Then that little niggle in her brain reared its ugly head. Claire wanted to tell it to shut up, but sanity had to prevail, if what she'd heard was right. She cupped his face with her hands and forced him to look up at her.
"What the hell is a Life Mate?"
Zach grinned that oh-so-yummy grin, "It's kind of self explanatory."
"No, I'd say most of what's happened 'til now defies explanation. So humor me."
Zach's hands continued to wreak havoc with her senses, but she grabbed them and held them in hers. He sighed long and loud.
"It means we're meant to be together, mated for life." He said the last set of words with a clear enunciation.
"Mated for life? I hardly know you! I'm not some animal in a pack that you just set your sights on and then BAM, call me your life mate. This might be easier to swallow if you called me your girlfriend, or even your future wife. But Life Mate?" Claire sputtered. Looking down at him, she found herself transfixed with the smooth plane of his neck. What was happening to her?
"I told you, I'd explain all of that later." He reminded her.
Yes, yes, yes, he'd told her that all right... Jeez his neck was so enticing...
Claire forgot about Life Mates and every other crazy thing that had happened up until now as she leaned forward, compelled by a deep, dark urge, and nipped at his neck playfully. The curious desire to taste him swept over her, leaving her flush with newfound excitement simmering in the pit of her belly. Zach immediately tensed, gripping her shoulders and sitting her upright.
"What are you doing, Claire?" His tone was suspicious and wary. His blue eyes held genuine concern.
Claire shook her head as confusion and need battled with one another.
"I don't know? Your neck looked ... I don't know?" Disorientation swept over her, she had no answer for why she felt this intense need to ... to what?
Oh hell. It hit her with a rush of clarity. She wanted to bite him, taste his flesh, and drink from him. Which kinda meant she wanted to ... oh my. Her words tumbled out in a rush of tangled, incoherent broken sentences, while Zach watched her intensely.
"Zach I want... I want to bite..."
Oh crap, what the hell do I want? Do I really mean what I'm about to say, or am I just trying to trip him up?
Claire blew out a breath, and threw the words at him like darts, sharp, pointy and aiming for his jugular--literally. "Zachariah Kowalski, I want to become a vampire, now."
There now, wasn't that the aspiration of the millennium?
Chapter 2
Fuuuuuccckkk, Zach winced. Claire didn't change from century to century. It never failed, she showed up in the most unlikely way, turning his life upside down and wanting the same damn thing every time--to turn. But it never happened; she either disappeared off the face of the planet, or was killed before he had the chance to turn her and complete the ritual. And it had to be him, her Life Mate, that turned her, and no other. It just couldn't happen at this precise moment
"No," Zach said firmly, without reservation. Claire stared down at him, her black gaze filled with confusion.
"No?"
Zach sighed, raking a hand through his hair.
"Nope," he shook his head.
"Well what the hell kinda vampire are you anyway? Don't you want to welcome me to the fold? Suck my blood; make me one of your own? I mean, hell, Zach, are you from the pansy sect of Polish vampires?"
Zach felt his temperature rise as he fought to maintain not only his temper, but soothe his ego. Pansy? Well, shit.
"Look, it's difficult to explain the lifestyle of a vampire, it isn't like the glamorous stuff you read about in some stupid romance novel. I drink blood, and the Kowalski's are a rare breed of vampire. Though we resemble the traditional vampires of Eastern Europe, it's not the same. We have our own rules and our own traditions, and we don't need our Life Mates to turn, so to speak. We can go on just like we are, a human and a vamp, for now at least."
Claire smiled at him in appeasement. She was going to say one thing and do absolutely another, he could sense it, but he couldn't get a clear read on it. Damn, she was acquiring the knack for blocking him from her thoughts already. She pushed away from him and stood at the edge of the bed, wrapping her robe back around her body, and tightened the belt.
"How old are you, Zach?" She asked, as she nudged his thigh with her knee.
Here we go, he thought; now comes the part he dreaded every time he found her again. He gave her his best grin, despite the question.
"Um, three hundred and fifty-six..."
Claire cocked her head; he had to give her credit for not keeling over.
"Oh, okay, so you're like waaay old," she confirmed with a sly grin. "And what have you been doing the past century or so? If I'm your Life Mate, and we just met, have you been schtupping keyholes all this time?"
Hey, hey, wait just one second, dammit. The monster was a whole helluva lot bigger than a keyhole.
Claire reached down and ran an idle finger over the outline of his crotch. Zach swallowed as his traitorous cock began to rise, begging for her soft grip. He swallowed hard. Damn her, why couldn't she just leave well enough alone? She was like this century after century ... shit. And now she was becoming cocky. Trying to get a rise out of him literally and figuratively, to smoke him out.
She was fighting the idea that this made no sense in her perfect world of science and mathematical numbers, but she couldn't fight the need she felt. It was always the same, she denied it in her mind, but her body couldn't deny the undeniable truth. Sometimes it got damn tedious, time after time.
She always thought that if she turned the tables on him, and played the game like she wanted to become a vampire, he'd confess he'd escaped the loony bin and she could package the whole thing neatly away in her "this adds up" file. It didn't matter, before long she'd be convinced. Her body always won the war over that brain of hers.
He reminded himself, once again, that patience was a virtue with Claire.
"Look, it's kind of hard to explain and right now all you need to know is this; I will not allow you to become a vampire before we get to know each other. You are mine, as is."
There ya go big guy, throw your weight around a little, show her who's boss.
Claire's eyes sparkled brightly, her lips turned up in a slow sensual tilt.
"Well, what if I told you I don't want to be yours, as is? What if I told you that I want to be a vampire now, and if you won't turn me into one, I'll find someone who will?"
She stomped off to the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind her. Zach sat up and ran his hands over his stubble-darkened face. His gut tightened painfully. She wasn't ready to know the full extent of their history, it was the same each time, and he wasn't supposed to toy with fate by telling her anything about their relationship. Fate be damned, he thought viciously, there had to be a way around fate.
Well this time would be different, he vowed silently. This time she would not have her way with those soft words, big black eyes, and that luscious cunt that he couldn't seem to deny himself. His groin tightened painfully at the thought of denying himself any one of her charms, but if he let himself get too carried away, he might turn her without any excuse other than he was a horny clod, and it was very possible to get stupid around Claire.
It quite simply couldn't happen until the time was right, and timing was what this was all about. He had to stall her so she wouldn't jump the gun and try to call his bluff. If she went fishing around for someone to turn her, to see if this was all some game he was playing, and that someone was the wrong person, she would be the one toe-up in the morgue. She must wait until the time was right, and he couldn't even tell her why. As the full moon drew closer, he would take every precaution, and this time she would not spend a second without him. His heart clenched, no freaking way would he let her die again, the years in between her coming and going were too desolate.
* * * *
Claire blindly grabbed for the edge of the bath
room sink as a vision of her and Zach swam before her eyes. Clear as crystal, she saw Zach helping her mount a huge chestnut mare. A skirt of what she was sure was the finest silk flowed about her dainty, slipper-clad feet. Zach's big hand slid under the heavy flow of material to lightly run over her thigh, and graze the flesh nestled there. The flesh that always seemed to be wet and waiting for only him. Claire felt her nipples tighten and her mouth run dry as Zach smiled up at her with hunger in his blue eyes. He mouthed something to her that she couldn't quite make out, and as suddenly as it began, it was over. She was back in the safety of her soft white bathroom, with the gold accents she'd spent nine solid hours choosing with such care in Bed Bath and Beyond.
What the hell was going on? She found her way to the edge of the tub on shaky legs, leaned against the towel rack for support, and took deep raspy breaths. Some answers were needed here, and she knew exactly who had them.
Damn vampire with a voice that was like a liquid orgasm, and an ego the size of Rhode Island. Who the hell is he to tell me I can't become a vampire whenever my little heart desires?
And on that note, why the hell did she want to become one? There was certainly nothing appealing about hanging out in the dead of night with a bunch of people whose cocktail of choice was blood. Not to mention the fact that they had a lifespan of centuries. Didn't you run out of things to keep you amused? Talk about been there, done that. Sure made a trip somewhere warm and sunny out of the question too, didn't it?
Claire was no simpering wimp, and she had no trouble facing a crisis, but give a girl a break huh? The more she picked it apart in her brain, the more confused she became. She kept waiting for him to confess he was a nut job, but that still didn't explain the wild craving she felt running rampant through her body whenever he was near. Maybe it was a hormonal imbalance ... that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and not a hair on your chin to show for it?
Okay, so he seemed harmless enough. He wasn't going to hurt her while she tried to figure this thing out--for some crazy reason, she was sure of at least that much.
All right, Zach of the Polish vampire persuasion with an affliction for narcolepsy, here I come--and I intend to get some answers about all this Life Mate crap and vampire bullshit. With a determined hand, she ran a brush through her long curls, brushed her teeth, and strutted out into the bedroom, bare as the day she was born.
Zach grinned at her nakedness, his cock making a teepee out of the sheet he had covered himself with. Her stomach muscles clenched and her knees went weak. Claire ignored the urgent need to rip off the sheet and devour him, fangs and all, and went to her dresser, pulling out a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. And damn the man for thinking she'd just fall into bed with him ... hell, that bed looked inviting. Dressing quickly, she threw his shirt at him and eyeballed his reluctant form.
"I guess it's your turn to make the bed, honeybunch." Claire said sarcastically. Zach chuckled at her.
"Why don't we skip making the bed and make whoopee instead?" He wiggled his eyebrows and winked.
Claire felt that lurch in her stomach again and steeled herself against it. She placed her hands on her hips and cocked her head.
"Nope. You got some 'splainin' to do, good-lookin', and that monster of yours isn't going anywhere near me till you do. So get up so we can do some talking in a more neutral location."
Better known as a room that didn't include a bed or similar device that they might utilize as an avenue to sate their seemingly insatiable lust.
Zach watched in astonishment as she wiggled out of the bedroom, ass encased in a pair of jeans that made his mouth water, and his cock stiffen to unreal proportions.
* * * *
The kitchen was definitely neutral, she mused.
Claire made a pot of fresh coffee and tapped her toe impatiently while she waited for Zach. Did vampires drink coffee? Oh good gravy, if she had to give up coffee she'd shit a brick. It was the only thing that got her through the long nights at the morgue.
Zach sauntered in with his shirt open and untucked, his thickly muscled chest a tantalizing morsel. He hovered nearby, but she swatted him away, pushing at his solid stance. Damn brick wall.
"You," she pointed to the high-backed barstool at the breakfast bar, "sit there. I'll stay right here, and then you're going to spit this whole thing out like a good vampire."
"Gimme a kiss first, and then I'll consider it." He teased, leaning in and licking at her lips. She nipped at his tongue and clamped her lips shut. "Sit, big boy, or this Life Mate is going to kick your ass."
"But I need you, Claire," he said in a long-winded whine.
Very manly indeed.
"Oh no, you sit. Now, Neanderthal Man, or I'll let that monster of yours fall off before it ever gets between these thighs again." Zach sat, folding his hands primly on the countertop.
Claire blew him a kiss, and went for the jugular. "Something is going on Zach, you're not leveling with me, and I want to know what it is." Should she tell him about whatever the hell had happened in the bathroom? Nah, she had a funny feeling he knew exactly what was going on. She watched him squirm.
"All right, let me rephrase. Why is it that I can't seem to detach myself from up your ass?"
He grinned. "What's wrong with my ass?" That hot-chocolate chuckle mocked her. Claire threw a dish towel at him.
"Nothing is wrong with your ass, but I don't think I've ever been attached to anything or anyone like I seem to be attached to you, not even my damn dog in first grade. And believe me, I really loved Mr. Wiggles."
"It's an easy explanation, Claire, I already told you. You are my Life Mate. You will always feel this way about me, and I about you. So let's stop fooling around and fool around, huh?"
"Uh-uh. If I'm your Life Mate, then what the hell have you been doing for the last, oh I dunno ... three hundred and freaking twenty-four years? Do the math; I'm thirty-two, Count Dracula, so where have you been my entire adult life?"
And let's not forget every bad date she'd ever had, and the sex that was mediocre at best till hot pants came along.
"I've been around." Zach smiled sheepishly.
"Oh, really, well why don't you explain to me what 'around' means?" Claire said skeptically.
"It means that when fate stepped in, I was sent to find you, and now we'll live out our lives together."
She wasn't buying it; his eyes were shifting in every direction but hers.
"Fate, huh? Do you suppose fate has a sense of humor? I wonder how fate feels about you toe-up under my knife and your liver just escaping a mason jar?" Her eyebrow cocked as she watched him swallow hard.
"Fate works in strange and mysterious ways honey, it's all I can offer you in the way of an explanation." He spread his big hands out in a 'what can I tell you' way. Claire gnawed on the tip of her nail.
Fate, my eye. Maybe they were meant to be together, but if that were true, why wouldn't this fate guy want her to be with her Life Mate for eternity right now? Which could only happen if she were a vampire too, and he had adamantly refused to turn her into one until they got to know one another. Yeah, something was definitely up here. Vampire, my ass.
But if he was telling the truth, maybe Mr. 'I'm a vampire' didn't want to spend eternity with her; maybe he wanted some left-over centuries to play the field and chase after some 'fate' tail?
Scumbag ... why the hell should she care anyway, what kind of life was she asking to be given? Her heart tugged at the notion of him chasing anyone's tail but hers. She'd kill the broad. She saw Zach smile out of the corner of her eye.
Damn him and his Amazing Creskin act. How in the hell did he do it? The whole thing was giving her a headache.
"C'mere baby." Zach patted his lap and held out a hand. Again she felt the amazing pull, as her feet and her good sense raged an inner battle. Her feet of clay won. She flung herself at him and he tucked her legs around his waist, brushing her nose with his.
"Look, Claire, I feel the same way you do. It's overwhelming a
nd frightening, but I feel it too, and I do not want to chase anyone's tail but yours." He pinched her ass for emphasis.
"Let's make a deal, okay?"
Claire pouted, thrusting her bottom lip at him.
Zach licked it.
She sighed, damn him and that tongue. "Okay." She agreed reluctantly.
"Good girl. For the next two weeks while you're on vacation, we'll spend it together, all day and all night."
Claire shivered. Fourteen nights of what they'd experienced in the morgue and what she'd stubbornly refused this morning. Life Mate or not, she realized there was no way in hell she could refuse an offer like that.
"I'll introduce you to my family and we'll get to know each other. If, at the end of those two weeks, you still want to turn, we'll discuss it. I'm not making any promises, but until then, let's just be together, all right?"
Claire felt the odd sensation that grew with each thought she had that concerned Zach; it was as though he nudged her mentally. Two could play at this game. "Okay, but at the end of two weeks time, you promise we'll talk about it?" Then we'll see exactly what kind of game he's playing ... whether or not he's a nut job or the real deal. Until then, I'm going to enjoy myself.
"Yup."
She smiled sweetly at him, and forced herself to think only compliant thoughts.
"So, let's get to know each other. I have a million questions, vampire. Can I see your fangs? Oh wait, how can any decent meal not include garlic? What's your favorite blood type, A-B or do you prefer the more aromatic flavorful O-positive?"
Zach chuckled into her throat and sighed in relief. God's teeth, this woman would be the death of him, and he had two weeks to convince her it would be the death of her if she turned before it was time.
* * * *
The October wind howled outside the sturdy concrete walls of Desdemona Smitrovitch's cavernous house. She watched as fat drops of rain slapped against the big arched window and leaves whipped off the trees in a frenzied swirl of color. Catching her reflection in the window, she smiled slyly, pleased with her lean figure. Her auburn hair was pulled tightly back from her angular face, showcasing sharp cheekbones and an almost too-wide mouth.
It's A Vampire Thing Page 3