Vampires of London: Books 1-3

Chapter Six

Chapter SixThey still stood hand in hand on the gravel driveway right in front of the house when Anna came back to her senses. Their little excursion back to the scene of the crime had overwhelmed her. The smell of her own blood, and then the footsteps that promised her a meal thousands of times better than the raw steak she'd eaten earlier…

It was a lot to take in. And yet, she didn't want to think about any of that.

She looked down at Michael's hand, which still surrounded hers. He had made sure she hadn't done anything she would regret. As intensely thirsty as she'd felt in that strange courtyard in the city, she wasn't ready to take a life. The guilt would kill her, she was certain of it.

What a night. Although only a few hours had passed, it now felt like years ago when she'd first woken up inside the house. She was a vampire now.

Anna still could hardly believe it. She might have rejected the idea further if she hadn't felt the blood l**t Lucille and Michael had been talking about. Had her eyes turned red too, like that man who had attacked her? The memory was so faint, she could just see those eyes staring at her, boring their way into her soul through the surrounding darkness.

You will come with me, the man had said. She'd heard him clearly, but his lips had never moved. Was that the hypnosis thing Michael had been talking about earlier?

"You want to go in?" Michael asked.

Anna looked around. The gravel drive they stood on was lined by neatly kept hedges, beyond which there lay a sprawling lawn. The frost on the blades of grass sparkled in the starlight. It was magical.

Would all this make up for never seeing the sun again?

She wanted to believe so. It was too late for regrets. She glanced up at the house, with its large pillars surrounding the impressive front entrance. Above, ten windows marked the upper floor, each of them surrounded by carved stonework. Did one of these belong to the bedroom she'd woken up in? Or had hers been located toward the back?

"I have an idea," Michael said.

Anna glanced up at him and was captivated by how the soft light bounced off his chiseled cheek bones. In this light, his skin seemed to be glowing faintly. Was that how she looked too?

"What idea?" she asked, then stared at his lips, waiting for them to form a response.

He winked at her. "Trust me?"

She pressed her lips together. Should she say yes? What did she have to lose?

She nodded and was instantly whisked away, toward the side of the villa, beside a tall oak tree.

Michael jumped up into it, catching hold of the first branch that hung at least twelve feet off the ground.

"Follow me," he said.

No way can I make that, Anna thought. But she took a deep breath and jumped, and to her surprise, found that she was hanging just next to Michael. He swung his legs up and got up on top of the thick branch, then climbed up into the next one, and then the next.

She followed right on his heels until the very top. From there, Michael leapt across to the roof of the house and turned around, waiting for her to catch up.

Anna looked down. This tree, which looked to be at least a hundred years old, was huge. She was so far off the ground, the old her would have been terrified. I was afraid of heights, she thought. But now I have no more reason to be.

She didn't hesitate anymore and jumped across the gap. It was effortless.

"That's amazing," she mumbled to herself.

Michael gestured at her to join her as he sat down on top of the ridge at the top of the roof. She did, then followed his line of sight across the front gate to the substantial villa across the road, which adjoined the park.

The view was breathtaking. She'd never seen anything like it.

In the distance, lights twinkled in the distance as they moved around the pathways in the park. Perhaps they were people out for early morning walks or cycle rides. Off to their right, Kensington Palace stood proudly in its manicured lawns, bathed in an orange-red glow. They would have turned off the main illumination of the palace as well as the other landmarks in the city hours ago, but she could still see the building clear as day thanks to what must be its emergency lighting. From here—a good 500 feet away—she could see every detail of it. Right down to the c***k developing in one of the window sills on the second floor.

"Wow," she said.

Michael took her hand and pointed further ahead, to the other end of Hyde Park. "You can see the Marble Arch from here."

He was right. Although it was quite far off, the sight of it blew Anna away.

Anna pointed even further away, just more to the south. "Those lights beyond the buildings, that's what, Buckingham Palace?"

"It is indeed."

She turned to face him. "Thank you."

"Ah, forget it. I just wanted to show you the good parts of being turned. That's all."

Anna had misjudged Michael earlier. Not that he'd given her much choice. Michael hadn't shown much tact after she'd just woken up, but perhaps that wasn't his fault. This situation they found themselves in was new to the both of them.

But this little gesture of his proved that he actually did care. She'd been shaken by her experience earlier, and this had done a lot to make her feel better.

He looked over at her, letting his eyes linger on hers for a moment too long.

Anna felt a sense of familiarity now that she looked into his eyes. Like she'd seen him somewhere before, even if she had no actual recollection of it. That was silly though, obviously. Her memory or lack thereof was playing tricks on her.

She scooted a little closer to him. He wasn't so bad after all. And damn, the subdued light from the stars above made him look even more handsome. If that was even possible.

Earlier, he'd kept their eye contact to a minimum. He'd even avoided physical contact, until their outing earlier. Now, her hand rested on the roof just beside his, their little fingers touching. He didn't pull away, and neither did she.

And he continued to stare into her soul, making her heart beat faster. Was that her heart, though? Did vampires even have heartbeats?

She felt giddy and lightheaded. No matter how quickly he'd brushed it away, she was certain that this gesture meant something more than he was willing to admit.

"Do you come here often?" she asked, then grinned when she realized the cliché.

Michael smiled subtly. "Often enough to recognize a new face."

This man had an infuriatingly gorgeous smile. To go with his infuriatingly gorgeous face.

Anna's thoughts were swimming. She found it hard to focus on anything but the curve of Michael's lips.

"It's not so bad, this new life," she mumbled.

His smile widened.

She leaned in, closer and closer. His scent filled her nostrils. Intoxicating and seductive, like an expensive cologne.

Michael similarly leaned toward her until their faces were only an inch apart.

And just like that, without planning to, really, Anna pressed her lips against his.

The heartbeat in her chest seemed to speed up to a high frequency buzz. Her chest filled with—she wasn't quite sure with what. Excitement. Nerves.

Arousal.

She felt alive, like every one of her was synapses firing at an intensity she wouldn't have thought possible before. Her whole body was electric, every inch of her skin highly sensitized.

Michael reached for her, slipping his hand behind her neck and cradling her as he returned her kiss. Their tongues collided and fireworks seemed to erupt behind her closed eyelids.

It was so beautiful, she had to fight back tears.

And just like that, it was over. Michael withdrew his hand and pulled away.

Anna opened her eyes in distress. Why? Why did he stop?

"I'm sorry, this isn't fair on you," Michael stammered. He refused to look her in the eye.

Had she misread the situation completely? Had he not just brought her here to this incredibly romantic spot and showed her all the beauty that lay at their feet? Had he not just tried to convince her that immortality wasn't as scary and alien as it had seemed to be at first?

Did he not care for her?

"I'm sorry?"

"I shouldn't have done that," he said, shaking his head. "I'm your maker. It's inappropriate."

Anna didn't know what to do or where to look as he got up, dusted off his trousers, and took a few steps away from her. She'd faced rejection in the past, but nothing like this. He'd been into it just now, hadn't he?

"I don't understand," she mumbled, and wrapped her arms around herself protectively.

"Look." Michael reached for her shoulder, then stopped about an inch away. "I'm really sorry. I got carried away in the moment. This isn't right. I've taken advantage of your situation and I shouldn't have. This is your first night as a vampire, and you don't need to be wrapped up in all this."

Anna frowned. Taken advantage? What the hell was he talking about?

"I kissed you," she said. "If anyone took advantage—"

Michael shook his head. "No. I'm sorry. I'm going to go inside now. If you need anything, I'll be in the library."

Anna's throat tightened, making it impossible for her to respond. Before she had the chance to regain her composure, he'd walked across to the edge of the roof and climbed down, possibly to enter through a nearby window.

Unbelievable .

She didn't recall ever being faced with a guy acting this hot and cold around her, but then of course she wouldn't. She didn't remember much of anything.

What did it mean?

Anna pulled her legs up, wrapped her arms around them, and rested her chin on top of her knees.

A lot had happened today, and perhaps some peace and quiet was exactly what she needed. Not that it was particularly quiet up here. She could hear traffic, as well as the occasional siren, miles away. She tried to focus on the rustling of fallen leaves being carried by the odd winter breeze in the park.

That kiss, though. Holy hell. Despite the awkwardness of his sudden departure, and the confusion he left her in, she couldn't get it out of her mind.

Was everything just more intense now that she was no longer mortal? He had overwhelmed her, turned her into a mushy mess of emotions and sensations that felt completely alien. Considering she didn't have her memory back yet, this was essentially her first ever kiss now. She hated that it had to end so soon.

Although it was probably for the best. She had enough to worry already about without adding relationship issues into the mix.

If a little kiss felt this amazing, then what was s*x like?

Anna groaned. She'd be a lot better off banning these speculations from her mind. He wasn't into her, or at the very least, he didn't consider her ready, whatever that meant.

And she wasn't about to throw herself at some guy she'd known all of what—ten hours? Most of those hours she'd been passed out. How could she even know what kind of guy he was?

Plus, she wasn't that kind of woman.

She might not remember the finer details of her old life, but she was certain of that fact.

Plus, he wasn't even into her. Or was he?