The Vampire's Kiss (21 page)

“Do it,” he growled. “Do it, Savannah!” There was a dark need in his voice that she didn’t fully understand.

He slammed into her body one more time. Her release rolled through her, sending her spiraling.

Her teeth sank into his throat.

His shout of release filled the room and drifted out into the waiting night.

HE KNEW THE woman had survived. He knew that William had transformed her. He could feel it.

But it didn’t matter. He would still kill her. He would drain all of the blood from her body and leave her dead corpse for his brother to find.

Geoffrey’s body lay perfectly still, buried deep within the earth. He could feel his strength beginning to return. Soon, he would be able to rise. And destroy.

He would kill the woman first. He’d always enjoying killing women. Their fear was so wonderfully delicious. Maybe he would make dear William watch as he took the life from his lover. Yes, he’d make him watch.

And then he’d kill William. As he should have done so long ago.

He’d tried to kill his brother before. When they were just lads, he’d pushed William into the dark river near their father’s hold. He’d watched from the shore as William had struggled to survive, struggled to stay afloat. And when William had screamed for help, Geoffrey had just smiled.

Unfortunately, William’s scream had drawn the attention of a nearby knight. And his brother had been dragged from the water, unconscious, but alive.

Later, when they’d trained with weapons, learning to fight with Guy’s men, he’d attacked his brother a second time. William, caught off guard, had no time to avoid the deadly blade that swung toward his face. He’d been scarred ever since that blessed day. When confronted by the knights, Geoffrey had claimed the blade slipped.

He’d been able to tell that William hadn’t believed the pitiful lie. The knights had, so they let him continue training. But William had started watching him more carefully after that day. He’d been on guard.

Geoffrey was almost glad he hadn’t managed to kill him before. He wanted William to know that death was coming for him. Of the three brothers, William had been the only one who truly belonged. Guy had always told Geoffrey that William was his real son, the only “true de Montfort.”

Geoffrey hated William. He didn’t deserve the title. He didn’t have Guy’s lust for power. He didn’t have the de Montfort taste for killing.

But Geoffrey did.

Guy had never appreciated him, and, in the end, he’d had to die. Geoffrey proved to the bastard that he was a true de Montfort. He’d killed Guy, and he’d enjoyed every moment of it.

Covered in Guy’s blood, he’d gone to the seer who had sent William on his quest, and he’d forced the man to tell him the location of the vampire. He’d cut him at least a dozen times before the old fool finally gave him the directions he needed.

He’d sought out the vampire, and he’d been transformed by him. Of course, after the transformation, Geoffrey had killed the vampire. He could still remember the rush of power, of strength that moment had given him.

He’d killed hundreds in his lifetime. Hundreds. But he’d never been able to kill William.

The woman was the key. Once he had her, his brother would do whatever he wanted. William’s weakness for the woman would be his downfall.

And in the end, Geoffrey would kill them both.

He could hardly wait. He would make certain that his brother suffered, that he begged for death.

SAVANNAH JERKED back, staring down at William in horror.

She touched her lips, feeling the wet drops of blood, tasting a coppery sweetness. There were two small puncture wounds on his throat.

She pushed away from him, stumbling from the bed. What had she done?
What had she done?

“Savannah—”

She ignored William’s cry and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her. She turned the lock, sagging against the door.

She’d taken his blood. She’d actually drank from him.

William’s fist pounded against the door. “Savannah! Dammit, Savannah, open this door!”

She walked slowly toward the sink. Her fingers gripped the marble top, and she forced herself to lift her head and gaze into the mirror.

She expected to see a monster.

But she just saw—

Her eyes. Her green eyes. Her pale skin. The nose that she’d always thought was too small. The lips that she’d always thought were too big.

She looked the same as she’d always looked. But she could still taste William’s blood.

She turned on the faucet, catching water in her hand. She had to wash the taste away. She had to!

She sipped the water, swirling it in her mouth, then she spat it into the sink over and over. But still the coppery taste remained.

“I’m coming in!” There was a loud, splintering crash, and then the bathroom door swung open slowly, the lock smashed.

William stood naked on the threshold, his eyes flashing. “What the hell is going on?”

Her gaze fell to his neck, to the marks she had left upon him. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry—”

His eyes narrowed. He took a step toward her, but he froze when she shrank back against the sink. “You don’t have anything to be sorry about. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

She shook her head. “I bit you. I took your blood!” And she’d enjoyed it. She’d reveled in the rush of power that his blood had given her. And that knowledge shamed her.

“I gave it to you freely,” he said.

Her lips trembled. “I couldn’t stop,” she whispered in despair. “I didn’t want to do it, but I couldn’t stop myself. I had to drink. I had to!” She blinked away the tears that gathered in her eyes, refusing to let them fall.

William moved slowly toward her. His hands lifted and wrapped around her, pulling her against his body, cradling her. “Sweet Savannah. I should have told you . . .”

She stiffened. “Told me what?”

He rubbed her back, his hands gentle, soothing. “For a vampire, physical lust, desire, will stir the blood hunger. It will push your control until the need for release and the need for blood are bound together.”

She pushed back and stared up at William. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“You didn’t hurt me,” he assured her, his voice urgent. “You gave me pleasure, more pleasure than I’d ever thought possible.”

And then she remembered the feel of his mouth upon her neck, the ecstasy that had coursed through her when William drank from her.

“You remember now, don’t you?” he asked, his gaze watchful. “The blood connects us, lets us share our pleasure.”

Her brow wrinkled. “Will it be like that when I have to feed from someone else?”

William tensed against her. “No. You’ll only lose control if your physical desire and your blood hunger merge. And since you won’t be with anyone but me . . .”

His sentence trailed off, but Savannah knew what he meant. She’d promised to be with him forever. He expected her to be loyal to him, to desire only him.

“And you won’t be with anyone else, will you, Savannah?” His eyes flashed red.

“No. Only you,” she told him softly. And it was true. She couldn’t imagine wanting anyone else. It was only William. He alone was the one that she desired, the one that she craved.

She felt the tension ease from his body. “What about you?” she queried, suddenly nervous. “You won’t be with anyone else, will you?” She repeated, holding her breath and waiting for his answer.

He touched her cheek. “Do you really need to ask that?” He smiled. “You’re the only one for me, Savannah. Now and forever.”

Warmth spread through her, chasing the chill from her body. He captured her hand and led her back into the bedroom.

“We need to dress. There is much we must do tonight.”

She frowned, stepping into her closet. There was a strange urgency to his tone. She pulled on a blue sweater and slipped on an old pair of jeans. By the time she found her shoes and walked back into the bedroom, he was fully dressed.

They exited her apartment and headed down the empty hall. She pushed the button for the elevator, waiting nervously for the car to reach her level.

With a soft ding, the doors opened and they stepped inside. Savannah lifted her hand, intending to push the button for the ground floor.

“No.” William’s fingers wrapped around her wrist. “We’re going to the roof.”

Savannah frowned but obediently pressed the button for the top floor. Once there she knew they would have to take a flight of stairs in order to access the roof.

She leaned against the mirrored wall of the elevator. She studied him silently. He was wearing all black, again. A black shirt and black pants. Even black boots. She didn’t think he actually owned any colored clothing.

But it didn’t matter. He looked good in black. With his dark hair and that scar, he looked dangerous. Sexy.

She felt desire begin to stir once more, and she was shocked. How could she want him again so soon? Her need for him was becoming uncontrollable.

The elevator chimed. She swallowed, “We’re here,” she mumbled unnecessarily.

William glanced at her, his brows drawn low in obvious concern. She forced a smile and stepped into the hallway. She had to get herself under control.

They walked quickly down the hall. Savannah showed William the door to the stairwell. The door was locked, but, with a strong jerk of his hand, he busted the lock and swung the door open.

They climbed the stairs in silence. Why were they going to the roof? she wondered.

He pushed open a door at the top of the stairs, and they walked outside.

The night air was warm. Stars shone brightly overhead. Savannah walked to the edge of the roof and gazed below, wonder filling her. The city was beautiful. Alive with a thousand different lights. She stared down, awed by the sight.

“Are you ready?” William asked.

Savannah forced her gaze away from the view and turned to look at him. “Ready for what?”

“Your lessons.”

Lessons? What did he mean?

“How high would you say we are?” He asked curiously, moving to stand beside her.

“Eleven stories,” she replied as a knot of fear began to form in her stomach. Suddenly, the view wasn’t nearly as appealing as it had been a moment before.

He pointed across the street. “And that building? How far away is it?”

Her eyes widened. It was at least fifty feet away.

“Fifty feet?” He nodded. “Yes, I’d say that looks about right.”

She flinched, still not used to him reading her thoughts.

He walked to the center of the roof. “This is your first lesson,” he said. “A vampire has incredible speed. Incredible strength.”

She nodded. She already knew that.

“But there are many dark gifts that come with the kiss. Many, many gifts.”

She took a tentative step toward him. “I don’t understand. Why did we come up here?” There was a ball of tension, of dread, knotting in her stomach.

“There is much you must learn. Much that you must see.”

What could he possibly want her to see on a deserted rooftop?

“They say that seeing is believing,” he murmured.

She frowned, as he smiled at her and began running toward the edge of the roof.

Her eyes widened in horror. “No, William! Don’t—” Her hand reached for him, but it was too late.

He hurtled over the edge of the roof.

“No!”

Chapter Thirteen

Vampires and immortality. ’Tis madness. Only God can live forever.

—Entry from the diary of Henry de Montfort,

December 19, 1068

BEFORE HER EYES, he transformed, becoming a large hawk. He flew high into the air, circling above her. Then he landed, on top of the roof, over fifty feet away.

Impossible. Not even a vampire could . . .

He became fog. Pale fog that drifted back across the night sky, drifted back to her.

“William . . .” Her voice was a hoarse whisper. How could he—

“Power comes with age,” William said, rematerializing at her side. “Shapeshifting will become easy for you, in time.”

She was stunned. “You mean I’ll be able to do that, to transform?”

“In time,” he agreed. “You’ll learn that as you age, your powers change. There will be no limit to the things that you can do.”

She glanced back across the street. Fifty feet. A hawk. Fog. Her knees felt weak. “Can Geoffrey do this? The shapeshifting?” Was that hoarse croak really her voice?

“Yes.”

That made him even more dangerous.

“But he won’t do it often,” William continued softly, watching her carefully. “Shifting weakens a vampire’s power. It takes a lot of strength to maintain the shape.”

She stared at him intently, and then she straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath. “Teach me.” She had to learn as much as she could, so that she would be ready for her next encounter with Geoffrey.

He took her hand and they walked to the center of the roof. “Hold onto me. Don’t let go, no matter what happens.”

She nodded.

“I want you to focus on the roof across the street. Think about reaching that roof, landing on its surface.”