One side of her mouth pulled up. "And our beloved raccoon?"
"I gave her some of my blood to heal her. That wasn't magic."
She nodded letting that mingle with vampire lore she'd collected. "Are there any other vampires in Salem?"
His pause this time was heavy. "Not that I have seen. If there are, I would not reveal their identity unless they are a danger. Just like witches, there are many who wish our existence did not mar their world."
Another question was on her tongue, but she sensed a boundary so she smiled playfully.
"Do you turn into a bat when you want to get away from someone?"
A low, rumble of laughter pressed against her skin and she felt it pull something low in her belly, her legs becoming weak as he pulled her more fully against him. "Yes."
Her eyes popped open in surprise looking at him holding her in the mirror. "Really?"
"No. I just walk away," he responded and she could both see and feel the smile tugging his mouth and she wanted to see him smile fully, face to face. She thought it might be a religious experience if just the side view of it made her heart pulse.
"I can see you, but can you see yourself in the mirror?"
He turned his head then, his eyes with their dark intentions colliding with hers in a moment of absolute electricity that she felt throughout her body. Without closing his eyes and tilting his head just enough that he could hold her eyes, he reached up with one hand and ran long fingers over the skin of her neck, lightly pushing until her head obeyed their command and she tilted with his hand's command, his touch leaving fire. And then, eyes still on hers, he leaned in and touched the skin there with his mouth.
Her mouth opened in a silent gasp, her knees gave out and he caught her against him easily as his tongue lightly licked the skin there and she had to bite her lip to hold in uncontrolled sounds.
She'd been turned on, of course, but from this? From a mere touch of lips and stroke of tongue on her neck? Never.
She'd had uncareful lovers. She'd had fast and impatient. She'd had very little experience with this and she wondered as he whispered something she couldn't translate against her skin, if this was seduction.
But then all thoughts stopped as he promised something. A carefulness, a vigilant touch that would keep her safe. Or perhaps he whispered that he would burn her alive while keeping her safe. It didn't matter, because her mind had shut off.
And she could do nothing but tilt her head further in invitation.
Met with a pause. A hot breath from his mouth. A new connection of their eyes in the mirror and then he wrapped strong arms around her holding her up against his solid body as his mouth took her neck. She felt a scrape that startled her heart, but her sensibilities were not afraid.
Somehow without speaking the words, he promised not to be careless, and she believed him.
She wasn't sure she'd ever been handed this kind of promise:
To be handled with care.
To be taken into strong hands capable of great destruction and treated with featherlight intention.
Was this what hundreds of years gave a man? The ability to know his strength and needs and hold them captive so that he could attend to the weakness and needs of a lover?
She was in his arms for a time that once again escaped her calculation. But somewhere along the way her small hand had wound up and behind her to slide into his thick hair, her short nails lightly caressing his sharp jaw and cheek drawing out a low rumble from his mouth against her neck that made its way into her blood until she was grasping his silky, thick strands of hair, holding him against her.
The sound of a whistling pop pulled her out of the fog he'd put her in, her eyes opened she gasped as he lightly nipped her, not breaking skin, but leaving behind something dark and delicious.
"I could see myself making you melt into me just fine," he answered a long-ago question she couldn't remember asking.
His smile was smug and almost taunting as he stepped away from her once he was sure she could stand again on her own.
Another pop sounded, drawing her attention to the thickly curtained window as she remembered that it was the fourthof July and one of her favorite shows of the year was starting outside.
"You won't be able to see them from here."
"Oh," she tugged on the hem of his shirt when his eyes ran down her body. "Um, thanks. For the clothes. And shower. And dinner."
"Would you like to see the fireworks?""Oh, I don't think going back to the festival," her words trailed off as she signaled to herself, though the voice of insecurity had been quieted, and instead she simply felt full of radiating heat and excitement she wasn't sure she wanted to put on public display.
