Page 6 of The Virgin and the Vampire (Escape to Haven County)

6

Despite my earlier assurances to Kade, I’m beyond curious to see if I’ll develop any supernatural talents. You have to admit, it would be pretty cool. But nothing shows up that day or the next.

Kade is almost too gentle with me, touching me plenty, but with the delicate finesse required by a fragile doll, not a healthy twenty-one-year-old. I must say this year has gotten off with a bang. And he hasn’t fucked or bitten me again either, telling me, “You need to build up your strength. We’ll do both again mid-week, I promise.”

Ha! I fume to myself as I head into the first of the labs I’m supervising as part of my grad school work study. The whispers start as soon as the first girl catches sight of the diamonds. In the end I gave up on hiding them. I’m one of those people constantly pushing her sleeves up to her elbows so to suddenly show up dressed like a nun would invite just as many questions.

The amount of side eye I’m receiving makes my own face ache in sympathy. I make it clear with my steely gaze that any questions had better be concerning the assignment.

Then, to top it off, my sister has the nerve to invite herself over for dinner. She said that since Kade obviously won’t be joining me, she’ll keep me company and then take the opportunity to make sure I’m safe and looked after.

“Carina! I’m now old enough to drink legally and unattended. You do not need to come over here!”

“I’ll be there at six, sweetie,” she replies like she didn’t hear a word I said. Knowing Carina, she probably didn’t.

I get back to Kade’s house from my classes at 4:30. I must say my day is more efficient, living so much closer to the college. But I’m still swearing to myself as I rummage in the refrigerator for something that will convince Carina I’m not going to starve living with a vampire.

Kade wanders in around five and gives me a quick kiss.

“You know, I never did ask what you do with all your time when you’re not biting people. Clearly it’s lucrative…” I cast my gaze around the well-appointed kitchen which he never, ever uses.

“The money comes from four hundred years of investments. It’s amazing what compound interest can do in that amount of time. Mostly I assist Etienne with vampire matters at the club, but I’m inclined to become more domestic.” He nuzzles my neck, scraping my skin seductively with one fang.

“Doesn’t Etienne have a girlfriend?”

Kade snorts. “Him? He’s far too cynical. Besides, he’s arrogant enough to insist on only the best. And the best girl is already taken.” He lowers his mouth to mine, but before our lips can touch, he’s startled by Carina.

“Oh, my god. I had no idea you were so cheesy, Kade.”

She waltzes into the kitchen, holding a bottle of champagne aloft. “We might as well celebrate your birthday now, kid. Since my present sort of went sideways.” Her eye roll has Kade glaring, and any lingering jealousy fades into the distance.

Rather than disappearing as I’m sure my sister intended, Kade pulls up a chair between us while we eat.

Carina peppers him with questions, proving how little she knows about him in particular, or vampires in general.

“You are seriously only going to bite Gianna from now on? You aren’t going to visit the club at all?” She sounds beyond skeptical, but Kade nods firmly. “That’s how it’s done, Carina. A thrall isn’t a submissive or a servant. She’s a life mate.”

“You aren’t going to miss the flavors of other women?” Her tone implies Kade had better tread carefully. He winces, but responds quickly. “Do you wish that you had other suns shining down on you?”

He leans down to kiss my forehead. “Thank you for sending me to her.”

Carina grinds her teeth. “Did you tell Mom and Dad yet?” she asks.

I shake my head. “No, I thought we might drive over there in a week or two. It will be easier to explain in person.”

My sister grumbles but gives me a tight hug goodbye when she decides she’s seen enough and grilled Kade sufficiently about taking care of me. It’s kind of funny because she pretty much left me to my own devices when I moved out of the college dorms when I graduated at eighteen. Maybe because there wasn’t a man involved then…

The next night I convince Kade to feed from me properly. Naturally, he insists on fucking me first and who am I to contradict him? My body lights up in recognition when his hand slides between my legs. I’m more tired than usual the following morning, so I take heed of his advice to eat more than I would normally. I can see that being the primary source of nutrition for a vamp is more complicated than I’d imagined. Still, I feel fine and like I made the right decision.

I’m no longer a bored bachelor and Etienne appears slightly annoyed by that fact.

“I’ll be here when Gianna is at the college but otherwise consider me on call,” I inform him, pushing up from the chair opposite his desk.

His aristocratic eyebrows gather together over his nose. “The girl seemed sweet, but she can’t be that fascinating a conversationalist.”

I stare at him, letting him know that I won’t be drawn into discussing her in any capacity except her health.

“Fine,” he sighs. Etienne hides it well, but he’s got a protective streak a mile wide. It’s why he started The Sanctuary in the first place.

“Good,” I echo back. “I’ll be back in an hour. I need to pick up Gianna’s new collar.”

“What was wrong with the old one?”

“Too many diamonds,” I shrug. We both come from an era where absolutely nobody but the holiest of monks would make that statement.

Etienne rolls his eyes but waves me off.

Thankfully, Sol has the items ready and neatly boxed in a black velvet case. They’re starkly simple by my estimation, but instinct says Gianna will love them. The collar is a simple band of silver metal about a quarter inch wide with oval cutouts strung through with faceted ruby beads. My fangs would never fit through those holes, but it’s a nice nod to tradition and symbolic, if nothing else. The bracelets and anklets match, but the overall shape is more oval, so they can’t slide off.

I’m whistling as I return to the club to finish up for the day. There’s always paperwork and a roster of vamps that need scheduling to feed in the inner sanctum. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen Etienne put himself on the schedule, but he must eat at some point, right?

Not brave enough to ask the man in charge about his personal habits, I stack the papers neatly on my desk and head home.

Gianna is there waiting for me, nibbling on a sandwich.

“Finish that and come here, baby.”

She eyes the box in my hand suspiciously. “What’s that?”

“Your new collar and cuffs.”

“Oooh! Can I see?”

I shake my head. “No, not until they’re on, so finish eating.”

She gobbles down the sandwich so fast it has me frowning in concern that she’s going to choke. Gianna bounces over to stand in front of me. I extract a length of black silk from my pocket and set the box down on the coffee table. Wrapping the silk around her eyes, I make sure she can’t peek and then unseal the diamonds from her with a sigh of regret. I can feel Gianna rolling her eyes behind the blindfold.

The new collar seals into place in an instant. It does look lighter and more appropriate with her plaid shirt and jeans. I roll up her sleeves to repeat the same process on her wrists and lastly her ankles, although that takes longer because her socks have become tangled with the prongs holding the stones.

“I still don’t know why you insist on all five pieces,” Gianna mutters.

“Because,” I curse quietly as I bend down to the ground to seal the anklet with my tongue, “it’s a symbol of my ultimate love and respect. Anything less would indicate I still had more to give.”

“Oh,” I glance up to see Gianna smiling broadly. “In that case, I guess I don’t mind so much.”

“Good.” I rise smoothly to my feet and slide the silk over her curls. “Now take a look.”

She glances down at her arm first instead of running to a mirror. “Oooh! That’s gorgeous, Kade! It looks so expensive!”

“More than diamonds?” I query.

“Oh, definitely. Those belong in a museum somewhere. This looks like it came straight from Cartier.” She rushes over to a mirror in the corner to swivel in front of it and admire the collar.

“Well, I still like you in diamonds,” I’m pouting and I know it.

Gianna dances back to give me a swift kiss on the side of my mouth. “I’ll wear those for very special occasions, okay?” She’s placating me and I’m not too proud to take advantage of it.

“Then I think we should redo the claiming ceremony with these.”

Gianna rolls her eyes. “Which consists of fucking and biting me, am I correct?”

I nod. What else would it involve?

“Can I be on top this time?”

I stare at her. “No. Nothing has changed in that department, little thrall. You’ll cum when I tell you to and not before,” I growl.

Gianna’s smirk of satisfaction alerts me to the fact she was baiting me to elicit precisely that reaction. I pick her up by the waist and toss her over my shoulder so she understands the modern veneer only goes so far.