Page 63 of Bound By Blood

“Get her!” Zack said.

Kaitlyn stared at Zack, speechless. “What?”

“Go after her.”

With a grin, Kaitlyn broke into a run. The woman was fast but she was no match for a vampire. Kaitlyn passed her easily, then stood in the mouth of the alley, blocking the way. The woman shrieked and began backpedaling.

Not certain what to do, Kaitlyn grabbed the woman’s arm and led her back to where Zack stood.

“Dinner is served,” he said, grinning.

Kaitlyn glanced at the woman, who stared at her through wide, frightened eyes. “You mean …?”

He nodded. “Which do you want? The man, or the woman?”

Kaitlyn blinked at Zack. Did he mean for them to feed here, in the open? “What if someone comes by?”

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll hear anyone coming long before they see us. So, the man or the woman?”

“The man.” He was of medium height, with short blond hair and brown eyes. And he was AB negative.

With a nod, Zack took the woman into his arms. She murmured, “Don’t, please don’t,” as he brushed the hair away from her neck.

He stared into the woman’s eyes. “Relax,” he told her, then looked at Kaitlyn. “I mesmerized the man. He won’t fight you. Just do what comes naturally, Katy. You’ll know when to stop.”

She couldn’t stop watching Zack, noticing how gently he held the woman, how he spoke a few reassuring words to her before he bent his head to the woman’s neck.

The scent of fresh warm blood drifted in the air, making Kaitlyn’s mouth water.

The woman’s eyelids fluttered down and she moaned softly, not with pain, but with pleasure.

A sharp stab of jealousy pricked Kaitlyn’s heart. Suddenly angry, she took the man in her arms, her nostrils filling with the smell of his after-shave. Taking a deep breath, she took Zack’s advice, closed her eyes, and did what came naturally.

After the first taste, she knew she would never be satisfied with bagged blood again.

“So, what do you think?” Zack asked as they walked back to the Fortress. Earlier, he had wiped the minds of the man and the woman and sent them on their way.

“It was”—she spread her arms wide—”amazing. I never knew it could be like that. I never knew I could feel like that.” She twirled around, her arms still outstretched. “I feel like I could fly.”

“Maybe you can,” he said, laughing.

“You’re making fun of me.”

“Never.”

“I could read his mind, only it wasn’t like other times. I’ve always been able to read minds, but this was different. I knew what he was feeling, thinking, what he was afraid of. Is it that way for you?”

“Yeah. This is probably going to sound weird, me being a vampire and all, but I’ve saved a few lives in my time by planting suggestions in the minds of my prey that they didn’t want to kill themselves.”

“Really?” she asked, her eyes wide. “That’s amazing.”

He smiled, remembering the girl, Alice, who had hopes of becoming a Hollywood star. She hadn’t been suicidal, just lonely and depressed. Hopefully, she had gone home and reunited with her family.

“Do you think the reason I can’t dissolve into mist or do some of the other things my father can do is because I’ve rarely fed on humans? Maybe I’d be stronger if I fed more.”

“I don’t know. Maybe. It makes sense. I mean, you can’t expect to be at your full power when you’re denying a basic part of what you are.”

“I guess you could be right.”

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