The Accidental Vampire(61)

Victor's mouth twisted with irritation. This was a sore spot for him. "By being a bloody,

stupid lush who mouthed off to Stoker and told him all about our kind while he was

drunk. We had managed to get away with only causing quiet rumors ere that. Once

Jean Claude opened his stupid mouth and Stoker published his book, we were hunted.

It took decades to convince the majority that it was all fiction and we still have to wipe

minds and stop the occasional vampire stalker."

"Immortal stalker," she corrected absently, and then asked, "So Dracula was based on

someone named Jean Claude. Who was he?"

"Not exactly based on him, no, and I'm not discussing this," Victor muttered and

moved to the refrigerator to retrieve a bag of blood for her. She was looking pale.

"So you have to give them your blood," Elvi said, returning to the original point. "Huh. I

must have missed that part of the movie."

"What movie?" he asked with confusion as he handed her the bag.

"Dracula. I must have been in the bathroom or something when he fed her his blood. I

don't remember seeing that," Elvi explained and popped the bag to her teeth.

"What?" This comment so took him aback, that Victor unthinkingly snatched the bag

away from her mouth so that she could answer, and then dropped it in surprise when

it began to squirt blood everywhere. He started to bend to pick it up, but then

stopped, unable to keep from asking with disbelief, "You researched by watching the

movie rather than reading the damned book?"

Tsking at the mess he'd made, Elvi grabbed some paper towels from the roll, snapping,

"Well, the book was checked out of the library and I wanted to learn as much as I could

as quickly as I could. Movies are faster than books."

Victor rolled his eyes and muttered, "Definitely a child of your times. It used to be that

university kids read the crib sheets on books they were supposed to read, now they

watch the movie."

Holding the wadded‐up paper towel, Elvi narrowed her eyes. "You know, Victor,

sometimes you sound as pompous as a horse's ass."

"Mabel wasn't the only one brought up on a farm, I see," he said stiffly, then asked

politely, "Are horse's asses really pompous?"

"God! Sometimes you're such a… a… man."

"Good of you to notice," Victor responded with a grin and the irritation slowly faded

from her face, replaced with a reluctant smile.

Several moments passed with the two of them simply standing their smiling at each

other, and then Victor's eyes focused on her forehead as he thought that he should try

to read her and find out exactly where he stood. Before he could, Elvi's tongue slipped

out to glide along her lips. It was a nervous action, but as seductive and distracting as

could be and he found his gaze shifting to her lips instead. She had the most incredible

mouth. Full, red lips that begged to be caressed and kissed and he already knew they

were as soft as they appeared. He found himself moving slowly forward, his focus

locked on her lips and what they would feel and taste like and nothing else.

"Victor?" Elvi said uncertainly.

"I want to kiss you." It wasn't a request, but an explanation and her answer was a soft

puff of air that came out as an "oh."

Taking that as agreement, he closed his lips over hers. They were soft pillows, giving

way to his firmer mouth. Victor abruptly slipped his tongue out to urge her lips apart

and test her taste.

Sweet, he decided. She'd obviously had chocolate since they last kissed. She must have

it stashed somewhere in her room. He liked the taste of chocolate mingled with her,

he decided. It was the last almost coherent thought he had, then his brain disengaged,

allowing his body's wants and needs to take over the driver's seat.

Elvi stood completely still, almost holding her breath as Victor's mouth pressed gently

against hers. She was suffering a definite sense of déjà vu. All the feelings and needs

he'd brought to roaring life in her body up in her room, needs that had been forced

onto the back burner when they were interrupted, now burst back to raging life. When

he suddenly pressed forward, urging her head back as his tongue slid out and invaded,

she drew in a gasp and dropped the paper towel she'd gathered to clean up the blood

on the floor and caught at his upper arms to steady herself.

For one moment, Elvi felt like an invaded country, overwhelmed and unprepared, but

then his tongue rasped over her own, drawing a moan from her throat as he

reawakened and pulled passions from her she hadn't felt in years. Her body stretched

and arched of its own accord, pressing her breasts against his chest and thrusting her