“Yes,” she murmured, her eyelids fluttering down. “Oh, yes.”
His kiss, when it came, was soft, a gentle wooing that warmed her heart and invaded her soul. She clung to him, her hands restlessly moving over his back, tangling in his hair to keep him close. She loved the feel of his body against her own. He was such a strong, masculine man, everything female within her responded to his touch, to his nearness. His hands caressed her and she moaned softly, wishing he would make love to her. She knew that he thought it was dangerous, that he worried about hurting her, but she wasn’t afraid.
Frowning, she drew back so she could see his face. “Why is it I’m not afraid of you?”
He lifted one brow. “An odd question at such a time, don’t you think?”
“I guess so. I was a little afraid when I first realized you were actually a vampire but I wasn’t afraid of you, just of what you are. And that didn’t last very long. I wasn’t afraid when I let you drink from me. Is that normal?”
“I don’t think so. What are you getting at?”
“Maybe I’m not normal.”
“Maybe you’re not.”
“I was kidding,” she said, suddenly looking worried.
“I know. But your blood, your nearness, soothes me in ways that nothing else does. There’s got to be a reason for it, although I can’t imagine what it would be.” He brushed his knuckles against her cheek. Was it that difference that drew him to her in the first place?
He opened his preternatural senses when he kissed her again, but he detected nothing except warm, willing woman. A woman who wanted him with every fiber of her body, who wished he would forget his fears and make love to her. Was she right? Was he worrying for nothing? As a vampire, he had never been totally out of control the way he had been as a werewolf.
Overcome with gratitude, he drew her back into his arms, hugging her tightly. “I love you, Sheree,” he murmured fervently. “I will love you as long as you live.”
As long as you live. The words, which should have thrilled her, filled her with a vague sense of sadness. He hadn’t said as long as he lived, she noted, which could be hundreds of years or more, but as long as she lived, a much shorter timeline.
Sheree closed her eyes, refusing to cry. But even as she told herself to be grateful for whatever time Fate allowed her to share with Derek, she heard a quiet voice in the back of her mind.
Derek’s voice whispering, Sheree, my love, only say the word and hundreds of years can be yours, too.
“They’re gone!” Pearl exclaimed, staring up at the castle. “I can’t believe they would go without telling us.”
Edna stared at her friend. “Are you serious? I think we’re lucky to still be breathing! I don’t know about you, but I’ll be perfectly happy to get back to Texas and never see Mara or any of her family again!”
But Pearl wasn’t listening. “She needs us. We have the formula. I’ve half a mind not to make the damn stuff!”
“Oh, there’s a good idea,” Edna said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Just piss her off some more, why don’t you?”
“Let’s go pack,” Pearl muttered. “There’s no point in staying here any longer.”
Edna nodded as she grabbed her favorite bright yellow jacket and orange scarf. “I couldn’t agree more.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
When Sheree woke, it was almost three in the afternoon. Stretching her arms over her head, she wondered if her internal clock would ever get back to rights. Trying to stay up late to be with Derek had been one thing, going to Transylvania quite another. The change in time had really messed her up, until she wasn’t sure if she was supposed to sleep when the sun was up or down.
Last night, Derek’s words—Sheree, my love, only say the word and hundreds of years can be yours, too—had followed her to sleep, and given rise to a nightmare. She had dreamed that Derek had forced her to become a vampire. He had chained her in the castle dungeon, drained her to the point of death, then forced her to drink his blood. Even now, the thought made her gag. How did he stand it? In her nightmare, she had turned into a ravening, red-eyed monster. Out of control, she had attacked everything and everyone—animals, birds, men, women, and children. Even her parents . . .
Shaking the horrific images from her mind, she went into the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth.
She wasn’t in the mood for breakfast, so she drank a glass of orange juice and washed it down with a cup of coffee.
Needing to be busy, she spent the next three hours cleaning the house from top to bottom. She did two loads of laundry and while waiting for the clothes to dry, she threw everything out of the refrigerator and washed it inside and out.