A Fire in the Blood(35)
“She wants you to be her husband again, doesn’t she?”
He was silent for several moments before saying, “I’m afraid so.”
“And you agreed?”
Again, he hesitated. “Not exactly.”
Slipping out of his embrace, Tessa backed up a step. “What, exactly?”
“I can’t beat her in a fight,” he said flatly. “She’s too powerful. My only hope—our only hope—is to humor her. If I resist, it will only make her more determined. But if I play along, she’ll soon get bored and go back home.”
“Are you sure about that?”
He shook his head. “With Katerina, you can never be certain of anything. But I don’t know what else I can do.”
“Where does that leave me? Leave us?”
“I’m not sure.” Katerina was ancient, the most powerful vampire he knew. To make her angry was to invite not only her wrath, but Tessa’s destruction. And possibly his own. “But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that her threats are rarely empty.”
Remembering the icy tone of Katerina’s voice, the menace in her eyes, Tessa shivered.
“As strong as she is, she can’t enter your house uninvited.”
“Why not? Why does that even keep vampires out?”
“Thresholds have power. They’re meant to protect mortals from supernatural creatures. But the protection only extends to homes and other places of residence. You’ll be safe at Jilly’s, but not at work.”
Suddenly chilled, Tessa drew his arms around her again.
“You need to learn to shield your mind. Even though Katerina can’t force her way into your apartment, she has the power to compel you to go to her. If you feel her inside your head, you have to block her.”
“How do I do that?”
“It’s like building a wall around your thoughts. You build it brick by brick until you master the technique. In time, it will become second nature.”
“You said supernatural creatures. Plural.”
“Vampires aren’t the only monsters out there. They’re just the ones making the headlines these days.”
Tessa closed her eyes. “I don’t want to know about any others. I can’t handle that right now.”
Andrei brushed a kiss across the top of her head. “Are you ready to build that wall?”
* * *
Tessa was amazed at how easy it was to erect an imaginary barrier in her mind. She had thought it might take days—perhaps weeks—to accomplish, but it was surprisingly simple.
Even Andrei was impressed. “You’re a natural,” he remarked when she shut him out of her thoughts.
Tessa smiled, pleased by his praise, and then frowned. Sometimes it was nice, having him know what she was thinking, like when she wanted him to hold her, kiss her . . . She gasped when he drew her into his arms. “I thought you couldn’t read my mind?”
“You have to maintain control and not let yourself be distracted. Those sexy thoughts of yours brought the walls down,” he said with a wicked grin. “And I’m only too happy to hold you,” he murmured, lightly stroking her back. “And kiss you whenever you want.”
Her eyelids fluttered down as his mouth moved seductively over hers.
“And do whatever else might please you.”
Tessa was about to ask for more when she felt the prick of his fangs at her throat. Startled, she tried to pull away, but he held her in a grip of iron. He drank quickly, then sealed the wounds in her neck.
“Lock the door after me. I’ll call you when I can.”
And with no other explanation, he vanished from her sight.
* * *
Katerina’s eyes were as cold as clouds in winter. “You’ve been with her.”
It wasn’t a question.
“I was hungry.”
She lifted her head, nostrils flaring, searching for the scent of fresh blood. “Perhaps we should go back. She smells delicious.”
“I don’t share prey in my own city. Not even for you.” Thwarting her was a risk, but letting her drink from Tessa was a bigger one. Thus far, Katerina hadn’t made the connection between Tessa and the female she was searching for, and he hoped to keep it that way.
“You told me she wasn’t prey.”
He shrugged. “I take a drink every now and then.”
“But you won’t share,” Katerina said, pouting. “Selfish as always, I see. Some things never change. Shall we go?”
Hunting with Katerina was a unique experience, by turns horrifying and amusing. Though she no longer needed to feed every day or even every week, she was a glutton with a playful streak who loved the hunt.
As they stalked the streets of a distant city, she made a game of it—challenging him to see which of them could find the tallest prey, the fattest, the drunkest, the oldest, the youngest.