The Last True Vampire(46)

Pancake lodged in his throat and he washed it down with coffee. So brazen, so curious, his female was. Lust burned his gut, hardened his cock, but Michael pushed his desire to the back of his mind. For now, he’d sate her desire for knowledge and nothing else. “I’d love to hear Ronan’s response to that,” he said with a laugh. “I’m sure he’d be unnecessarily outraged at the notion that he was unable to bed every female that caught his eye. But to answer your question, becoming a vampire initiates our fertility.”

“It seems like a contradiction to nature, don’t you think? You’re only able to reproduce after your soul leaves and your body dies.”

“Whose nature?” Michael countered. “Yours? Perhaps. But in my world, it is natural.”

“What would happen if Ronan drank my blood?”

“He would die a slow and painful death,” Michael responded as he suppressed a territorial growl.

Claire covered her mouth, nearly choking on her coffee. “My blood would kill him?”

“No,” Michael said with a humorless laugh, “but the two-hundred-and-fifty-pound vampire sitting beside you would get the job done. Claire, I told you that we’re closer to our animal natures than humans. Vampires are incredibly territorial. I wouldn’t hesitate to kill anyone who tried to take what belongs to me. You need to be very aware of that aspect of my nature.”

“Well,” she said on a breath. “Overprotective with a violent streak.” She looked away and a ripple of discomfort vibrated through Michael. Perhaps he should have been more delicate on the subject of his territoriality, but he no longer wished to hide his true nature from her. Doubt gnawed at him. Her doubt. And the sensation left him feeling too raw. “Sunlight bothers you?”

“Yes.” Michael studied her. He’d seen the look before; she was trying to get a read on him. If she’d simply open up to him, she’d realize that their tether left him bare to her. He could hide nothing. “Dhampirs can tolerate sunlight as well as humans, but exposure would kill me.”#p#分页标题#e#

“Wow,” Claire said with a laugh. “L.A. really isn’t the best city for you to be living in, you know. How often do you need blood?”

He popped the last bite of pancake into his mouth. “In the past, I could sustain myself by taking blood once every three or four months.” His gaze leveled on her. “But I’ve found that when it comes to you, I am insatiable.”

Claire’s beautiful mouth parted with a breath and her lips formed a silent oh. A thrill chased through him and his thirst blazed hot in his throat.

“Your eyes are silver.” Her voice was little more than a whisper, her eyes shining with heat. Her pulse raced, the vein in her throat throbbing against her tender flesh. The sound of her heart as it pounded in her chest caused a surge of lust to dizzy him. How could he have ever thought to hold himself from her?

Michael’s skin prickled with the coming sunrise, and a stone of disappointment settled in his gut. Their time together had come to an end much too soon, and within minutes the blinds would come down to lock them both in this wretched tomb. Gods, how he hated the sun.

“What’s the matter?” Her expression softened with concern and Michael swore it tore the muscles of his heart.

“The sun is about to rise.” Already his limbs felt weighed down, his body preparing for the sleep that would soon overtake him. If only he could have one more hour with her. Hell, another minute. He wasn’t ready to leave her side. “Alex should be here soon. Ronan as well. They’ll watch over you while I sleep.”

She regarded him with narrowed eyes. So suspicious. “Just gonna hit the hay, huh? Just like that.”

“I’m afraid it’s an unfortunate necessity.” How much should he divulge to her about his weakness once the sun rose? “I have no choice but to sleep. Another quirk of physiology.”

She flashed a mischievous smile that tightened his chest. “So you’re saying if you don’t go lie down now, you’ll just crumple to the floor?”

He smiled in turn. “More or less.”

“Well then.” Claire continued to study him as though she could climb into his very soul. “I guess you’d better get to bed. I doubt I could carry you up the stairs if you passed out on the kitchen floor.”

No, but he could carry her without any exertion whatsoever. She was a feather in his arms and he ached to take her upstairs, lay her down in his bed, and feel the warmth of her body tucked against his. Leaving her for even a few hours seemed too great a feat. He’d meant what he’d said about easing her into this life, though. Michael knew that if he pushed too hard she’d run.