that power? Instead of frightening her, the thought made her temperature climb even higher.

“Are you ready to do this?” Christian murmured.

She knew he meant the talisman. Or at least she thought he did.

He stared at her throat as though he could already taste her blood. Then he moved to stand beside her, leaning his long body against the solid wooden table, arms crossed over his broad chest, his hooded eyes locked on hers.

“I suppose so, but first—”

“Yes?”

“Will you kiss me?”

Shock flashed across his features then he smiled. “You mean like the end of a date?”

“Maybe, I’ve never actually had a date, but I’m sort of scared of what you’re going to find when I take off the talisman, and maybe you won’t want to kiss me afterward.”

“Come here,” he ordered, his voice low, mesmerizing. She entwined her fingers with his and he tugged her closer until she almost touched him. “I can smell your blood.”

“Nice.”

He smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear then stroked one long finger down the soft skin of her neck. At his touch, her blood caught fire; she lifted her chin and bared her throat. He bent down and his cool breath shivered across her heated flesh. For a moment, she thought he was going to take what she offered. Instead, he kissed her where the blood pounded so close to the surface, and whispered against her ear. “Soon.”

Sliding his hands around her shoulders, he held her still. His mouth hovered over hers, and she trembled in anticipation. He kissed her, just the fleeting meeting of their mouths, before drawing back, teasing her, tempting her so she leaned closer to him. She needed to feel him against her, all of him, but he held her away and kissed her again, his mouth tasting hers, lingering for a moment then retreating. It was intense, beautiful, and in no way was it enough. He raised his head and stared into her eyes.

“There is nothing we could discover that would stop me wanting to taste you,” he said. “But if I do so now, we’ll still be making love at dawn.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

He laughed and the sound rippled over her skin. “I’d be flattered,” he said. “Except I’m not sure which you want more, me, or not taking off the talisman.”

She sighed. He was right.

“You’re thinking too hard.” Christian interrupted her thoughts. “Come, we’ll do this together.” He pushed her gently into the chair and pulled another close so they faced each other, knees almost touching. “Take off the talisman, Tara.”

She took a deep breath and nodded. For a minute, she held the locket between her fingers, rubbing her thumb over the rough surface, remembering all the times she had held it and thought about her mother. She lifted it over her head. As she went to hand the locket to Christian, he shook his head, and she placed it on the table.

He looked at her for a long while as he squeezed her hands in his. She tried to feel reassured, but she didn’t like his blank expression. What was he hiding from her?

…