Page 46 of Black Star

“You need more.” He gave the plate a little push in her direction. “Eat.”

“Considering the short work I just made of the last plate, you’ll understand if I pretend to be a proper lady and insist you don’t watch.”

He lifted his hand as if he might touch her, but hesitated, then dropped it to his side. “It’s part of what you are, Diamond. I took too much of your blood, and you need to replace your body’s nutrients. As akaliish, you’re protected against most of the effects of losing too much blood during a feeding, but you can’t survive indefinitely. You have to eat.”

“Kaliish.” The word was familiar to Diamond, but she hadn’t uttered it in a very long time.

“It is a term given to those who have been changed in order that our kind may survive when they can not kill,” he explained. “In the current society, it’s almost unheard of for a vampire to actually kill unless the circumstances are dire. We normally keep one or morekaliishin order to maintain civility.”

“But you don’t.” Diamond paused in the act of lifting a bite to her mouth. She hadn’t even realized she’d picked it up. Looking at her plate now, she noticed several things missing.

“No. I’ve never needed to. The extended stay away from Draggoon affected me more than I was prepared for.”

“So, what now?” she mumbled between bites.

“Once I’m past any sudden recurrence of the Blood Burning, we’ll talk.”

She wanted to concentrate on what he was saying, but the food was simply too wonderful. Each bite she took was pure ecstasy. Phoebe had outdone herself this time.

By the time she dragged her finger through the last of the thick, meaty gravy, she felt much better. Hunger didn’t gnaw at her belly any longer, and she felt stronger. She felt almost normal again.

Viktor leaned against the table, his arms crossed over his chest, concentrating on her intently. “What?” Diamond asked. “Haven’t you ever seen a woman eat before?”

Again, Viktor didn’t say anything, only rifled through a couple of cubbies until he found a bowl of some bright pink fruit. They were elongated and round, and Diamond couldn’t help but wonder if they could be used for something other than eating. She almost groaned aloud.

Viktor chose two from the bowl and laid them on the table. He found a laser knife and sliced one from end to end, pulling back the skin and exposing the meat inside. With another flick of the knife, he sliced several pieces and scooped them up in one big hand.

“Try this.” He held out a piece he’d cut. His voice was still hoarse and gravelly, but he sounded more in control of himself. It was hard to tell, though. He had been well into the Blood Burning when Diamond had come aboard theBlack Star. “It’s high in nutrients needed by allkaliishafter a mating during Blood Burning.”

Diamond eyed the fruit suspiciously. She didn’t like eating things she wasn’t familiar with. She eyed him, and he nodded at the fruit. She reached for it, but he shook his head and raised the sweet-smelling morsel to her lips. When she didn’t immediately take it, he sighed and touched it to her lips gently. “Please, Diamond. Just one bite.”

She thought about refusing, but her stomach rumbled once again, though not as vocally as it had before she’d eaten. The fruit’s flavor was sweet, yet slightly tart, and nothing like she’d ever tasted. It wasn’t a strong flavor, but pleasant nonetheless. More, it seemed to quell her lingering hunger almost immediately.

“Akaliishis a being designed to take the abuse a vampire doles out during a Blood Burning. They heal remarkably fast and can withstand large amounts of blood loss for longer periods of time than other humans. But, as with any human, blood loss must be replaced. Akaliishcan aid her own blood replenishment by eating foods high in both calories and iron. Meats are best, but foods like this fruit -- a ruby banana -- are perfectly adequate.”

She had taken another bite of the fruit. Vampire fodder. She was nothing more than food for a vampire. She shuddered. “How do Inotbe akaliishanymore?”

“Once you’ve been transformed, there’s no going back.”

“Didn’t I just know you’d say that?” Diamond finished the fruit Viktor set out for her while he cut up another. Both of them ate in silence for a time.

“Feel better?”

“Yes. Actually, I do.” She smiled nervously. “Much. I’m going back to my cabin now.” She turned to leave, a little nervous being alone with Viktor even though he wasn’t as scary as he had been. She’d love to think he was completely out of his Blood Burning, but she very much doubted it was over this quickly.

“Wait.” His hand on her shoulder sent shivers down her body. Fear mingled with sexual hunger. She might be frightened of him, but there was something purely physical that called her to him with an intensity that scared her even more than the man himself did. “I need to say something.”

For the first time since she met him, the big vampire actually sounded unsure of himself. She turned to face him. “What’s on your mind, Viktor?” She tried to sound nonchalant, but wasn’t sure she quite pulled it off given the fact she was shaking so hard the hem of the shirt she wore quivered.

“I’m sorry I hurt you.” He caressed her cheek and gently tilted her face until she had no choice but to look him in the eyes. “If I could take back that first time, I’d forfeit my life rather than rape you as I did.”

“You didn’t rape me, Viktor. I knew what I was getting into, and I didn’t tell you to stop. My whole reason for being there in your cabin at that time was to help you in any way you needed.”

He winced slightly and turned his head away from her for a brief moment. “My Blood Burning hasn’t completely run its course, but the end is near. When I’m myself again, my life belongs to you and Ranier. The two of you brought me out of this much sooner than normally would have happened.”

She waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “I’m just glad you’re better, Viktor. Really. I meant what I said. I’m really glad to have had this experience with both of you. You’re a good man, and I’m proud to know you.”

As she spoke, Viktor’s brows knit together with each word. “But you do not want my life.”

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