recently than me. Seen anything… worrying?”
“A few unusual phenomena. Rods of light shooting up from the Earth. Storms, spectres.” He gave a slight shrug. “Nothing coherent.”
“Nothing specifically dangerous aimed at us?”
Karl turned her to face him. His hands slid over her hair, along her cheekbones, gliding down her neck and over her shoulders. She pressed against him, pushing herself into his touch like a cat. Her breathing deepened. Karl responded, his mouth meeting hers, so delicious… The kiss ended too soon.
“Beloved,” he said, “I don’t think the strange moods of Raqia have any conscious intent behind them.”
“Probably not, but we know the collective subconscious affects us. The moods of Raqia, and the knife, and my hallucinations all seem tangled together.
Something
is wrong, but nothing makes sense.”
“We will find those men who attacked you. And answers, I hope. Don’t be melancholy.”
“I’m not.” Her fingers played, loosening his tie and working at his shirt buttons and waistcoat. “But you know me. I never can stop wondering. The attack was so strange and
wrong
. I can’t let this rest. I was a scientist in life, and I still am.”
“Yes, beloved. Always,” he whispered.
“And so are you. Furthermore, you play the cello better than I ever shall, with your miraculous fingers…”
When she’d been a very proper, studious model of virtue – only a few years ago – Karl had lured her into this secret world of passion, but he’d done so with such subtle, irresistible tenderness that she’d never felt they were doing anything wrong. In a society where unmarried intimacy was scandalous, the need for secrecy had made it all the more exciting.
In her own heart, their forbidden relationship had been the most natural thing in the world. The paradox between her duty to appear virtuous, and the reality of their hidden affair, had been unspeakably thrilling.
Until she’d discovered that Karl was a vampire, and the world had collapsed around her.
Not all the pieces could be picked up… but she and Karl still had the one thing that truly mattered: their mutual, obsessive love.
Now their hands slid over each other, caressing smooth milky skin, no area out of bounds. He raised her hand to his mouth, kissed her knuckles then ran the tip of his tongue over each one in turn. Her whole body clenched tight with bliss. Her head fell back. Always, always this heat swept over her, as if they couldn’t help but flow together like molten gold. Even when they were maintaining a decorous distance in public, the magnetic pull was there.
Other vampires joked that they could see it: a shared aura, like strands of glowing plasma between them.
She moved his hand to her breast, pressing herself into the warmth of his palm, then drew that hand all down the length of her body to the sweet ache where her thighs joined. Karl gave the softest gasp as his fingers felt gently, deliciously into her. The intimacy made her nearly swoon with joy.
With her free hand, she worked at his clothing until, smiling, he helped her.
“The faster we try to undress, the more everything gets into a tangle,” she breathed against his throat.
He laughed. At last he pressed against her, clothed in nothing but his smooth ivory skin: all hard flat muscle, like a dancer, but warm with stolen blood. His hair brushed her shoulders as he bent to kiss her neck. She felt the teasing touch of his fangs. Entwined fingers, hair, limbs… So exciting, the contrast between Karl as the self-contained perfect gentleman, and this secret Karl, uninhibited and sensual and ardent.
She was delirious. Nothing mattered except to feel him inside her, where he belonged, his swollen, eager flesh enveloped in hers, the pulsing focus of all heat, all the wordless passion in the universe.
He lifted her, with her legs wrapped around his hips, on to the bed. He made her wait, sliding lightly and teasingly just where she ached the
“A few unusual phenomena. Rods of light shooting up from the Earth. Storms, spectres.” He gave a slight shrug. “Nothing coherent.”
“Nothing specifically dangerous aimed at us?”
Karl turned her to face him. His hands slid over her hair, along her cheekbones, gliding down her neck and over her shoulders. She pressed against him, pushing herself into his touch like a cat. Her breathing deepened. Karl responded, his mouth meeting hers, so delicious… The kiss ended too soon.
“Beloved,” he said, “I don’t think the strange moods of Raqia have any conscious intent behind them.”
“Probably not, but we know the collective subconscious affects us. The moods of Raqia, and the knife, and my hallucinations all seem tangled together.
Something
is wrong, but nothing makes sense.”
“We will find those men who attacked you. And answers, I hope. Don’t be melancholy.”
“I’m not.” Her fingers played, loosening his tie and working at his shirt buttons and waistcoat. “But you know me. I never can stop wondering. The attack was so strange and
wrong
. I can’t let this rest. I was a scientist in life, and I still am.”
“Yes, beloved. Always,” he whispered.
“And so are you. Furthermore, you play the cello better than I ever shall, with your miraculous fingers…”
When she’d been a very proper, studious model of virtue – only a few years ago – Karl had lured her into this secret world of passion, but he’d done so with such subtle, irresistible tenderness that she’d never felt they were doing anything wrong. In a society where unmarried intimacy was scandalous, the need for secrecy had made it all the more exciting.
In her own heart, their forbidden relationship had been the most natural thing in the world. The paradox between her duty to appear virtuous, and the reality of their hidden affair, had been unspeakably thrilling.
Until she’d discovered that Karl was a vampire, and the world had collapsed around her.
Not all the pieces could be picked up… but she and Karl still had the one thing that truly mattered: their mutual, obsessive love.
Now their hands slid over each other, caressing smooth milky skin, no area out of bounds. He raised her hand to his mouth, kissed her knuckles then ran the tip of his tongue over each one in turn. Her whole body clenched tight with bliss. Her head fell back. Always, always this heat swept over her, as if they couldn’t help but flow together like molten gold. Even when they were maintaining a decorous distance in public, the magnetic pull was there.
Other vampires joked that they could see it: a shared aura, like strands of glowing plasma between them.
She moved his hand to her breast, pressing herself into the warmth of his palm, then drew that hand all down the length of her body to the sweet ache where her thighs joined. Karl gave the softest gasp as his fingers felt gently, deliciously into her. The intimacy made her nearly swoon with joy.
With her free hand, she worked at his clothing until, smiling, he helped her.
“The faster we try to undress, the more everything gets into a tangle,” she breathed against his throat.
He laughed. At last he pressed against her, clothed in nothing but his smooth ivory skin: all hard flat muscle, like a dancer, but warm with stolen blood. His hair brushed her shoulders as he bent to kiss her neck. She felt the teasing touch of his fangs. Entwined fingers, hair, limbs… So exciting, the contrast between Karl as the self-contained perfect gentleman, and this secret Karl, uninhibited and sensual and ardent.
She was delirious. Nothing mattered except to feel him inside her, where he belonged, his swollen, eager flesh enveloped in hers, the pulsing focus of all heat, all the wordless passion in the universe.
He lifted her, with her legs wrapped around his hips, on to the bed. He made her wait, sliding lightly and teasingly just where she ached the
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